Earlier this week, a moving stack Goombas toppled over at Super Nintendo World’s Yoshi’s Adventure attraction in Universal Studios Japan. You can glimpse the Goombas in the above image.
Livedoor News reports that the Goomba statue, which measures several meters tall, did fell in an area where park visitors are not allowed so fortunately no one was hurt. Twitter user Tatata filmed park staff carry off the fallen Goombas, adding that there didn’t seem to be any other damage.
In Tatata’s footage, which can be seen here, the statue appears to have fallen near the Yoshi carts. The Goombas were located high up, which makes the fall concerning—and, thus, I guess—national news in Japan. Judging by how the staff carried them away, the Goombas also seem quite heavy.
YouTube’s Japanese Stuff Channel previously posted complete footage of the ride. Skip ahead to the 11 minute mark to see where the Goombas are located in the attraction—or start at the beginning and soak up the entire experience.
The incident happened on August 9, and Universal Studios Japan is currently investigating the cause. Strong winds did hit Osaka, which might have impacted the attraction.
The following morning, the Yoshi’s Adventure suspended operation for the purpose of a safety check. The ride went into operation again once that was completed, but the Goombas were removed. Hopefully, the park will re-install them securely so there are no other issues in the future. Mario is supposed to smush Goombas—they’re not supposed to do that to people!
Super Nintendo World opened on March 18 after a state of emergency had been declared in Osaka, following two delays related to the pandemic. In the weeks that followed, Osaka posted its highest number of daily covid-19 cases as the park limited the number of guests. Universal Studios Japan has been following strict measures to hopefully mitigate the novel coronavirus to allow visitors to enjoy the park.