Being around since 1986, Mario has made plenty of friends and even more enemies. Sadly, a lot of these characters have been washed away with time. Some have remained fan-favorites even after years (or decades) of absence! Let’s pay our respects for a handful of forgotten Mario characters…
(Nintendo)
Toadsworth
Toadsworth first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine as Princess Peach’s royal steward, and reprised this role in many games of that era– most commonly in the Mario & Luigi RPG series. The man was always a worry-wart. He constantly had anxiety about what could happen to the princess of Mushroom Kingdom, but we loved him and his old English tag-lines, anyways. Once the Wii launched, Toadsworth’s appearances started to dwindle dramatically. Now all we ever see of the old man are through collectible in-game memorabilia. He was always a charming old bloke, and I wouldn’t mind him reprising his role as the steward of Princess Peach in another mainline Mario game!
(Nintendo)
Wart
This giant green blob was the main antagonist of Super Mario Bros. 2 (FUN FACT: This game is actually a Mario overlay of another game called Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic). Wart, the king of the 8-bits, wanted to conquer Subcon, the land of dreams. Eventually his plans were thwarted by Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad. Since this appearance, Wart made a single cameo in The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, where he went by the name “Mamu”. After that, Wart has not had any major appearances (though his “Mamu” persona was referenced in Hyrule Warriors in the form of a DLC costume for Ganondorf). It’s crazy to think that Birdo, a member of the 8-bits, lasted longer than the gang’s leader! I wonder if Wart will ever receive the same treatment?
(Nintendo, Camelot)
Plum
Plum first appeared in Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64. Being one of the easiest characters to get the hang of, she was one of the four characters available from the beginning of the game. Her role expanded in Mario Golf for the Gameboy Color, as she helped you learn the basics of golfing in the dictionary section of the game. She’s probably the most recognizable character of all the random humans Nintendo and Camelot threw into their Mario sports titles, but it seems they’ve strayed away from that concept. Even so, many fans want her to return in future Mario Golf installments. Since her Gameboy Color appearance, we’ve seen tributes to Plum as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee and a sticker in Super Smash Bros Brawl.
(Nintendo)
Koopa Kid
Koopa Kid is a weird anomaly. He’s only appeared in the Mario Party series, and he refers to Bowser as “dad”. He was a non-playable character from Mario Party through Mario Party 4, and then was promoted to being playable in both Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 6. After that, Koopa Kid disappeared off the face of the Earth, only to be replaced by Bowser Jr. in Mario Party 7, onwards. It’s strange that Bowser would forget about his own child (though this isn’t surprising, considering he did forget about the original 7 Koopalings for nearly 2 decades). Bowser seems like a awful parent. What happened to his 9th child? The world may never know. Even through all this, most people argue that Koopa Kid is not officially canon.
(Nintendo)
(Nintendo, Square-Enix)
Geno
Lastly, we have Geno, the one-hit wonder. Geno is a wooden doll who made his first appearance in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the Super Nintendo, where he was known for shooting magical laser beams out of his arms. He was a fan favorite then, and his popularity has carried throughout the years. Confusion about whether or not Geno’s character actually belongs to Nintendo (it does) made its rounds because Square-Enix helped develop his game. His fanbase now lives strong in the Super Smash Bros. community, which is what warranted a Geno costume for the Mii Fighters in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS (above). Many of Geno’s fans are holding out hope for his playable appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which would end his 22-year absence! Maybe then Nintendo will realize his popularity and bring him back as a regular.
