Super Nintendo World, the latest addition to Universal Hollywood’s theme park, is set to open in just a few weeks, giving Mario fans the opportunity to step into a vivid recreation of the Mushroom Kingdom, packed with sights and sounds they know and love. Not all of them, however, will be able to experience the featured attraction Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, as it has a very specific requirement: Your waistline must not be 40 inches or larger.
An elaborate “3D and 4D ride,” according to the official page for Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, the single-user ride takes attendees through a variety of Mario-themed settings brought to life with “cutting-edge technology.” On the ride, you’ll individually or collectively team up to foil Team Bowser’s plans to grab that golden cup before Mario and friends do. While this ride, and much of Super Nintendo World, sure looks exciting, the app used for park navigation and line management notes a specific detail: “Guests whose waistline is at least 40” or greater may not be accommodated on the ride.” The app’s copy indicates that there’s a test seat available to gauge whether or not an attendee meets these requirements. Given that the average waist circumference in the U.S. is just around 40 inches, this certainly seems likely to exclude a good number of folks.
“Nothing but wonderful things to say about Super Nintendo World except this,” opens one tweet from YouTuber and “Food influencer,” Rocco Botte, “the body size limitations on the Mario Kart ride are absolutely ridiculous.
Nothing but wonderful things to say about Super Nintendo World except this: the body size limitations on the Mario Kart ride are absolutely ridiculous. I’ve never had any issue fitting into any ride in my entire life, and I can BARELY fit into this one. Completely absurd.
— Rocco Botte (@rocco_botte) January 31, 2023
Another popular tweet calls out the absurdity of such a strict waist limitation. “A 40” waist line is about a [women’s] size 20.”
According to CDC statistics cited by Healthline, the average clothing size for adults assigned female at birth hovers between 18 to 20. As many replies to the tweet above indicate, a 40-inch waist is a “very normal and common size to be for many body types.” And Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge isn’t the only ride with such strict limitations. At least four other Universal Studios rides, including Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Revenge of the Mummy — the Ride also cite the same 40-inch limit, with suggestions that attendees ought to use the test seat to determine if the ride can accommodate them.
40″ is the standard ‘guests of larger dimensions’ language Universal has always used anytime lapbars might be restrictive. There’s typically a giant buffer built into that for most individuals, pending unusual body proportions. If you fit on the rest, you’re probably ok. pic.twitter.com/blVmxRZgAQ
— Chris Moschella (@EscAuthority) January 15, 2023
As The Wall Street Journal found out, such test seats are hardly accurate and aren’t terribly private. “Visitors say the tryouts can be awkward [and] less forgiving than the actual seats on the ride,” the paper reports.
The waistline requirement particularly stings as Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is the only ride to be featured at Super Nintendo World, yet it’s not designed to accommodate average or plus size attendees’ physical dimensions.
Kotaku has reached out to Universal Studios Hollywood for comment.
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