12 October 2026
by rawmeatcowboy0
Nintendo often pops up in pop culture, being name-dropped in songs, parodied in movies, mentioned in TV shows and so on. More often than not Nintendo has nothing to do with these segments and spotlights, and sometimes they’re not too keen on how they’re portrayed.
In a recent episode of their podcast, former Nintendo employees Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang spoke about a 2021 episode of Saturday Night Live where Elon Musk portrayed Wario in a courtroom setting. Nintendo had no involvement whatsoever with the skit, and as you might expect, higher-ups at the company were none too pleased.
Krysta Yang: “They did not like the Elon Musk 2021 [bit]”
Kit Ellis: “We were still there for that.”
Krysta Yang: “That did not go over well.”
Kit Ellis: “(It) was not beloved. That one was out of left field. There was no actual Nintendo product that connected to it. Some of (the material was) getting into subject material that was uncomfortable for Nintendo.”
While Nintendo might not be happy about stuff like this, there’s really nothing they can do, as parody and satire are strictly protected under the “Fair Use” doctrine of U.S. copyright law. That’s why you never hear anything about Nintendo going after the teams behind these spotlights, as there’s no form of recourse. In other words, Nintendo just has to sit back and take it in stride.
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