Super Mario World Ending Theme Monkey Circle — Retro pixel-art animation frame of monkeys arranged in circle holding hands and dancing in 16-bit style.

Super Mario World Ending Theme Monkey Circle

1990Music meme / video templatesemi-active

Published March 24, 2026

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

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.

mario video game music memes dancing character memes looping memes primate memes

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.

Origin & Background

Platform
SNES (original game), YouTube / social media (meme spread)
Key People
Koji Kondo, DitzyFlama
Date
1990 (original music), late 2010s (meme formats)

*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.

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 rips2. Sheet music arrangements appeared on Musescore, and the track's MIDI file was shared across music sites like BitMidi2.

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 platforms2. The format spawned "10 HOURS Happy Monkey Circle" endurance videos on YouTube2, 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 theme3. The Roblox community adopted the track too, with users sharing Roblox Sound IDs for the "Super Mario World End Credits FULL" audio2.

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*2. The track was nominated for KYM's Meme of the Month at one point, a sign of its growing recognition within meme-literate communities2.

How to Use This Meme

The Monkey Circle format is straightforward:

1

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

2

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

3

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 time4.

The game introduced Yoshi, who would become one of Nintendo's most iconic characters, and led to a 1995 prequel, *Yoshi's Island*4.

Koji Kondo composed the entire *Super Mario World* soundtrack, including the ending theme, without the aid of modern digital audio workstations1.

The ending theme's MIDI file became freely available online, fueling remixes, covers, and accordion arrangements on platforms like Musescore2.

The game has 96 level exits, and dedicated players had to complete them all before hearing the full credits music and ending theme4.

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