Character fact sheet
Name: Mario Mario First Appearance: Donkey Kong (1983) as Jump man Home: Brooklyn, Real World Voiced by: Charles Martinet (Most recently) Portrayed by: Lou Albano (Super Mario Bros. Super Show) Associates: Princess Toadstool (love interest), Yoshi (best friend), Luigi (brother), Toad (friend) |
Biography
Mario is the main hero of the Mario series of games, and is usually the first character that comes to mind when people think of Nintendo.
Since Mario and his brother Luigi were sucked into a warp-drain and ended up in the Mushroom World they have befriended Princess Toadstool, the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom and helped in her plight against the evil King Koopa and his seven menacing Koopa Kids ever since. Mario is well respected by the people of the Mushroom Kingdom for his skills in battle and resilience against the Koopa clan.
But Mario isn't alone in his fight to defend the Mushroom World from a constant barrage of Koopa capers, he is often accompanied by his brother Luigi, and new found Dinosaur pal Yoshi. Despite all this fame and admiration though Mario hasn't forgotten his comparatively humble roots as a plumber and still sports the same attire he always did including a red cap with an M (for Mario) on it, white gloves, blue overalls and a red top underneath - this was his uniform when he ran his plumbing outfit with Luigi in Brooklyn called Mario Bros. Plumbing.
But it's not all defensive duty for Mario, he has endless talents that have helped The Mushroom Kingdom, for a few short periods he was even a Doctor. When the enemies of the Mushroom Kingdom are subdued Mario likes to get involved in all of the Mushroom Worlds sporting competitions and is a formidable player in most sports such as kart racing, tennis, soccer and golf. Mario's day isn't over when the sun goes down either, that's when all the fun begins as the Mushroom Kingdom has become rather renound for it's wild parties, which are sometimes even crashed by Bowser, Wario and various other undesirables who most probably didn't have an invite.
When Shigeru Miyamoto first 'invented' Mario as a solution to Nintendo being unable to release a Popeye based game he was actually called Jump man, click here if you want to find out more about Mario's Evolution.
Mario has starred in almost every game in the Mario series as well as three cartoons series, various TV adverts including McDonalds, milk for schools and lots of general Nintendo ads - he was also in a feature film called Super Mario Bros. The Movie in which he was portrayed by Bob Hoskins. Mario is without doubt the most popular and famous
videogame character of his time.
A video from the writers of the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 showing the way Mario is meant to be portrayed as a character and the concept behind him.
{flv}misc/Mario_concept{/flv}
Throughout all the cartoons and games Mario has had plenty of run ins with various bad guys giving him time to perfectly hone his use of special abilities
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Throwing fireballs, when Mario picks up a fire flower he is able to throw fireballs at his enemies with great precision. Used throughout various titles in the Mario series.
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Flying, when Mario collects a super feather a golden cape will appear on his back enabling him to fly for an indefinite period if done correctly. Used in Super Mario World
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Flying, when Mario collects a super leaf a raccoon tail will grow straight out the back of him enabling him to fly for a limited period of time. Used in Super Mario Bros. 3
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Super Jump Punch, Mario's main attack in some of the Super Smash Bros. series games, Mario jumps high and fast and punches the enemy knocking coins out of them
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Mario Finale, Mario's finishing move in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Mario needs to collect a Smash Ball to perform this move but when he has one he can throw out waves of flame which will sweep away all enemies in a cone in front of him doing them all damage & pushing them back.
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Mario Tornado, a special move Mario can only use on Isle Delfino whereby he will spin round really fast, suck the enemy in, spin them til they are dizzy and throw them back to the ground with a bump. Used in Super Mario Sunshine.
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Good old fashioned jumping and stomping. In most Mario games Mario can jump high above an enemy and stomp on them in order to eliminate them, Mario cannot jump on certain enemies without coming to harm however, such as Spinies and other enemies that obviously wouldn't be desirable to land on!
Mario's personality and traits have been described in short official writings various times
A short bio of Mario from the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 writers bible is as below:-
"Don't let Mario's looks fool you. He may be the shortest, chubbiest, most comedic-looking superhero ever to have his own show, but he always finds an ingenious way to overcome the most overwhelming obstacles in his path, and somehow, save the day. Even if it takes turning into a flying raccoon with superpowers, the irrepressible Mario will cleverly and bravely do his best to outwit the villainous Koopa Clan.
He continues the quest when wiser heads would quit. With the spirit of a true plumber, he will show up at any hour of the day or night, to solve a crisis that ordinary men refuse to even touch. No matter how many times he's tricked, trapped, or defeated, Mario bounces back. His greatest strength is his unconquerable spirit and his willingness to fling himself selflessly into any situation if justice is at stake."
A short outtake from the tattle information in Paper Mario about Mario:-
"It's Mario, silly! He's here to save Princess Peach, who was kidnapped by Bowser. Remember? He fights until the bitter end, no matter what enemies attack!" -Lee or a Duplighost, when copying Goombario's Tattle ability.
A short bio of Mario from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter games is as below:-
This persistent little plumber developed his skills chasing down a big ape. Now he's taking his All-Around skills to the Olympic Games, where his running and jumping experience should come in more than handy in events like the high jump and hurdles.
Mario has been involved in a lot of adventures, so isn't short of things to say - check out a some of his quotes below
From the Videogame series.
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"Lets-a-play!" - Mario Power Tennis
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"It's-a-me, Mario!" - Super Mario 64
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"Let's-a-go!" - Super Mario 64
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"Thank you so much for-a playing-a my game!" - Super Mario 64/Super Mario Galaxy
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"Welcome to Mario Kart!"- Mario Kart 64
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"Get me outta here!" - Luigi's Mansion
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"Crikey!" - Super Mario Sunshine
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"It's-a Mario Time!" - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
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"Come back here you big-a monkey!" - Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
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"I love this game!" - Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
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"So long King Bowser!" - Super Mario 64
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"Yay for me!" - Mario Hoops 3 on 3
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"It's-a me! I've been on fire lately, but I hope you'll challenge me!" - Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
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"Yahoo for-a me, the winner!" - Mario Superstar Baseball
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"Woo-Hoo! Bravo, Mario!" - Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World
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"Let's-a go, little guys!" - Mario vs. Donkey Kong
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"Don't forget to thank Mr. Miyamoto!" - Mario vs. Donkey Kong
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"Well, that sure was fun, I had a great time!" - Mario vs. Donkey Kong
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"Ah that Charles Martinet, nice italian boy!" - Mario vs. Donkey Kong
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"It's OK, don't cry!" - Mario vs. Donkey Kong
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"Here we go! Again? Again?" - Mario vs. Donkey Kong
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"Fantastico!" - Mario Hoops 3 on 3
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"Let's-a get-a going!" - Mario vs. Donkey Kong
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"Here I go!" - New Super Mario Bros.
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"Nice of the Princess to invite us over a picnic, eh, Luigi?" - Hotel Mario
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"Remember. Where there's smoke..." - Hotel Mario
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"If you need instructions on how to get through the hotels, check out the enclosed instruction book." - Hotel Mario
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"You know what they say: All toasters toast toast!" - Hotel Mario
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"Luigi, look! It's from Bowser!" - Hotel Mario
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"Maybe there's a switch in one of the rooms. Remind me to check!" - Hotel Mario
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"We gotta find the Princess!" - Hotel Mario
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"This is it, Luigi!" - Hotel Mario
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"Be careful! When you pinch Wendy's pennies, they pinch back!" - Hotel Mario
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"Hey stinky!" - Mario Party 7
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"Come on!" - Mario Party 8
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"Luigi! What's the hold up!" - Luigi's Mansion
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"Welcome...Welcome new galaxy!!" - Super Mario Galaxy
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"Hey! I'm-a hungry! Have you got any food?" - Mario Teaches Typing 2
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"Welcome to Mario Teaches-a typing!" - Mario Teaches Typing
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"Hello! It's a me, Mario! Thank you for starting me up!" - Mario Teaches Typing 2
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"Mama-mia!" - Various Games
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"Woo-hoo! Just what I needed!" - Super Mario Advance
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"Ooh! Mario's Tunnel of a-Doom! Very scary! - Mario Teaches Typing 2
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"Oh yeah! Heeyaaaa! - Super Smash Bros. Brawl
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" *gasps* Hay! Come back here! - Mario Tennis
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"Oh yeah! Mario Time! "-" New Super Mario Bros Wii
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"Stop it! - Mario Tennis
From the Super Mario Bros. Super Show cartoon.
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"I hate to run on an empty stomach!" - "The Bird! The Bird!"
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"Must be a beehive nearby, and when there's bees; there's raviolis smothered with honey" - "King Mario of Cramalot"
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"If Toad doesn't get us outta here soon, I'm gonna eat this mattress!" - "Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid"
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"Wake up, Luigi! The only time plumbers sleep on the job, is when we're working by the hour!" - "Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid"
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"Do the Mario!" - Closing Credits
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"Catfish pizza? This may be a first, but I'm not hungry!" - "Rolling Down the River"
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"Excuse my brother, he gets nervous around guys six times bigger than him." - "The Great Gladiator Gig"
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"We can fix anything if there's spaghetti involved!" - "The Great Gladiator Gig"
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"Hey, Koopa! I hope your Big and Tall shop blows up, with you in it!" - "Mario and the Beanstalk"
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"Those ain't wedding bells in your tower! They're bats in your belfry!" - "Love 'Em and Leave 'Em"
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"Hey! Where'd you learn how to ride a bike!?" - "The Great BMX Race"
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"Get back here, Koopa! Don't you know vegetables are good for you?" - "The Great BMX Race"
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"Not on my melted mozarrella! - "Stars in Their Eyes"
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"If food isn't pasta, it doesn't count!" - "Jungle Fever"
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"Unstoppable? We're plumbers! If we can unstop a stop, we can stop the unstoppable!" - "The Fire of Hercufleas"
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"Magnifico! You're stronger than Grandma Mia's garlic chip cookies!" - "The Fire of Hercufleas"
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"Faster than a vanishing clog! More powerful than an electric drainsnake! It's Super Mario!" - "Pirates of Koopa"
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"If you can't beat 'em, join e'm! Then beat 'em!" - "Pirates of the Koopa"
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*singing* "Hush, little Princess, don't you cry. I'm gonna buy you a pizza pie. And if that pizza pie gets ate, Luigi'll buy you a New York steak." - "Two Plumbers and a Baby"
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"This is the first time my lunch ever took a bite out of me!" - "The Adventures of Sherlock Mario"
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"I just love food that's spicy!" - "On Her Majesty's Sewer Service"
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"I always cry at wedding feasts!" - "Mario and Joliet"
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"Koopa's gonna take a trip he didn't plan on!" - "Too Hot to Handle"
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"I hope the food's better than the furniture!" - "Mighty McMario and the Pot of Gold"
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"As we say in Brooklyn; Bonzai!" - "Mario Meets Koop-zilla"
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"Save the spaghetti! Save the spaghetti!" - "Mario and the Red Baron Koopa"
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"Koopone, you've Kooped your last Koop!" - "The Unzappables"
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"It doesn't look good for the good guys, Luigi!" - "The Mark of Zero"
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"I guess Mexican food doesn't agree with El Koopitan!" - "The Mark of Zero"
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"When Luigi's unfrozen, he's goin' on a diet!" - "The Koopas Are Coming! The Koopas Are Coming!"
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"It's ugly, but it floats!" - "The Trojan Koopa"
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"What? Only one pizza?" - "Quest for Pizza"
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"The Mushroom People get the mine, and Koopa gets the shaft!" - "The Great Gold Coin Rush"
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"When the plumbing gets tough, the tough get plumbing!" - "Plumbers Academy"
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"Me Marzan! King of the jungle!" - "Mario of the Apes"
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"Can't we discuss this man to Mouser?" - "Princess, I Shrunk the Mario Brothers"
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"First, we'd better get inside by a fire, before we turn into pastasicles!" - "Little Red Riding Princess"
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"The Provolone Ranger is ready to ride. High ho, Ostro, away!" - "The Provolone Ranger"
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"Help, help! There's a big, ugly spider in here! Help! My yelling's gonna keep you up all night, unless you get this spider outta here!" - "Escape from Koopatraz"
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"Luigi, are you a man or a Mouser?" - "Mario of the Deep"
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"I guess someday, even Super Mario can't think of everything!" - "Flatbush Koopa"
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"Don't count your reptiles before they're hatched, lizard lips!" - "Raiders of the Lost Mushroom"
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"I was hoping we'd have lunch, not be lunch!" - "Crocodile Mario"
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"I just love playin' Koopa in the middle!" - "Crocodile Mario"
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"I just had the strangest dream. I was a TV dinner!" - "Star Koopa"
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"He's showing a plumber how a garbage disposal works?" - "Star Koopa"
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"Watch it, gang! His toes are loaded!" - "Robo Koopa"
From The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 cartoon.
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"Ahh! Reptile breath tornado! I'm a goner!" - "Sneaky Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas"
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"You're not taking over any land, you Bowser Koopa!" - "Sneaky Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas"
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"Just what we need, a Miserable Squawking Angry Giant Ninja Parrot." - "Sneaky Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas"
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"We better get that mummy back where it belongs, before it scares the pasta outta everybody!" - "Mind Your Mummy Mommy, Mario"
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"Yuck! A hug from her could be bad for my health! I'd better scram!" - "Mind Your Mummy Mommy, Mario"
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"I like long naps, but not that long!" - "Mind Your Mummy Mommy, Mario"
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"I can't sleep for ten-thousand years, I'll get too hungry!" - "Mind Your Mummy Mommy, Mario"
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"Wrench attack, Luigi! Let's tool on outta here!" - "Princess Toadstool for President"
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"No more Mr. Nice Guy!" - "Princess Toadstool for President"
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"Bob-ombs! Next to Koopa himself, they're my most unfavorite things!" - "Never Koop a Koopa"
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"Give it up! We already flew the Koopa!" - "Never Koop a Koopa"
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"Tea? With Koopa? Princess, how can you be so nice to Bowser Koopa?" - "Reign Storm"
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"Don't be a baby, Luigi." - "Toddler Terrors of Time Travel"
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"Invincible Stars? Invincible timing, Princess!" - "Tag Team Trouble"
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"Looks like I'm plumber out of luck!" - "Oh, Brother!"
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"Brothers. Ya can't live with 'em. Ya can't live without 'em. - "Oh, Brother!"
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"Aw, meatballs! The TV's on the blink! - "Misadventure of Mighty Plumber"
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"Take a look, Toad. One Super Mario turn of the wrench, and all that stopped up water will run out of your tub faster than Invincible Mario!" - "A Toadally Magical Adventure"
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"Let's show that big bad Boom Boom some of our patented Super Mario super moves!" - "Misadventures in Babysitting"
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"QUIET! You wanna wake the dead? You don't want Koopa to find out we're in his kingdom, do ya?" - "Do the Koopa"
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"I never saw so many tonsils in all my life!" - "Kootie Pie Rocks"
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"Sounds like you Mushroomers are spreading mush-rumors." - "Mush-Rumors"
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"I'd rather face a thousand Koopas than one mermaid mackerel with marraige on her mind! But you can't run from your problems forever!" - "The Ugly Mermaid"
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"I'd rather marry a fish than swim with one, Luigi." - "The Ugly Mermaid"
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"I'm just too chicken to be a frog!" - "The Ugly Mermaid"
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"Brave men die a single death; cowards marry fish-head mermaids!" - "The Ugly Mermaid"
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"We have been king-sized colossal jerks!" - "True Colors"
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"Garbage, garbage, on our stoopa, get out of here and go back to Koopa!" - "Recycled Koopa"
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"Hey, Luigi. Never challenge me to a game of underwater horseshoes." - "The Venice Menace"
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"This is no time to be Italian, Luigi! Be Polish!" - "The Venice Menace"
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"Aww, without super powers, we're no match for Super Koopa!" - "Super Koopa"
From the Adventures of Super Mario World cartoon.
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"It's a stone, Luigi! You didn't make it!" - Upon seeing Luigi's "Football", "The Yoshi Shuffle"
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"And there's this nice guy named Santa Claus, who brings presents to all the kids who've been good!" - "The Night Before Cave Christmas"
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"Now go home and eat some vegetables, Dr. Mario's orders!" - "King Scoopa Koopa"
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"Ugh. Now I know how meatball feels..." - Upon being eaten by Yoshi, "Mama Luigi"
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"You didn't tell me you were bringing a secret weapon, Luigi!" - "Mama Luigi"
Enemies
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Bowser - Mario's arch enemy, Bowser is always looking to get one over on Mario, kidnap the Princess and take over or disrupt the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser acknowledges Mario as a worthy adversary
and is forever trying to perfect his evil schemes to get rid of the pesky plumber forever. He once even tried using Kooky's (Ludwig Von Koopa) time machine to go back to Brooklyn in his doomship and stop the Plumbers from ever accidentally landing in the Mushroom World by blocking up the warp drain they fell down. Despite this long rivalry Bowser has on occasion teamed up with Mario such as in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars when the two joined forces after Smithy took over Bowsers castle. -
Donkey Kong - Mario's original enemy, this ape kidnapped Mario's real-world girlfriend Pauline dating back as far as 1983 and their struggle with one another went on for years, however the rivalry today is over and Donkey Kong and Mario are on civil terms, even going to parties together on occasion!
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Tatanga - An evil Spaceman who Mario fought against in the Super Mario Land to rescue Princess Daisy. Also known as Tatanga the Mysterious Spaceman.
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The Koopa Kids - The only people who spoil Mario's attempts at rest and relaxation as much as King Koopa himself are the Koopa Kid's, if they aren't helping their dad with his evil schemes, they'll be coming up with their own ways of antagonising Mario.
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Wart - The main antagonist of Super Mario Bros. 2 - Mario defeated & sent this evil wart ridden Toad into exile and saved Subcon.
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Wario - A childhood rival of Mario, various rumours surround the relationship between Mario and Wario - some suggest that Mario antagonised Wario as a child in school, Nintendo Power magazine even stated that Wario and Mario may have been cousins. It is said that Wario's attacks on Mario in Mario & Wario (SNES) was part of Wario's bitter revenge for suffering at the hands of Mario during childhood. In recent years the rivalry has died down, and the pair even co-operated in Super Mario 64 DS.
Friends
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Luigi - Mario's taller little brother. Although the two are known to argue (like all brothers) when they are working together against a common enemy they are a formidable force. There is perhaps a slight element of jealousy from Luigi toward Mario as he always gets less recognition for this work than his older brother.
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Pauline - Mario's first girlfriend from the real world will always remember Mario and the way he rescued her from Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr.
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Princess Daisy - A very good friend of Mario since he rescued her from Tatanga the Mysterious spaceman and freed her Kingdom in Super Mario Land. The pair have also been paired together in some of the Mario sports games, in Mario Baseball under the team guise of "Nice Couple" implying a possible love interest between the two!
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Prince Hugo - Prince Hugo was the king of Giant land when Mario rescued him from King Koopa's evil supersize children in Sneaky Lying Giant Ninja Koopas. Prince Hugo is thankful to Mario and hopes to one day return the favour if Mario is ever in need.
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Princess Toadstool - Mario's main reason for defending The Mushroom Kingdom and it's people is their ruler, Princess Toadstool - What adventure wouldn't Mario embark on for the chance of a kiss from the Princess?! Mario's appearance in the Mushroom Kingdom was a huge relief for Princess Toadstool who has become a very good friend of Mario over time and even helped him on many of his adventures such as in the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. It is said that Mario and the Princess have been close friends since childhood, but this conflicts with the fact that Mario was a grown man running his own plumbing business when he was warped into the Mushroom World.
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Toad - Another good friend of Mario, Toad helps Mario as much as he can on his adventures and gives helpful advice where needed. He looks up to Mario and is thankful for what Mario has done for his people.
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Yoshi - One of Mario's oldest and most loyal friends in the Mushroom World. Since Mario rescued Yoshi's friends from Bowser in Super Mario World after he trapped them all in eggs Yoshi has helped Mario on his quests. Yoshi is always willing to lend a hand, but for a Dinosaur, he isn't particularly brave. Yoshi is happy for Mario to ride on his back and when the pair are together there are very few enemies who would stand a chance against them!
Appearances
As you can imagine, with the entire series being named after him, seeing Mario in all the games, cartoons and the feature film as well as many other appearances like comics and TV commercials is a common occurrence. Mario has featured in almost every game since the beginning of the series in much the same way as the main hero. From classic adventure games where he has the main role of rescuing the princess, to riding on Yoshi and shooting baddies with the Nintendo scope, to playing sports or partying you can rest assured that Mario is never far away. He has also made cameo appearances in other titles such as the Donkey Kong series, Tetris, Zelda and many others.