Mario's groans come from the Super Mario video games by Nintendo, where the character reacts vocally to jumps, falls and damage. Those short hurt noises became more prominent after Super Mario 64 in 1996 gave Mario a full expressive voice. Clips of the sounds were later ripped from games, shared on soundboards and reused in memes, gameplay edits and fan videos. The familiarity of the voice makes the reaction instantly readable, so creators keep using the groans as shorthand for cartoon injury, frustration and over the top physical comedy.