Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic's had one heck of a journey over the last 30 years, and while he and Mario are the best of buds these days with their regular Olympic outings, the two were the largest of rivals in the gaming industry once upon a time. It's that particular fact that makes this little discovery all the more interesting, though, and all the more bizarre.

Let's be clear before we dive in – this isn't Mario appearing in the original Sonic the Hedgehog game. What it is, is a carving that looks uncannily like Mario, and we can't believe we haven't ever noticed it before.

As highlighted by Twitter user @TanookiKuribo, a face-like shape can be seen in the ruins of Marble Zone, the game's second level. On the left, we see how it looks in-game; on the right, colour helps to highlight just how much the shape looks like Mario's moustachioed mug.

Whaaaat?!

As people in the replies have mentioned, it's actually much more likely to be two lions with a vase in the middle – take a second look, and now you'll be able to see that, too. We prefer the thought that Mario snuck his way into Marble Zone, though, so we'll conveniently ignore that and tell our friends that it really is Mario, before letting them down gently and ruining the short burst of excitement we just gave to them.

Have you ever noticed this Mario resemblance before? Let us know and feel free to trick your friends with this little discovery too – or don't, if you're nice like that.