The Devil in the Mushroom Kingdom
Nintendo’s early ban on religious imagery (Satan included) was inconsistent.
Is There a Wizard of Oz Reference Hidden in Super Mario Galaxy?
How Rosalina was supposed to be an homage to Glinda the Good Witch — and might still be.
Does the Tower of Babel Make a Cameo in Super Mario Bros. 3?
The Super Mario games generally don’t incorporate religious iconography, but…
How Impa Jumped from Background Lore to the Zelda In-Game Canon
And she’s not the only game element foreshadowed in the Legend of Zelda instruction booklets.
We Don’t Know Where Ganon’s Name Comes From
Also we have questions about where the Zelda big bad got his “dorf.”
You Cannot Grasp the True Form of Giygas!
The cosmic horror of Earthbound’s big bad should leave you with more questions than answers.
Princess Peach Can’t Get a Break
Princess Peach: Showtime! makes it seem like Nintendo didn’t learn the right lesson from her first solo adventure.
The Legend of Bowser’s Dead Wife
Was Nintendo punking Mario diehards into thinking Bowser’s long missing missus had been revealed?
Is Valentina from Super Mario RPG a Jimmy Buffett Reference or Not?
Sometimes a woman with a parrot on her head is just that, margarita or no margarita.
Localization Strangeness in the Super Mario RPG Remake
It’s less what got changed from the original so much as what stayed the same.
Hard Hats in the Mushroom Kingdom
The Mets of Mega Man are a lot like Buzzy Beetle… which isn’t actually a beetle at all.
Bowser vs. Koopa
Nintendo standardized Peach’s name in all territories. Why didn’t they do the same with Bowser?
Is WarioWare Hiding an Homage to a Forgotten Nintendo Heroine?
Alice from Balloon Kid (and Balloon Fight in general) lives on in Lulu from WarioWare.
Mallow’s Name Is a Better Pun in the Japanese Version of Super Mario RPG
He’s a marshmallow, obviously, but there’s a lot more wordplay going on involving Mario and mushrooms.
Princess Daisy’s Long Road to Being Playable in Super Mario Bros. Wonder
“Hi, I’m Daisy — and I’m no longer a B-tier Super Mario character.”
Sci-fi Stripteases in Barbarella, Metroid and Mach Rider
Metroid’s connection to the 1968 sci-fi classic may help answer a question about Mach Rider’s gender.
Is Super Mario Wonder’s Prince Florian a Nod to the Mario Anime?
Surely all these nods to the Mario anime can’t be a coincidence, right? Well…
Secrets of the Super Mario RPG Shaman
One minor Super Mario RPG character actually did make the transition to Paper Mario.
Nintendo’s First Playable Female Protagonist Isn’t Female in Japan
Clu Clu Land’s Bubbles the Bubblefish is female in English-speaking territories — and she may or may not be a fish?