Cameos
Dolphin References
Before it was finally named, the working name for the GameCube was "Dolphin". This name has been referenced in many games, and Super Mario Sunshine perhaps more than any other.
- The game is set on the tropical Isle Delfino. Delfino is Italian for "dolphin".
- Isle Delfino is shaped like a dolphin.
- Delfino Plaza features many dolphin statues and fountains.
- On the Noki Bay stage, you have to clear up graffiti in the shape of a dolphin.
Mario Clips During FLUDD's Scan
When you first find FLUDD on the runway, it scans Mario and you get to see a series of computer readouts. Look carefully at the bottom-left corner and you will see three short video clips:
- Mario and Bowser in Super Mario Bros.
- Mario fighting Iggy Koopa in Super Mario World
- Mario fighting Bowser in Super Mario 64
In the bottom-right corner you can see a mirrored list of all of the main series Mario games.
Secret Areas
Each level has "Secret" areas; stand-alone platforming challenges where FLUDD is taken away from you. The music in these areas is an acapella remix of the Super Mario Bros. Ground Theme.
The Secret areas usually have strange backgrounds. On some levels, the background features giant pixellated Marios from Super Mario Bros.
Professor E. Gadd
Throughout Super Mario Sunshine, references are made to "Gadd Sciences" and a "strange old man in a white coat" who invented a number of the game's gadgets. This refers to Professor E. Gadd, the eccentric inventor and ghost hunter from Luigi's Mansion. Each of his gadgets is marked with a logo shaped like his face.
- The Gadd Sciences logo appears on FLUDD.
- The FLUDD Nozzle Crates also bear the Gadd Sciences logo.
- You later find out that Shadow Mario's graffiti brush was also made by E. Gadd and sports the Gadd Sciences logo.
Luigi's Mansion Reference
In the haunted Sirena Beach hotel, head into the air duct maze and talk to the Pianta scrubbing the floors.
All these ghosts are causing such trouble… They're everywhere! Why can't someone come along and suck 'em up with a vacuum? What? Why are you looking at me like that?
This is a reference to Luigi's Mansion, where Luigi had to clear out a haunted mansion armed with a flashlight and a vacuum cleaner.
GameCube Controller Courtyard
On the Sirena Beach stage, the hotel courtyard is in the shape of a GameCube Controller.
SMB3 Head Sprite
Screenshot Required
When you are exploring the sewers of Delfino Plaza, press Z to open the map and check the information on Delfino Plaza. You can see a map of the underground sewer system, and Mario's location is represented by Small Mario's head from Super Mario Bros. 3.
Il Piantissimo
Screenshot Required
Il Piantissimo, the strange man dressed as a Pianta, wears a mask at all times. Gamers who have managed to manipulate the game code to view his 3D model confirmed that under the Pianta mask, he has the face of the Marathon Man from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Animal Crossing Gyroid
Screenshot Required
A sprite of a Gyroid from Animal Crossing has been found hidden in a texture map. The sprite has yet to be found in-game.
