"I knew I could dood it."  From Carolina Magazine, 1942.

Here's a precursor to a Koopa attacking Mario and Luigi.  From the September 1938 issue of the Old Line magazine, as scanned by the University of Maryland Libraries.  Previously, we uncovered a vintage Koopa sitting by a Warp Pipe.

Here's the sound of turtle heaven, from a sympathy card in Arlene Christianson's scrapbook, courtesy of the NDSU Archives.  We played the melody for you in a fancy MP3 and a barebones MIDI, for your convenience.

• MP3 Version
• MIDI Version

From Palaeontological Memoirs and Notes of H. Falconer, 1868.

Here's a precursor to a Koopa next to a Warp Pipe in Nintendo's Mario universe. From the August 1942 issue of the Old Line magazine, as scanned by the University of Maryland Libraries.

Onward!  From Plodding Turtle's Story by Amy Prentice, 1900.

From The Fables of Æsop by Joseph Jacobs, 1894.

Here's a vintage example of how "it's turtles all the way down," from Japan and the Japanese Illustrated by Aimé Humbert, 1874.

From Prof. Oddfellow's sketchbook:

Q: How do comic hats float?

A: To create levity, we must make light.