You flop on your couch and switch on your favorite Super Mario game. At the push of a button, you pound a question block to get a coin. You grab a turtle shell and toss it at an enemy. Or maybe you steer a go-kart around a wild rainbow track. You’re having fun! But do ever wish you could do these things in real life?

You sit on your couch. You turn on your favorite Super Mario game. When you push a button, your character hits a question block. You get a coin! Next you grab a turtle shell. You toss it at an enemy. Or maybe you steer a go-kart. It zooms around a wild rainbow track. You’re having fun! But do you ever wish you could do these things in real life?

In 2016, engineers set out to create a place where you could do just that. The result is Super Nintendo World! It’s a new park at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. The park looks, sounds, and feels just like the worlds from the Super Mario Bros. video game series. There are all kinds of games to play at the park, including a real-life Mario Kart ride.

The first Super Nintendo World opened in Japan in 2021. Two years later, the U.S. theme park opened its doors. Ready to learn how engineers turned video games into a theme park? Let’s-a-go!

In 2016, engineers began creating a place where you can! The result is Super Nintendo World. It’s a new park at Universal Studios Hollywood. It’s located in Los Angeles, California. The park is based on the Super Mario Bros. video game series. It looks, sounds, and feels just like Mario’s world. There are many games to play at the park. They include a real-life Mario Kart ride.

The first Super Nintendo World opened in Japan in 2021. The U.S. park opened two years later. How did engineers turn a video game into a theme park? Let’s find out!

The first Super Mario Bros. game was released in the U.S. in 1985 by the Japanese gaming company Nintendo. The video game stars plumber brothers Mario and Luigi. They have to travel through Mushroom Kingdom to save Princess Peach from Bowser, a giant wicked turtle.

Back then, people played most video games on bulky machines at arcades. Super Mario Bros. was one of the first games made for the Nintendo Entertainment System. This new gaming system could be played at home.

It was a huge hit! Players loved exploring the colorful world and discovering its many hidden secrets. Over the years, Nintendo has released 25 games in the Super Mario Bros. series. Mario has appeared in hundreds of other Nintendo games, including Super Mario Kart.

“Mario is known by hundreds of millions of people who have grown up playing in those game worlds,” says Jon Corfino of Universal Studios Hollywood. He led the team that designed Super Nintendo World. Because so many people love Mario, it was important to Corfino to get every detail just right.

The first Super Mario Bros. game was released in the U.S. in 1985. It was created by Nintendo, a Japanese gaming company. The video game stars two brothers who are plumbers. Their names are Mario and Luigi. The brothers travel through Mushroom Kingdom to save Princess Peach. She’s been kidnapped by a giant evil turtle named Bowser.

Back in 1985, people went to places called arcades to play video games. Most games could only be played on big, heavy machines. Super Mario Bros. was one of the first games made for the Nintendo Entertainment System. This new gaming system could be played at home.

It was very popular! Players loved exploring the colorful world. They enjoyed discovering its many secrets. Nintendo has since released 25 games in the Super Mario Bros. series. Mario has appeared in hundreds of other Nintendo games. Super Mario Kart is just one of these games.

“Mario is known by hundreds of millions of people who have grown up playing in those game worlds,” says Jon Corfino. He works at Universal Studios Hollywood. He led the team that designed Super Nintendo World. Many people love Mario. So it was important to get every detail right.

Designers from Nintendo and Universal Destinations & Experiences started by brainstorming. One of their criteria, or design goals, was to create surprises hidden in the park. They also wanted to build ways for visitors to compete like they do in the video games.

The design team invented a wristband called a “Power Up Band.” Inside it is an electronic device called a sensor. Sensors detect and send signals. You can tap the Power Up Band to other sensors throughout the park to earn prizes like digital coins.

You can earn coins other ways too, like by playing games. In one game, you turn a crank as fast as you can to push a villain called a Goomba down a hill. In another, you have to reset ringing alarm clocks to stop a piranha plant from waking up.

 The main attraction is Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. In this indoor ride, visitors steer a car through a virtual Mario Kart race! Engineers built wall-sized screens that show scenes from real Mario Kart levels. Electricity powers the screens, lights, music, and other special effects.

Designers created special goggles for riders to wear that use technology called augmented reality. Through the goggles, riders see 3-D images of characters and objects moving over the real surroundings. These images are designed with code, or instructions for computers. With the goggles, you can collect coins and throw objects at opponents, just like in the game!

Designers from Nintendo worked with the team at Universal Destinations & Experiences to create the park. They started by brainstorming. One of their criteria, or design goals, was to create surprises hidden in the park. They also wanted to build ways for visitors to compete. That way guests would feel like they were playing the video games.

The design team invented a wristband. They called it a “Power Up Band.” Inside it is an electronic device called a sensor. Sensors detect and send signals. You can tap the Power Up Band to other sensors throughout the park. When you do, you earn prizes like digital coins.

You can earn coins other ways too. One is by playing games. In one game, you turn a crank as fast as you can. The crank pushes a villain called a Goomba down a hill. In another, you reset ringing alarm clocks. That stops a dangerous piranha plant from waking up.

The main attraction is Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. It’s an indoor ride. Visitors steer a car through a virtual Mario Kart race! Engineers built screens the size of walls. The screens show scenes from real Mario Kart levels. They work using electricity. The ride’s other special effects are also electric. These include lights and music.

Designers also created special goggles. They use technology called augmented reality. Riders on Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge wear them. Through the goggles, riders see 3-D images of characters and objects. These images move over the real parts of the ride. They’re designed with code. Code is a set of instructions for computers. With the goggles, you can collect coins and throw objects at opponents. It’s just like the game!

Engineers tested and improved each part of the park many times to make sure it worked just right. Corfino rode Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge more than 200 times!

Since opening, Super Nintendo World has impressed people of all ages. “I’ve seen 5-year-old kids and 65-year-old adults drop to their knees and start crying,” Corfino says. “They’re so happy!”

Engineers tested each part of the park many times. They made changes and tested again. They wanted to make sure everything worked. Corfino rode Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge more than 200 times!

Since opening, Super Nintendo World has impressed people of all ages. “I’ve seen 5-year-old kids and 65-year-old adults drop to their knees and start crying,” Corfino says. “They’re so happy!”