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The voice of Nintendo's beloved Mario character is stepping down

(SOUNDBITE OF BLUE GAME CLASSICS' "SUPER MARIO BROS THEME")

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Michel Martin. For more than 30 years, Mario in Nintendo's classic video game series has been voiced by actor Charles Martinet.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CHARLES MARTINET: (As Mario) Hello. It's me, Mario. Woo-hoo (ph).

MARTIN: But that's coming to an end with the company announcing that he is stepping away from that role. Martinet will instead become what Nintendo is calling a Mario ambassador. Maybe now Princess Peach can become Queen Peach? It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.