From Eric the Koopa
In Super Mario RPG, Mario got into Nimbus Castle by being disguised as a statue, but how did Bowser, Peach, Mallow, and Geno get in? Were they disguised too? Or did they find another way in?
Excellent question! There may be hope for you tourists yet. Yes, the whole "party members go inside Mario" thing is usually just for convenience, but it does cause problems here. In fact, the rest of the party was not disguised, and instead waited outside. Mario planned to go in himself and either take care of things or find a way to get in his friends from the inside. When the guards looked in and were spooked when they saw a "statue" move, that made things all the easier. The rest of the party joined back up with Mario, and the quest continued.
From Red Koopa Knight
Why do you, your brothers, and all of us Koopas still remain loyal to that walking spike-stack whose intelligence is equal to that of a broken Sega Dreamcast?
I don't know how much anyone is actually loyal to Bowser so much as they haven't figured out a way to beat him yet. Bowser may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, and he hasn't brought a victory over the Mushroom Kingdom, but he is incredibly strong and exudes enough confidence that it is common to think that the next time, we will win. As well, if you're not a member of the army and can overlook Bowser's threats, life as a Koopa citizen is really pretty good. Bowser is a much more popular leader than he often gets credit for.
From Missy9282
Is King Boo Morton Koopa Sr?
As interesting and appropriate as that might seem, no, King Boo is not Morton Sr.
From Fireball
Why do Mario and Luigi wear a hat?
They were born (or delivered, whatever) wearing those hats, and they have pretty much worn them ever since. They seem to give them luck, and of course now they're the Mario Bros' trademarks.
From Wizardheimer
Where in Dinosaur Land is Dome City located?
Dome City is in Donut Plains, a "relatively" safe place with not too many Yoshis.
From Ham
Could Tubba Blubba eat King Boo?
I don't think Tubba is eating Boos these days. But if he were, then yes, I'd say he could. King Boo isn't really much more than a regular Boo... A little tougher, but not in a whole different class or anything. That crown might give Tubba indigestion, though.
From Peachy Girl
In Luigi's Mansion, the ghosts in the portraits couldn't move. How come Mario could move when King Boo trapped him in a painting?
King Boo and E. Gadd don't use quite the same portrification process. King Boo's process cuts off a little sooner, leaving the subject somewhat animate, but still stuck in the picture. He likes to see his victims try to escape. This process does give the subject a slightly higher chance of being able to do so, but that, at least, is not where King Boo's plan failed.
From Peachy Girl
Are Koopas' shells flexible? Because in Super Smash Bros. Melee Bowser's shell looked as if it were flexible.
The standard Koopa shell is not flexible. But, Koopas can change their shells after all, so Bowser could put on something that would leave him a little more mobile, though also presumably weaker from the back.
From Vitani
What's your favorite color of nail polish, if you wear any?
I believe that my perfectly sharp claws look sufficiently stunning without any polish. I do like putting polish on, but as my claws look better without it, I don't really care about the color, and generally take it off quickly.
From Vitani
Do you have any pet cats?
Yes, I have a cat named Treasure.
From Vitani
I really like your bow! Where'd you get it?
Only the perfect thing may sit on my head, and you won't find perfection in any department store or catalogue. I made it myself. There's only one like it - so you'd better not touch it!
From Agahnim Koopa
How on earth did Doopliss manage to imprison a letter of the alphabet?
With Nintendo Power! ... Now you're playing with power? Ok, this is one of the things that Nintendo made up. Doopliss didn't imprison a letter, but Nintendo didn't want you to be able to skip a section of the game by getting the answer online or something. So, you're still going to have to talk to that parrot of his. Even if you already know the answer, you're going to have to go there anyway, so no cheating! Now that I would care if you did, or anything...
From Koopiana Jones
Why did Kamek keep Baby Luigi alive if he was going to kill Baby Mario and Luigi?
Kamek hoped that he would be able to figure out what it was about the Baby Bros. that would eventually allow them to defeat Bowser. His wishes did come true, but not in the way he'd hoped.
From Koopiana Jones
What are Toadies?
Toadies are actually Magikoopas, as they come to be called in Mario Party 5, that report directly to Kamek. Kamek was merely called a Magikoopa himself in Yoshi's Island, so his minions needed a different name to keep them separate.
From Koopiana Jones
What did Baby Bowser have against Baby Mario?
Nothing, actually. Not at the time of Yoshi's Island, anyway. He wasn't in on the plot, that was all Kamek's doing; and when Yoshi and Baby Mario arrived, all Baby Bowser was interested in was riding the "gween donkey". Baby Mario was essentially a non-entity.
From Kammy
Why does Bowser call Kammy an old hag sometimes?
It seems to double as both a show of dominance and a term of endearment, or as much as that as you can get from Bowser. As King of the Koopas, Bowser can pretty much tell off whoever he wants, and often does. But he will also call Kammy this when he is pleased, so I think it's his idea of a chummy relationship. As you may have guessed, he doesn't get a whole lot of practice with that.
From Kammy
Why did Kamek join the Koopa Klan in the first place?
Since Kamek's original employer isn't around anymore and Kamek doesn't like to talk about his past, I couldn't really say for sure. But I'd be rather surprised if he started raising young Bowser out of the goodness of his heart. I expect he has ambition for power, but doubts his ability to wield it on his own. He needed a ruler that would be respected (or at least feared), who would seek to take power, and who could be controlled by the right advisor; and that appeared to be Bowser. But of course, Bowser has never obtained the power that I suspect Kamek sought.
From Kammy
Wendy, how did you gain the ability to throw very loud tantrums?
It's just something I've always had. It's not a power or anything, but perhaps just a will strong enough to do it.
From Kirbysonicmario
Now, Tubba Blubba ate Boos, right? Now, Boos are ghosts. Why didn't they just go through the walls? Were they too stupid to do that?
Hm. Well, it's either that, or when you say Boos can go through walls, it really means just that, and nothing more. Tubba's stomach isn't a wall, of course; and I didn't see none too many Boos drifting out of Luigi's vacuum either. It appears that Boos can become temporarily invisible and impervious, but are actually quite limited in what they can go through.
From Paperlemmy
Did the Mushroom Kingdom always have those technical devices, like computers and such, or was it only after Prof. E. Gadd, WarioWare, etc. came into the picture? I ask because it seemed like Plit, as you call it, tried to look like those old fashioned kingdoms, but then it got modernized, yet still was under the rule of someone (Princess Peach).
If you mean, did E. Gadd and Wario (through WarioWare) create all our technology, certainly not. It all came about in its own way, probably not completely unlike how technology came about in the Real World. Now yes, it's true that in the earlier Mario games, our technology wasn't always so obvious, and that you see more of it in the later games. If you took the games as actually happening in the order they were released, then you could take that as a sign that the Mushroom Kingdom gradually became more advanced. But really, though, it's only a sign of the games having more detail in general. And for whatever it's worth, Partners in Time doesn't appear to have any local technology either in the past or the present. So that aspect of things is really up to what the designers felt like adding it.
From Kirbysonicmario
How can your doomships fly if they have unsupported obstacle sections?
Ok, you do realize you're asking me this with regards to a place where floating blocks and islands are commonplace, yes? But anyway, the unsupported segments do have propellers and an engine of their own. Yeah, it doesn't look like they should be able to fly along with the rest of the ship, but they do.
From Paperlemmy
Why was Petey Piranha in the past in Partners in Time? Is it possible that he's a lot older then I expected? Also, in Super Mario Sunshine, players got the opinion (or at least I did) that Petey was just a monster created by Bowser Jr. In addition, what was Petey Piranha doing in the desert, anyway? And how did the Shroobs get ahold of him?
It looks like you're trying to make it my problem that you thought Petey was young and created by Bowser Jr. I never said those things, so I can only say that you assumed wrong. Now, a desert might seem to be an unlikely place for a plant, but he was in the more dank underground, after all, and of course Petey's no ordinary plant. In fact, owing to the fact that he was clearly working with the Shroobs, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he's actually one of them, similar to Swiggler. This would help to explain why he is so different from other Piranha Plants. It doesn't explain how he survived the babies' tears, but as a plant, he might simply have been able to soak them up, unlike the rest of his cohorts.
From Paperlemmy
How long after Yoshi's Island did the past portion of Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time take place?
Given the fact that the younger Marios are toddlers (yeah, they're called babies throughout the game, but let's be reasonable here), two or three years is probably about right. On the timeline in Morton's Basics, this is going to end up going between Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Story.
From Paperlemmy
Why did Bowser wear a bandana as a kid? And why did he get rid of it?
I'm thinking you mean bib, because I didn't see any bandana. And he might have needed it because he's always snacking and making a mess. But actually, I think Alphadreams dropped the ball a little bit, and confused Baby Bowser for Bowser Jr, because they look the same given the graphical differences between the games. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, Baby Bowser's "Oh no"s are lifted directly from Junior in Double Dash. So, I'm not sure if that was laziness or just confusion, but I'm not actually sure that Bowser ever wore a bib at all.
From Maniac
If in Partners in Time, the Shroobs took over Peach's castle in the past, wouldn't them doing that affect the castle in the present?
I'm not going to get into a whole philosophical
debate on time. But, since the Marios did ultimately defeat the Shroobs
and returned things to normal prior to the present, then the present wouldn't
actually have been
affected at all.
From Kammy
Some of the tourists said in Interviews that Cackletta is Queen Bean's sister. Is this true that Cackletta is Queen Bean's sister?
It is true that quite a few people seem to believe this, although there are different accounts as to why the two don't get along. I know of no evidence that the two are related, though. Apart from the fact that they're both large and green, I see no similarities.
From Ham
If something were to happen to Bowser, who would be in charge of the Koopa Troop?
Common conception (and obvious guess) says Ludwig, as the oldest of his offsprings, but there isn't actually anything set in stone. What, you think Bowser is the sort to start thinking about who will rule after his demise? He doesn't plan to have that happen anyhow. Even if there were something written, I don't think the rest of us Koopalings (and even some abitious minions) would lay down and die just because the late king had expressed a preference. Turmoil and anarchy are distinct possibilities.
From Ham
How and where did Bowser recruit all of his minions?
Considering that Bowser had minions working for him in Yoshi's Island, when he was clearly not in charge in any measurable way, I think it's safe to say that many of the minions are the descendents of those who were already part of the Koopa Troop. From an individualistic standpoint, there often are not a lot of viable options to military service, especially when Bowser is breathing down your shell.
From Ham
How do certain enemies like Goombas and Buzzy Beetles grow wings while others don't?
What do you mean by others? If you're asking me, why do Goombas grow wings and Spinies don't, I'm just going to tell you that's uninteresting, because lots of creatures have different makeup. More interesting is why some Goombas have wings and other don't. Are they created by magic? Is it just the older ones that have it? Well, really young Goomba, or Micro-Goombas, won't have Paragoomba-type wings. But actually, Goombas grow them naturally, and then lose them in a similarly natural process - though getting thumped will cost them their wings too. You can sort of think of it as extreme molting. Goombas and Paragoombas are not different species, but it's often easier to think of them that way.
From Ham
Why did Bowser stop wearing his crown? He is a king, after all.
I don't know that Bowser ever wore his crown in the games. He did that in the cartoons, I believe; and the discrepancy is most likely one of design choice. Bowser does generally wear a crown; he likes the sign of power. But sometimes he doesn't like to wear it because a small crown on a big head looks kind of silly, and anyway he doesn't really need a bauble like that to show he's large and in charge.
From Ham
What is the source of your magic wands' power?
There is a Starman in the tip of each one... and one under each Magikoopa's hat as well. No, the wands are powered by... magic! And that's all I can say about it. If that magic is itself powered by anything, you clearly don't know to defer to it in order to use the wand. I don't know a lot of magical theory, but I can tell you that it's not just technology with a weird kind of battery. It stands on its own.
From Ham
In SMB3, I've noticed the lands were taken over from youngest to oldest. Is that a coincidence or for a reason?
In the game, Mario was forced to go from Grass Land to Desert Land, and so on, excepting when he used Warp Whistles. In reality, though, he could have chosen to go through the lands in any order, it wasn't dictated by us. He chose the route you know because it appeared to be in order of easiest to hardest. That is likely a function of the age of the Koopalings in each land; but our age only corresponds to the order of the lands in the games because that's how Mario chose to traverse them.
From Ham
Does a Fire Brother get their fire power from a Fire Flower?
No. Koopas and their associates can rarely use the power-ups.
From Ham
In the Mario timeline, when was Bowser Jr. born?
It could not have been long before Mario Sunshine, since Lemmy was not around yet and we Koopalings were not born far apart.
From Ham
Do Lakitus have an infinite amount of Spinies in their clouds?
Well, if you were playing a game, and just kept standing around, you would never see him run out. But no, there is actually only a limited stockpile of them.
From Ham
What language does Professor E. Gadd speak?
He speaks English, or something reasonably close to it. I don't know what's up with his jabbering soundbytes in the games. Probably it's funny, and more understandable than how he usually speaks.
From Pichu
What do Yoshi Cookies taste like?
Like Yoshis! But seriously, Yoshi Cookies are very sweet with just a hint of fruit, and a delicious, though elusive, scent. They are very soft and not very filling, so you can eat a lot. They're hard not to like.
From Pichu
Why were babies Mario and Luigi still in the Mushroom Kingdom's past? Weren't they delivered to Brooklyn after Yoshi's Island?
Not immediately after. It took a couple of debacles for that one for their parents to wise up to the dangers. Talk about clueless.
From Ham
How does the lightning bolts in the Mario Kart series causes players to shrink when they should be electrocuted?
It doesn't really, but it does cause the karts to shortcircuit, triggering the auto-repair. Until that's done, though, they won't be able to go so fast, and contact with much of anything will lead to destructive results.
From Ham
Do Snifits swallow ammo in order to shoot bullets?
No, they're naturally made pellets that you probably don't want to come in contact with, if only because they're disgusting.
From Ham
Do Piranha Plants have eyes or are they invisible?
Well they'd better have something, as they don't appear to have ears or a nose either. Well, most creatures in the games don't have visible ears, so you're just going to have to live with that. But as far the vision is concerned, Piranha Plants have primitive eyes of sorts that act as light sensors. These blend in with their face and allow them to discern light from dark, but that's it. Piranha Plants have an excellent sense of smell, and yes, they can hear.
From Ham
Are Big Bertha's Cheep Cheeps grown into adults or a different species?
Well, they're a certain kind of Cheep Cheep, as in, they have Cheep Cheep offspring, they are adults, but not all Cheep Cheeps will grow into a Big Bertha or Boss Bass. The right ones do, though. You can think of it as the Cheep Cheeps' answer to Grand Goombas.
From Ham
How come when you step on an enemy in Mario and Luigi, everybody takes damage when you only attacked that particular enemy?
Mario or Luigi actually get the jump on all the enemies, but not all of it is shown. Actually, from the way I see it, they're not even shown as landing on any of the enemies, they kind of bound back from the middle of the screen or something.
By Yoshi Lover
Do you ever wash your bow or is it permanently up there forever?
I have more than one, you know...
By Yoshi Lover
Is Lemmy on his ball 24/7?
No, usually only when he's moving from place to place. He doesn't sleep on it...
From Ham
How did the Big Bob-omb get to be king, and how did he get so big?
Bob-ombs are manufactured, so he was created that size. And with a size and mustache like that, who could challenge him?
From Ham
Do Whomps always have bodily damage on the back of themselves?
I suppose the best way to refer to this is, it's a defect that occurs when the child is chipped off from the parent. But, no, not every one has one. (I hear the band-aid is all the rage these days, though.)
From Ham
Does Wario's mustache grown like that on its own?
Well, I'm sure that Wario must help it along with certain shaving techniques. But it's not a fake, and he doesn't take any drugs for it, if that's what you mean.
From Ham
Are Chargin' Chucks Koopa Troopas with football gear?
Well, sports gear. But, yes. They're bulky Koopa Troopas not entirely unlike Sledge Brothers (which, like the rest of the Hammer Bros. family, are a type of specialized Koopa).
From Ham
What makes Bombette and Bobbery capable of surviving their explosions?
Actually, most Bob-ombs, the ones that aren't defective, can do this. If they couldn't explode multiple times, there would be no advantage for us over having just regular bombs. Most Bob-ombs take longer to recover after exploding, which is why Nintendo is able to "cheat" and say that they have defeated themselves. But then, most Bob-ombs also can't take a licking and come back ticking like these two do. So, I guess the roundabout answer to your question is, they're tough.
How good of an inventor is Iggy?
Iggy doesn't have that drive that keeps him up inventing late into the night all the time that Ludwig does. He creates far fewer things. His inventions are generally quite effective, though. So I'd say he's very good.
Is it true Morton Koopa Senior hates Bowser?
My understanding is that Morton Sr. hated most everybody. He doesn't anyone now, though... I'm not aware of any particular animosity towards his son, but if is true that Bowser killed him, I imagine his spirit would be ticked off today.
Who is stronger, Kamek or Kammy?
Neither Magikoopa is really renowned for their ability in hand-to-hand combat, but if the two fought one another I expect Kamek would win (or, at least Kamek in his prime would).
From Eric the Koopa
What was with the Pikmin in Toadstool Tour? Were they something Nintendo put in as a joke? Or are there Pikmin on Plit?
They were put in by Nintendo, not as a joke, but as product placement. It’s similar to when Link (and supposedly Samus, though I’ve never seen this) appear in Mario RPG.
From Raceman21
What do you and the other Koopalings do for a living besides try to defeat Mario and Luigi?
This is a question of employment, yes? Well, we are children, after all. Older ones, perhaps, but certainly we don't have what you might think of as a full-time career. We do have to look over our troops and such, but it doesn't pay, except that Bowser will continue to give us our allowance. We also get whatever we can steal.
Does Yoshi like Birdo?
They certainly seem to have something going on... at least a good friendship. I don't know that it's anything romantic, though... They are different species, after all, and Birdo seems inclined to plant a wet, yolky one on anything that moves.
From Kammy
Why does Fawful talks weird, and where did he learn to talk weird?
You know, I don't think he really speaks all that weirdly from a grammatical standpoint... certainly not like in your own story. He just has a really twisted mind and is prone to spouting off odd metaphors. The guy is nuts, but I don't think he failed English class.
From Marissa Spencer
Do Bowser and Clawdia have any children with other people?
Given all the scandalous news you hear, you might think it impossible for people this powerful and famous not to have had affairs. Bowser doesn't exactly drip honor, after all. But either of them have extramarital children, they're certainly tight lipped about it. (Bowser isn't the best at keeping secrets, either.)
From Marissa Spencer
What was Wart's first name when he was a Koopa?
Wart's appearance changed, not his name. The fact that frogs are associated with warts is what is known as cruel irony... or perhaps cruel Bowser, depending on your view of things.
From Marissa Spencer
Do all Koopas have the last name Koopa? Including unmarried females? If they don't, what is Clawdia's maiden name?
It's pretty common for royalty and other VIPs to assume the last name of their species, netting King [insert name of species here] or possibly just Real, Real Big [name of some other species]. Apart from this, people generally have their own, quasi-unique last name. Clawdia's maiden name is Cuopton.
From Pichu
Is Peach older or younger than Mario?
Well, in Partners in Time, the Marios are toddling toddlers while the princess is confined to a stroller. Part of that is Toadsworth being overprotective, no doubt, but another part is that Peach is, in fact, younger than the Bros.
From Gold yoshi
In Mario Kart DS, is Waluigi Pinball a giant pinball table, or are the racers just shrunk to go onto it?
It is a giant pinball table... which is much easier than having to shrink the racers each time.
From Pichu
Why didn't Princess Shroob go into a time hole by herself instead of tricking and using Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi?
Princess Shroob doesn't seem to be around for me to interrogate, but my best understanding is that she didn't actually know about the time holes. What she did know was that the Marios seemed to be from somewhere other, judging from their reactions and resiliency, and she hoped that she could trick them into showing her where that place was so she could take it over, too. She may not have known that a more appropriate question than where was when.
From Raceman21
Wendy, why does your brother Larry have his eyes closed all the time? He is always looks like he is glaring at people.
It's supposed to make him look sneaky, devious, untrustworthy. Unlike in the cartoons, he actually doesn't always look like that, though he does do a lot of glaring and he does embody those traits.
From Kammy
Are Kammy and Kamek related to each other?
I've seen the two portrayed well as cousins both serving in the line of duty, despite the fact they never even appear in the same game. It might be cool if they were, but no, the two head Magikoopas are not related except by profession.
From Ham
Is the ring on Birdo's finger an engagement ring from Yoshi?
No, it's just her own "fabulous" jewelry. Even if they were a couple, could you imagine Yoshi spending huge quanitities of his non-existent money buying some stone you can't eat?
From Boswer von Koopa
Wendy, in Paper Mario the map you have is the map of all the Mushroom Kingdom, well how come it didn't show Rogueport? It's a part of the Mushroom Kingdom, isn't it?
Yes, but the map didn't show the entire Mushroom Kingdom, just those parts relevant to the game. This is pretty typical of video games; and in that same vein, not every inhabitant of Toad Town was featured either.
From Dasina-chan
Who is older, Daisy or Peach? Daisy or Luigi? Daisy or Mario?
Mario and Luigi are the oldest, Daisy is the youngest.
From Dasina-chan
I'm confused. In all of the stories and stuff, you and your siblings either live in the same house, Koopa Castle, or you all live far away from each other in your kingdoms. WHICH IS IT?!
We all live mainly in Koopa Castle (or whatever name it's going by at the time). I think a lot of the stories you're referring to are set in the future, though. I can't speak to where we might all be living then.
From Dasina-chan
Why hasn't you or your family tried to take Sarasaland? I'm NOT saying you should but... you guys seem so concerned about the Mushroom Kingdom...
Well, just because you haven't seen us attack Sarasaland in a game, doesn't mean we haven't done it. In any event, it's a small, generally out of the way kingdom that we're not much interested in. And, while Bowser certainly takes a special interest in the Mushroom Kingdom, I think a careful analysis would reveal that he has gone after plenty of other places as well.
From Agahnim Koopa
Did the No FLUDD zones in Sunshine actually happen? I mean, all the sprites of the jumping Mario and everything seem to break the fourth wall. Was there just a room with a Shine Sprite, or lots of moving platforms in an empty space or what?
Well, the fact that Mario had to go through some obstacle courses without FLUDD is true. The real courses probably weren't designed exactly like the ones in the games, but certainly had similar elements. The background you're referring to probably didn't exist... but aren't you glad it was in the game?
From Ham
Are Wario and Waluigi plumbers?
I am aware that in one episode of the Mario cartoons, we see Mario and Luigi back in plumbing school, and two of their fellow students vaguely resemble Wario and Waluigi. But the resemblence is only coincidental (and probably fictitious), and in fact the cartoon was produced before Wario and Waluigi were released as part of the series. Apart from this dubious evidence, I have no reason to believe that Wario and Waluigi have any more plumbing experience than anyone else. So, no.
From Marioman989
In Paper Mario, if the main enemies are X-Nauts, why is it that when X-Nauts are in the audience, they don't come onstage and attack Mario? I know that they like to throw rocks, but sometimes they could outnumber him.
Now this brings to mind memories of old Asian fighting flicks where there will be a crowd of villains, but they'll each attack the hero one at a time. Now, I suppose the X-Nauts could have mobbed Mario, but it didn't work in the Prologue, it didn't help enemies like Gold Fuzzy, and there's no saying Mario wouldn't have blown them away anyhow. Their rock throw is actually pretty dangerous, if they don't get bonked. I can't say I have a great explanation for why they didn't do as you say, but at least you can see it might not have changed things.
From koopaling
In Mario Superstar Baseball, why can't the Paratroopas and Paragoombas fly into the air and catch high-flying balls? They could catch most balls, and would be the best fielders around!
They're not very good flyers. Paratroopas can rarely fly very high. Or, at least they can't just fly up. It might look like they're flying high if they fly off a tall cliff, but relative to where they started, it's still not too high. Some Paragoombas, like the kind that drop Microgoombas, can fly high, but others mainly just hop. The ones in the game were the poor flying kind.
From Koopa Girl
In the comics, it stated that Bowser's Birthday is the day after Father's Day. You said that it's July 13th. What day is it?
We don't have the same calendar you do. So it's possible for this both to be true. I'm impressed you picked that up, though.
From Marioman989
Is it possible that someone could steal one of your magic wands and use them against you, or are your wands protected with a power where only you can use them? The same question go for Magikoopas and Kammy.
Our wands are pretty basic, so someone who stole one could probably use it. Magikoopa wands are more complex. A random thief probably wouldn't be able to use it, plus Magikoopas might be able to protect their wand with special charms. I don't think anyone, Koopaling or Magikoopa, is naturally protected against their own wand.
From Marioman989
I just recently played some Mario Party games I had and I found something really weird that might have an easy explanation. When I won a mini-game, I got a few coins, but looking at the coins I noticed that they are the size of a human head. I don't get why coins in some games are so large? If they’re that large then how is it possible to carry around so many?
You’re going to have to allow some leeway there, if the coins were shown their true size, they’d hardly be shown at all. As in, they’d be too small to easily see. Gold coins are fairly large as coins go, bigger than your quarter at any rate, but still not as large as anyone’s head.
From Koopa Girl
In PM2, why does Marilyn usually only say "Guh" but in Chapter 2 she says "the three"?
For those of you not in the know, the full phrase is “We are – the three – Shadow Sirens!” Well, actually I can’t remember what exactly it is before “the three”, but you get the point. Each of the Sirens is supposed to say one of those parts, in order of importance or whatever. Trouble is, Marilyn doesn’t really speak, except to say “guh” a lot. But, Beldam did finally manage to teach her how to say her line on cue – which only made her angrier when Vivian messed it up in the game by saying “Shadow Beauties” instead. A beating ensued…
From marioman989
When and why did Bowser Jr. start wearing that mask?
He first started wearing it in Mario Sunshine. It grants him his shapeshifting ability, so it’s pretty useful to have around. He’ll also use it to transform, without actually transforming, into Mask Junior, with the power to cause mischief, Neckerchief Junior, with the power to claim he’s cool, and Bib Junior, with the power to whine until other saps do stuff for him.
From marioman989
Who is Toadsworth? I've been getting many different answers to this. Some say he is Peach's father, yet others say he is Peach's "grandfather". But my guess is that Peach is the king's daughter. WHO IS THE MYSTERIOUS MAN?
Peach and Toadsworth are not related by blood. Toadsworth is a steward of the Mushroom Kingdom who has looked after the princess since her birth - the king and queen, even while alive and sane, were always somewhat removed from her. Toadsworth recognized immediately Peach's special qualities - the type of qualities that made her the one who could awaken the Beanstar, for example - and has treasured her above all else. He would do whatever he could to protect her. Unfortunately, he's only much good for offering moral support and calling the Marios; and if it would left to him, Peach would never leave her room.
From FireMaster
How can Mario jump the way he does? Is the gravity on Plit different than it is on Earth?
That's as close to a true super power as Mario gets, though compared to some other heroes I've heard of, it really isn't all that.
From FireMaster
How can the Internet
support messages through space and dimensions, on primitive human technology?
Is there a Goomba
constantly running messages through a warp pipe?
Not messages, but a really long wire, perhaps. The dimensions are connected, so it's not as much as a stretch as you might think. It really did used to be wires through one of the warp pipes, but now someone's built some fancy-pants enhancement of the wireless system...
From FireMaster
Are Lava Bubbles and Embers also Koopas? It would seem unlikely since they are made of plasmatic fire, I think. If not, are they followers of the Koopa Clan, or are they just mindlessly attacking in the Mario games?
Only a small portion of the Koopa Clan is actually Koopas. The Koopas have many allies, too. I can't tell you that every single firey enemy Mario has come across is actually alligned with us, but certainly there have been some that are. And then, as you said, there are some that are defending their territory or are bored and want a fight; you get the drill.
From Wendy Fan
What did you think of Paulina Gillis providing your voice in the cartoons?
The voice was right. I don't know who she is, and I don't care. I still should have done the voice myself, though.
From Wendy Fan
What did you (Wendy) do after finding out that Milli Vanilli was a fraud group?
I still like their sound. The next time I kidnap them, I'll just have to get a back-up band as well.
From Eric the Koopa
What precisely do Cackletta's minions consist of, Fawful aside? Where Bowser has Koopatrols, Grodus has X-Naut troops, and the Shroobs had... erm, Shroobs, what did Cackletta have?
Cackletta did not have minions. The closest you get to that is Woohoo Hooniversity, where she cast a spell on some of the researchers. That may have happened elsewhere, too, but generally speaking, she's just a witch with some power, an evil streak, and at the time, a plan.
From Ham
How come Mario can only shoot two fireballs at a time?
That is really only a factor of the original Nintendo's capabilities. Each fireball was a moving sprite that could contribute to slowdown, so there needed to be a limit. In reality, of course, Mario is not confined to a screen and can shoot as many fireballs as he likes.
From Ham
Where did Mario and Luigi get their jumping power from?
That jumping power is as close as they get to a super power without relying on items. It didn't come from anywhere, they were born with it (even if they couldn't necessarily use it as young infants).
From Crazy Koopa
Why do Bob-ombs only show they have hands in the ending of Paper Mario 1? Are they shy of showing they have hands or something?
Some Bob-omb models have hands, most don't, though. Somehow those few must have left a big impression on Mario, since they had them in his dream of Mario 2 as well.
From Lord Lemmy
Does Lemmy have a best friend at school? How smart is he/she?
Contrary to various Scribbles that will just throw us into the classroom with everyone else (and usually the same one, too, despite our different ages), each of us has a private teacher. That way we don’t have to go to school with regular Troopas, and we can fit it around whatever else we’re doing.
From YoshiForever.
What makes Bowser so angry when the Bowser Meter fills up in Mario Party 7? Is it that every few turns of Party Mode, Bowser suddenly remembers that Mario didn't take him on vacation?
That’s funny, I want to go with that. But no, Bowser doesn’t forget, but it does take time to plan his various stunts and he needs to decide what to do, so there was time in between his outbursts. It wasn’t necessarily five turns between each one, Nintendo could have chosen to make them happen after a random number of turns, but they decided not to go that route.
From Silly Koopa
In the Mario Sports games, nearly every character has a different speed than the others, Wario and Yoshi for example. In the Mario Party games however, Wario and Yoshi run at the same speed. Why is that?
That's a difference in game design, not a difference in characters. Nintendo chose to make character differences a feature in games like Mario Kart, they wanted all the characters to be on a level playing field until they finally broke with tradition by giving the characters different special items in Mario Party 7.
From Giga Bowser X
In Super Mario 64, Bowser locked all of the doors in the castle except for one. Why didn't he lock the one? There were enough Stars to do it and if he did lock it he would have succeeded in kidnapping the princess.
That’s a good question. I hope you’ll find this is a good answer, at least it’s not one of those “that’s just the way it is” deals.
First of all, you have to realize that Mario 64 and Mario 64 DS are really two versions of the same adventure. It’s not as though Bowser kidnapped the princess and took all the Stars, then did it again, hiding the Stars mostly in the same place, only this time he had the heroes kidnapped, too. The games are only approximations of what happened, edited to make things fun and interesting and due to system limitations, so it’s not impossible that one adventure could be translated into more than one game. Mario 64 is true to form insofar as Mario had to collect Power Stars and rescue the princess. Mario 64 DS is more true to form because it revealed that Yoshi, Luigi, and Wario were also involved, with Yoshi having to free Mario before he could ultimately defeat Bowser.
Ok, so now you know that Mario 64 DS is closer to being the real deal. Since Mario was captured, Bowser didn’t think he had to be on guard, really. Despite this, he did lock the front door. (You could have just asked me, why didn’t Bowser lock the front door as well as the two on the inside?) So, the front door was locked, but that rabbit ended up getting the key and then got himself caught. So Yoshi got in.
Now, in reality, none of the doors inside were protected by the Stars. Why should Bowser do this when he had the heroes captured and the front door was locked? So really, Yoshi could have gone anywhere on the first floor, including straight to Bowser, but here Nintendo stepped in and guided him to the first course. Most games, of course, force you to start in one specific place, so this is nothing odd.
When Bowser saw that Yoshi was in the castle and collecting Stars, he began to use the Stars still in his possession to put up barriers in the castle. But, there were two problems. First, it took time to put up these barriers, the stronger the barrier, the more time. In reality it was a race against time to see if Yoshi and then the rest could collect Stars fast enough to break Bowser’s barriers before he made them stronger. The answer was, of course, that he could.
The second problem Bowser had is he could only put up a barrier as strong as the number of Stars he still had left at the time of putting them up. You’ll notice that after the first floor, Bowser didn’t guard so many doors. That’s because he realized Yoshi was getting to his weaker barriers too quickly, and so he wanted to focus on stronger ones he’d able to fortify by the time Yoshi got there. But, he could only make his barriers so strong, because Yoshi was collecting Bowser’s Stars. If Bowser would have started making one barrier right away, he could have made it require 150 Stars. Yoshi and Mario would never have been able to succeed then, if that barrier had been the Endless Stairs, because two of the 150 Stars were actually behind that barrier. But by the time Bowser got to working on that barrier, 80 was about the number of Stars he had left at his disposal. And of course, the heroes were able to collect that many and make it through…
So, really, it wasn’t stupidity so much as maybe being a little careless that led you to find that one door unlocked. Ultimately the plan was foiled by a mischievous bunny. You’ll have to excuse Bowser if he doesn’t treat cute, furry creatures very well.
From Chris
What happened to E. Gadd's Poltergust 3000 after Luigi's Mansion?
The professor let Luigi keep it. He said it was the least he could do after Luigi helped him fill his gallery, and he was working on a better one anyway. Now Luigi never goes out at night without it.
From Luigi's High Jumpin' Second in Command
Why does Luigi dish out green fireballs like in Mario Superstar Baseball but sometimes red ones like in New Super Mario Bros?
If he gets a Fire Flower he will always spew red flames, but if he is fueled by something else, it could be green.
From Kammy
In Super Mario Bros. 2, why did Fryguy appear in World 4, the snowy and freezing world? Isn't it weird that Fryguy is found in a cold place when's he looks like a hot sun?
Wart didn't really have anyone suited for any icy world. He actually was long on desert-types, as the snake Triclyde fits there, too. Because he is elemental, Fryguy would have been able to absorb more power had he been in a warm climate. Wart was worried that Fryguy would have become powered up, and then decide to put himself in charge while on a power binge. Since anyone in the ice world would have had to chill out a bit anyway, he stuck Fryguy there to keep him under wraps.
From P.T. Piranha
Why did Hoggle sell hotdogs? Hotdogs come from pigs, and he's a pig! Is he trying to be ironic or something?
Hotdogs come from pigs, huh? That's news to me. I thought hotdogs were just whatever kind of meat you could find and grind up. But anyway... I think Hoggle is just wearing a costume, and yes, to be ironic. Because it would sure be odd for the one pig of this sort on Plit to be selling hotdogs... if they are in fact pork.
From Paperlemmy
What happened to Grubba after he was beat?
He was banned from the Glitz Pit... What'd you think, they'd scrounge up some non-existent policemen to send him to jail? Or that some random citizens would kill him? Nope, he went free. But without the power of the Crystal Star, his age has gradually got the better of him. I understand he is not in very good shape these days.
From P.T. Piranha
Why was Petey Piranha in the ice level of New Super Mario Bros?
There wasn't really a better place to put him. Petey is too strong to be harmed by a mild chill, it wasn't even that cold in his room. Even though he's a plant, the icy environment didn't weaken him like it did Fryguy in Mario 2.
From P.T. Piranha
If Morton likes to give long, winded speeches, how come he doesn't have the Phonebooth? Because you sometimes give long, winded speeches. Or is it that if he got this section, every answer would be too long?
Now that's certainly true. Morton's Phonebooth wouldn't get any hits anyway. Actually, as much as he likes to talk, Morton doesn't like to use the phone. I don't know why, either. He likes to talk to people in person, but it's not as though he feeds off them, as he's completely oblivious to their disgust. All of this is too bad, as I'd be happy for Morton to stay kooped up in his room and find someone else to talk to on the phone all day.
From P.T. Piranha
What exactly is a Shine Sprite?
Just your friendly neighborhood treasure/source of power. More the latter in this case. Every place has one. They're not really any different from the Mushroom Kingdom's Power Stars apart from their ability to help keep the island bright. That's probably not even a power, it's just they glow and when you get all 120 together, it's really bright.
From P.T. Piranha
I know you and your seven brothers are the offspring of a tyrant bent on world domination, but is your family really as crazy as in Scribbles, or do you have your good times together like in various Fun Fics?
Oh, it's some of both, I suppose. We're certainly not a family you'd call normal, but there's probably an hour each day when there isn't someone trying to kill or horribly humiliate someone. Most days. Maybe.
From Rhinox
How did the Mario Brothers become so small when Bowletta sucked them into her belly in Superstar Saga?
For those of you listening in on this call and not following, Bowletta eats the Marios after tricking them with a Time Bob-omb. When they fight Cackletta's spirit, they are the same size as they've been all game, even though that would seemingly be too large for them to move around in Bowser's stomach (without brushing up against vital organs, at least). Actually, Cackletta made Bowser and her spirit larger in order to make the battle possible. (Cackletta shows her ability to enlarge herself in the fight at Woohoo University.) Cackletta thought this would be a quick and sure way to finish off the weakened Marios without, you know, having to wait to digest them... but of course, as it turned out, the Marios had some spunk in them still... and probably some healing items, too.
From P.T. Piranha
How was Elder Princess Shroob able to transform into a monster?
That is actually her true form. It is so grotesque, even among Shroobs, that she was not populat as a leader, which is why the Shroobs were able to rally behind the young Princess Shroob instead of falling into disarray when their leader was captured. Elder Shroob's crown allows her to take on a state somewhat more sightly and agile, but when she needed her full strength, she had to give that up. As long as her crown is recharging, she will retain her grotesque state, which is why she did not convert back whenever the crown was temporarily defused.
From P.T. Piranha
What are those purple things on Cackletta's head?
Something like socks, and then she fills them out with her hair. It's a lousy style, but at least it gives her something that looks like horns, wobbly though they may be.
From P.T. Piranha
How was Crump shrinking when the Puni Elder was yelling at him?
That was graphical. It was meant to show that Crump was losing his courage, his edge, the more the elder berated him.
From: P.T. Piranha
In Mario & Luigi 1, Bowser wouldn't kidnap Peach because her explosive voice would blow up his castle. Then at the end, Peasley blows up the castle. Was Bowser forshadowing, or was it irony, or what?
That would be what we call a coincidence. Bowser has no ability whatsoever to predict the future (particularly since he keeps failing to see his own defeat), and it's not as though Peasley knew Bowser had said that. Peasley blew up the castle so that it wouldn't still be in the Beanbean Kingdom's airspace. Otherwise, Bowser might have thought it a good idea to continue the assault Cackletta started.
From Rhinox
Why did some Koopalings spit more fireballs than others in Superstar Saga?
Who did some Koopalings jump higher than others in Mario 3? It's a matter of different ability and inclination to do it.
From Adam
I heard that Mario is only five feet tall. That would mean he is considered a midget. Is that true? If not, how tall is he really?
Of course Mario changes size, from diminutive to that behemoth seen in New Super Mario Bros, but in normal form, Mario is not tall. There aren’t a lot of human characters you can compare him to, but you can clearly see he’s shorter than Luigi and Peach. He’s also shorter than most of us Koopalings. Five feet is actually about right, maybe five-two or so. There aren’t many who would care to call him a midget, though. I guess his many feats make him seem taller, even if he’s not so many feet tall.
From Adam
Why did Mario fight the three little pigs in Mario Land 2? When did they turn evil? And since when do they live on planet Plit?
They're not the same pigs from the fairytale. But they are three pigs and they are kind of little. Mario fought them because they were the boss of the area.
From Adam
When did Pauline, Mario's girlfriend, get to planet Plit? I thought they broke up, too.
They did break up, but it was largely a mutual decision rather than something messy. Now that time has passed, Mario wanted to make up with her somewhat and show her around his new home. I do not believe that they are any kind of couple now, and I also do not know that Pauline will be staying here, especially considering she got kidnapped again. Despite all his heroics, Mario isn't always the safest guy to be around.
From Adam
What do you do to keep in shape and look so nice after being in so many battle with the Marios? All that fighting must be bad for your health.
That is true, and you get a look at how we sometimes are left after a fight in Superstar Saga. But we get good medical care and are naturally quick healers. As far as keeping in shape, we're all pretty much high strung and always doing something. Even though we may be work adverse, that doesn't mean we usually sit around doing nothing. And while the battles themselves may be bad for our health, getting ready for them probably makes us stronger.
From P.T. Piranha
How were the Koopa Bros. disguised as Toads?
Kammy set them up before they departed Bowser's castle. It wasn't a great spell, to be sure. The disguise was kind of obvious. Toads are generally very trusting, though, plus the Koopa Bros. didn't really look like characters a simple Toad would want to question...
From Adam
Do Koopas change their shells and hang them on hangers?
Koopas can change their shells, but it's not like a T-shirt where you probably wear it once and then wash it. Most Koopas are only going to own one or two shells at any given time.
From Adam
How do you take the shells off? There's no buttons or zippers on them.
Inside their shells, and without them, Koopas are soft. Young Koopas are even almost gelatinous. So Koopas can squeeze their way out of their shell fairly easily, although depending on their age and strength, getting back in on their own might be a different story.
From Denny W. Koopa
What do Mario or Luigi do when they're not picked to play the level, like, in Super Mario World?
Also from Denny W. Koopa
What do the outcasts of Mario Party (the ones who aren't picked) do when the others go out to party?
These questions reflect some basic misunderstandings of interpreting reality from the games. It's not like, when Mario does a level, Luigi just takes a nap. The games only allow one plumber in a level at a time, because they don't have splitscreen or whatever. But when the games really happened, Mario and Luigi might have adventured together (sort of like in the M&L games), or they might have worked through different levels simultaniously.
As far as Mario Party is concerned, not all of the real Parties were actually limited exactly to four players at a time. And whenever a character wasn't involved, he or she could do ahead and do whatever they would normally do. Or maybe trash the house of one of the other, occupied characters.
From Denny W. Koopa
Which of your siblings is the most gullible?
Lemmy, maybe. Actually, we're all pretty strongheaded and opinionated, and so not necessarily likely to believe anything anyone else says. But Lemmy might be a little more trusting, and a little more foolish.
From Denny W. Koopa
What is Yoshi's saddle made out of?
It's made out of Yoshis. Be strong, or become a saddle... All right, that's not the way it goes, but it is still made out of Yoshis. That's because it's not really an accessory, it's actually part of the Yoshi. So it doesn't come off without a whole lot of force.
From Mario Koopa
In Super Mario Brothers, the manual said that Goombas were traitors of the Mushroom Kingdom who were put under a spell by Bowser. (Or so I read from a website that said it was in the manual.) So why is it that in SMW2:YI, Goombas are there too? I don't recall Toads being there.
It is true that Goombas are traitors of the Mushroom Kingdom. I haven't heard that Bowser cast a spell on them. If you like, you can change that to Kamek and it's pretty much just as good; but if a spell of any kind was cast on them, then they're not responsible for their evil ways, and not really traitors. Toads have existed for a long time. Toads themselves do not actually appear in Yoshi's Island, but they do appear in Partners in Time, so you know they exist around the time of Baby Mario. Goombas existed, too.
From Denny W. Koopa
How does Lakitu find the strength to lift racers in karts up from water or lava, especially Bowser?
Lakitu doesn't actually do any lifting, when working the races he uses a special cloud able to hold more weight than usual, and a steel pole, or some other sturdy substance. The pole is fastened to the cloud, so then all Lakitu has to do is attack the hook to the fallen racer, and steer the cloud back onto the course.
From Denny W. Koopa
What side of the road must you drive on? I thought Mario Kart Double Dash would help, but they drive on both sides...
Mario Kart is a crazy melee of a race with drivers who shouldn't, and probably don't, have licenses. It's a horrible example. Even on a course like Toad's Turnpike, those are all professional drivers serving as obstacles. There isn't actually all that much real driving in the Mushroom Kingdom, but if you do want to drive and care to do it legally, stay to the right.
From Denny W. Koopa
Which Bowser's Castle Mario Kart( Out of all Mario Kart Games) track is the most like your house?
It's hard to say. None of those castles actually include the living quarters, which is what I'm more apt to call home. And even in our main castle, the outer fortress area Mario must pass through is often being remodeled.
From Super Game Boy
In SMB3: Super Mario Advance 4, I made it to World 8, Action Panel 2. It looks like it's night, and it is, but the Angry Sun butts in! It's not day, isn't it?
The Angry Sun is luminous and hot, but it is not THE sun. So it doesn't determine night and day. If it did, then if you killed it in the desert level, you'd have to expect all the lights to go out, but it doesn't work that way. You wouldn't expect a sun of any sort to appear in Dark Land... which is, of course, how we hoped to take Mario by surprise.
From Tony Paratroopa
Is there a Chain Chomp king?
Chomps aren't very well organized, so there might be a king, but he wouldn't be very widely recognized. In fact, it's likely there's more than one Chomp king, only they don't know it.
From Mario123.
How much are coins worth in the Real World?
Gold coins wouldn’t have a book value because they’re not accepted as currency anywhere in the Real World. Their worth would come from melting them down just into gold. The price of gold fluctuates, but each gold coin is maybe a half an ounce or so, so you could go find the price of gold today and figure out the value yourself.
For the record, red and blue coins are more valuable in the Mushroom Kingdom because of their rarity. They don’t actually contain any more gold, though, so they might not have any extra value in the Real World.
Do note that if you were to try hawking coins in the Real World, you’d be injecting new gold into what was previously a very limited system. If a lot of people did this, the price of gold would plummet.
From Rhinox
Which sun is the one that illuminates Plit (the real sun)? Angry Sun, Brighton, the sun from Flower Fields, or none of them?
Plit actually has a real sun just like Earth does, and it's not any of those. That's good, because things would be pretty crispy otherwise. Extra suns like the one in Flower Fields can help refocus and enhance the sun's power, which is important if you're a Bub-ulb because plants aren't going to find the energy to get up and walk around just from regular old solar power alone. I don't think Brighton's a sun at all, more like a priest for those who think the sun is worth worshipping. The Angry Sun hasn't got any special powers, he's just a star-shaped fireball that's mad a lot.
From Rhinox
Why does almost everything on Plit have eyes (blocks, flowers, Mushrooms. etc)? Does this mean that those things have life? (I can understand Mushrooms, vegetables, and flowers, but blocks and hills are strange.)
If it has eyes, it’s alive. Some things have no eyes and are still alive. Actually most things on Plit are alive. It’s the planet of life… or something.
From P.T. Piranha
How and why are Petey Piranha and King Boo friends?
I guess slimy, disgusting creatures seek out the same. They actually have a fair bit in common, both having a checkered history of being large and in charge, but also having to fight for respect and not always being successful at their endeavors. Both continue to strive for power, but wouldn't much encroach on the other's territory. It's a pretty good pairing.
From P.T. Piranha
Does your family want Mario and Luigi dead, or would you not mind them if they stayed out of your business?
Speaking for myself, complete domination would be the best. I don't want some lame treaty, really. There's been too much aggrivation for that.
From Gigabowser 11
If Bowser was looking for the star children in Yoshi Island DS, and in the end it revealed that Bowser was one of the star children himself (as well as Wario, Mario, Yoshi, Peach, DK, and Luigi, why didn't Kamek's crystal ball pick up that information when it was searching for the star children? And Luigi WAS with the kidnapped babies, correct? Not to be annoying ,but try to answer the best you can.
Baby Bowser wasn't among the captured babies when Kamek was checking. Kamek probably never checked him, thinking his villainous master would never be one of the star children, though he did want him out of the way. In the scene where we learn that Bowser is looking for star children, if you look closely you'll see that Luigi kind of hops away. He couldn't get out of the castle alone, but he did avoid inspection.
From Amber Koopa
After ramming their heads into so many ? Blocks, how are Mario and Luigi's heads still not injured?
They actually punch the blocks.
From Adam Fripps
What is your favorite Earth food?
Lobster. It’s tasty, classy, and always a delight to cook live.
From P.T. Piranha
Do Koopas have tiny holes in the sides of their heads to help them hear? Because I haven't seen a single Koopa with actual ears. If not, then how do they hear?
Yes, Koopas have ears and can hear, all too well at times. They're essentially small holes and not readily apparent, but actually that's pretty much par for the course for creatures from Plit. Apart from the humans, I can't think of a character with ears visible in any of the games.
From Rhinox
In some games, Yoshis can stuff things that are bigger than them in their mouth (like the Yoshi Kid and his Gulp move from Paper Mario 2). How do they do that?
Yoshis have a large mouth and jaws that aren't restrained like ours, so they can open wide enough to fit in just about anything. Snakes also have jaws like this. Yoshis can open their mouth wider than a snake can, but can't force down their throat everything they manage to fit in their mouth, like a snake could. Instead, objects that are too large must be spit back out. By suddenly shooting out their tongue and clamping their mouth closed, Yoshis perform this feat with a great amount of force, enough to knock around whatever target they spit at, and rattle their would-be feast as well.
From Papermariofan
In Luigi's Mansion, Mario was stuck in the painting with all of his clothes on. Now throughout the game, Luigi collects some of his clothes. Did Mario pack extras, or did Nintendo make a big mistake?
No, Mario really did lose his hat and glove. (And shoe, but you can't see it in the picture.) Mario doesn't look like himself without his trademark hat, though, and King Boo wanted his catch to look good, so he had Van Gore paint his missing clothes back in. You wouldn't normally be able to do this, and still have the fake clothes move around in the picture along with the real Mario. But then you wouldn't normally be able to create ghosts just by painting them on a canvas, either. Actually, the fake clothes ought to have disappeared when Mario was pulled from the painting at the end of the game, but Nintendo also did not want Mario to be seen without his gear, and it would have looked odd for it to suddenly disappear for no very clear reason.
From Rhinox
In Chapter Three, if you ate the poisoned cake, your partner wouldn't be able to help you in the next fight. Why didn't Mario just use another partner (he had four partners, but only one ate the cake) to aid him in the fight?
That's a bit of an oddity regarding the "only one partner can be out at a time" thing. Really, all the partners partook in the poisoned treat. Actually, it was a good thing they did. Mario would have liked to try it too, but, well, there just wasn't any left after that one piece had already been split in four.
From Rhinox
How can Mario and his partners breathe on the Moon in Paper Mario 2?
First they inhale, and then they exhale. Or maybe it was the other way around, if they already had air in their lungs when they got there.
From Rhinox
How did Bonetail manage to get down to level 100 in the Pit of the 100 Trials?
I've heard rumors that the three Tail dragons are the Shadow Queen's pets and were sent out into the world to cause chaos and mayhem. But I don't have any reason to believe that's the case. Gloomtail must've got in the Shadow Queen's good graces at some point way back when to take up residence in her palace, but Bonetail? As far as I know, he lived his whole life, and died, down in that pit. So he didn't have to try to squeeze himself through 100 pipes, he was just already there.
From Rhinox
In Paper Mario 2, does that audience in the battles really exist? A lot of things like Hooktail eating them and the random things that they throw at you proves that it exists, but the fact that Luigi appears in it (he's on a quest) and that those people strangely appear in places like the Moon and the Palace of Shadows proves it wrong. Could you explain this?
Mario did, indeed, have a crowd of overzealous fan and hecklers following him throughout PM2. Some of the things about the audience were fudged. For example, it was the same group of people following Mario around, so while spectators might come and go, it wasn't like in the game where you'd have a completely different audience in each battle. Also, there wasn't any stage or stuff like that, the spectators just watched from wherever they could find standing room. But, those crazy fans did somehow find a way to continue following Mario, even to such exotic and off-limit locales as the Moon and Shadow Palace. As for Luigi... well, he may have found time to drop in every now and again...
From P.T. Piranha
If Peach and Daisy wear different costumes for sports, how come they race and fight (only in Peach's case) in their dresses?
For me, the question is why they wear the sports stuff, when it's clear they far prefer the dress... especially Peach, judging from Paper Mario. Racing and fighting are one thing, but I guess you're not allowed to play certain sports if you don't wear the uniform. This was almost certainly Mario's idea. I'll give him one thing, when he gets excited about something, he really gets into it.
From Luigi
Is Toadsworth Peach's grandfather?
Lakitu does confuse Toadsworth for Peach's grandpa in Superstar Baseball, but no, Toadsworth is not Peach's grandpa, and is not related to her by any blood. He is simply the long-time family steward. He used to attend to the queen, and when she passed away, he turned his attention to the young princess.
From Luigi
In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, it is possible to use Koopa Kid against Shadow Mario. How can this be when Koopa Kid is Shadow Mario?
That is not actually possible. It's the same kind of thing as when you have four Marios fightign each other in Smash Bros.
From Rhinox
How many castles does Bowser have?
Bowser always has a castle in Dark Land and the Valley of Bowser, as well as one that can fly. At any given time he may have built another castle or taken one over, but these generally end up being temporary.
From P.T. Piranha
How did Young Toadsworth have the courage to try to get adult Peach from adult Bowser, but was panicking when Baby Bowser was taking Baby Peach?
Hm, well for one thing, he was probably feeling a little braver after having jumped into that timehole and not fallen into too much trouble. He also was a little braver with his older self at his side, not to mention he probably wanted to prove he was better in his prime. Finally, he was so excited to get the princess back that I'm sure he wanted to go the extra mile to keep her there.
From Amy
In Tetris Attack, why didn't Kamek's mind-control spell work on Yoshi? His shrinking spell in Yoshi's Island worked on him.
Most spells get weaker the wider the area they're cast upon. Since Kamek's mind-control spell was cast on the whole Island, it was actually pretty weak. Most people are stupid, so the spell was still pretty effective; but Yoshi has a very strong mind, so the dilluted spell wasn't strong enough to brainwash him.
From Fawfuls Friend
Why is the Mushroom Palace sometimes called "Peach's Castle", and why does it have a picture of her on it? Why is she always the person getting kidnapped in the Mario games? Why not the actual king of the Mushroom Kingdom?
The Mushroom Palace doesn't have an official name, which is why it can sometimes be called Peach's Castle. It certainly won't leave anyone scratching their head, wondering what you're talking about. And the reason why Peach is the one that gets kidnapped, and why I've never seen the place called The King's Castle, is because The King isn't relevant. He may officially be the leader, but he is much too weak in the head now to be anything more than a figurehead. He rarely even is that, since it's tough to take him seriously. Peach is, for all intents and purposes, the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. The King could, technically, start passing decrees that would override anything Peach could say, but his commandments would almost certainly be ridiculous, and before long various Mushroom Kingdom nobles would surely find a way to get around him.
From Adam Fripps
How come your dad does not let you or your brothers participate in Mario sporting events? He says that they’re too dangerous, but it’s not like you guys don't do stuff that's way more dangerous. Why is it that he doesn't want you guys to participate?
We’d probably beat him. And Bowser can’t have that.
From Adam Fripps
How do you feel that you have to marry one of your brothers? Do you feel weird about it or okay with it?
I hate it because each of my brothers is impossibly worse than the last. But it’s not weird for Koopas.
From Adam Fripps
Why are Koopa Troopas so weak? I mean they look like I could defeat them, and I’m just a regular human.
The fact is, they're not really that weak. Certainly there are stronger characters than them, but if you're a turtle-like creature and a heavy guy goes a-jumping on you, it's not going to do you any good. Neither will getting set on fire. And of course, they're no match for Bowser either. So, against the heavies of the Mushroom Kingdom, sure, Troopas are victims in the making, but that doesn't mean a regular human like you would be able to brush them aside quite so easily.
From Adam Fripps
Does your family sit together at dinnertime, or do you guys go your separate ways?
We're not a touchy-feely type of family, but yes, we do usually try to come together around the dinner table. Of course, since there are nine of us, it's not easy to get us all together at once. Certainly it's tougher than in the many stories on this site where we'll all just be hanging around the lounge for no great reason.
From Tony Paratroopa
How did Goombas become mutated?
Toads were not always as peaceful as they appear today. At one time, in fact, there was rampant in-fighting. Food was scare, and while some Toads managed to retain access to nourishing Super Mushrooms, some were left with nothing to eat but Poison Mushrooms, which left them weaker and ultimately mutated them. It also gave them a mean streak, though, that has come to elevate even the lowly Goomba above the horribly weak Mushroomers.
From Tony Paratroopa
Are Boos really shy?
No, they like to be mischievous and sneak up on people and stuff. Sometimes they'll prefer mischief to sneaking, and then they won't bother trying to hide.
From chris
Why do some Koopa Troopas and Goombas just walk off the edge of a cliff and kill themselves?
I wish I could say this is one of the cases where what you see in the game isn't actually what went on. Unfortunately, this really did happen. You see, Bowser's final command to his foot soldiers is often a resounding "March!" Sadly, some of the dimmer members of the army are dumb enough to do this... and keep doing it. They'd probably end up walking off a cliff even if they killed Mario on the way, so long as the kill wasn't Bowser's final directive.
From Tony Paratroopa
Is Luigi smarter then Mario?
Well, they're both stupid. You could probably say Luigi is smarter because he's less reckless. But then again, if it weren't for Mario boldly (foolishly) dashing into dangerous situations, they probably wouldn't win all the time. So maybe he's smarter after all.
From P.T. Piranha
How does Big Guy the Stilted shoot Shy Guys out of his eye?
Shy Guy the Stilted is actually just a large costume with Shy Guys inside. Sometimes they would jump, or fall, out.
From Super Mario
Is Diamond City located on Earth or Plit? Wario's entire staff is made of humans (except Red, Dribble, Spitz, and Orbulon, but we don't see Koopas or anything). Besides that, several references and appearances of Earth money are made throughout the games. So... Earth or Plit?
Yeah, it's actually Earth, considering who Wario is trying to sell his games to.
From Adam
If your father were to successfully takeover Plit, would he then takeover Earth?
That's possible, but Bowser doesn't have any particular interest in the Real World. When he has attacked there, it has generally been out of convenience, or to lure or annoy the Marios.
From Tony Paratroopa
Do you know how the Shroobs Shroobifried enemies?
If you're speaking of enemies like Swiggler, he actually came with the Shroobs, and is from their planet. He wasn't Shroobified or anything. I guess you could say the Leet Bros. were Shroobified. They weren't morphed or anything, but they were under mind control.
From Adam
Is it possible for Lemmy to get a cold in cold weather even though he likes the cold?
Colds aren't caused by cold weather, they're caused by viruses and bacteria. Cold weather may weaken your defenses against those agents. Still, Lemmy is not immune to those ailments, only somewhat buffered, perhaps.
From Tony Paratroopa
In Super Smash Brother Melee, it said Yoshis can eat any thing to increase their numbers. What does that mean?
That's an awkward comment because Yoshis don't spawn new members of the species whenever they eat. They can often lay an egg when they eat something, but those eggs aren't able to hatch into offspring. That comment can probably best be taken to mean that, when Yoshis eat as much as they are able, they'll be well nourished and have fewer (living) enemies), so the species will be able to grow. Just, not instantly.
From Tony Paratroopa
Do Yoshis speak there own language or do they talk like us? It's confusing.
Many Yoshis speak English (or at least a sloppy version of it), but some, like most of the ones in Mario RPG, speak a different language, so Mario cannot converse with them directly.
From Adam
What is the average height and weight of a Koopa?
Four and a half feet tall (or long, depending), and not heavy at all, only twenty-five pounds with shell.
From Tony Paratroopa
A bio said Yoshi had scales. Is that true?
I guess their saddle is kind of like a scale, but otherwise, they're smooth-skinned.
From Tony Paratroopa
Do Yoshis have claws as well? It hard to tell if the claws their feet?
No. They're never going to attack you that way.
From Tony Paratroopa
You said Yoshis' saddle was part of the Yoshis body. Are their shoes also part of their body? If not, then where did the get them?
Considering the babies in Yoshi's Story had 'em, I guess they're part of their body, too! So please, don't go trying to see what a Yoshi's toes look like.
From Morton Clone
Why did Roy get to rule Sky Land even though he definitely can't fly and can hardly jump?
Those qualities aren't particularly relevant, so long as he can fly around in his doomship or get a Lakitu to carry him. Roy likes Sky Land because it makes him feel large and in charge to be able to look at all the ants down below.
From Princess Peach
Why do you want to take over America?
I'm not interested in America now, the Real World bores me. But at one time the Real World did not bore me, and as long as that's the case, who wouldn't want to rule the most powerful land there?
From Adam
How are Koopas warm-blooded if you're reptiles? Did a cross-breed between mammals occur during evolution so something?
Well, we're not really reptiles. We may be called reptiles because we resemble them in certain ways, and we don't generally mind being called reptiles because we enjoy the negative connotation. But Plit's species didn't actually evolve from Earth's species, and we're not actually evolved turtles or something. So it really isn't unusual for us to be warm-blooded.
From Adam
I know the Marios are famed for their jumping ability, but how high can they jump?
It doesn't actually sound all that impressive, even if it is higher than other humans can jump. They can jump about two feet from a flat footed stance, somewhat closer to three if they're running. They can jump substantically higher if they propel themselves off other objects, such as their enemies. When he's feeling spry, Luigi can actually jump about an additional foot higher, though he doesn't necessarily get better results from doing so.
From The Dryest Bones
Why do you and Bowser sometimes refer to Earth as the Real World? Do you think that your world is fake and, therefore, you do not exist?
Actually, it refers to the fact that we think Earth is pretty boring. Most things don't talk, there aren't floating blocks, and so on. The Mushroom World seems far more fantastical.
From Tony Paratroopa
What happened after Kamek was replaced with Kammy? What does he do now?
Well he can be seen in Superstar Saga as a deluded old hypnotist. He still is an advisor to Bowser, but spends most of his time in his lab cooking up potions while spewing out complaints.
From Banjo_Kazooie
Why don't you guys fill the first floor of any castle with lava or put spikes everywhere? The second he enters, he's toast!
Well, despite appearances in Mario 1 and 3, he needs to actually walk into the castle. You can see this in Mario World, and there'd be nowhere for him to walk into if the castles were designed like this. That would have certain advantages, but we might not be able to get in or out either.
From Banjo_Kazooie
How come Mario loses one life after being in a stage too long?
Mario never really lost a life just from walking around for too long. It's supposed to add some urgency to the game, and also mirrors the fact that if he takes too long, his goal may never be obtainable. I mean, how long do you think Peach can withstand Bowser good charm, anyway
From Tony Paratroopa
You said Yoshis' saddle was part of the Yoshis body. Are their shoes also part of their body? If not, then where did the get them?
Considering the babies in Yoshi's Story had 'em, I guess they're part of their body, too! So please, don't go trying to see what a Yoshi's toes look like.
From Morton Clone
Why did Roy get to rule Sky Land even though he definitely can't fly and can hardly jump?
Those qualities aren't particularly relevant, so long as he can fly around in his doomship or get a Lakitu to carry him. Roy likes Sky Land because it makes him feel large and in charge to be able to look at all the ants down below.
From Princess Peach
Why do you want to take over America?
I'm not interested in America now, the Real World bores me. But at one time the Real World did not bore me, and as long as that's the case, who wouldn't want to rule the most powerful land there?
From Tony Paratroopa
Who rules Forest Land? It appeared as the fourth world of New Super Mario Bros.
The realms of NSMB didn't have rulers like those of Mario 3 did, just guardians appointed by Junior.
From P.T. Piranha
What exactly is Special World? What's it for, and whatnot? Why does beating Special World cause Dinosaur Land to go from spring to autumn?
Well, the Special World is an imaginary place. It's not that Nintendo made it up, because Mario really did go through it. But it doesn't exist in any particular place, and is created for those few that can survive the challenges of Star Road. The enemies Mario encountered there were part of the enchantment, so Bowser never really sent such a large and strong part of his army to that out of the way and unnecessary locale. Even though it doesn't exist in space, time still passes there, and by the time Mario completed all the challenges there, many months had passed. Some Koopas had taken to dressing up as Mario in order to mock him. We kind of thought he was dead.
From Tony Paratroopa
How come you didn't you appear in New Super Mario Bros. and Bowser Jr. (Ludwig) did?
There's two things you've got to realize here. First, despite games like Mario 3 and Mario World, us Koopalings do not always attack together. We're independent and often like to do our own thing. So it's not unusual that only one Koopaling would appear in a game, even if all of us were born. The second thing is, there is of course no Bowser Jr. The Junior in Sunshine was really Ludwig, as you said. But the Junior character is now Nintendo's perpetual stand-in for a single Koopaling. Nintendo prefers to use a generic Bowser child character rather than use recognizable Koopalings and leave out the ones that didn't appear. The upshot is that whenever Bowser Jr. appears, it's not necessarily Ludwig, as it was in Sunshine, but possibly one of us Koopalings... as it was in NSMB.
From P.T. Piranha
Was one of the Burt Bros. the original Burt the Bashful?
No, the Bros. were completely new Bashfuls.
From Adam Fripps
How much does Bowser weigh? Because in Mario Brothers 3 he could break the floor.
That's actually not a very good indicator, as those blocks aren't very strong. That's why they break when Mario or a Buster Beetle throws them. Bowser's weight fluctuates along with his size in general, but he usually tips the scales at 450 pounds. He swears it's all shell... Mario isn't generally well known for his strength, but he must have been bench-pressing or something to be able to lift Bowser in Mario 64. Bowser was especially large, and therefore heavier than usual, in that game.
From Adam Fripps
How can Mario touch Starmen? I thought stars were made up of burning hot rock?
Yeah, but these aren't stars from outer space...
From P.T. Piranha
How do the Mario Bros. make fireballs underwater?
Mario's fireballs are self-fueling, and don't require air. But they only have enough fuel to last for a short time.
From P.T. Piranha
How does Bowser breathe fire underwater?
Bowser's fire extinguishes quickly anyhow, but it is powerful enough to briefly exist underwater. Of course, the real question is how Bowser can breathe at all.
From P.T. Piranha
How did Pungry and Charlieton make it into the Pit of 100 Trials?
Pungry can move himself the way he can other travelers. But he can't take the treasures because they're bigger than he is. As for Charlieton, those monsters down there aren't really, well, monsters. Except for Bonetail, maybe. They'd have no reason to attack a friendly merchant who wants to sell them useful stuff for the coins they've found lying around. I'm not too sure why he doesn't take some of the treasures. I guess if he did, then adventures would have no reason to try venturing down, and he'd lose a selling opportunity. Or maybe those chests are just too large and heavy for a weak merchant to open.
From Rhinox
Do Mario and Luigi still have their Firebrand and Thunderhand powers?
They do. It's not that useful in battle because it's not a projectile, to use it against an enemy they'd have to be able to go right up and touch them. But it is a nifty trick at parties.
From P.T. Piranha
Do you guys have anything against DK? I mean he used to be Mario's foe, and the only thing against Bowser was that last battle in Yoshi's Island DS.
Bowser doesn't like DK because he sort of became his kindly opposite in some of the Mario Parties... and just because he's a big, hairy ape.
From marayo
Is The King related to the other 7 kings of Super Mario Bros. 3?
No. The King probably doesn't even know them.
From Adam Fwipps
How were the characters in the Mario Kart series able to survive falling in to lava?
Top of the line cooling systems in the karts, some thick skin, and quick fishing by Lakitu.
From Rhinox
In the beginning of Paper Mario, how did Bowser manage to put his entire castle underneath Peach's Castle without anybody noticing?
Bowser's castle burrowed deep underground until it came up right under Peach's castle.
From Rhinox
Who's responsible for creating the badges that we see in the Paper Mario games?
A fashion designer by the name of Craf T. People thought his stuff looked like junk (even if they would have gone well on Toads' vests), so his game ended in obscurity.
From Flame B
What's your main transportation, Clown Copter or doomship?
Bowser is the only one who actually likes those ridiculous copters, but they are the best for individual travel. Doomships are used when we travel as a group and, of course, for warfare.
From Ludwig101
Why were the Toads in different sizes in the cartoons, but always small in the games?
Well, the cartoons were right, Toads come in different sizes and shapes, just like people (and Koopas). But Nintendo decided to stick with the classic, cute look for the games (though the one that hosts games in SMB3 looks a bit different).
From P.T. Piranha
Is Beldam the merchant from the opening to Paper Mario 2?
Why yes she was. It bo