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Author Topic: Re-written story elements  (Read 11522 times)

The Chef

  • Super
« on: January 12, 2015, 04:48:13 PM »
Mario has been around a while and has developed a bit of a reputation for not having a consistent story. Nintendo just sort of re-writes certain concepts whenever they see it. So I decided to make a list of all the things that were once considered "true" but have been erased or changed in some way.

1. Mario's occupation
- Originally stated to be a carpenter in Donkey Kong.
- Then stated to be a plumber in Mario Bros.
- Not stated to be anything in any of the platformers, starting with Super Mario Bros.
- Taken on various other jobs depending on the nature of the game in question (Mario's Cement Factory, Wrecking Crew, Dr. Mario, Yoshi's Cookie, Mario's Picross, Mario Paint, etc.)
- Clearly depicted as a plumber in the DiC cartoons and movie, but that was likely an attempt by NoA to "Americanize" Mario and make him easier to relate to.
- A scant few recent games and localized material have made occasional plumber jokes, such as Superstar Saga.
- Currently Nintendo officially does not consider Mario to be a plumber and avoids using the term.

2. Mario's place of birth
- Miyamoto stated in an interview that during the development of Mario Bros. he decided to "put him in New York" and "make him a plumber".
- The DiC cartoons and movie show that Mario is specifically from Brooklyn, though once again this is a tertiary product and a likely attempt to "Americanize" Mario during the franchise's infancy.
- The Mario OVA depicts Mario and Luigi as hailing from the real world much like the DiC cartoon, although it is not stated exactly where. The backgrounds in the opening scenes suggest they live somewhere in the American desert.
- This databook states Mario to be from "Italy".
- None of the games or their peripheral materials released during this period ever state where Mario is from.
- Yoshi's Island seems to be based on the prior point, as it states Mario was born in the Mushroom Kingdom. The games have adhered to this idea ever since.

3. The nature of the blocks
- The manual to Super Mario Bros. states that Bowser turned all of the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom into blocks.
- Starting with Super Mario Bros. 3, all of the games released after this appear to have dropped this idea entirely, as it has never been mentioned again.
- Superstar Saga has a segment that greatly suggests the blocks are mysterious naturally-occurring fixtures and there is ongoing research into how they operate.

4. The Koopalings' relationship to Bowser
- In both Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, the Koopalings are stated to be Bowser's kids. In the Japanese manuals, he even says so himself. (Believe me, I checked and Deezer confirmed it.)
- In their scant few appearances afterward, such as Yoshi's Safari and Superstar Saga, their relationship to Bowser is never stated.
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii established that the Koopalings are not Bowser's kids, but his underlings. Yes, even in Japan.
- Miyamoto shortly confirmed thereafter that "the current story" is that they are not his kids.

5. Mario and Donkey Kong's rivalry + DK's place of birth
- It's often assumed that Donkey Kong was Mario's pet and that he kidnapped Pauline out of revenge, although I've yet to see a game-related source that states this.
- The Saturday Supercade cartoon decided Donkey Kong was an escaped circus animal and Mario and Pauline were trying to get him back.
- This databook once again, states DK's place of origin to be "Circus".
- In Donkey Kong for Game Boy, DK is shown to rule over his own homeland, complete with a giant stone tower.
- In Donkey Kong Country, DK is established to now be a crotchety old ape named Cranky Kong who lives on DK Isle with the rest of his family.
- In Donkey Kong Land, it's stated that Mario and DK battled each other at Big Ape City, rather than New York.
- Each game after this seems to assume the prior two points have always been true. Nothing about DK being from the circus, nor the exact reason for his and Mario's rivalry has been stated since. This goes hand-in-hand with item no. 2 on this list, which discusses Mario's place of birth.

6. (The current) Donkey Kong's relationship to Cranky Kong
- Donkey Kong Country refers to Cranky as DK's "grandpappy".
- Each DKC game after this repeats this, but in Donkey Kong 64, Cranky refers to DK as his "son".
- Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s official DK portal from 1999 has a page that states Cranky is the original DK, DK Jr. is the second generation and the current DK is the third generation.
- Leigh Loveday confirmed on Rare's Scribes section of their official site that their intention from the beginning was to have Cranky and DK be father and son, and to have DK be a grown-up DK Jr. However, this did not come through in the final product, presumably because Dan Owsen wrote the instruction manual rather than Loveday himself.
- DK's trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee suggests the original DK and the current DK are the same character.
- In Mario vs. Donkey Kong on GBA, DK behaves in a manner much more reminiscent of the original DK, which would suggest the same idea is in place here.
- DK's bio in Mario Superstar Baseball states that "his ancestor, the original Donkey Kong, wore no tie". Although the original DK does wear a tie in the Game Boy game, this still states that there in fact two generations of DK.
- Both Snake's codec conversation as well as DK's trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl state once again that the current DK the grandson of the original.
- Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze continue with this idea, but Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS suspiciously puts DK under 1981 in All-Star mode. Nothing else is stated on the matter, though.

7. Mario Land
- Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins states that Mario has his own kingdom called Mario Land, complete with a castle called Mario Castle. It is also stated that Wario has tried to take over this castle "many times", suggesting Mario has been in possession of this kingdom for a good while.
- In Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land, Wario goes on an adventure to find enough gold to buy a castle of his own.
- Wario Land 2 establishes that Wario succeeded in the previous game, as the game opens with the Black Sugar gang breaking into his castle.
- Despite the previous two games continuing with Wario's end of the story, no other game since SML2 has ever referred to Mario Land or Mario Castle ever again.
- Starting with Super Mario RPG, Mario is depicted in living in a normal house in a clearing somewhere near Peach's Castle and its surrounding town. Each RPG after this continues with this idea.

8. Bowser's affinity for magic
- In Super Mario Bros., Bowser is stated to be a "sorcerer king" who cast a spell on the entire Mushroom Kingdom.
- In Super Mario RPG, Bowser is able to summon Big Boo, a cloud of noxious gas, a giant stalactite, and a giant Mechakoopa, using what is supposedly "magic", based on the status screen (Mg. Attack and Mg. Defense, remember?). On the other hand, all five of the party members have access to a similar pool of "magic", including Mario.
- Super Mario Galaxy does show Bowser summoning a UFO, though it's not really clear if this was through sorcery or some other unknown method.
- Aside from the above three examples, no other game has ever shown Bowser to have any sort of inherent magical ability. He's usually seen relying on some sort of artifact or device, if not one of his Magikoopas, for magical aid.

I'll post more when I think of more. Feel free to discuss or debate these, or post some of your own.
« Last Edit: March 16, 2015, 05:41:11 PM by The Chef »

« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2015, 10:03:30 PM »
Mario has been around a while and has developed a bit of a reputation for not having a consistent story. Nintendo just sort of re-writes certain concepts whenever they see it. So I decided to make a list of all the things that were once considered "true" but have been erased or changed in some way.

1. Mario's occupation
- Originally stated to be a carpenter in Donkey Kong.
- Then stated to be a plumber in Mario Bros.
- Not stated to be anything in any of the platformers, starting with Super Mario Bros.
- Taken on various other jobs depending on the nature of the game in question (Mario's Cement Factory, Wrecking Crew, Dr. Mario, Yoshi's Cookie, Mario's Picross, Mario Paint, etc.)
- Clearly depicted as a plumber in the DiC cartoons and movie, but that was likely an attempt by NoA to "Americanize" Mario and make him easier to relate to.
- A scant few recent games and localized material have made occasional plumber jokes, such as Superstar Saga.
- Currently Nintendo officially does not consider Mario to be a plumber and avoids using the term.


Don't he and Luigi fix a pipe at the beginning of 3D World? I interpreted that as a reference to the Mario Bros. being plumbers.
Relics.

Koopaslaya

  • Kansas
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2015, 08:55:53 AM »
- Currently Nintendo officially does not consider Mario to be a plumber and avoids using the term.

Why would Nintendo be opposed to that? Plumbing is a noble profession.
Εὐθύνατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου

« Reply #3 on: January 15, 2015, 10:06:40 PM »
They were laid off during the housing-market crash.
YYur  waYur n beYur you Yur plusYur instYur an Yur Yur whaYur

« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2015, 05:17:13 PM »
Wait, so, how old is Mario if the current adult Donkey Kong is descendent of the DK he fought years ago?
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The Chef

  • Super
« Reply #5 on: March 16, 2015, 05:37:30 PM »

« Reply #6 on: March 17, 2015, 09:27:50 PM »
I always imagined him to be about 30, maybe a little younger or older. I can't imagine someone older than, say, 37, jumping and bouncing around like that.

But gorillas live to be about 40 years old...so logically, Cranky can't be the "original DK", right?
Relics.

The Chef

  • Super
« Reply #7 on: March 17, 2015, 09:31:25 PM »
Logically no, but he is anyway. That's video games for ya.

« Reply #8 on: March 17, 2015, 11:28:33 PM »
I've always envisioned Mario to be in his late 30's.

This changes everything.
YYur  waYur n beYur you Yur plusYur instYur an Yur Yur whaYur

« Reply #9 on: March 18, 2015, 04:59:21 AM »
No, my childhood, what have u become?
My mind is telling me no... My body is telling me no too, just so you know.

The Chef

  • Super
« Reply #10 on: March 18, 2015, 07:36:03 AM »
To be fair, facial hair can make anybody look older. I'm only 23 and the last time I wore a beard I was mistaken for 30. Not even joking.

« Reply #11 on: March 18, 2015, 01:18:08 PM »
[darn], Chef, I remember when you were way younger. Time sure flies...
Relics.

Boo Dudley

  • This is not a secret page hint
« Reply #12 on: March 18, 2015, 02:32:13 PM »
DK is depicted performing in a circus in Donkey Kong Circus (Game & Watch), presumably this is a prequel to Donkey Kong. However as this was an edit of a Mickey Mouse game and not releases domestically it's likely not canon (it wouldn't contradict actual canon so I see no harm in treating it as such)

There was also a vinyl record wherein DK was a zoo animal. Then there's a two volume coloring book wherein DK is once again a circus attraction. Both of these are apparently officially licensed but doubtlessly non-canon. They couldn't even depict Pauline with any consistency.

Re: Bowser and magic. I interpreted him teleporting in SM64 as being a magic ability, a la magikoopa.

PS. Mario being younger than me now is really bumming me out.

CrossEyed7

  • i can make this whatever i want; you're not my dad
« Reply #13 on: March 18, 2015, 07:25:26 PM »
I'm going to be the same age as Mario this year, and whenever I shave (which is a lot because i don't like my facial hair) people ask me what high school I go to.
"Oh man, I wish being a part of a Mario fan community was the most embarrassing thing about my life." - Super-Jesse

The Chef

  • Super
« Reply #14 on: March 18, 2015, 08:31:34 PM »
Honestly, Mario already looks like a little kid wearing a fake mustache. He looked closer to 30 in the DiC cartoon, mostly because they made him a lot flabbier.

Boo Dudley

  • This is not a secret page hint
« Reply #15 on: March 18, 2015, 11:00:00 PM »
Incidentally, Arthur from the G'n'G series is evidently only 28, so I wonder if this is symptomatic of Japan's youth obsession or some kinda esoteric joke. Then both he and Mario share many similarities including G'n'G and SMB being both sidescrollers released in 1985.

Edit: it's probably due to their respective princesses being young. Can't have a creepy age gap!
« Last Edit: March 18, 2015, 11:19:06 PM by Boo Dudley »

« Reply #16 on: March 19, 2015, 04:09:24 AM »
Mario is the mean age of "Captain" Lou Albano and Bob Hoskins.
YYur  waYur n beYur you Yur plusYur instYur an Yur Yur whaYur

« Reply #17 on: March 19, 2015, 06:46:43 PM »
Honestly, Mario already looks like a little kid wearing a fake mustache.

This is really crude, but I tried. The gap between Mario's nose and mouth looks unusually long because we're used to seeing a mustache there. That, and my edit kinda sucks.
Relics.

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