Universal Orlando Resort’s highly anticipated Epic Universe theme park is just weeks away from its grand opening, but a viral moment from its SUPER NINTENDO WORLD has already sparked a bit of controversy. It all started when a video surfaced showing a character literally giving the middle finger to guests—well, at least that’s how it appeared to some viewers.
Epic Universe, Universal’s third Central Florida theme park, is creating quite the buzz as fans eagerly await its opening. The park offers visitors the chance to explore five unique lands: Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe. Attractions like Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, Monsters Unchained – The Frankenstein Experiment, and Stardust Racers are already crowd-pleasers, along with impressive animatronics, exclusive merchandise, and tech-fueled character experiences.
Recently, Universal Orlando Resort opened the gates to photo and video sharing for Team Members and guests previewing the park. This has resulted in a flurry of positive social media content showing off Epic Universe’s offerings, including an advanced Toothless meet-and-greet and lifelike Universal Monsters animatronics. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
A clip from SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, posted by Instagram user @kevin.heimbach, quickly went viral and sparked a heated discussion. The video shows an effect activated by the park’s power-up wristbands, with one of those effects featuring pixel art of the Nintendo character Toad. In this particular effect, Toad appears to be giving the middle finger to guests.
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The video quickly gained over 50,000 likes and hundreds of comments, with many Universal fans speculating that the park would remove the effect before its official opening due to the attention it had received.
“Oh great since you posted that now we’re gonna have all the Karen’s in the world, telling Mario to take that away,” @rebekahwilliams56 commented.
“Disney would never,” @dgmoney43 replied.
Not everyone was quick to criticize the effect, though. Some fans defended the park, explaining that the “middle finger” gesture was actually a reference to the early days of 8-bit gaming.
“That’s actually supposed to be a thumbs up,” @melvin.is.the.name clarified. “… It’s homage to the original 8-bit days. It’s how he looked when he always told you the princess was in another castle. Surprised people are thinking this is something new.”
Others even pointed their fingers at the Instagram user for spoiling the surprise for everyone.
“Not a secret anymore,” @itslife.withcaleb lamented. “God forbid people find shit on their own. Some content creator has to ruin the surprise for everyone.”
As Epic Universe’s opening day approaches on May 22, 2025, the fate of the controversial Toad effect remains uncertain. Whether Universal Orlando Resort will make changes in response to the viral video or keep the playful nod to retro gaming is still to be seen.
Have you checked out Epic Universe? Which portal is your favorite? Let Disney Dining know in the comments!
