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Get Directions From Mario Inside Google Maps

In honor of National Mario Day, Google has collaborated with Nintendo to let your favorite favorite fictional plumber take over Maps and guide you on all your road trips.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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In case you weren't aware, tomorrow is National Mario Day. The holiday takes place annually on March 10— aka MAR10 (get it?)—honoring everyone's favorite fictional plumber.

Mario in Google MapsTo celebrate the occasion, Google has collaborated with Nintendo to let Mario take over Maps and guide you on all your road trips.

To try it out, update your Google Maps Android or iOS app from Google Play or the App Store. Once you do that, you'll see a yellow "?" icon at the bottom-right corner of the app; tap that and follow the prompt on screen to start navigating the world as Mario.

"Once enabled, you'll see that the navigation arrow has morphed into—who else?—Mario," Google Maps UX Engineer Munish Dabas wrote in a blog post. "He'll be a constant companion wherever you're driving this week—to work, to school, or the spaghetti house. Just remember to practice safe driving on the road—we don't encourage throwing bananas or red shells at other drivers in real life!"

This feature is rolling out to Google Maps globally, starting today. Mario will only be available inside Maps for the next week, so take advantage of this fun feature while you can.

Google is encouraging users to take a screenshot of Mario inside Maps and share it on social media with the hashtag #MarioMaps. Just "make sure to avoid sharing personal details like your home or work address (seriously, think before you post)," Dabas recommended.

This is not the first video game character tie-up for Google Maps. In 2015, Pac-Man made an appearance inside Google Maps; Ms. Pac-Man showed up last year.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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