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Character fact sheet
Name: Morton Koopa Jr aka “Big Mouth Koopa” First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) Home: Castle of Koopa Voiced by: Lani Minella Associates: King Koopa (Dad), the other Koopalings (siblings) |
Biography
Morton Koopa Jr. is the second youngest of the Koopa kids and the largest of the bunch – despite this however he isn’t as powerful yet as Ludwig who is very smart or Roy who is very strong. Like all the Koopa kids, Morton is named after a celebrity, Morton Downey Jr. in his case. As he gets older his powers are expected to become more potent.
He lives at the castle of Koopa with all of his siblings & his dad King Koopa whom he refers to as King Dad. Despite being in possession of a magic scepter Morton’s choice of attacks in the Mario series of games are usually centred around slamming the ground from a height or trying to land on and flatten the Mario’s completely. He is also capable of walking straight up walls and for a brief period even walking along the ceiling.
Morton is the only Koopaling that is a shade of grey/brown in colour, he has a white head and a mark on his face which resembles a star. He takes various traits from the other Koopa’s for example:-
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Circular shaped small eyes – similar to Ludwig’s.
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He is a similar size to Ludwig and Roy Koopa.
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His eyebrows bare similarity to those of Wendy O Koopa’s in the fact that they protrude from his face
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He has four teeth that are very fanglike – much like Iggy Koopa’s.
A video from the writers of the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 showing the way Bigmouth or Morton Koopa Jr. is meant to be portrayed as a character and the concept behind him.
The adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 wrote about Morton Koopa Jr’s personality and mannerisms as below:-
Big Mouth just can’t stop blabbing, and his twisted talent is insult. His cutting remarks can even reduce his father to tears. Big Mouth’s got a chip on his shoulder the size of the Doomship. He would never admit he was wrong, even though he usually is. 
He thinks he knows everything about everything, but what he knows is all wrong, and he always blames the other guy for his mistakes. Big Mouth loves to stir up trouble, and has a needling probing attitude that always gets it. He holds grudges against the whole world.
Morton like all the other Koopa Kids was named differently in the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 cartoons to a name which reflected his personality in this case he was known as “Big Mouth Koopa Jr”.
Quotes
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“That’s Prince Hugo the Huge! The new ruler of Giant Land! They say he’s the biggest, toughest, bravest prince ever! Even for a giant, he’s a giant.” – Sneaky Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas
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“Yeah, and they’re gonna pick you to be their leader! Isn’t that always the way? Treat people lousy, dump garbage on their heads and they’ll follow you anywhere!” – Recycled Koopa
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“Have a good time! Have a nice day! Sayonara! So long! Ciao! See you later, alligator! Ciao! Bon voyage! Hasta la vista! Be sure to write!” – Send in the Clown.
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“Let’s do an ambush…” – Do the Koopa
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“You’re a royal pain!!! And we need you’r cage for our prisoners!!!” – Sneaky Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas
“MORTON! WHY MORTON HERE? OH YEAH! DA BIGGUN! BIG OL’ PAIN STAR! NEED FIND BIG PAIN STAR!”
— Morton Koopa Jr., Paper Mario: Color Splash (2016) — Morton’s now-iconic all-caps speech style
“FIND RIGHT NOW, AND FASTLY!”
— Morton Koopa Jr., Paper Mario: Color Splash (2016)
“Go away, plumber’s helper! The only place you’ll see your brother’s face is on a milk carton!”
— Morton (as Big Mouth Koopa), The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990)
Enemies
The obvious enemies of Morton Koopa Jr are the Mario Brothers, Princess Toadstool – but not limited to those select few, Morton hates everything and everyone and has a real vendetta against the world.
Friends
He doesn’t really have any, like anyone who spends the entire time that they’re awake insulting people and takes great pride in it, Morton Koopa Jr aka Bigmouth Koopa Jr is not in line to win any popularity contests any time soon. His siblings put up with him for the best part, but only because they have to live together!
Appearances
Since his original appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3 Morton Koopa Jr along with the rest of the Koopa kids has antagonised the Mario gang whenever the opportunity arises; He took control of a castle in Donut plains in Super Mario World, overthrew the Sultan of Desert land in Super Mario Bros. 3 and took
over his castle, he appears as a boss at the end of world 6 in New Super Mario Bros. Wii on a floating platform floating in lava.
He has also made appearances in spin off titles such as the Edutainment title Mario is Missing where he comes to earth with his dad King Koopa to help him steal artefacts.
Hotel Mario (1994)
Morton owned and operated Morton’s Wood Door Studio in Hotel Mario for the Phillips CD-i — the seven Koopalings each had their own hotel, with Mario tasked with closing every door. Famous for its bizarre animated cutscenes.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009)
After his long Koopaling absence, Morton returned as the boss of World 6 (Cloud Land) in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. His attacks involved heavy ground pounds and slow but powerful Bullet Bill-like rolls.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 (2012) & New Super Mario Bros. U (2012)
Morton continued his Koopaling boss role in both NSMB sequels, with his attacks always emphasising his bulk and weight — ground pounds, charges and a heavier wand-based magic attack than his slimmer siblings.
Mario Kart 8 & Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2014 / 2017)
Morton became playable for the first time in Mario Kart 8, alongside the rest of the Koopalings. As the largest Koopaling, he’s in the heavyweight class with high speed and weight but lower acceleration.
Paper Mario: Color Splash (2016)
Morton starred as one of the major Koopaling bosses in Color Splash — his fight as a construction-worker boss with a giant hammer is one of the game’s most memorable encounters. This is also where his now-famous ALL-CAPS dialogue style was established.
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U (2014) & Ultimate (2018)
Morton appears as an alternate costume / palette swap for Bowser Jr. in both Smash titles, putting him on the legendary roster (alongside the other Koopalings).
Super Mario Maker 2 (2019)
Morton joined the rest of the Koopalings as selectable boss enemies in the Super Mario Maker 2 course creator.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (2025)
Morton makes his Switch 2 debut in the Bellabel Park meetup expansion to Super Mario Bros. Wonder, bringing fresh dialogue and his characteristic heavy attacks.
Other & Cameo Appearances
Morton has also appeared in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003), Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (2015), Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey (2018), Yoshi’s Safari (1993), Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (2015), and Minecraft Mario Mash-Up Pack — typically as one of the seven Koopaling bosses or playable companions.
Trivia & Official Sources
- Morton is named after Morton Downey Jr., the controversial American TV talk show host who was popular in the late 1980s when the Koopalings were named.
- According to MarioWiki, Morton is considered the largest and heaviest Koopaling, as confirmed in Mario Kart 8 and the Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros. official guidebook.
- A German Club Nintendo magazine from 1992 erroneously claimed Morton is Bowser’s oldest son — in current canon, however, Ludwig is the eldest Koopaling.
- Morton is the only Koopaling to have been voiced by both female and male voice actors across his various game appearances.
- Morton’s trademark feature is the black star birthmark on his face, which has appeared on every official artwork and in-game model of the character since SMB3.
- In The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 cartoon, Morton was renamed Big Mouth Koopa — a reference to his constant rambling speech in the show. The DIC writers gave him a non-stop talking gag that often annoyed his siblings.
- Morton’s ALL-CAPS dialogue style in Paper Mario: Color Splash has become so iconic that fan communities now write his lines exclusively in capital letters, even outside of in-game references.