I want to pull your attention away from the N64 and the PS1 for a little while and take you on a journey to Costa Rica, more specifically to a little street corner in San Ramón. If you've been following the news in the Retro Gaming world of late, then you might have seen something about a local supermarket standing up to a gaming giant, persevering and standing their ground in what seemed like an uphill battle that they would surely lose against a barrage of lawyers.
Let's talk about Costa Rican social media sensation Super Mario and their battle against Nintendo.
If you're a little bit confused, then let me explain. It's very common for supermarkets in Spanish-speaking countries to have the word 'super' as the second word in the title. Let's say I opened a supermarket and called it Super Seb, that would mean my store was called Seb Super or 'Seb Supermarket' when translated into English. So when a man called Mario changed his store name to Super Mario, Mario Supermarket, you would think that everything would be fine and that the world's biggest gaming company wouldn't have that much of a problem. When you've got the Nintendo Switch 2 on the way, surely groceries aren't of much concern, right?
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. When Mario's son Carlos filed to renew the trademark for the brand, Nintendo tried to block the change because it was the same name as their plumber poster boy, even though the translation for countries around the world is blatantly obvious and there was no crossover. It's one thing distributing ROMs of games, but pans, lightbulbs, and shoelaces - it feels like a step too far for Ninty this time.
I reached out to Super Mario on Facebook and have been speaking with the General Manager Carlos Alfaro about the incident, going back to the early days of the store that his father Mario has spent 52 years building and exploring how Nintendo's lawyers have made their future feel more than uncertain.
Interviewing Super Mario General Manager Carlos Alfaro
Retro Dodo: Thanks for joining us, Carlos. It would be amazing if you could introduce yourself to the readers and tell us who you are and your role in the Super Mario brand!
Carlos: Hey guys, I'm Carlos Alfaro, but people call me Charlie or Charlito. I'm the manager of Super Mario and my father is the founder of the business, which means I do everything from being a cashier, manager, content manager, and more!
Retro Dodo: Take us back to your childhood. Growing up, did you have any love of Nintendo – were there any memories that you shared with friends or family with the Game Boy, N64, Wii, etc?
Carlos: When I was a kid I loved the N64, I played a lot of Pokemon Stadium and Mario Party.
I was one of those kids who went with my friends to places where they rented consoles.
Retro Dodo: The good old days of renting consoles! And was there a big presence of Nintendo in Costa Rica?
Carlos: Here in Costa Rica it is very strong, however, I stopped playing video games many years ago. So I feel quite outdated now.
Retro Dodo: That's fine - we live in the 90s most of the time here at Retro Dodo anyway! Tell us about your father Mario. When did he first start his supermarket and how long has he been running the business?
Carlos: So my dad has owned the business for 52 years. He is old school, very old school. At first, the business was called "Surtidor La Primavera" and then it was renamed Súper Mario.
Retro Dodo: For us, although we know 'Super Mario' means Mario Supermarket, he sounds like the true real version of Super Mario because of his hard work ethic. Is he (and the Supermarket) well-known in the local community, and did you do a lot of work there while growing up?
Carlos: So our business is small and there are a lot of much larger businesses, however, I consider Super Mario to be part of the culture of my community since it has been around for many years and luckily we have a lot of customers. And yes, since I was a child I have helped my father in one way or another around the store.
"Curiously though, the video game company is now trying to register the same category 35 that covers grocery stores that they lost throughout this process. My lawyer tells me to object but I don't know what to do."
Retro Dodo: You graduated from university in 2013 and looked to take the business even further – what was your strategy here? I know you have been instrumental in giving the supermarket a global voice through your social media work, and it must be amazing to see the family business going from strength to strength.
Carlos: Yes, I graduated in 2013 in Public Relations. At first, I wanted to work in that field in a company, however, my father was not in good health and I decided to stay with him. My first goal was to create a logo, define corporate colors, use uniforms, and give it a different and fun approach on social networks.
My second goal has been for people to identify us as what we are, a supermarket with no relationship with the video game.
Retro Dodo: Tell me about the day that you decided to re-register the trademark – did the idea that Nintendo might come knocking on your door occur to you for even a second?
Carlos: The first time, in 2013, no. But when it was my turn to do it again in 2023, I had a hunch that it was going to happen. Our social networks have had an impact from time to time at the Costa Rican level and I knew that this possibility existed.
Retro Dodo: On a personal level, how did you feel when the news arrived at your door? You've worked so hard to make the company a brand over the years – did you feel depressed over the amount of legalities you would have to overcome?
Carlos: So this was all an administrative process rather than a lawsuit. We were in the registration process and one of the stages was that if someone did not agree, they must file a claim and that is how all of this happened. To be honest, I felt calm, but it was sad to know that if we failed, I would have to start all over again with a new name and build a new brand from scratch.
Retro Dodo: Thanks for the clarification there, that's all important for context! So, how did you go about finding legal representation, and what was the reaction in the local community when the news dropped? Did they all come together in support?
Carlos: I always kept the same lawyer. He helped me with everything. We handled the situation discreetly until we knew the final verdict, and then once we won, I made the plans so that the news would go viral.
Retro Dodo: And that's what has brought us to you for this interview, so it worked! Thankfully, your Super Mario brand lives on, the only Super Mario to ever defeat Bowser! Describe to me your feeling when you discovered that Nintendo hasn't trademarked companies selling groceries with the name Super Mario.
Carlos: I'm very happy about that. The nicest thing about all this is the bunch of people who come happily to congratulate us and hug my dad for his effort over so many years. We'll have to see if the video game company will try to do its own grocery business... let's hope not!
Retro Dodo: I can't see Bowser selling Peaches anytime soon so I think you're safe! There's now an incredible sticker on my phone of you giving a huge 'F*ck You' to Nintendo – who made that?
Carlos: Ah, a friend did it, but I can't say. It was an unusual situation. I was showing the certificate on television, but I didn't want some personal information about my dad to appear. I tried to hide it with longer fingers and that's why it looks like I was making a rude gesture, but it was honestly unintentional!
Retro Dodo: What is next for the supermarket – what plans do you have for the future and is there a new generation of the family starting weekend jobs who might one day take over the business?
Carlos: Our goal now is to make the current building bigger. We are happy because we were able to buy a property at the same time, and that will give us the opportunity to grow. At the moment, I only have two very young nieces. I don't know if they will like working with us, but we will see!
Retro Dodo: What would you say to anyone else who feels under pressure in an impossible situation like you did?
Carlos: It's hard to give advice. I think the only thing I can say is to fight for what you want, be good to people, never hurt anyone, try hard, and somehow life will reward you for that.
Retro Dodo: That's solid advice that we should all live by! And if you could say one thing to a Nintendo representative or the CEO, what would it be?
Carlos: Hahaha let's be friends and please make a video game with us and two new characters, Don Mario and Charlito!
Retro Dodo: Speaking of which, do you have time for any gaming in amongst being a social-media sensation these days? If so, what are you playing?
Carlos: Honestly, I don't have much free time. I take some time out of the day to keep up to date with the news and to advertise the things we sell but that's about it. I recently gave my girlfriend a Nintendo Switch, we play Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario: Rabbids, and Dragon Ball, but rarely.
Retro Dodo: Finally, will you ever pick up a Nintendo game ever again?
Carlos: My dad and mom taught me that you shouldn't be spiteful. Life goes by too fast to fill your heart with hate. They fight for what they consider theirs and so do we; there shouldn't be hate for that. It's just business. In the end, we all die and we don't take anything with us. We just like to be good people, set an example, and be remembered as a family that gave its best effort to provide a good service to the community. Curiously though, the video game company is now trying to register the same category 35 that covers grocery stores that they lost throughout this process. My lawyer tells me to object but I don't know what to do.
Sadly, it seems like the story isn't yet over for Carlos and his father, Mario. If Nintendo do try to register category 35 which allows them to hold the trademark for the name 'Super Mario' with supermarkets as well as their other trademarks on clothes, games, and toys that use the brand and they succeed, then the supermarket might still have to rebrand and lose all of Carlos' hard work building the company's online presence in the process. It's a disheartening prospect, especially considering the fact that the translation literally means Mario Supermarket and has nothing to do with the videogame character whatsoever. I love Nintendo and have done all of my life, but this seems like they're unnecessarily going out of their way to make someone's life more difficult instead of promoting the family values their brand has stood for since 1889.
If you want to support Carlos and Mario then you can follow them on their Facebook page to spread the word about their business worldwide. Carlos has assured me that while their T-shirts are currently sold out, more are on the way, so look out for a post about them coming back in stock over the next couple of months. Nothing would make us happier than to see people wearing T-shirts with a little supermarket from San Ramón while walking around gaming conventions, and we'll be putting in our orders to help Super Mario from afar.
Of course, if you're heading to Costa Rica and happen to be travelling near San Ramón, then please pop into the store and say hello to Carlos and the team. Tell them Retro Dodo sent you and tag us in a picture outside of the store. Let's keep this supermarket alive and going from strength to strength!
