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Spotted at Olympics: Mario the plumber made US curling team

It's-a me! Fortunately, American curler Matt Hamilton has mushroom in his heart for the jokes about his video game doppelganger.

Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
Expertise Breaking news, entertainment, lifestyle, travel, food, shopping and deals, product reviews, money and finance, video games, pets, history, books, technology history, generational studies. Credentials
  • Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year"​ award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
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Gael Cooper

It's that time once every four years when Americans pretend we know what curling is. But one thing we do know: the sport is even more fun to watch when "It's-a me, Mario!" is playing.

American curler Matt Hamilton definitely resembles the video game plumber Mario from Super Mario Brothers fame, and even his own team is proclaiming it.

It helps that the curling stone somewhat resembles a plunger.

Or a magic mushroom.

Fans are ready to play along.

A few fans saw other doppelgängers for Hamilton. Maybe Ron Swanson from "Parks and Recreation"...

Andy Reid, coach of the Kansas City Chiefs...

Taylor Lewan from the Tennessee Titans...

Rod Farva from "Super Troopers"...

Or Chef Matty Matheson from Canada's show "Dead Set on Life."

Fortunately, Hamilton himself didn't seem bothered by the matchup.

You can watch Matt "Super Mario 4 Life" Hamilton curl again on Feb. 14, when the U.S. takes on host country Korea. Here's his whole schedule, if you mustache.