Mushroom Kingdom

The Mushroom Kingdom (キノコ王国, Kinoko Ōkoku) is a fictional kingdom in Nintendo's Mario series.[2] It is the setting of most of the main-series Mario games, and varies in style and presentation between games. There is no established canon regarding the topography of the Mario universe, and many related areas are not certain to be part of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Mushroom Kingdom
Mario location
A portion of the Mushroom Kingdom as it appears in Super Mario Odyssey, with Peach's Castle
First appearanceSuper Mario Bros. (1985)
Created byShigeru Miyamoto
GenreVideo game
In-universe information
TypePrincipality
RulerPrincess Peach
Race(s)Various
Locations
  • Peach's Castle
  • Mario's House
  • Toad Town
  • Bowser's Castle
PopulationAt least 6,436,213.[1]

Overview

Within the fictional universe of Mario games, the Mushroom Kingdom is a principality ruled by Princess Peach (also known as Princess Toadstool) who is the head of state.[3] However, the manual for the first game in the series mentions Peach's father as the "Mushroom King" who somewhat rules over the Kingdom.[3][4] Peach debuted in the instruction manual for Super Mario Bros. (1985),[5] with Toadsworth appearing as her steward in later games.[6]

A very small number of Mushroom Kingdom citizens are humans, such as Peach herself, Mario, and Luigi,[4][7] with the majority of the population being portrayed as Toad citizens.[7] Other characters that populate the Mushroom Kingdom in Mario games include Yoshi, Goombas,[8] Koopas, and Boos.

The Kingdom's most prominent currency are coins (of various colors) which are featured in nearly every Mario-related game.[9] Brown brick blocks and golden "question-mark blocks," are spread across the land which may contain coins or power-ups. The main way of transportation in the Mushroom Kingdom are Warp Pipes which take you from one place to another. Some pipes cover only a short distance (such as between the overworld and underground), while other pipes are linked to entirely different worlds. Other warp tools and areas have been introduced in games, such as the secret "Warp Whistle" in Super Mario Bros. 3 and cannons in New Super Mario Bros.

Locations

Princess Peach's Castle
Princess Peach's Castle, as seen in Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan.

Princess Peach's Castle is a large Central European-style red-and-white castle. It is decorated with stained-glass above the main doors which represent the princess.[10] Inhabited by the princess and her Toad retainers, the castle first appeared in-game in Princess Toadstool's Castle Run (1990) but is more prominently featured in Super Mario RPG (1996) and is the central hub in Super Mario 64. Its design has remained relatively consistent since. In games such as Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario Odyssey (where it is the Mushroom Kingdom's capital city), and the Mario Kart series, Peach's Castle is generally located in the center of the kingdom. It can serve as the final world or as headquarters, as a navigation hub or as a feature access point.[11] In the Mario Kart series, the castle is often seen either in the background of the course or as a part of it where you drive through the castle. The latter has been seen in entries such as Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Arcade GP DX.

Mario's house

Mario's house[12] is the home of Mario[13] and his brother Luigi in the Mario series. It is sometimes located near Peach's Castle, and other times outside the entrance to the Mushroom Kingdom, such as in Super Mario Galaxy.

Toad Town

Toad Town is the capital of the Mushroom Kingdom as seen in the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series. It is generally located next to Peach's Castle. Several Mario species reside in the city, in particular Toads.

Bowser's Castle

Bowser's Castle is the abode of Bowser, arch-villain of the Super Mario video games. The castle has often been destroyed and rebuilt and appears differently in each game it is featured in. It is usually filled with lava pits, booby traps, and Bowser's minions. Variations of Bowser's Castle appear in nearly every Mario game, and every Mario Kart game features at least one course titled "Bowser's Castle" or "Bowser Castle." The plot of New Super Mario Bros. U involves Bowser taking over Peach's Castle and making it look like his own. However, Bowser's Castle is often depicted in its own kingdom, that being Bowser's kingdom in the games.

Landscapes
A mushroom icon modeled on the Mario power-up.

The Mushroom Kingdom has been revamped several times over the course of the Mario games, similar to the kingdom of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda series. In Super Mario Bros., for example, the Mushroom Kingdom encompasses 32 different levels of varying terrain. Super Mario Bros. 3 expands on this concept with a map screen to add topography to the kingdom. The games do not follow these landscape variants exactly, but still are recurring themes in the Mario series. For example, even though Super Mario World is set in Dinosaur Land, its geography is very similar to the Mushroom Kingdom. The paintings that lead to the different levels in Super Mario 64 follow this idea.

In other games and media

The Super Smash Bros. series includes four different stages based on the Mushroom Kingdom. The original Super Smash Bros. includes the unlockable stage "Mushroom Kingdom" which is graphically based on the original Super Mario Bros. Super Smash Bros. Melee includes a revamped "Mushroom Kingdom" which omitted Piranha Plants and warp pipes from the original stage, and its stage "Mushroom Kingdom II" is based on the Subcon setting of Super Mario Bros. 2. Super Smash Bros. Brawl includes the level "Mushroomy Kingdom," which primarily appears as an abandoned, derelict version of "World 1-1" of Super Mario Bros.[14]

The immersive Super Nintendo World themed lands in Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood feature areas themed to the Mushroom Kingdom. The kingdom also makes an appearance in the Super Mario Bros. Movie.[15][16]

Theyab Al-Tamimi created a comedy fanbook, Science of the Mushroom Kingdom, exploring the species of flora in the Mushroom Kingdom; this was later recommended to readers by Kotaku.[17]

It also makes an appearance and has a major role in The Super Mario Bros. Movie with appearance similar to it's Super Nintendo World form, Mario teleports through the pipe from the sewage into the kingdom, and is greeted there by Toad.

See also

References
  1. 6,436,213 voters participated in the election depicted in "Princess Toadstool for President", an episode of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.
  2. "You can play Mario Kart in virtual reality at the O2 this summer". Evening Standard. July 11, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2020. It's a multiplayer experience, where up to four people can hop into specially designed 'Mario Karts' to race through the iconic Mushroom Kingdom.
  3. "Learn more about Princess Peach!". play.nintendo.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020. This princess in pink rules over the Mushroom Kingdom.
  4. Hollander Cooper August 13, 2012 (August 13, 2012). "The Top 7... Most disturbing things about the Mushroom Kingdom". GamesRadar+. Retrieved May 12, 2020. Princess Peach Toadstool currently leads the Mushroom Kingdom.
  5. "Super Mario Bros. Instruction Manual" (PDF). November 7, 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 7, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  6. "Is Toad Nintendo's First Agender Character?". The Advocate. November 24, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2020. There's also Toadsworth, the dignified mustachioed elder-stateman.
  7. "Super Mario 64: The Game That Ushered In The 3D Era". 25YL. March 4, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020. We were able to see new iterations of longstanding enemies such as Goombas, Bullet Bills, and Chain Chomps, whose designs endure to this day.
  8. "Super Mario: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Goomba Enemy". TheGamer. April 20, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020. The Goomba creature actually originated within the Mushroom Kingdom
  9. "#15 Princess Peach". Forbes. December 11, 2007. Retrieved May 13, 2020. Mario awarded her a fortune in gold coins.
  10. July 2015, GamesRadar 13 (July 13, 2015). "How Nintendo's most famous castle changed Mario forever". GamesRadar+. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  11. "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle – How to Fast Travel". Prima Games. August 30, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  12. "Preview: Buckets Of Fun With Paper Mario: Color Splash". Nintendo Life. September 13, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2020. The game opens up on a stormy night, as hooded figures approach Mario's house
  13. Dennis, Thomas (October 23, 2016). "Paper Mario: Color Splash Review – Last Hurrah For The Wii U?". Daily Express. Retrieved May 13, 2020. You start the game as Paper Mario welcoming Paper Princess Peach and a Paper Toad into your home on a dark and rainy night.
  14. "Official Site – Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U". Smashbros.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  15. Radulovic, Petrana (July 8, 2019). "Everything we know about Super Nintendo World". Polygon. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  16. "First Super Nintendo World theme park will open in 'spring 2020'". MCV/DEVELOP. June 16, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  17. "'The Science of the Mushroom Kingdom' Explores Super Flora". Kotaku. May 5, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
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