The Koopalings (コクッパ, Ko Kuppa^?), also called the Koopa Kids, are a group of seven fictional characters in Nintendo's Mario series of video games. Their individual names are Ludwig von Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, Roy Koopa, Iggy Koopa, Wendy O. Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr. and Larry Koopa. They first appeared in the NES game Super Mario Bros. 3, and again in the Super NES games Super Mario World and Yoshi's Safari. Following these appearances, however, they were not seen in any major roles until 15 years after Yoshi's Safari in the Wii game New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They were originally conceived as a replacement for recurring appearances of series villain Bowser; series creator Shigeru Miyamoto tasked the designers of Super Mario Bros. 3 with creating Koopalings, and the seven best designs were chosen as the basis for the characters. Their names and appearances are based on music, particularly rock and roll.

They have made several appearances in other media, most notably in the cartoon The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, which featured entirely different names for the Koopalings due to them not having official names by the time of its airing. Since Super Mario Bros. 3, they have received positive reception, with critics citing them for adding variety to the series' villains compared to when the series merely featured Bowser multiple times. Critics bemoaned the lack of the Koopalings in many games, commenting on how it has taken more than 15 years for them to get another major appearance, as well as criticizing Bowser Jr. for replacing them.

Concept and creation[link]

The Koopalings were conceived by various game designers who were challenged to come up with new bosses for Super Mario Bros. 3; the favourite designs were chosen for the seven Koopalings. Most of the Koopalings have wild punk hairstyles and are named after musicians. Iggy Koopa's name comes from Iggy Pop; Morton Koopa, Jr.'s name comes from Morton Downey, Jr., while the scar star on his eye is based on KISS guitarist Paul Stanley's makeup; Lemmy Koopa's name comes from Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead; Ludwig Von Koopa's name and hairstyle comes from Ludwig van Beethoven; Roy Koopa's name comes from Roy Orbison, as do his horn-rimmed glasses; Wendy O. Koopa's name comes from Wendy O. Williams; and Larry Koopa's name comes from Larry King.^[1] The names of the Koopalings in the DiC-made The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 show were made due to the fact that at the time, none of the Koopalings had names yet, requiring to name them themselves.^{[citation needed]}

Appearances[link]

The Koopalings first appeared in the NES video game, Super Mario Bros. 3, where they each conquer one of seven kingdoms in the Mushroom World, transform their kings into various creatures, and steal their wands. After being defeated, they would again appear in the Super NES video game Super Mario World, where each Koopaling captured a Yoshi egg and lay in wait in a castle in each of the game's seven worlds. They have also made appearances in other Mario titles, including Hotel Mario, Yoshi's Safari, and Mario is Missing!. Since Hotel Mario, they had been absent in the series until the 2003 Game Boy Advance video game Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, where they served as mini-bosses under Fawful and Bowletta. Though they were intended to have appeared in Super Princess Peach, but they were ultimately removed from the game.^[2] When Electronic Gaming Monthly brought up the Koopa Kids and why they weren't in the Wii game Super Mario Galaxy, director Yoshiaki Koizumi commented that he didn't feel that they fit in it well.^[3] Aside from brief mentions and a cameo appearance of one of the Koopalings in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, they once again were absent in the series until the 2009 release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, acting in a similar capacity to their roles in their first two games.

In other media[link]

In the animated cartoon series The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 by DiC, the original seven Koopalings are given different names based on their given personalities. Their ages are also changed. From oldest to youngest, they are Bully Koopa (Roy), Big Mouth Koopa (Morton), Kooky Von Koopa (Ludwig), Cheatsy Koopa (Larry), Kootie Pie Koopa (Wendy), and Hip and Hop Koopa (Lemmy and Iggy respectively). After this, they appear in the animated cartoon series Super Mario World with the same names, though they more closely resemble their portrayals in the video games. Aside from their names and personalities, they look slightly different and serve their father King Koopa (as Bowser was called in the series) differently compared to their video game counterparts. Instead of acting as minions, they act directly as his children, and do things such as seek his attention, and even plot against him. They also appear in a 1989 Mario anime OVA, the Nintendo Adventure Books, and comic books.

Voices[link]

Each Koopaling has had three voice actors in different media.

Reception[link]

Since their appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3, the Koopalings have had mostly positive reception, being referred to by Nintendo as common knowledge of the Mario series due to their appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3.^[4] Their popularity amongst fans led to them being reused for the Super NES sequel, Super Mario World.^[2] Nintendo Power listed each Koopaling as one of the reasons to love Nintendo, describing them as some of Nintendo's most beloved villains. They cited their eccentric designs for the quality of their personalities.^[5] The Koopalings were named the 19th best Mario villains by GameDaily.^[6] GamesRadar editor Henry Gilbert described the battle at the end of each world in Super Mario Bros. 3 as a "special affair"; he also praised them for adding variety to the series compared to Super Mario Bros., which featured Bowser as the last boss of each castle.^[7] IGN editor Lucas M. Thomas echoed these sentiments, stating that the Koopalings brought their own looks, mannerisms, and methods of attack. Specifically, he described the battle with Lemmy Koopa in Super Mario Bros. 3 as unique and memorable, while also describing Ludwig Von Koopa's battle in Super Mario World as distinct from the others.^[8] Fellow IGN editor Jesse Schedeen featured the Koopalings in the "Big Boss of the Day" feature, describing them as popular bosses in video games.^[9]

Joystiq editor James Ransom-Wiley called their reappearance in New Super Mario Bros. Wii a welcome addition, stating that it should boost the quality of the bosses.^[10] Fellow Joystiq editor JC Fletcher described them as a draw for New Super Mario Bros. Wii for some fans, also praising the three dimensional designs of the Koopalings.^[11] During an interview with Super Mario Galaxy director Yoshiaki Koizumi, Electronic Gaming Monthly noted that they were hoping for the Koopalings to return in it.^[3] Destructoid editor Conrad Zimmerman stated that the Koopalings were his favourite characters from Super Mario Bros. 3, and added that with regard to the musical references in the Koopalings' names, he doubted that anything similar would be seen in this day and age.^[12] GameSpy editor Ryan Scott listed the Koopalings as one of the reasons why Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World were quality video games.^[13] He also praised New Super Mario Bros. Wii for the inclusion of the Koopalings.^[14] The GameSpy staff listed the Koopalings as some of their favorite bosses, stating that they have much more charm than their "dopey successor", Bowser Jr.^[15]

References[link]

	Book: Mario series characters
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	Mario portal
	Fictional characters portal

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This is a list of fictional characters who appear in the Mario franchise of video games developed by Nintendo, as well as spin-off media, such as books, comics, and animated series.

Protagonists[link]

Mario[link]

Luigi[link]

Princess Peach[link]

Toad[link]

Yoshi[link]

Supporting[link]

Donkey Kong[link]

Diddy Kong[link]

Pauline[link]

Pauline (ポリーン, Porīn^?) is the damsel in distress and heroine of the original Donkey Kong,^[1] as well as the 1994 Game Boy game of the same name.^[2] She also appeared in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again.

In the original Donkey Kong, she is held captive by Donkey Kong and it is Mario's objective to climb up the construction site and rescue her.^[1] Along the way, the player can collect feminine articles (a hat, purse, and parasol) that Pauline drops for bonus points. In the same way that Mario was originally called Jumpman in Japan, Pauline was originally known as Lady (レディ, Redi^?).^[3] The name Pauline was chosen for the character during the game's distribution in North America after Polly James, the wife of Nintendo of America's warehouse manager, Don James.^{[citation needed]} After Donkey Kong, Pauline made cameo appearances in two NES games, Pinball and Famicom BASIC.^[3] Princess Peach, introduced in Super Mario Bros., supplanted Pauline's original role as damsel in distress in the Mario games.

Several years later in the Game Boy version remake of Donkey Kong, Pauline gets an official portrait of herself. While previous depictions of Pauline (such as in the arcade game's cabinet artwork) portrayed her as a blonde, she was redesigned as a brunette in the new version.^[3] As in the original game, she is taken captive by Donkey Kong. She then officially returns in Mario Vs. Donkey Kong 2: March Of The Minis, using the same character design as in the remake. She is a guest VIP at the grand opening of the "Super Mini Mario World" (a theme park based on Mini-Mario toys), where she is kidnapped by Donkey Kong. She also appears in Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! for the DSiWare, and Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem for the DS, where she is once again kidnapped by Donkey Kong.

Pauline was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and other developers for the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. She is the earliest example of a female with a speaking role in a video game, and is cited as a famous example of a damsel in distress in fiction.^[4][5][6] In the book Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games, author Tracey Fullerton discusses Donkey Kong, mentioning Pauline at times. She states that one thing that could be improved was to increase the distress Pauline suffers as the game goes on.^[7]

Princess Daisy[link]

Professor E. Gadd[link]

Professor Elvin Gadd (Professor Oya Mā (オヤ・マー博士, Oya Mā Hakase^?) in Japan), more commonly known as E. Gadd, is a scientist who, with his various inventions, helps Mario and his friends. His nickname is a pun on the interjection "Egad!" In Japan, he is named after Nintendo game designer Yoshiyuki Oyama.^[8] He first appears in Luigi's Mansion, in which he investigates the mansion that mysteriously appeared by his house. To help him study the ghosts in the mansion, he uses the "Poltergust 3000", a high-powered vacuum cleaner that can suck in and capture ghosts, and the "Game Boy Horror", an invention for tracking and detecting objects such as Boos. He lends it to Luigi and helps him on his quest. His voice is played by Kazumi Totaka, who also played Yoshi.

Other major inventions include a Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device or "F.L.U.D.D." and Magic Brush used in Super Mario Sunshine. E. Gadd also a creates a Time Machine in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and various inventions as rewards for making bean coffees at the Starbeans Cafe Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. In Mario Party 6, E. Gadd is featured on a party board called E. Gadd's Garage. He will again make an appearance in Luigi's Mansion 2 in a remodelled lab to assist Luigi again.

Rosalina[link]

Toadette[link]

Toadette (キノピコ, Kinopiko^?) is Toad's female counterpart; she appears as a playable character in various Mario spin-off games, such as those in the Mario Party and Mario Kart series. She first appeared as Toad's partner in Mario Kart: Double Dash‼ as a character, and later appeared in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door as an instructor when Mario receives upgraded boots and hammers. Since Mario Party 6, she has regularly appeared in the Mario Party series as a playable character, with the exception of the handheld games, where she acts as a non-player character.

Other playable appearances include Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Kart Wii; in both games, she must be unlocked. She appeared in Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix as the owner of a hotel Mario and Toad must rebuild. She has made a cameo appearance in the introduction of Super Mario Galaxy. She was voiced by Jen Taylor in most of her appearances; however, in Mario Party 8, Mario Kart Wii, and Mario Super Sluggers, she was voiced by Samantha Kelly. She was also in Mario Party DS as a non-playable character who needs help to get rid of a Hammer Bro. that has been beating up her musical instruments with his hammer in her music room. In this game, Toadette has a number of collectable musical items, such as her trumpets.

Toadette is a mushroom like woman. She has the regular mushroom hat, except hers is pink with white spots, contrary to the usual white with coloured spots. She has a magenta vest lined with gold over her lighter pink dress. She wears white bottoms and brown, padded shoes. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! she is depicted as wearing an orange dress. In most games, she has pink, balled "braids".

The relationship between her and Toad varies between sources. Their team name in Mario Party 6 indicates that they're good friends. The official Mario Kart Wii guide from Prima names her as Toad's sister, though this is unconfirmed by Nintendo itself.^[9] Additionally, the two Toads can be seen holding hands on the ending-screen of Mario Kart Wii, while she winks at the camera.

Toadsworth[link]

Toadsworth (キノじい, Kinojii^?) is an elderly Toad and Princess Peach's longtime steward, first appearing in Super Mario Sunshine, when he comes along with Princess Peach and Mario to Isle Delfino. He makes a brief appearance in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga at the beginning (where he presents Mario and Luigi with a suitcase) and end of the game; and he accompanies Princess Peach on her trip to Rogueport during Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, keeping Princess Peach very close to him, but ends up losing her. In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, he is with Mario and Luigi when Princess Peach takes an experimental trip back in time. He is also included in Super Princess Peach where he gives Peach a parasol named Perry in the cinema and is seen as a lead guitarist of the band called Peach Hit Five in the music room. He also appeared in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, where he was inhaled by Bowser.

Toadsworth makes a brief appearance in Mario Kart: Double Dash‼ when the player wins a cup. He acts as an umpire in Mario Power Tennis for the Nintendo GameCube as well as in the remake for the Wii, in which Toadsworth reprimands the player when a foul shot is made. In Mario Party 7, he is a host of the boards. He finally becomes playable in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers on Peach's team. Toadsworth is voiced by Charles Martinet, who also voices Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi.^[10] N-Philes criticized Toadsworths' voice in Super Mario Sunshine, calling it "laughable", "comical", and "utterly pessimistic". ^[11]

Antagonists[link]

Bowser[link]

Bowser Jr.[link]

Bowser Jr., known as Koopa Jr. (クッパJr., Kuppa Jr.^?) in Japan, is the child and heir of Bowser. He acts as the other main antagonist since Super Mario Sunshine^[12] with his father. In Super Mario Sunshine, he uses a magic paintbrush,^[12] invented by Professor E. Gadd, and a special kerchief to transform into a translucent blue doppelgänger of Mario, Shadow Mario.^[13] Thus disguised, he vandalizes Isle Delfino with graffiti,^[12] tricking the native people into believing that Mario himself is to blame. In New Super Mario Bros., he kidnaps Princess Peach, taking her to a new castle each time he is defeated. He also appears in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, acting as his father's right hand and challenging Mario at several points of the game to impede him.^[14] Bowser Jr. also makes an appearance alongside his siblings, the Koopalings, in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. He has also appeared in Mario sports games as a playable character ever since Super Mario Sunshine. Bowser Jr. is voiced by Dolores Rogers in his early appearances; however, since Super Mario Galaxy, he has been voiced by Caety Sagoian. Bowser Jr. also appears in many Mario spin-offs, including Mario Kart games Double Dash and Wii.^[15] He is also available in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, and Mario Power Tennis.^[16] Bowser Jr. is playable in Mario Superstar Baseball, Mario Super Sluggers, Mario Hoops 3 on 3, Mario Strikers Charged, Mario Sports Mix and Mario Tennis Open. Bowser Jr. is also one of the fourteen bosses that appears in Mario Party 9.

Bowser Jr. ranked sixth on GameDaily's list of the top 10 Nintendo characters that deserve their own games list.^[17] They also listed him as the 18th best Mario enemy, calling him a "chip off the ol' block" from Bowser.^[18]

Fawful[link]

Kammy Koopa[link]

Kammy Koopa (カメックババ, Kamekkubaba^?) is an old, female Magikoopa who acts as an adviser and babysitter for Bowser in the first two Paper Mario games. She possesses the usual Magikoopa powers, and is primarily distinguished by her ability to summon yellow blocks, which she has used to both impede and combat Mario. She first appeared in Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64, helping Bowser by leaving enemies in Mario's way, transporting Bowser into the Star Spirit Sanctuary, and augmenting his size and power in the final battle. After being defeated by the Star Kid, Twink, she continued to work for him. In Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, she acted as Bowser's second-in-command.

IGN rated her as one of the weirdest Mario characters.^[19]

Kamek[link]

Kamek (カメック, Kamekku^?) is a Magikoopa who acts as Bowser's caretaker during his childhood^[20] and one of his high-ranking minions afterwards. Kamek can perform various feats of magic, such as self-duplication, teleportation, shooting magical blasts, and changing the size of other creatures.^[20] He first appears as the main antagonist of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, which has him trying to abduct Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, who he foresees as causing trouble for the Koopas in the future.^[20] Succeeding in only capturing Baby Luigi, Kamek and his minions, the Toadies, try to steal Baby Mario from the Yoshis throughout the game; before every boss battle, Kamek will appear and change an enemy creature into a giant, or perform some magical feat, and make them fight a Yoshi.

After his appearance in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Kamek appears in several other games, such as Tetris Attack, which features him as the penultimate boss and the one who brainwashed the inhabitants of Yoshi's Island; Super Princess Peach, which includes him as a boss character; Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, in which he is Baby Bowser's sidekick; and Yoshi Touch & Go, where he kidnaps the babies once again; Yoshi's Island DS, which features him as a main antagonist; and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, where he assists Bowser and the Koopalings against Mario. Kamek also appears throughout the Mario Party series.

GameDaily listed Kamek as the 16th best Mario enemy, describing him as both a "wise dude" and a "crafty opponent".^[20]

King Boo[link]

King Boo (キングテレサ, King Teresa^?) is the primary antagonist of Luigi's Mansion and plays minor roles in various other Mario games, including the Mario Kart and Mario Party series. King Boo's only major role is as the final boss of Luigi's Mansion, where he pilots a giant Bowser mecha. King Boo is a member of the Boo species, though he is much larger than the average Boo (in games after "Luigi's Mansion"), dons a crown, with a large ruby in Luigi's Mansion, and a regular crown in all other appearances. As well as appearing as the main antagonist of Luigi's Mansion, King Boo also appears as a boss in Super Mario 64 DS, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Princess Peach, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. He is also an unlockable playable character in several sports games in the series and in the Mario Kart series. In Mario Party 9, he is one of the fourteen bosses in the game, with his minigame entitled "King Boo's Puzzle Attack". He will again return as the main antagonist in the upcoming game Luigi's Mansion 2.

Koopalings[link]

Petey Piranha[link]

Petey Piranha or 'Planty', known as Boss Packun (ボスパックン, Bosu Pakkun^?) in Japan,^[21] first appeared as the primary boss of Bianco Hills in the game Super Mario Sunshine. He has since appeared as a boss in several Mario games such as Super Princess Peach, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, New Super Mario Bros., and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.^[22] He has also appeared as a playable character in many spin-off Mario games, such as Mario sports games, and Mario Kart: Double Dash‼ where Petey was paired up with King Boo. In this installment of the Mario franchise Petey Piranha inexplicably possesses exceptional driving ability and an unusually speedy race car. Petey is a large, powerful Piranha Plant, and the result of a mutation. Whereas normal Piranha Plants usually grow from pipes, Petey's leaves and roots have grown into foot-like and arm-like appendages, which allows him has to use objects such as tennis rackets and golf clubs. He can also use his leaves to fly around in the air. Furthermore, Petey sports a pair of white-spotted red shorts. Although Petey does not speak, he communicated by making growling, drooling, and licking noises, which translate into actual words.

Tatanga[link]

Tatanga is an alien villain. He is the main antagonist in Super Mario Land, which is his first appearance. In the game he invades Sarasaland and kidnaps Princess Daisy. Mario has to travel across Sarasaland in order to reach him and in the end defeats him in his spaceship with his plane in a dogfight and rescues Daisy. Later Tatanga returns in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as a boss and henchman for Wario. But again, Mario was able to defeat him. Tatanga has not appeared in video games since, but is mentioned in some games that Daisy appears in.

Wario[link]

Waluigi[link]

Wart[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Book: Mario series characters
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

	Nintendo portal
	Mario portal

• Characters of the Mario series at Super Mario Wiki