Miscellaneous Mario Books

MISCELLANEOUS MARIO BOOKS

Now, we've come to the end of our book coverage with all the remaining books under the Mario name. First, we have a few art books, including The Art of Super Mario Odyssey and How to Draw books for Donkey Kong and Friends, Nintendo's Heroes and Villains, and Nintendo's Greatest Heroes and Villains. Then we have some coloring and activity books in Here We Go!, Mario Time!, Super Mario: Bring on the Bad Guys!, and a handful produced by Little Golden Books. Then there are two books under the short-lived My Very First Nintendo Game Boy brand, one for Mario and one for Donkey Kong. Then there's a Paint & Marker book, and two sticker books.

And that pretty much wraps it up! Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario

Luigi

Peach

Toad

Bowser

Donkey Kong

Diddy Kong

Dixie Kong

Cranky Kong

King K. Rool

Mushroom King

Wooster

Toadofski

Stages:

Kero Sewers

Tadpole Pond

Kongo Jungle

Kremling Isle

Thanks for reading! Up next, let's get Mario Party Superstars out of the way, while we're here!

Strategy Guides and Encyclopedias

STRATEGY GUIDES AND ENCYCLOPEDIAS

Today, let's cover all the various strategy guides and special encyclopedias released for the Mario series over the years. For the strategy guides, of course, the most prominent would be the Nintendo Player's Guides released as part of the Nintendo Comics System for its lifetime, and the Prima Guides still running to this day. Notably, Prima Games also published a series of six travel guides for Odyssey called Kingdom Adventures. Then there were a set of four interactive guidebooks released for the Game Boy Advance, two of them for Super Mario Advance and Wario Land 4.

The main reason I decided to combine these two groups was that the book Mario Mania, published in 1991, kinda falls into both. Most of the book is a retrospective on the Mario series' ten years of life at that point, but the back section was entirely a strategy guide for Super Mario World. After that we saw The Perfect Edition of the Great Mario Encyclopedia a few years later, a commemorative CD and booklet called Super Mario History 1985-2010, and, most recently in 2015, the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia.

Here's what we've got so far:

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario

Luigi

Peach

Toad

Bowser

Donkey Kong

Diddy Kong

Dixie Kong

Cranky Kong

King K. Rool

Mushroom King

Wooster

Toadofski

Stages:

Kero Sewers

Tadpole Pond

Kongo Jungle

Kremling Isle

Thanks for reading! And finally, literally everything else (in terms of books)!

Nintendo Adventure Books

NINTENDO ADVENTURE BOOKS

Today, let's go over a series of twelve Choose Your Own Adventure books that were published from 1991 to 1992. Two of these were Legend of Zelda, so we won't worry about them, but the rest were Mario-based. They starred various characters from the Nintendo Comics System, including the Mushroom King and his butler Wooster. They're about average as far as Choose Your Own Adventures go, following various stock Mario adventures with multiple optional paths to follow.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario

Luigi

Peach

Toad

Bowser

Donkey Kong

Diddy Kong

Dixie Kong

Cranky Kong

King K. Rool

Mushroom King

Wooster

Toadofski

Stages:

Kero Sewers

Tadpole Pond

Kongo Jungle

Kremling Isle

Thanks for reading! Next up, basically all the strategy guides!

Super Mario Bros. Golden Books

SUPER MARIO BROS. GOLDEN BOOKS

Today, let's go over a trilogy of children's books published by Western Publishing as part of their Golden Look Look Books (you know, the ones with the gold-trimmed spines that I'm pretty sure everyone I know had at least one of as a kid). These included Super Mario Bros.: Trapped in the Perilous Pit, Super Mario Bros. 3: The Secret Bridge, and Super Mario Bros. 3: Happy Birthday, Princess Toadstool! These books were written by Jack C. Harris and illustrated by Art and Kim Ellis. These books were released in 1989 and 1990, and mirrored the Super Show!'s art style. Also, the show's original cast of Lou Albano, Danny Wells, Jeannie Elias, and John Stocker did an official dub of Trapped in the Perilous Pit, and Charles Martinet did another one years later. I'm pretty sure you can find both on YouTube.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario

Luigi

Peach

Toad

Bowser

Donkey Kong

Diddy Kong

Dixie Kong

Cranky Kong

King K. Rool

Toadofski

Stages:

Kero Sewers

Tadpole Pond

Kongo Jungle

Kremling Isle

Thanks for reading! Next up, a series of Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books.

Donkey Kong Country Teitelbaum Trilogy

DONKEY KONG COUNTRY TEITELBAUM TRILOGY

Today, let's cover three novels written by Michael Teitelbaum and published by Troll Communications in 1994, 1995, and 1997 respectively, with Leif Peng illustrating the last two books. These books included Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle, and Donkey Kong Country: Rescue on Crocodile Isle, based on Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Land, and Donkey Kong Country 2 respectively. All in all, they mostly follow the plots of their respective games, only the second varying slightly.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario

Luigi

Peach

Toad

Bowser

Donkey Kong

Diddy Kong

Dixie Kong

Cranky Kong

King K. Rool

Toadofski

Stages:

Kero Sewers

Tadpole Pond

Kongo Jungle

Kremling Isle

Thanks for reading! Next, another trilogy, this time a trio of children's books published by Golden Books.

Mario and the Incredible Rescue

 MARIO AND THE INCREDIBLE RESCUE

Now, let's cover the books produced under the Mario, Donkey Kong, etc. banner. First up is Mario and the Incredible Rescue, a Scholastic book written by Tracey West in 2006, as part of a run of books produced by them starring various Nintendo heroes. The book is a pretty standard Mario adventure (you know, Bowser kidnaps Peach, Mario and Luigi rescue her), but does have an odd distinction of featuring a number of locations from Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars, including a chapter based around the character Toadofski. An interesting inclusion ten years after the fact. Tracey must have been a fan.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario

Luigi

Peach

Toad

Bowser

Toadofski

Stages:

Kero Sewers

Tadpole Pond

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover a trilogy of books based on Donkey Kong Country!

Mario Multimedia Roster, Updated

SUPER SMASH BROS. UNIVERSE

SUPER MARIO MULTIMEDIA

And now, we have three major characters appearing in western comics to add:

1. Film Mario

1a. Film Luigi

2.     TV Mario

2a.     TV Luigi

3. Mario-Kun

4.     Tommy Treehugger & Co-MC

4a.     Evil Eric & Tammy Treehugger

5. Film Daisy

6. Princess Toadstool

7. Tomboy Peach

8. Mechakuribo

9. Mushroom King

10.  TV Toad

11. Prince Haru

12.  Bones Bailey

13.  Oogtar

14. President Koopa

15.  King Koopa

16.  Robo Koopa

17.  TV Koopalings

18.  Wizenheimer

19. Herman Smirch

20.  Clovis

21.  Barney Todd

22.  Master Brian

23.  Kid Dynamo

24.  Dr. Demise

25.  Gorilla Ghost

26. Big Bertha

27.  Mervin the Magician

28.  Genie

29. Brutius Maximus Grouchimus

30.  Captain Clump

31.  Bunsen

32.  Hercufleas

33.  Salvador Drainado

34.  Sergeant Kooperman

35.  Flab Boys

36.  James Blonde

37.  Vampa White

38.  Zero

39.  Captain Abidab

40.  Mugga the Medicine Woman

41.  Misaki

42.  Waldo the Wizard

43.  Quirks

44.  Queen Mushroomkhamen

45.  Wizard King of the West

46.  Junior

47.  Mighty Plumber

48.  Crime Wave Clyde

49.  Dino Riders

50. Dirk Drain-Head

51. Film Goomba

Thanks for reading! Now, let's cover our Mario-based books, starting with Mario and the Incredible Rescue!

Super Mario Roster, Updated

SUPER SMASH BROS. UNIVERSE

SUPER MARIO BROS.

And now, for what is probably our last major character update for this specific roster, at least until Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope gives us that goth-looking Rabbid or Mario Party Superstars does something to surprise me.

1. Mario
2. Jumpman
3. Fursuit Mario
4. Dr. Mario
4e. Dr. Luigi
5. F.L.U.D.D. Mario
6. Cat Mario
7. Builder Mario
8. Luigi
9. Vacuum Luigi
9e. Professor E. Gadd
10. Princess Peach
10e. Peachette
11. Princess Daisy
12 Rosalina and Luma
13. Pauline
14. Cappy
15. Toad
15e. Toadsworth
16. Captain Toad
16e. Toadette
17. Bowser
17e. Dry Bowser
18. Bowser Jr.
19. Shadow Mario
20. The Koopalings
20e. Koopa Kid
21. Foreman Spike
22. Wart
23. Tatanga
24. Mario Kart
25. Robo Mario
26. Wanda
27. Plum
27e. Kid
28. Alex & Nina
28e. Ace & Clay
29. Tumble
30. Brighton & Twila
31. MC Ballyhoo & Big Top
32. Mini Marios
33. Perry
34. Sprixie Princess
35. Rabbid Mario
36. Koopa Troopa
36e. Dry Bones
37. Goomba
38. Piranha Plant
39. Boo
40. Buzzy Beetle
41. Bob-Omb
41e. King Bob-Omb
42. Cheep Cheep
43. Blooper
44. Pokey
45. Lakitu and Spinies
46. Ninji
47. Beezo
48. Flurry
49. Pionpi
50. Monty Mole
51. Spike
52. Rex
53. Hammer Bro
54. Chargin' Chuck
55. Wiggler
56. Chain Chomp
57. Thwomp
57e. Whomp
58. Mr. Blizzard
59. Mechakoopa
60. Mini Donkey Kong
61. Ghost
62. Honeybee
63. Ziggy
64. Nabbit
65. Boom Boom
65e. Pom Pom
66. Birdo
67. Mouser
68. Tryclyde
69. Petey Piranha
70. King Boo
71. The Broodals
72. Rabbid Kong
73. Super Team

Thanks for reading! Next up, three more additions to the multimedia roster!

Character Sheet: Dirk Drain-Head

DIRK DRAIN-HEAD

Now that we're finished with the western comics of the Mario series, let's go through and cover our assorted newcomers. We have four this time, one appearing in the regular Mario roster, the other three in the multimedia roster. They are:

1. Pionpi

2. Mushroom King

3. Herman Smirch

4. Dirk Drain-Head

Because apparently in the Mario world, plumbers are worshipped by the public, Mario has not one, not two, but three idols he looks up to, the first being the greatest plumber ever known, Salvador Drainado; the second being an Indiana Jones-style TV action hero, Mighty Plumber; and the third being the comic book superhero, Dirk Drain-Head. Weird.

Across the comics he appears in, we learn that Dirk fights with both a wrench and a plunger and can fly with his cape. He also has a sidekick, Snakey, and three known adversaries: Pipe Ooze, Muck, and Dark Dirk.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Plunger

He will lunge out with his plunger, sticking an opponent with it before pumping it and sending the enemy flying with the strength of the hit.

Side B: Snakey

Dirk's faithful sidekick Snakey will appear by his side, lashing out with his plumber's snake and grabbing an opponent, pulling them in so that Dirk can combo them from there.

Up B: Bedsheet Cape

He will flair his cape and fly upward, drifting back down gently.

Down B: Pipe Ooze

He will hold up a pipe and his nemesis Pipe Ooze will lunge out, crawling across the stage and leaving a trail of slime behind, kinda like that blob of gunk from the TMNT stage over in Nick All-Star Brawl.

Final Smash: Dream Warrior

This one's mostly based on the issue where Mario sleepwalks and dreams that he is Dirk Drain-Head, effectively bodying every single opponent King Koopa sent his while while being blissfully unaware. Dirk will likewise fall asleep and deliver a volley of attacks on the nearest opponent before launching them.

Entrance: He will emerge from a comic book.

Taunts: Up, he will hold his plunger in the air and strike a pose. Side, he will pretend to parry a blow with his plunger. Down, he will work on a clog with his plunger.

Thanks for reading! Now, we update our two changed rosters.

Character Sheet: Herman Smirch

HERMAN SMIRCH

Now that we're finished with the western comics of the Mario series, let's go through and cover our assorted newcomers. We have four this time, one appearing in the regular Mario roster, the other three in the multimedia roster. They are:

1. Pionpi

2. Mushroom King

3. Herman Smirch

4. Dirk Drain-Head

Today, let's cover a weird little corner of the Mario series with Herman Smirch. Herman Smirch is a regular human from the real world who works minimum wage at a video game store. His dark and selfish heart allowed him to be used as a conduit for Tatanga and his forces to be released from the Game Boy he stole from the store. He would go on to be a hapless stooge for Tatanga's schemes, trying to escape them at first, but eventually pledging his loyalty to the alien to help him conquer the rest of the world.

He doesn't do that much throughout the series, but just enough to get by with a moveset. First of all is the game boy he stole that acts as a portal between the real world and the video game world. He also has a flying car souped up by his video game allies, and he generally tends to pull off cowardly strikes typically in an attempt to get himself out of trouble.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Game Boy

He will hold out the Game Boy portal he stole, the face glowing and producing one of an assortment of enemies from Super Mario Land, shrunken down to miniature size, which will then attack.

Side B: Cookie Sheet

One lucky strike he got off on Mario during the series came in the first volume, when Mario was about to charge Tatanga only for Smirch to strike him with a cookie sheet and send him flying. This will act as a deflector move for projectiles.

Up B: Flying Car

His car will appear around him and lurch upward into the sky with a rev and a screech, smacking into opponents with the force of, well, a car. He will drop out of it after a short distance.

Down B: Game Return

This will be the reverse of his Standard B, with him holding up the Game Boy and having it trap any character or item become trapped inside it for a short time.

Final Smash: Armies of Tatanga

Basically identical to Pionpi's, except his looks a bit less intentional, with the Game Boy simply springing to life in his hand and making him stumble backwards as it releases the flood of enemies.

Entrance: He will saunter on, looking put out that someone actually expected him to be here at all.

Taunts: Up, he will rub the back of his neck in frustration. Side, he will look over the Game Boy in his hand, trying to figure out how to play it. Down, he will stuff the Game Boy inside his coat and look around suspiciously.

Thanks for reading! Next, we'll finish off with Mario's plumbing hero (his third), Dirk Drain-Head!

Character Sheet: Mushroom King

MUSHROOM KING

Now that we're finished with the western comics of the Mario series, let's go through and cover our assorted newcomers. We have four this time, one appearing in the regular Mario roster, the other three in the multimedia roster. They are:

1. Pionpi

2. Mushroom King

3. Herman Smirch

4. Dirk Drain-Head

Finally, at long last, we get a look at Princess Peach's father, the Mushroom King, who appears frequently throughout the Nintendo Comics System published by Valiant Comics. He quickly proves why Peach seems to do all the ruling, despite only being the princess, being portrayed as stupid and incompetent and prone to seriously damaging commands based on his emotions than what's happening around him {insert whichever politician you don't like here}.

Across the series of comics, we see him drive a go-kart, wield a magic wand, toss a large "sacred cylinder of cheese, cast a shield with his green gecko gem, plant a garden of giant plants, sleep on a mattress of clouds, and push around his faithful butler Wooster. He also has a portable throne, and gets himself turned into a dog and a chameleon at different points in time.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Wooster

Taking after his daughter, Wooster will pull out and hide behind his butler to take a hit. Rather than simply letting his protector release spores however, he will retaliate by then throwing Wooster at the opponent.

Side B: Sacred Cylinder of Cheese

He will roll the cylinder across the ground in front of him. If it collides with anything, it will spill, spreading a sticky cheese mess everywhere.

Up B: Cloud Nine Mattress

He will fall asleep on top of a large mattress, which will lift him up into the sky on top of a cloud, releasing rain and lightning beneath it as it flies.

Down B: Green Gecko Gem

He will activate the gem, casting a shield around himself and protecting himself from harm.

Final Smash: Green Thumb

He will happily pull out a watering can and sprinkle it on his garden. The stage floor will then shake before a forest of giant plants bursts from it, launching everyone above them.

Entrance: He will crash in a go-kart.

Taunts: Up, he will rub his chin and tilt his head in confusion. Side, he will shout something at Wooster for a second. Down, he will pull out his inflatable throne and sit on it for a second.

Thanks for reading! Next up, the disgruntled video game store employee, Herman Smirch!

Character Sheet: Pionpi

PIONPI

Now that we're finished with the western comics of the Mario series, let's go through and cover our assorted newcomers. We have four this time, one appearing in the regular Mario roster, the other three in the multimedia roster. They are:

1. Pionpi

2. Mushroom King

3. Herman Smirch

4. Dirk Drain-Head

Now, Pionpi we have seen before. They are the common enemy appearing in the Chai Kingdom, the fourth world of Super Mario Land based heavily on ancient China. They are little purple zombie creatures dressed in traditional Chinese tunics that would mostly jump forward with their arms extended. In the trilogy of comics centering on Herman Smirch, there was only one Pionpi, and he acted as Tatanga's right hand man, commanding his forces while riding on a Yurarin. He could cast spells of his own, but he could also command the various minions to do his bidding, and that re-contextualizes the character quite a bit.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Gunion

He will point his sceptre forward as a Gunion enemy (octopus thing) appears shooting off a fireball in three directions.

Side B: Pionpi Leap

Based on his own famous move from the game, he will extend his arms forward and leap forward at high speed, colliding with anyone in his way.

Up B: Yurarin

His primary steed through the comic, a Yurarin (the sea horse) will appear under him and swim upward, generally the way a sea horse would move.

Down B: Genkotsu

He will point forward as a large rock fist appears, punching downward and squashing anyone caught underneath it.

Final Smash: Forces of Tatanga

Pionpi will spread his arms to call upon his armies. A game boy will appear at his feat, glowing with light before bursting open and spilling hordes of enemies from Super Mario Land all across the stage, wreaking havoc before shortly disappearing.

Entrance: He will emerge from the Game Boy.

Taunts: Up, he will try to rein in his Yurarin for a second. Side, he will extend his arms in his signature pose for a second. Down, he will take on his squashed look from the game when Mario steps on him.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Peach's often absent father, the Mushroom King!

Miscellaneous Western Comics

MISCELLANEOUS WESTERN COMICS

Now, let's go through all the rest of the Mario-related western comics that weren't quite notable enough for their own post. We have Bumm-badabum im Urwald, a German comic based on Donkey Kong Country 2; Donkey Kong in When the Banana Splits, a Donkey Kong 64 comic published in Disney Adventures; Track that Treasure, Captain Toad!, a webcomic based on Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker; all comics written to advertise a specific game.

After that, we have Presenting Mario and the Princess in Bubble Baths and Shampoos, a how-to comic for kids; Wario's Warehouse, a short-lived series full of hints and cheats for various games; Mushroom Kingdom Tribune, a newspaper tie-in for Bowser's Inside Story; a small comic that came with the CD "White Knuckle Scorin'"; a planned Archie comics run that ended up being cancelled; the N-Gang comic previously mentioned with cameos from Mario characters here and there; and a small tie-in comic for Skylanders: SuperChargers featuring Bowser and Donkey Kong.

And that's it for the comics! Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario

Link

Kirby

Luigi

Princess Peach

Toad

Yoshi

Wario

Bowser

Tatanga

Koopalings

Herman Smirch: Game Boy, gun, hijack, flying car, Tatanga's minions

Mushroom King: go-kart, portable throne, magic wand, dog, chameleon, "Sacred Cylinder of Cheese," Green Gecko Gem, garden, mattress of clouds, Wooster, Stopwatch

Dirk Drain-Head: wrench, plunger, cape, Snakey, Pipe Ooze, Muck

Pionpi: Yurarin, spell, minions

Stanley the Talking Fish

Friendly Floyd: salesman, items

Stages:

Super Mario World locations

Nintendo Hotel

Real World locations (Disneyland being one of them)

Thanks for reading! Now, we have four new characters to add, starting with Pionpi!

Mario vs. Wario

MARIO VS. WARIO

Today, let cover a pair of comics printed in Nintendo Power: Mario vs. Wario and its sequel, Mario vs. Wario: The Birthday Bash. Both are mostly based on Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins and focus on the rivalry between Mario and Wario. This was the comic that originated Wario's origin story of having been bullied by Mario as a child, resulting in him becoming vitriolic and hateful toward the plumber as an adult. Outside of that, there's not really much to talk about.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario

Link

Kirby

Luigi

Princess Peach

Toad

Yoshi

Wario

Bowser

Tatanga

Koopalings

Herman Smirch: Game Boy, gun, hijack, flying car, Tatanga's minions

Mushroom King: go-kart, portable throne, magic wand, dog, chameleon, "Sacred Cylinder of Cheese," Green Gecko Gem, garden, mattress of clouds, Wooster, Stopwatch

Dirk Drain-Head: wrench, plunger, cape, Snakey, Pipe Ooze, Muck

Pionpi: Yurarin, spell, minions

Stanley the Talking Fish

Friendly Floyd: salesman, items

Stages:

Super Mario World locations

Nintendo Hotel

Real World locations (Disneyland being one of them)

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover literally everything else!

The Herman Smirch Trilogy

THE HERMAN SMIRCH TRILOGY

The Herman Smirch trilogy is a threesome of comics released by Valiant Comics, technically as part of the Nintendo Comics System but also with its own world and continuity. They include the issues "In the Palm of Your Hand . . .", "It's a Small World After All", and "Team Play." They are set in the real world, where Mario is simply a fictional video game character, and loosely center on a man named Herman Smirch.

Herman Smirch is a selfish, arrogant man who works in a video game store and regularly shoplifts the games he sells. Because of his twisted and self-serving spirit, Tatanga from the game Super Mario Land manages to open a portal between the Mario world and the real world using a Game Boy he stole, unleashing his armies into the real world to take it over. The first issue then follows two children who figure out how to summon Mario from the game so that he can defeat Tatanga and put him back in the game.

The next two issues follow Herman Smirch once again coming into contact with a Game Boy and being once again used as a conduit to release Tatanga into the real world once again, Smirch being forced to act as his henchmen and new children and "good" adults having to summon Mario to defeat him.

Obviously, Smirch is our first option for a potential character. Though he is a regular human, the stolen Game Boy releasing enemies from Super Mario Land certainly gives us some stuff to work with, as does the actions he is forced to take both in servitude to Tatanga and while trying to avoid getting roped into the schemes. I should also note that this does give us some material to work with for Tatanga as well, and the enemy character Pionpi is given a bit of an upgrade as Tatanga's right-hand man, even acting as the main villain in "Team Play." He regularly rides around on a Yurarin and seems to be in full command of all the various enemies, with Tatanga letting him lead the troops.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario

Link

Kirby

Luigi

Princess Peach

Toad

Yoshi

Bowser

Tatanga

Koopalings

Herman Smirch: Game Boy, gun, hijack, flying car, Tatanga's minions

Mushroom King: go-kart, portable throne, magic wand, dog, chameleon, "Sacred Cylinder of Cheese," Green Gecko Gem, garden, mattress of clouds, Wooster, Stopwatch

Dirk Drain-Head: wrench, plunger, cape, Snakey, Pipe Ooze, Muck

Pionpi: Yurarin, spell, minions

Stanley the Talking Fish

Friendly Floyd: salesman, items

Stages:

Super Mario World locations

Nintendo Hotel

Real World locations (Disneyland being one of them)

Thanks for reading! Next up, we have two Mario vs. Wario comics to cover!

Club Nintendo

CLUB NINTENDO

Today, let's cover Club Nintendo, Nintendo's official bi-monthly magazine published in Germany from 1989 to 2000. Published in these magazines were comics featuring Mario characters and other Nintendo characters, sometimes in crossover events. Most especially, Mario tended to form a trio with Link and Kirby often, working together with them to fight Bowser or Ganon or other major Nintendo villains. Club Nintendo's comics were replaced by N-Gang, featuring a bunch of normal human teenagers with the Nintendo characters simply making cameos here and there. The magazine was effectively cancelled after Nintendo of Europe's redeployment in 2001.

Anyway, here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario

Link

Kirby

Luigi

Princess Peach

Toad

Yoshi

Bowser

Koopalings

Mushroom King: go-kart, portable throne, magic wand, dog, chameleon, "Sacred Cylinder of Cheese," Green Gecko Gem, garden, mattress of clouds, Wooster, Stopwatch

Dirk Drain-Head: wrench, plunger, cape, Snakey, Pipe Ooze, Muck

Stanley the Talking Fish

Friendly Floyd: salesman, items

Stages:

Super Mario World locations

Nintendo Hotel

Thanks for reading! Next up, an odd little trilogy of comics you have to hear about for yourselves!

Nintendo Comics System

NINTENDO COMICS SYSTEM

Today, let's go over the series of comics published by Valiant comics under the Nintendo Comics System name. These comics ran from 1990 to 1991 and mostly seemed to be based within the same world as the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, and King Koopa all mostly having the same designs as the show, and many of the enemy characters being Super Mario Bros. 2 enemies.

The most notable feature of the series is a set of original recurring characters. First off, we may have one of the only actually prominent appearances of Peach's father, the Mushroom King. Apparently, he is an idiot so incompetent, Peach has to do all the running of the kingdom herself. Across the line of comics, we see him drive a go-kart, inflate a portable throne, use a magic wand, get turned into a dog and a chameleon, wield a "Sacred Cylinder of Cheese," use a Green Gecko Gem to project a force field, plant a garden full of sizeable plants, and fall asleep of a mattress of clouds that then generates a thunderstorm from his snores. He also has a faithful butler named Wooster and a living alarm clock named Stopwatch.

Another important character is Dirk Drain-Head, Mario's favorite comic book superhero, who is also a plumber. Don't ask me if he's ever had a crossover with Mighty Plumber. They never said. Dirk uses a plunger and wrench to fight his battles, like the other plumbing heroes of this world, and likewise uses a bedsheet as a cape and has a teenage sidekick named Snakey. He also has a nemesis in Pipe Ooze and his henchman Muck. Finally, we have Stanley the Talking Fish, who mostly just talks a lot as far as I can tell.

Anyway, here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario

Luigi

Princess Peach

Toad

Yoshi

Bowser

Koopalings

Mushroom King: go-kart, portable throne, magic wand, dog, chameleon, "Sacred Cylinder of Cheese," Green Gecko Gem, garden, mattress of clouds, Wooster, Stopwatch

Dirk Drain-Head: wrench, plunger, cape, Snakey, Pipe Ooze, Muck

Stanley the Talking Fish

Friendly Floyd: salesman, items

Stages:

Super Mario World locations

Thanks for reading! Next up, the Club Nintendo comics!

Super Mario Adventures

SUPER MARIO ADVENTURES

If you ever read any comic, manga, or book based on the Super Mario Bros. series, I personally recommend this one. The writing, the art, the characterization of the various characters, the storyline, all of it, is about as good as you're going to get it. To be honest, if I made a Mario movie, I'd be strongly tempted to consider using it as a storyboard. The only thing I'd get rid of is a really uncomfortable two-page masseuse scene early on that could easily be removed without much trouble. Check it out if you get the chance. The YouTube channel "Dub Matters" recorded a voiced dub of it that's very professionally done.

Super Mario Adventures, written by Kentaro Takekuma, mostly tells the story of Super Mario World. It features all of the major characters you'd expect to appear, including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Bowser, and the Koopalings, plus sizeable encounters with most of the most iconic enemies. It does introduce one original character, a traveling salesman named Friendly Floyd, but he mostly acts as a mouthpiece to explain the Yoshis and to provide the items the other characters use later. Outside of that, he doesn't do that much, but we'll see.

And I think that's about all I have to say about it. Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario

Luigi

Princess Peach

Toad

Yoshi

Bowser

Koopalings

Friendly Floyd: salesman, items

Stages:

Super Mario World locations

Thanks for reading! Next up, the comics published in the Nintendo Comics System!

Wario Roster, Updated

SUPER SMASH BROS. UNIVERSE

WARIO SERIES

Today, let's add Pyoro to our list of characters and update Penny to a full character!

1. Wario
2. Biker Wario
3. Waluigi
4. Captain Syrup
5. Rudy the Clown
6. Princess Shokora
7. Mona
8. Jimmy T.
9. Ashley & Red
10. 9-Volt
11. 18-Volt
12. 5-Volt
13. Kat and Ana
14. Young Cricket
14e. Master Mantis
15. Dribble & Spitz
16. Doctor Crygor
17. Penny Crygor
18. Mike
19. Orbulon
20. Lulu
21. Pyoro
22. Count Cannoli
23. Carpaccio
24. Terrormisu
25. The Shake King

Thanks for reading! Now, we begin the western comics!

Mario Multimedia Roster, Updated

SUPER SMASH BROS. UNIVERSE

SUPER MARIO MULTIMEDIA

Today, let's incorporate the three characters we gleaned from the manga!

1. Film Mario

1a. Film Luigi

2.     TV Mario

2a.     TV Luigi

3. Mario-Kun

4.     Tommy Treehugger & Co-MC

4a.     Evil Eric & Tammy Treehugger

5. Film Daisy

6. Princess Toadstool

7. Tomboy Peach

8. Mechakuribo

9.  TV Toad

10. Prince Haru

11.  Bones Bailey

12.  Oogtar

13. President Koopa

14.  King Koopa

15.  Robo Koopa

16.  TV Koopalings

17.  Wizenheimer

18.  Clovis

19.  Barney Todd

20.  Master Brian

21.  Kid Dynamo

22.  Dr. Demise

23.  Gorilla Ghost

24. Big Bertha

25.  Mervin the Magician

26.  Genie

27. Brutius Maximus Grouchimus

28.  Captain Clump

29.  Bunsen

30.  Hercufleas

31.  Salvador Drainado

32.  Sergeant Kooperman

33.  Flab Boys

34.  James Blonde

35.  Vampa White

36.  Zero

37.  Captain Abidab

38.  Mugga the Medicine Woman

39.  Misaki

40.  Waldo the Wizard

41.  Quirks

42.  Queen Mushroomkhamen

43.  Wizard King of the West

44.  Junior

45.  Mighty Plumber

46.  Crime Wave Clyde

47.  Dino Riders

48. Film Goomba

Thanks for reading! Next, we have the Wario roster!

Character Sheet: Pyoro

PYORO

Today, let's begin our short-run of manga-based (and one Wario Ware) characters. I should note that many characters from Wario Ware also received upgrades to their movesets. For instance, 5-Volt gained her astrally-projected monster side as an Up B, and Penny Crygor incorporated her water pack for at least two moves, breaking her away from being an echo fighter for her grandfather. Other than that, here's our newcomers!

1. Mario-Kun

2. Tomboy Peach

3. Mechakuribo

4. Pyoro

With the premiere of Wario Ware: Get It Together, we saw all of our favorite Wario Ware developers get the chance to be playable in their microgames by getting sucked in. And, spoiler alert, Pyoro, the hero of the video game series Wario started his company to compete with in the first place, came to join the fun. In the game, he first takes the form of a monstrous final boss, sending his eyes forward and flying back and forth to attack. After revealing himself, he becomes a playable character in his own right, using his extendable tongue to reach out and grab things. Take this, and top it off with everything Pyoro has done with his mini-games before, including extending his tongue, spitting seeds at high speed, flying, and stretching his beak, I think we have a clear case.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Tongue Grab

His most iconic attack, he will extend out his tongue, similar to Yoshi, snagging a character and pulling them in closer to combo into.

Side B: Seed Spitter

He will fire seeds rapidly from his mouth as projectiles, sorta like a machine gun, but, you know, with seeds.

Up B: Flight

He will flap his wings with heavy effort, raising himself a short way off the ground slowly, pulling from his original inability to fly.

Down B: Golden Watering Can

Based on the item the Wario Ware developers had to assemble in order to defeat him, he will pull out the watering can and sprinkle in on the ground. A first sprinkle will cause a leaf to sprout. A second sprinkle will make it bulk up. The third will cause it to shoot straight into the air as a beanstalk, launching anyone too close.

Final Smash: Boss Battle

He will take on the boss form he transformed into in Get It Together, moving to the side of the stage and mostly reenacting his actions from the fight, charging forward, sending out a bunch of eyeballs, and biting at the characters.

Entrance: He will flutter in a video game 8-bit form.

Taunt: Up, he will extend his tongue and grab a seed out of the air, eating it. Side, he will flap his wings and rise for a second. Down, he will sit and play his own video game.

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's update our rosters!

Character Sheet: Mechakuribo

MECHAKURIBO

Today, let's begin our short-run of manga-based (and one Wario Ware) characters. I should note that many characters from Wario Ware also received upgrades to their movesets. For instance, 5-Volt gained her astrally-projected monster side as an Up B, and Penny Crygor incorporated her water pack for at least two moves, breaking her away from being an echo fighter for her grandfather. Other than that, here's our newcomers!

1. Mario-Kun

2. Tomboy Peach

3. Mechakuribo

4. Pyoro

Today, let's cover Mechakuribo from the run of Super Mario manga published by Kodansha. Mechakuribo is a robotic suit meant as a gift for Princess Daisy, but then worn by Peach when Daisy is captured and Mario sets out to rescue her, used to accompany Mario on his adventure out of jealousy. Across their adventure, mirroring Super Mario Land, Peach as Mechakuribo is able to grab with her pincers, fire lasers from her eyes, fire a large fist from her chest, use x-ray vision, fly with propellers from her head, throw her head, and fire a gun. She also commands a submarine across a portion of the story.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Laser Eyes

She will power up the lasers in her costume's eyes and fire them forward, similar in nature to ROB's, I suppose.

Side B: Giant Fist

Her costume's chest piece will open up, and a large fist will fly forward on an extending mechanism, punching her opponent before retracting back inside.

Up B: Propellers

The propellers on top of the costume's head will start up, carrying her upward for a short distance and letting her move around in the air.

Down B: Head Toss

She will grab her head, pull it off and toss it forward for high damage. For just a split second, Peach's actual head will be seen poking up from the neck.

Final Smash: Submarine

She will jump into the submarine used in the comic, driving it up to the foreground. You will then be able to aim at the stage and fire off missiles as the Yurarin enemies from the game swim around.

Entrance: The suit will be in sleep mode as its back panel shuts and it comes to life.

Taunt: Up, she will hop up and down excitedly in a manga-style manner. Side, her front panel will fall off, revealing Peach hiding inside before grabbing it and pulling it back on. Down, she will take on the standard anime "jealous" look.

Thanks for reading! Next up, we have a brand new fighter for the Wario roster!

Character Sheet: Tomboy Peach

TOMBOY PEACH

Today, let's begin our short-run of manga-based (and one Wario Ware) characters. I should note that many characters from Wario Ware also received upgrades to their movesets. For instance, 5-Volt gained her astrally-projected monster side as an Up B, and Penny Crygor incorporated her water pack for at least two moves, breaking her away from being an echo fighter for her grandfather. Other than that, here's our newcomers!

1. Mario-Kun

2. Tomboy Peach

3. Mechakuribo

4. Pyoro

Next is Tomboy Peach, a manga version of Princess Peach that reimagines her as a childhood who enjoyed playing really messed-up pranks on literally everyone around her. Among these pranks include a shower of cicada pee (ew!), a hammock full of sap, a blanket filled with caterpillars, and a restaurant full of bird food. She also carries around a rainbow wand, can float, and at one point, stole a mushroom and made herself grow into a giant.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Rainbow Strike

She will swing her rainbow wand upwards, creating a rainbow in the air that will protect her from harm and will damage anyone too close

Side B: Cicada Shower

Distasteful as it may be, it's certainly a solid move. She will set up a showerhead from which will spray a flood of cicada pee, washing away any opponents in front of her (maybe it could have a disorienting effect too or something).

Up B: Princess Float

She will spin upward, leaving a rainbow behind her, before floating back downward gently.

Down B: Sap Hammock

She will throw out the hammock covered in sap in front of herself as a defensive move, causing anyone to come in contact with it to get stuck fast.

Final Smash: Queen of Pranks

She will laugh and spin around, waving her wand in the air. Immediately, booby traps will spring on every opponent in the immediate area, mirroring various pranks pulled throughout her comic run.

Entrance: She will pop onto the stage magically and wave at the screen.

Taunt: Up, she will spin around, waving her wand in the air. Side, she will snicker and rub her hands together. Down, she will slip in a puddle of one of her own pranks.

Thanks for reading! Next up is another version of Peach in a slightly stalker-ish disguise.

Character Sheet: Mario-Kun

MARIO-KUN

Today, let's begin our short-run of manga-based (and one Wario Ware) characters. I should note that many characters from Wario Ware also received upgrades to their movesets. For instance, 5-Volt gained her astrally-projected monster side as an Up B, and Penny Crygor incorporated her water pack for at least two moves, breaking her away from being an echo fighter for her grandfather. Other than that, here's our newcomers!

1. Mario-Kun

2. Tomboy Peach

3. Mechakuribo

4. Pyoro

First up is Mario-Kun, the chaotic manga variant of Mario, most specifically based upon the character in the manga written by Yukio Sawada, but probably pulling here and there from the other various manga out there. Matching his portrayal in the manga, Mario-Kun will be much more chaotic than his regular counterpart, with fast-paced erratic moves probably more in line with characters like Mr. Game & Watch than anything.

First up, pulling from the manga, we see that he uses many familiar power-ups like the star, fire flower, and mushrooms, but with a few other unique abilities thrown into the mix, like a Moon power-up that lets him defeat Buzzy Beetles, and a Mushroom Sword that can be powered up with mushrooms into an extended energy blade. He can also become flat and roll himself up, inflate himself like a balloon, use a pipe as a bazooka, wear Yoshi egg shells as armor, fire stars from a gun, drill into the ground, and a number of other random and chaotic feats. Needless to say, I think we've got more than enough.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Pipe Bazooka

He will pull out a green pipe from the ground and fire it straight forward. It could have a specific projectile or it could be random objects familiar to various issues. I like the idea of the latter.

Side B: Mushroom Sword

This will be a chargeable move. Rather than having to power up with mushrooms, simply tap for a basic sword strike, then hold down for a longer and longer energy blade.

Up B: Moon Mario

Though a little different than appears in the comic, I wanted to represent it here. Mario will gain the moon power-up, a glowing moon appearing on top of his head. He will then float upward, the moon glowing brighter and brighter, before dissipating and he comes back down with a powerful butt bash.

Down B: Eggshell Armor

Mario will brace himself as Eggshell Armor appears around him, protecting him from attack.

Final Smash: Comic Beat-Up

He will strike an opponent, pulling them into a manga page. They will then be shifted through a series of panels as Mario beats up the opponent with large blocky comic letters spelling out each hit before they are finally launched.

Entrance: Mario will pull himself out of a comic page.

Taunt: Up, he will hold up something based on one of the more lame puns in the book, looking extremely proud of himself. Side, he will look stunned and take on a chibi-form for a second. Down, he will become flat and drift down to the ground.

Thanks for reading! Next up is Princess Peach in her questionable childhood years.

Other Mario Manga

OTHER MARIO MANGA

Today, let's finish off the Mario manga with all of the remaining miscellaneous manga. First up, is Peach no Daiboken?! by Kazumi Sugiyama, which mostly follows the plot of Super Princess Peach. Then we have Oshiete! Kinopio, a series of gag strips starring various Toads learning about various subjects. Then we have Go! Go! Mario Kart by Shin Ogino, a series of gag strips written by Mario Kart DS. Then finally we have two children's activity books written by Ritsuko Kawai (creator of Hamtaro), entitled Mario & Donkey Daiboken and Mario no Boken Land. Not much to say on any of them, just that they exist.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario-Kun: golf clubs, explosions, cap, star, fire flower, mushrooms, Moon power-up, clones, Mushroom Sword, mixed power ups, rolled around, fly swatter, bunny ears, drilled, balloon, statue, armor of Bowser's troops, giant syringe, pipe bazooka, chef, egg shell armor, caps from Super Mario 64, lightning bolt, friction gloves, time machine, star gun, flattened, ice spring

Tomboy Peach: wand, float, cicada pee shower, sap hammock, caterpillar blanket, bird food restaurant, other pranks, grow giant.

Wario: jetpack, charge

Mona: scooter, boomerang, pets

Mechakuribo: grab, laser eyes, large fist, x-ray vision, propellers, throw head, gun, submarine

Jimmy T.: super dash

Ashley & Red: broom, spells, bombs

9-Volt: skateboard, yo-yo

18-Volt: head ring, used as grappling hook

5-Volt: evil side teleport

Kat & Ana: bounce

Dribble & Spitz: taxi, bazookas

Young Cricket: super jump

Master Mantis: walk on ceiling

Dr. Crygor: jetpack

Penny Crygor: Jet Tank 1

Mike: music notes

Orbulon: flying saucer, tractor beam

Lulu: fly with bow, ground pound

Pyoro: tongue, fly, boss battle, eyeballs, everything from before

Stages:

Wario Ware

Diamond City

Inside of Game

Mona's Mansion

Diamond City Castle

Penny's Lab

Manga Page

4Koma Panels

Thanks for reading! Now, let's begin our new run of character sheets. Thankfully, only four this time!

Wario Manga

WARIO MANGA

Today, let's cover three different manga titles that all came out around the same time and starred Wario. I don't know, I guess people really liked Wario around that time specifically or something. Anyway, these include Ore Dayo! Wario Dayo!!, a series written by Yukio Sawada, the author of Super Mario-Kun, and covered the plots of Wario World, Wario: Master of Disguise, and Wario Land: Shake It!. There was also GO! Ketsu Wario, a gag strip written by Akira Yamanaka also following the plot of Master of Disguise and Shake It!. Finally, we have Waiwai! Wario, a one-off strip written by Ryuusuke Hamamoto and based on Wario Ware: Touched!, basically following Mona as she finds Wario taking a nap when they were supposed to be going on a date to a concert and trying to wake him up. There's not much here, nothing that we haven't covered before in our run downs on the games, so I guess we'll just move on!

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario-Kun: golf clubs, explosions, cap, star, fire flower, mushrooms, Moon power-up, clones, Mushroom Sword, mixed power ups, rolled around, fly swatter, bunny ears, drilled, balloon, statue, armor of Bowser's troops, giant syringe, pipe bazooka, chef, egg shell armor, caps from Super Mario 64, lightning bolt, friction gloves, time machine, star gun, flattened, ice spring

Tomboy Peach: wand, float, cicada pee shower, sap hammock, caterpillar blanket, bird food restaurant, other pranks, grow giant.

Wario: jetpack, charge

Mona: scooter, boomerang, pets

Mechakuribo: grab, laser eyes, large fist, x-ray vision, propellers, throw head, gun, submarine

Jimmy T.: super dash

Ashley & Red: broom, spells, bombs

9-Volt: skateboard, yo-yo

18-Volt: head ring, used as grappling hook

5-Volt: evil side teleport

Kat & Ana: bounce

Dribble & Spitz: taxi, bazookas

Young Cricket: super jump

Master Mantis: walk on ceiling

Dr. Crygor: jetpack

Penny Crygor: Jet Tank 1

Mike: music notes

Orbulon: flying saucer, tractor beam

Lulu: fly with bow, ground pound

Pyoro: tongue, fly, boss battle, eyeballs, everything from before

Stages:

Wario Ware

Diamond City

Inside of Game

Mona's Mansion

Diamond City Castle

Penny's Lab

Manga Page

4Koma Panels

Thanks for reading! Now, let's cover pretty much everything else!

Otenba Peach-hime

OTENBA PEACH-HIME

Here's an interesting one. Certainly one I couldn't pass up in my coverage of all this. Otenba Peach-hime (roughly translated as Tomboy Princess Peach) was written by Sayuri Jo and published by Shogakukan, and ran from 1992 to 1994. It basically asked the question "What if Peach had been a tomboy and liked to play really messed-up pranks on her friends when she was a child?" Yeah. That's pretty much it. It was a line of comedic comic strips that showed Peach pulling pranks on her friends. First up, throughout the whole series, she wields a magical wand that leaves a rainbow behind wherever she swings it. Then, some of her most notable pranks include inviting her friends to take a shower and switching out the water for . . . cicada pee (ew), trapping Wario in a hammock full of sap, and hiding a bunch of caterpillars in a blanket at a sleepover. Definitely a different take on Peach for sure, but one with a distinct flavor just right for a Smash fighter.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario-Kun: golf clubs, explosions, cap, star, fire flower, mushrooms, Moon power-up, clones, Mushroom Sword, mixed power ups, rolled around, fly swatter, bunny ears, drilled, balloon, statue, armor of Bowser's troops, giant syringe, pipe bazooka, chef, egg shell armor, caps from Super Mario 64, lightning bolt, friction gloves, time machine, star gun, flattened, ice spring

Tomboy Peach: wand, float, cicada pee shower, sap hammock, caterpillar blanket, bird food restaurant, other pranks, grow giant.

Wario: jetpack, charge

Mona: scooter, boomerang, pets

Mechakuribo: grab, laser eyes, large fist, x-ray vision, propellers, throw head, gun, submarine

Jimmy T.: super dash

Ashley & Red: broom, spells, bombs

9-Volt: skateboard, yo-yo

18-Volt: head ring, used as grappling hook

5-Volt: evil side teleport

Kat & Ana: bounce

Dribble & Spitz: taxi, bazookas

Young Cricket: super jump

Master Mantis: walk on ceiling

Dr. Crygor: jetpack

Penny Crygor: Jet Tank 1

Mike: music notes

Orbulon: flying saucer, tractor beam

Lulu: fly with bow, ground pound

Pyoro: tongue, fly, boss battle, eyeballs, everything from before

Stages:

Wario Ware

Diamond City

Inside of Game

Mona's Mansion

Diamond City Castle

Penny's Lab

Manga Page

4Koma Panels

Thanks for reading! Now, let's cover a group of Wario-based manga!