What is the Super Mario World Ending Theme meme?

It's a group of meme formats built around the upbeat credits music from the 1990 SNES game *Super Mario World*. The most popular format, "Monkey Circle," pairs the song with a looping animation of monkeys dancing[3].

Where did the Super Mario World Ending Theme meme come from?

The music was composed by Koji Kondo for *Super Mario World*, released by Nintendo on November 21, 1990[1]. The meme formats using the track emerged in the late 2010s on YouTube and social media.

What does the Monkey Circle meme mean?

It doesn't carry a deep meaning. The format pairs intensely cheerful music with a hypnotic looping animation to create a feel-good, almost meditative viewing experience[2].

How do you use the Super Mario World Ending Theme meme?

Take the fast, bouncy section of the ending theme and pair it with a looping animation or video. For Monkey Circle, use dancing monkeys. For Pet the X, use footage of an animal being petted[3].

Is the Super Mario World Ending Theme meme still popular?

The meme is semi-active. While the peak of Monkey Circle virality has passed, the 10-hour loop videos still accumulate views, and the song surfaces in Roblox communities and remix channels[2].

Who composed the Super Mario World ending theme?

Koji Kondo, the legendary Nintendo composer also responsible for the main *Super Mario Bros.* and *Legend of Zelda* themes[4].

A related meme format where the Super Mario World ending theme plays over videos of animals being gently petted, creating a wholesome contrast between the energetic music and calm visuals[3].

Who created the Monkey Circle meme?

DitzyFlama is credited as the creator of a key early version that combined the SMW ending theme with the monkey dancing animation[2].

Super Mario World Ending Theme Monkey Circle

Q: Can I use the Super Mario World ending theme in Roblox?

Yes. The track has been assigned Roblox Sound IDs, allowing players to use it in-game experiences[2].

1990Music meme / video templatesemi-active

Also known as: Monkey Circle · SMW Credits Theme · Happy Monkey Circle

Super Mario World Ending Theme Monkey Circle is a late 2010s video meme pairing the 1990 Super Mario World credits theme by Koji Kondo with looping animations of monkeys dancing in circles.

The Super Mario World Ending Theme refers to the upbeat credits music from Nintendo's 1990 SNES platformer *Super Mario World*, composed by Koji Kondo. The track became the backbone of several meme formats in the late 2010s, most notably "Monkey Circle," which pairs the cheerful melody with looping animations of monkeys dancing in a circle, and "Pet the X," which overlays the song on videos of animals being petted.

TL;DR

The Super Mario World Ending Theme refers to the upbeat credits music from Nintendo's 1990 SNES platformer *Super Mario World*, composed by Koji Kondo.

Overview

The ending theme from *Super Mario World* is one of the most recognizable pieces of video game music from the 16-bit era. The credits track has a distinctive structure: it transitions through several musical passages, but the fast, bouncy section near the end is the part that became a meme. This upbeat segment, with its almost absurdly cheerful energy, is the clip that gets paired with looping animations and feel-good video edits3.

The "Monkey Circle" format specifically features cartoon or CGI monkeys arranged in a circle, dancing or moving rhythmically to the song's happiest section. The result is hypnotic in the way that all good looping memes are: simple, repetitive, and oddly satisfying. Extended versions running 10 hours exist on YouTube for people who apparently need an entire workday's worth of dancing primates2.

*Super Mario World* launched on November 21, 1990 in Japan as a launch title for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System1. The game was developed by Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis & Development division, directed by Takashi Tezuka, and produced by series creator Shigeru Miyamoto4. The ending theme plays during the game's credits sequence after the player defeats Bowser and rescues Princess Peach3.

The music was composed by Koji Kondo, who also wrote the iconic main themes for previous Mario titles4. The credits track stands apart from the rest of the soundtrack for its medley-like structure, cycling through different musical moods before landing on the high-energy section that would later dominate meme culture.

Origin & Background

Platform

SNES (original game), YouTube / social media (meme spread)

Key People

Koji Kondo, DitzyFlama

Date

1990 (original music), late 2010s (meme formats)

Year

1990

*Super Mario World* launched on November 21, 1990 in Japan as a launch title for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was developed by Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis & Development division, directed by Takashi Tezuka, and produced by series creator Shigeru Miyamoto. The ending theme plays during the game's credits sequence after the player defeats Bowser and rescues Princess Peach.

The music was composed by Koji Kondo, who also wrote the iconic main themes for previous Mario titles. The credits track stands apart from the rest of the soundtrack for its medley-like structure, cycling through different musical moods before landing on the high-energy section that would later dominate meme culture.

How It Spread

The ending theme circulated online well before it became a meme template. A SoundCloud upload by LoomiOfficial in December 2016 made the track easily streamable outside of game rips. Sheet music arrangements appeared on Musescore, and the track's MIDI file was shared across music sites like BitMidi.

The "Monkey Circle" format paired the song's fast happy section with a looping animation of monkeys dancing in a circle. DitzyFlama is credited as the creator of a key early version of this combination, and the video spread organically as other users shared it across platforms. The format spawned "10 HOURS Happy Monkey Circle" endurance videos on YouTube, following the tradition of extended loop videos for catchy internet content.

The song also became associated with the "Pet the X" meme format, where videos of animals being petted are set to the cheerful ending theme. The Roblox community adopted the track too, with users sharing Roblox Sound IDs for the "Super Mario World End Credits FULL" audio.

A SiIvaGunner rip titled "Ending Theme - Super Mario World" also brought the track to a different audience. Rather than featuring the actual SMW credits music, the upload referenced Vinesauce Joel's stream of a bootleg Genesis game loosely based on *Super Mario World*. The track was nominated for KYM's Meme of the Month at one point, a sign of its growing recognition within meme-literate communities.

How to Use This Meme

The Monkey Circle format is straightforward:

Take the fast, upbeat section of the Super Mario World ending theme (the bouncy part near the end of the credits medley)

Pair it with a looping animation, typically monkeys or other characters dancing in a circle

Let it loop. The longer, the better. Extended cuts running 10 minutes to 10 hours are common

Fun Facts

*Super Mario World* sold over 20 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling SNES game of all time.

The game introduced Yoshi, who would become one of Nintendo's most iconic characters, and led to a 1995 prequel, *Yoshi's Island*.

Koji Kondo composed the entire *Super Mario World* soundtrack, including the ending theme, without the aid of modern digital audio workstations.

The ending theme's MIDI file became freely available online, fueling remixes, covers, and accordion arrangements on platforms like Musescore.

The game has 96 level exits, and dedicated players had to complete them all before hearing the full credits music and ending theme.

Derivatives & Variations

10 Hours Happy Monkey Circle

— Extended loop videos running the Monkey Circle animation for extreme durations, following YouTube's tradition of "10 hours of X" endurance content[2]

Pet the X

— A distinct meme format using the same ending theme, featuring videos of animals being petted to the cheerful soundtrack[3]

Happy Monkey Circle Sound Variations

— Compilation videos exploring different audio edits and remixes of the Monkey Circle meme[2]

Roblox Sound ID versions

— The track was assigned Roblox Sound IDs, allowing players to use it in-game[2]

SiIvaGunner "Ending Theme" rip

— A bait-and-switch upload that references Vinesauce Joel's bootleg Genesis stream rather than the actual SMW credits music[2]

Frequently Asked Questions

References (4)

1
super mario world ending theme meme - Lawerence Yarnellarticle
2
Super Mario World Ending Theme / Monkey Circle - Know Your Memeencyclopedia
3
List of films with post-credits scenesencyclopedia
4
Super Mario Worldencyclopedia