Mailbag
06 Jul 2001

Deezer Marioholic

Got something you want us to answer next week? Send it to tmk_mailbag@usa.net.

In June 29's mailbag, someone asked about names. You might find this interesting, whether it's all coincidential or not. There's a Japanese word "marui" that means "round like a ball." You know, like how Mario is pudgy? Additionally, there's also the world "ruiji," which means "similar." And then I think everyone knows about "warui" meaning bad, and some people know about "igiwarui," which means "bad person" and is also an anagram for Waluigi. And you said the Mario characters get their names from food? Who else besides Peach?
-dmack_68andahalf

Deezer: Yeah, I noticed the "marui" connection while in Japanese 102. Turns out it's just a happy coincidence. As the story goes, Mario was named after Mario Segali, the owner of Nintendo's warehouse back in the day. "Ruigi" (meaning similar) and how Luigi is similar to Mario is another happy coincidence. In a Famitsu.com interview, Shigeru Miyamoto said: "That name [Luigi] was actually given by the American team as a contrast to Mario." In that same interview, Miyamoto also mentioned that Bowser ("Kuppa" in Japan) was going to be named either Kuppa, Yukka, or Bi Bim Bap (all Korean dishes). Besides Peach, I can't think of any more food-related names off the top of my head.

P.S.: The word is ijiwaru.

A few things. First of all, you have the best site on the net(well one of them at least). So how many unique hits do you get an average day ,also, when do you plan on updating your cover page you still have to add SMA, Dr. Mario and more to come!
-Dave

Deezer: Dunno, dunno, I know.

Bowser a mean-sounding monster name? What gives...It's a Jewish Name!
-Snoopy1951

Deezer: Oy!

Ok! I would be glad to make a Flash movie for your site, should it be a Mario VS. something, or an intro to your site or what? And can someone "Thank" J.J. for calling me ignorant? :(
And I also have a 56K modem, so i think it was awful rude of J.J to make that comment, and I would get DSL, but there are poor Mario fans out there too! I got this old computer (75 mhz) from a sleazy work-at-home computer guy my freind's mom knew, and I got the modem from my Uncle. My new, 600 mhz, modemless computer which I make Flash movies on (then I Email them from this thing), I got from my School because I get to be the Webmaster next year! Your probably thinking "How can I be a webmaster without a connection to the web?" the answer is I CANT! So I am gonna get DSL very soon. Does this have anything to do with Mario? nope... Well I will stick in a question to make it Mario-related :)

1. Has Princess Peach's actual Father, King Toadstool, appeared in any game? So far I have only seen the Chancellor in SMPRG, and the other kings in SMB3

2. That comment about Bowser using clowns to scare kids into killing Mario was funny, And it explains why he also appears at the end of levels, when you need to use the bathroom, so you either forget to pause when u leave or just hold it in and lose your concentraition. This isnt a question, actually...I had one then I forgot it while writing the first, so I put this in instead.

I dont expect you to put this in the next mailbag, because it has only 1 question. But it would be great if you did anyway!
-DragoonFenix15

Deezer: Make whatever you want. If it's appropriate, I might use it for an intro. If not, I'll at least use it to launch a new "Flash movies" section.

1. Nope.

2. Yeah, who said that, David? It was pretty funny.

Dear TMK,

I love the game Super Mario World. But, I have always had a question about something. After you beat Ludwig Von Koopa his castle will launch off to a little island. Is it possible to go to that island and fight Ludwig again?
-Henryelton

Deezer: You can't go to that island, but you can re-enter Ludwig's castle after you've beaten it. Just stand on the ruins and press the L and R Buttons simultaneously. This code doesn't work in the Japanese version of the game, which I keep forgetting to mention on the Super Mario World: from Japanese to English page.

Yo, whoever! I saw another Mario cameo in an episode of Dexter's Lab! It was the episode where Dexter is having electrical problems and the electrician comes over. He has Mario's mustache too. If his hair was brown, he'd be a perfect Mario! So, Luigi as a janitor and Mario as an electrician. Cool, huh?
-Super Frog

Deezer: I was watching that today, and noticed references to James Bond and Knight Rider, so I wouldn't be surprised.

In Super Mario 64, extra lives are somewhat helpful for Bowser battles. If you die in a Bowser battle you lose a life and have to replay the fight, but if you get a game over you have to replay the entire level to reach him again.
-LuigiHann

Deezer: True that.

HELLo Sirs!

I was walking down the street the other day and some guy said to me, all out-of-the-blue-like, "Hey there! You know what I like theiving? Gimmicks from other websites!" And that made me think of you guys; and it made me feel all warm inside. And by warm, I mean "full of vengeful anger". Maybe you should stop using Mr. Face on your site, A) because it's a rubbish idea anyway, and B) because you stole him from Nintendorks, apparently without asking, seeming as it's just wrong.
-Slime

Deezer: HELLo Slime!

A) You better not let Mr. Face hear you calling him rubbish...
B) You're right, we didn't ask, but we also never claimed Mr. Face as our own. Besides, most every mention of Mr. Face leads to a link to Nintendorks.com, so as it turns out, they get more traffic from us. So now you see how great of a site Nintendorks.com is, that it had such an influence over David for him to be Mr. Face's illegal puppet master every so often.

Where can I find a copy of Mario Explains Communism?
29 June 2001 mailbag

Thanks!
-LvB392613

Deezer: Pete's Pawn Shop.

I found a small Mario reference in Monoloth Productions' Blood, a first-person shooter for the PC. It's not much tho, so it's not really worth putting up a review for.

Two of the three level skip codes are MARIO and LUIGI. Like I said, not much.
-SaferSephiroth2040

Deezer: Thanks! Expect a review for it soon. :)

Hey guys how's it goin? I visit your site alot but this is the first time I've actually submitted to the mailbag (unless u count the e-mails I always sent to Deezer begging him to post WTMK mp3's on his site years ago). Anyway I have a couple of questions. First, I saw that screenshot from last weeks mailbag with Toad in SSB Melee, and I wanted to know if he's gonna be like a secret character or is he one of Peach's attacks(it did kinda look like he was comin out of her dress)? O yea, could someone tell me who Mr. Face is? Is it some kinda inside joke? Sorry if this hurts your feelings Mr. Face but did you know your kinda scary? By the way that new site intro thing with the blurryness and stuff is cool! I just thought of another thing....what does Deezer mean?
-T0ad

Deezer: I'd say Toad will be part of one or more of Peach's attacks. Mr. Face is a fictional character from Nintendorks.com. "Deezer" was just something my dad used to call me when I was young. Even he can't explain it.

hi, I'm chris cornell from Soundgarden, and whenever I need some info on mario games, I check out the mushroom kingdom. I have couple of questions ! will there be a new yoshi game for gamecube? does the secret page exist or is it just a myth?? you should make a mushroom kindgom screensaver !!!

all the best,
-chris cornell

Deezer: If you're still in Soundgarden, you better quit because that band broke up a while ago.
I have a couple of answers ! Probably. It exists. I don't feel like it.

What is this game? I saw it on eBay and thought it was a pirate or something. But I can't find any information on it anywhere. Can you provide me with any information on it?
-smb3fanatic

Deezer: It is indeed a pirate. I can't believe people actually bid on that.

It's cool that mario is in so many games like mario cart 64,mario tennis,mario golf exc. exc. but you could spice up buisiness if you could make a Mario baseball,Mario Soccer, &Mario Football.You should put tons of cheats in them like,automatic homerun,extra turbos,5th and 10.Exc.Exc.I think it will really help buisiness.Players should/might be, Mario,Luigi,Peach,Toad,Waluigi,Wario,Birdo,Big Boo,Dk,Dk Jr.,Secret Characters, &Creat-a-player.On Mario Baseball,you should make different colored bats to go with caracters and a spiked bat for Wario&Waluigi.The baseballs shoud be fireballs.The umpires should be Yoshi.There should be a scoreboard too. The announcers should be Bob-oms.I really hope you make these games.
-One Huge Fan

Deezer: I think you have the wrong number. Try dialing nintendo@nintendo.com.

Dear Mushroom Kingdom,
I was playing Super Mario: Lost Levels (SMB2 in Jap.) on Super Mario All-Stars, trying to get to world 9. I got there eventually, and while I was playing on level 9-4, I noticed in that block platforms made up Japanese Katakana symbols, and together, they spelt "Arigatou", which means "Thank You". If you can, I'd like you to mention this in your Super Mario Bros. Japanese to English section, under Super Mario All-Stars. ARIGATOU!
-YAMATO-SAN

Deezer: That was the plan all along, I'm just lazy. Douitashimashite.

Deezer, eu sou brasileiro, tenho quinze anos de Mario, e tenho uma page na web sobre Mario, seu nome é TML ( The Mario Land, ) e quero que voce coloque a minha página linkada na sua.

vinícius eduardo s. ferreira, 061383269 or 0619379838 ( meu e-mail j´ era)
-vinícius

Deezer: That's easy for you to say.

hi, deezer
I am a Brasilian boy and I have one web page about Mario.
My e-mail is: deezer@globo.com
-vinícius

Deezer: Okay, so you have a website called "TML" and your e-mail address is deezer@globo.com. Next you're gonna cut your hair like mine and dye it blond, right?

I was just finishing Super Metriod last night, and I made a little discovery, in the area called "Maridia" the underwater regions of Zebes, lies a turtle that spins into the area to reach an enegry tank for you, but to my surprise, this large turtle was surrounded by four fimilar looking characters in black shells, very similar looking to the black shelled Buzzy Beetle from the beloved Mario Series. I thought it was rather nice to see them in for a cameo :)

Sincerely,
-Tim A. Brown

Deezer: It is highly possible that their similar appearance to Buzzy Beetles was not just a coincidence. I've also heard people say the big turtle reminds them of Bowser, but I don't see it. You make the call:

Personally, I'd list this as a "questionable cameo."

To TMK,
This is Chris G. again talking about the front page this time. Has any one noticed that the front page is blurry then zooms in and out?

hope to hear from ya soon,
-Chris G.

Deezer: That's intentional. MEGAߥTE added it because it's like the effect on the Super Mario World map screen, except in reverse.

That damned intro thing on the main page is rather annoying, I hate these things, you should get rid of it, 'cause when I go back to the page again, it does it all over.

Just get rid of it, ok?
-Harry Li

MEGAߥTE: Use Mozilla.

I love WTMK!It's so great!I like every thing it plays!(Exept Mario,Save Me With Your Charm,And Mario Land Compact Disco.Or,anything compact disco,But I'm learning to like them.)Anyway,my questions. 1:Why is the site so slow? 2:Why does WTMK repeat so much? 3:Who's Mr. Face? 4:Why is he never wrong? 5:(This ones for Deezer)Why haven't you kicked Mario_Luigi of the Message Board Yet?
Thanks.
-MarioandLink

Deezer: Ah, no way! Compact Disco rules.
1: We ran out of food for the hamsters that are powering the server with their hamster wheels.
2: The current playlist is over four hours long...
3: Mr. Face is a fictional character from Nintendorks.com.
4: Because.
5: I deleted his unappropriate topics, and he seems to be behaving himself since then.

Okay, after talking for 6 months on the internet, I finally meet my net girlfriend for the first time. We go to E3, have to leave early third day for the prom. Anyway, as a way of thanking me for all this, over the course of the last month and a half(she left two weeks ago )= ) she gave me Jet Grind Radio, Dr. Mario 64, Paper Mario, Pong GBC and Chu Chu Rocket GBA. Only Dr. Mario 64 was playable, and damn was she good. She NEVER lost a game the 4 weeks she was at my house... I felt defeated. What can I do to get better when I go up to her uncle's house this Xmas?

From,
-Chris "M3wThr33" Glass

P.S. Is it Mee-Lee, or May-Lay? I couldn't hear on the screen at E3, too loud.

Deezer: You're asking the wrong person, I suck at Dr. Mario.

P.S.: The "Melee" in "Super Smash Bros. Melee" is pronounced "may-lay."

Hey I love the site keep up the good work and also I was playing Super Mario Bros. the other night and in the first level (world 1-1) I jumped from the first pipeto the other (something i never did before). When I landed the screen flashed and four free guys landed on me as I stood on the warp pipe.It was the weirdest thing I ever saw in a Mario game.
-Sid

Deezer: Are you sure you didn't have too many "Magic Mushrooms?"

I beat the game with in the first hour of playing. ( Warps in world3,World5) Wart was so EASY. It was funny watching Wart get tossed out by the Subcon's. Sadly I've beaten All the Mario games. Even when SMB3 and SMW come out I'll still probaly beat them in a hour. I one question what Mario game do I play now.

Have you tried getting high scores, or finding all the secret stuff? Or kicking a friend's butt in two-player?

Sincerely
-Super Mario All-Star ( Super Mario Pro)

Deezer: The way that Super Mario Advance handles the scrolling in Super Mario 2 actually makes it harder for me. Same with Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. And I'm sure the same will be true with SMB3 and SMW.

No. Sorta. Yes.

You must be joking when last week you commented on, quote-UN-quote, "Paper Mario is better than Super Mario RPG." I mean, it's an OK game, but Super Mario RPG is WAY better. I understand if you don't print "Opinion" letters, but I just had to point you in the right direction. Keep up the good work!
-Andrew

Deezer: Okay then, in my humble opinion, Paper Mario is better than Super Mario RPG.