I swear I hear that repetitive video game music in my sleep now. The kids are obsessed. The jumping sounds are driving me slowly insane.
Honestly I just needed them to stare at paper instead of a glowing screen for maybe 17 or 18 minutes. So we had to whip up these printable Super Mario coloring pages for the site. Maybe it will quiet things down.
Just grab whatever you need from the gallery below and hit print. You probably know the drill by now if you survive the weekends on messy art projects like I do.
Click the thumbnails to download your free Mario coloring pages right to your device. Hand them over with some dull crayons and go hide in the pantry for a minute…
Other Super Mario Character Collections
Featured Mario Coloring Pages
Mario Coloring Page Highlights
Dodging the Piranha Plant
He is leaping wildly out of the way of a snapping plant coming from a classic pipe. The team added some block details and little flowers on the ground to color.
My middle child is terrified of these plants in the actual game. Finding the right gross green for the plant is the best part.
The Victory Jump
This is that classic fist in the air jump he does when he beats a level. There are floating stars and a tiny mushroom sitting in the background.
It is a really positive and happy Mario coloring sheet to hand a grumpy kid. Just color the stars bright yellow and leave the background entirely blank.
Dodging a Laser Beam
This one looks incredibly intense. He is falling backwards to avoid a sharp jagged laser beam shooting across the sky.
The question mark block in the corner needs a good solid yellow. These action packed Mario coloring pages for kids are perfect for keeping older siblings occupied.
Driving the Fast Kart
Getting them to actually drive straight in the game is a lost cause. But here he is driving his kart perfectly down a dirt road with mountains behind him.
My boys fight over this specific drawing constantly. The tires take a lot of dark grey to look exactly right.
Running From a Giant Boulder
Pure frantic panic is written all over his cartoon face. He is sprinting away from a massive round boulder rolling right behind him on a path.
Kids always want to color the boulder pitch black but a dusty brown looks way better. It adds tactile texture to the illustration without hiding the lines.
Frozen in an Ice Cube
He is completely trapped inside a giant block of ice sliding down a slope. He just looks so mildly annoyed by the whole freezing situation.
This is a really funny printable Mario coloring pages option for winter time. Tracing the ice cube lines with a light blue pencil makes it look authentically cold.
Doing an Acrobatic Backflip
He is completely upside down doing a wild backflip high over some mushroom platforms. The sky is empty which makes it super easy for little hands to fill in.
Sometimes you just need an action shot to keep them focused. This specific Mario coloring sheet is surprisingly relaxing because the shapes are so big.
Eating a 1-Up Mushroom
He looks so happy holding that classic spotted mushroom right by his face. There are some thick pipes drawn into the background to frame the portrait.
We always make sure to include some easy Mario coloring pages for kids in every single batch. My youngest just aggressively scribbles green all over the mushroom but it totally works.
Tips for Coloring Mario Coloring Sheets
Getting the Overalls Right
His blue overalls are iconic. But using a dark navy marker just turns his lower half into a dark blob. You lose the buttons and the pockets entirely. I used to see kids do this all the time in my classroom.
Try using a lighter denim blue crayon instead. If you press lightly you can still see the drawn details. And what follows from this? A drawing that actually looks like real clothes.
That Bright Red Shirt
You need the absolute brightest red you can find for his shirt and hat. A dull brick red just makes him look sick. The harsh contrast is what makes the character pop off the paper.
Red markers tend to bleed through cheap printer paper though. That might cause some inconvenience if you print double sided. I highly recommend using colored pencils for the red parts.
Shading the Mustache
His mustache is a huge part of his face. Kids usually grab a black marker and violently scribble over it. Then it just looks like a weird hole in his head.
Tell them to use a dark brown instead of pitch black. Have them draw tiny little lines following the curve of the mustache. It gives the free Mario coloring pages some actual texture.
Coloring the Skin Tone
Finding a good peach crayon is honestly a nightmare. Most kids just use orange and he ends up looking like a pumpkin. Or rather they press too hard and it looks unnatural.
Lightly layer a very pale pink and a tiny bit of yellow. It sounds crazy but it blends into a decent skin tone. This simple trick fixes almost any Super Mario coloring pages you print out.
Making Gold Coins Shine
If there are coins in the picture yellow crayons are usually too flat. Metal needs harsh contrast to look genuinely shiny. This is basic color theory applied to a toddler’s activity.
Use a dark orange around the very edge of the coin. Then leave a tiny sliver of white near the middle. It makes the printable Mario coloring pages look a hundred times better.
The Green Pipes
Those warp pipes are a very specific shade of bright green. A dark forest green completely ruins the retro video game vibe. You want it to look plastic and artificial.
Mix a bright grass green with a little bit of yellow. Color in straight up and down lines to mimic the curve of the pipe. All this coloring logic comes down to one thing: don’t overcomplicate it.
The Mushroom Colors
The mushrooms can be red or green depending on if they are for health or a life. Getting the spots right is tricky for little hands. They usually color right over the white circles.
I always tell my boys to outline the circles first. Then color the rest of the mushroom head. This decision is let’s say not the most obvious. But it saves so many frustrated tears at the kitchen table.
Adding Background Dirt
A lot of these scenes take place on dirt paths or grass. But coloring the whole page brown takes forever and wastes a perfectly good crayon. Leaving it entirely white looks weird too.
Just draw some small brown dashes on the ground. It gives the illusion of dirt without doing all the exhausting work. Will this technique work for every kid? No idea. But today it works.