{"id":159825,"date":"2026-03-11T07:46:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/?p=159825"},"modified":"2026-03-11T07:46:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:46:33","slug":"celebrating-mario-day-with-the-greatest-topps-mario-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/celebrating-mario-day-with-the-greatest-topps-mario-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Mario Day with the Greatest Topps Mario Cards"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From the 8-Bit Plumber to Andretti & More<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Date:<\/span> Mar 11, 2026<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Length:<\/span> 829 \tWords<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Reading Time:<\/span> ~5 Minutes<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Mario Day<\/strong> \u2014 celebrated because \u201dMarch 10\u201d becomes “Mar10” when you squeeze it all together (if you still don\u2019t get it,  squint a little harder) \u2014 is a celebration of all things Mario. And while the 8-bit hero is arguably the most famous of his many namesakes worldwide, celebrating Mario Day doesn\u2019t have to be confined to the 1989 Topps Nintendo<\/strong> set. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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March 10 is Mario Day<\/strong>! In honor of the occasion, Topps RIPPED takes a look at some of the top all-time Mario cards<\/strong>, from famous athletes bearing the name to classic video game sets like 1982 Topps Donkey Kong<\/strong> and 1989 Topps Nintendo Game Packs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Let\u2019s dive into some of history\u2019s greatest Marios, and their cards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mario Mario and the Topps Nintendo Sets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 1989 Topps Nintendo Game Packs<\/strong> set featured several Mario-themed cards, with little scratch-off circles that made a game-within-a-game out of the pack-ripping experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the true \u201cMario rookie\u201d came in the 1982 Topps Donkey Kong<\/strong> set, as a \u201cJump Man at Work\u201d sticker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If cards aren\u2019t your thing \u2014 and it would be weird, at this point, if they weren’t \u2014 Topps produced a little plastic Mario full of bubble gum in 1990, most likely sold at your local Kay-Bee. It can be had in all its nostalgic glory for about $15 online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fun fact:<\/strong> There was never a proper Topps Mario Bros. set made in the USA, despite the brand\u2019s popularity. However, Topps Ireland had a little-known set dedicated to Mario and his friends (and enemies). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mario Lemieux<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Hall of Famer with nine All-Star appearances and three Hart Trophies, \u201cSuper Mario\u201d Lemieux scored 690 goals and had 1,033 assists over a 17-year career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun fact: <\/strong>While Nintendo had Mario Bros., Lemieux got his own game, \u201cMario Lemieux Hockey,\u201d in 1991 on the Sega Genesis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mario Andretti<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Winner of 12 Formula 1 Grand Prix, the 1978 Driver’s Championship, and four IndyCar National Titles, Mario Andretti is a racing legend. He even picked up a Daytona 500 win in 1967. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun fact: <\/strong>Mario Andretti had an identical twin brother, Aldo, who quit racing after a sprint car crash in 1969.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mario Soto and Mario Ramirez<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No \u201cMario\u201d column would be complete without a couple classic ’70s and ’80s cards of Mario Soto and Mario Ramirez. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soto pitched 12 years, all for the Reds, and made three All-Star teams. He finished second in Cy Young voting in 1983. Ramirez spent six years in the majors, mostly in part-time duty, finishing with four career home runs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun fact:<\/strong> Mario Ramirez\u2019s No. 12 was retired by the Cafeteros de Yauco in 2013 (there is also a great column about Ramirez<\/a> by SABR\u2019s Tony Oliver).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mario\u2019s Garbage Pail Kids<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nintendo’s Mario has been immortalized by Garbage Pail Kids on more than one occasion. What\u2019s interesting here is that it took until 2012 for his first card to show up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n