The Super Mario franchise is one of the biggest of all time and it's in the hearts and souls of millions of gamers worldwide. Over 30 years of Super Mario content has given modern day meme creators a lot of material to work with and there are some true gems out there.

The whole concept of Super Mario is honestly a meme. It's about an Italian plumber who somehow is in charge of rescuing a princess and, to do so, he has to murder countless turtles and weird little mushroom looking creatures called goombas. That's not to mention the fact that he eats countless amounts of mushrooms on his adventures. There's so much to make fun of in the Super Mario franchise that it was pretty hard to compile a list of my favorite jokes. While it is easy to make fun of, it's obviously not to be taken seriously. These are just jokes. Obviously, Super Mario is one of the greatest video game franchises ever and that's just more of a  reason to have a little fun with it. So don't be a grumpy cat Mario and don't take any of these memes too seriously, since some of them can be pretty brutal.

Warning: no turtles were harmed in the making of this list, but I can't promise the same thing for the making of Super Mario games. As long as we got that at out the way, sit back relax, grab some mushrooms, and enjoy this list of my top fifteen most hilarious Super Mario memes.

15 Please Try Again

Considering how many times Mario and Luigi get to a castle, beat the boss and find out they're no closer to finding the princess, it makes sense that they would get depressed or even give up. Is she really worth risking their lives for? I guess the game would be a lot shorter if she was actually in the first castle though.

At the same time, Mario actually deserves to get a break, right? All he does is smash blocks all day, murder turtles and eat mushrooms to survive treacherous conditions. It’s almost like Princess Peach set this up as a test for her love. This meme perfectly captures the utter despair that I think we all feel after completing yet another castle only to find out, she’s at another one.

14 Cat Mario

Out of every Mario power-up in existence, I don’t think anyone gets a worse reputation than Cat Mario from Super Mario 3D World. I mean for good reason too. Cat Mario is literally just a well of meme possibilities ready to be tapped. There’s the classic grumpy cat Mario face and then there's this one, which I think is pretty damn hilarious. It’s was definitely an interesting choice to put a cat powerup in the game. I’m not really a cat person and I’m pretty sure there are better animals that they could have put in the game. Cat Mario just looks like he should be licking his paws when he’s not chasing mice and pooping in his litter box. Good thing they didn’t put a laser pointer in the game or cat Mario and all the other cat characters would be screwed.

13 And It's Gone

This meme should hit home for every true Super Mario fan. The number of times this has happened to me is beyond counting and it never gets less devastating. Running through any Super Mario game as small Mario is a pretty scary experience. One wrong step and that’s a life gone. Mushrooms are like a light at the end of the tunnel and every unbroken block is a little glimmer of hope. There is nothing worse than smashing that block, jumping in anticipation for the mushroom and then watching the mushroom travel in the opposite direction, right off the edge into the depths of Super Mario hell. The “And It’s Gone” memes are pretty common, but this one really struck gold and it deserved a spot on this list.

12 The Plumber

As somebody who has an Italian family, this meme is in no way offensive and damn is it ever funny. I mean, if you stop and consider who Mario actually is, you'll start to question his qualifications. So he's a plumber and somehow he's in charge of saving a Princess? Consider this. If the Queen of England was kidnapped, would we send a janitor to try and save her, or a team of highly capable, highly trained soldiers? Well, I guess the Super Mario universe isn't that relatable or maybe Mario and Luigi are the best they have. Whatever the reason, Mario has been eating shrooms and stepping on turtles for quite some time now. Kudos to him for going from a plumbing job to whatever it is he does now.

11  One Step For Mario

This meme is pretty self-explanatory. Putting Mario in the scenario of the moon landing is something I would have never thought of and it's hilarious. Whoever made this meme is a genius. I wonder how Neil Armstrong would feel if Mario just hopped on by and claimed the moon for himself. You know you need that 1up and Mario does whatever it takes to get it, even if it means traveling to the Moon and taking it for himself. I can't help but imagine a scenario where someone in Super Mario is always one step behind Mario and every flag they get to is always down already. This caption pretty much sums it up. Mario is not one to share. Go get your 1up elsewhere Neil.

10  Boo

This meme definitely hits the nail on the head for any Super Mario fan who remembers the annoying Boo levels. Boo's Mansion and Big Boo's Haunt are some of my favorite levels in the Super Mario franchise. Boo has a special place in my heart. The face on Boo in this meme when he's creeping up compared to the face he makes as Mario turns around and looks at him is completely priceless. I can't see how you wouldn't die of laughter looking at this, especially if you've had situations like this in Super Mario before like I've had. They seem so harmless when you're looking at them and so menacing when you turn your back. Thank God they don't actually look like this in the game or I'd probably be less inclined to play the Boo levels.

9  How Does It Feel?

I honestly kind of feel bad for Toad in this meme. Not only is he cute as hell, but he's so naive. He really is getting a taste of his own medicine and Mario is not giving it to him lightly. I guess he deserves it when you consider the number of times Mario has literally escaped death, only to find out there was nothing in it for him and that he needs to continue on to the next castle. Being a hero in the Super Mario world is not easy and young Toad here found that out in a pretty harsh manner. The excitement on Toad's face and then his utter sadness when faced with reality is pure gold. Sorry Toad, the treasure is in another castle.

8  Poor Mario

Poor Mario. He's just a humble plumber with the hopes of one day living together with his one and only true love, Princess Peach. Mario is such a great guy that he's willing to go through countless dangerous trials in order to save her and win her affection. Sadly, not even a star can save Mario from the true sadness that lies within the truth. This meme captures the utter despair Mario would feel if Luigi stole his girl. The star makes his body invincible, but not his feelings. Shame on Luigi for flirting with Peach, don't they have a bro code in the Super Mario world? They are literally brothers too, which makes matters worse.

7  Admit It

Out of all the memes on this list, this one really hits home with me most. As a kid, I dreaded completing any of the underwater levels in Super Mario 64. Not only was I scared of the deep, open water in general, but to make matters worse, they put this freaky ass serpent thing in the water. The horrifying face it makes when it opens its mouth is what childhood nightmares are made out of. What was Nintendo thinking? Do they want their young audience to grow up with a fear of the ocean? Honestly, this level still freaks me out to this day. I'm not a big horror game fan and this level pretty much fits that category for me. If you weren't scared shitless of this thing as a kid, then I applaud your bravery.

6  You Make It Then

Super Mario Maker was basically made from people constantly complaining about the game being too easy, so they made a platform for us to make our own levels and said: 'You do it if you're so damn smart'. Well, that might not be how the decision was made, but I'd like to think it went something along the lines of that. Anyway, whatever the motive was behind the making of Super Mario Maker, it definitely turned out to be a great idea. Some players have created insanely difficult levels and it also doubles as a fun drinking game (Funhaus Inspired). If you get frustrated about the difficulty of normal Super Mario games, then I'm pretty sure Super Mario Maker will destroy any confidence you have left.

5  Uh-Oh

This meme perfectly captures the face of anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of the legendary blue shell in Mario Kart. The utter despair you feel when you see the icon of the blue shell pop on your screen, knowing that death is coming for you and there's nothing you can do about it. Sometimes being second place has its benefits in Mario Kart and only the blue shell will teach you this lesson. The face on this runner as he sees the blue shell lurking behind him basically sums up the entire experience of being on the receiving end of this horrible, punishing shell. Leave it to Nintendo to put an incentive for not being in 1st place in a racing game.

4  Troll Banana

The banana is probably the most underrated item in Mario Kart, simply because of its simplicity. While it's not even close to being as powerful as the blue shell or a star, it can be completely devastating when used properly. Not to mention that if you lose because of a banana, you have to live with the shame of this smug little banana besting you. The face on this banana is pure evil, especially if you've been in this situation before. Since bananas are such a common item in Mario Kart, some races can get clustered with them. Bananas are the troll's weapon and being on the receiving end of them is not pleasant at all.

3  The Bad Guys

At some point, you would think that Mario would have stopped and thought to himself; 'Is Princess Peach worth all this destruction'. I mean yes, Mario is in love and I guess she's also pretty important because she's a princess, but come on. There has to be a limit to what Mario would do to save her. This isn't the first war that was started over a woman (Game of Thrones) and it probably won't be the last. Just look at the face of the sun in this meme. Even he is appalled at the amount of chaos and ruin Mario has caused in his quest to rescue his true love. Look at those baby goombas. Mario is a homewrecker.

2 Turtle Genocide

Do you think this meme went a little too far? Well, in my opinion, it went just far enough. Honestly though, it's an animated game, so it's all fun and games. When you stop and think about the fact that Mario literally stomps on turtles for a living, then you can really appreciate how hilarious this meme is. Mario is probably responsible for the largest genocide of turtles in history and I wouldn't be surprised if they went completely extinct in the next Super Mario game. Seriously, it would actually be hilarious if they put that in the next game. Anyway, this meme pretty much captures another day in the life of Mario. Murdering turtles, one step at a time. Atta boy Mario.

1 Mario: The Destroyer Of Worlds

This is without a doubt the darkest and most morbid Mario meme I came across and it's definitely not for the faint of heart. I might add that this meme is probably 18+, but I won't tell your parents if you don't. Honestly, putting any childhood game into a realistic perspective never really goes well and Mario is a pretty extreme case. I mean, he's a plumber who is pretty jacked, given the amount of exercise he does, and all he does is murder countless numbers of turtles and goombas all day long. Just look at the corpses of the turtles and goomba's he's left in his trail and the sheer terror on their faces. You can't help but feel bad for them... until you realize this is a cartoon and all good fun.