Nintendo is changing the Japanese name of the Mario Movie’s Spike to avoid offence20th Apr 2023 / 8:57 amhas announced that it will be changing the Japanese name of Spike, the foreman who appears in The Super Mario Bros Movie.
Spike first appeared as an enemy in Wrecking Crew, which was released in arcades in 1984 then came to the Famicom and NES in 1985. After decades of inactivity, Spike returns in The Super Mario Bros movie, as the rival to Mario and Luigi when they’re working in Brooklyn. Ever since the release of the game in the mid ’80s, however, Spike’s character was instead called ‘Blackie’ in Japan.Nintendo’s Japanese Twitter account has now stated that the name has been changed, and while it hasn’t specified a reason it’s likely to be because the name could be used as a racist slur.
“The name of the character Blackie, who appears in the Family Computer software Wrecking Crew, will be changed to Spike, which is the same as the name in Europe and the United States,” Nintendo stated.Cookie PreferencesThe Super Mario Bros Movie has still not yet been released in Nintendo’s native Japan, where it will arrive on April 28.
Understandable. I wonder if the “anti-woke” crowd is going to have a fit with this, and no longer call it a “victory”.
'Blackie' sounds like a racial slur somebody would have used if they were the first racist person on the planet and couldn't figure out something clever to use.
Tldr anyone?