Mario Stars In Olympics Closing Ceremony

With the Rio Olympics drawing to a close, Tokyo is up next in 2020. And to mark the occasion, Mario made a surprise appearance at the closing ceremony tonight, warp-piping from Japan to Brazil and transforming into...a cosplaying Japanese Prime Miniter Shinzo Abe.

Really.

Here’s footage of the Rio-to-Tokyo handover show, which begins with a very slick video showing off some of the famous architecture, icons (and nerd heroes) of Japan’s capital before transitioning into Mario’s great animated journey across the Pacific.

Being chosen as your nation’s cultural ambassador in front of the eyes of the world is quite the honour for the plumber. Though for every winner...