97 Fun Facts About Paper Mario

Which studio, also behind Fire Emblem and Advance Wars, has developed every Paper Mario game?

Intelligent Systems has built all six Paper Mario games since 2000 yet has never been owned by Nintendo, despite working almost exclusively for it.

Paper Mario was first called Super Mario RPG 2, the sequel to a game made by which studio?

Square went on to release Final Fantasy VII on Sony's PlayStation, while the studio behind Fire Emblem built the sequel, which was renamed and grew into a series of its own.

Which relic does Bowser steal in Paper Mario to make himself invincible and flatten Mario early on?

The Star Rod grants wishes, and Bowser also imprisons the seven Star Spirits who could cancel it, then lifts Peach's whole castle into the sky.

Which first partner in Paper Mario can describe any character, enemy or location to the player?

Goombario lives in Goomba Village, where Mario crash-lands after Bowser throws him from the sky, and his family takes the fallen plumber in.

Which seedy port town, built over a sunken city, is the hub of The Thousand-Year Door?

Rogueport's ruins sit atop a seaside town that sank into the ground after a cataclysm a thousand years ago, and the treasure door beneath hides a sealed demon.

Which sticker fairy joins Mario in Sticker Star after Bowser smashes the Sticker Comet?

Kersti sacrifices herself in the final fight to power up Mario's stickers, and is brought back when Mario spends his single wish on restoring the comet.

Which talking paint can, guardian of an island fountain, joins Mario in Color Splash?

Huey ends the game absorbing a castle full of toxic black paint and flying it into space, a sacrifice undone only in a conditional post-credits scene.

Which origami villain folds Peach and wraps her castle in five streamers in the 2020 Paper Mario game?

King Olly was folded to life by an Origami Craftsman, and the words written on his body, which he took as an insult, were actually a blessing.

Who at Nintendo told Sticker Star's team it was 'fine without a story' and asked whether they really needed one?

Shigeru Miyamoto also asked the Sticker Star team to make the game using only characters from the Super Mario world, a request that accompanied his call to drop the story.

Between chapters of Paper Mario, Peach's playable castle segments mostly use which style of play?

Stealth sneaking past Bowser's guards is the norm, though one interlude has Peach bake a cake for a gluttonous guest and another disguise her as his minions with a magic umbrella.

Which resource do special attacks burn in the first two Paper Mario games, while basic jumps are free?

Flower Points are shared by Mario and his partner, and every level-up forces a choice between raising them, his health or his badge room.

Which old Magikoopa is Bowser's right hand in Paper Mario, helping him seal the seven Star Spirits?

Kammy Koopa helps trap the Star Spirits inside playing cards, and in the finale she is fought by Peach and a star kid while Mario takes on Bowser himself.

Which star kid aids Peach in her captured castle in Paper Mario, relaying her findings to Mario?

Twink starts as a Star Kid too young to grant any big wish, yet by the finale he is the one battling Bowser's sidekick while Mario faces Bowser.

Which Paratroopa partner in Paper Mario carries Mario across gaps too wide to jump?

Parakarry is a scatterbrained mailman who joins after Mario finds the letters he lost on Mt. Rugged, and he keeps delivering mail in a side quest.

Which Boo partner in Paper Mario turns Mario invisible and transparent to slip past danger?

Lady Bow is the mistress of Boo's Mansion in Forever Forest, and in battle she slaps enemies with her fan rather than hiding.

Which Cheep Cheep partner in Paper Mario lets Mario swim, joining on volcanic Lavalava Island?

Sushie babysits the Yoshi kids of the island village, and the fifth Star Spirit is held there as the volcano prepares to erupt.

Which Boo-eating Paper Mario boss is unbeatable until Mario tracks down the heart he keeps elsewhere?

Tubba Blubba was a coward the Boos loved to scare until Bowser removed his heart to make him invincible; with the heart beaten, Mario can finish him and he releases every Boo he ate.

Which tank-riding commander holds Paper Mario's fourth Star Spirit inside the Shy Guys' Toy Box?

General Guy leads his troops from a toy tank, and the Toy Box itself is hidden behind a door in an ordinary Toad Town house.

Which Lakitu partner in Paper Mario carries Mario on his cloud over spikes and lava?

Lakilester is the last partner to join and starts as an enemy working for Huff N. Puff, switching sides once beaten because he wants to grow stronger for his girlfriend Lakilulu.

Which alien group kidnaps Peach in The Thousand-Year Door and holds her in a base on the Moon?

The X-Nauts want the seven Crystal Stars that open the door, and their base computer TEC falls in love with the captive princess.

Which demon, sealed a thousand years earlier, is the real 'treasure' behind The Thousand-Year Door?

The Shadow Queen caused the cataclysm that sank the old town beneath the game's hub, and she possesses Peach's body for the final battle.

Which junior at the University of Goom becomes Mario's first partner in The Thousand-Year Door?

Goombella's tattle ability carries over from the first game, and the 2024 remake cut a scene in which she is catcalled by villainous Goombas.

Which floating city in The Thousand-Year Door is known for its fighting arena?

Glitzville is reached by blimp, and Mario climbs the arena's rankings under a ring name to get at the Crystal Star at the top.

Which witch sister joins Mario in The Thousand-Year Door, her trans identity restored in the remake?

Vivian's eldest sister Beldam misgenders her in the Japanese original; the 2004 English script cut that, and the Switch version restores her as a trans woman.

Which Bob-omb, grieving for his late wife, becomes one of Mario's partners in The Thousand-Year Door?

Admiral Bobbery swore off the sea after his wife died, and his explosions double as the partner power that clears cracked walls and opens new paths.

Which thieving mouse is the only optional partner in The Thousand-Year Door, found via a side quest?

Ms. Mowz's sniff locates hidden items in the field, and in battle she steals badges and items from enemies with a kiss.

In The Thousand-Year Door's stage battles, what do the audience's cheers replenish when Mario performs well?

Star Power comes from pleasing a crowd that grows from 50 seats to 200 as Mario levels up, and a bad show has them walk out or hurl objects instead.

Which Tarantino-scripted film's 'You're So Cool' sparked a 2008 lawsuit over a Thousand-Year Door ad?

True Romance's producer Morgan Creek dropped the case six days later, once Nintendo showed its ad agency Leo Burnett had licensed the song.

The 2024 Thousand-Year Door remake sharpened the visuals but halved which technical measure of the GameCube original?

Frame rate fell from 60 frames per second to 30, a drop Nintendo Life reported but said did not majorly affect its time with the game.

Which town 'between dimensions' is the hub of Super Paper Mario, with a mirrored twin unlocked later?

Flipside's wizard Merlon sends Mario out through its dimensional doors, and the mirror-image town of Flopside only opens in the second half of the adventure.

Which Pixl guides Mario throughout Super Paper Mario and is secretly the villain's lost love?

Tippi was the human Timpani, cursed by her lover's father to drift between dimensions until Merlon saved her by making her a Pixl, at the cost of her memories.

Which jester-like minion in Super Paper Mario betrays his master to seize the Chaos Heart himself?

Dimentio brainwashes Luigi into hosting the Chaos Heart, and even after he is destroyed a remnant of his power keeps the apocalypse running.

Speaking to which minion in chapter 2-2 without a key froze early PAL copies of Super Paper Mario?

Mimi's freeze struck only the English, German and Spanish language settings, and Nintendo of Europe swapped affected discs for patched ones free of charge.

Super Paper Mario's director said each stage 'required the efforts of creating two levels' because of which feature?

2D-to-3D flipping meant director Ryota Kawade's team hid secrets in 3D that were invisible in 2D, so every stage was in effect designed twice.

Which Sticker Star boss got his Royal Sticker simply by accidentally eating it?

Petey Piranha is one of six Royal Sticker bosses, alongside a music-loving Gooper Blooper spewing poison uncontrollably and a snowman who wanted never to melt.

A Club Nintendo survey found under one percent of players interested in which part of Super Paper Mario?

Its plot drew so little interest that the result helped persuade Nintendo to give the next game, Sticker Star, barely any story at all.

Which Color Splash setting loses its colour, summoning Mario with a Toad folded into a letter?

Prism Island's fountain runs on six Big Paint Stars, and the letter-Toad turns out to have been sent by Bowser's own forces as a lure to the island.

Which cheerful origami ally, the villain's own sister, guides Mario through The Origami King?

Olivia was modelled on a Japanese actress, and by the end Tanabe felt she was 'writing her own lines'; her final wish undoes every fold, including herself.

What does Mario carry in a bag in The Origami King to patch the holes torn in its paper world?

Confetti is restocked by hammering the scenery and beating enemies, and most of the holes it patches are left by the giant Paper Macho Soldiers.

The Origami King's villain has folded 999 of which paper figure by the last battle, one short of his goal?

Cranes folded a thousand times over are said to grant a wish, and after the villain's defeat his sister folds him into the last one.

Which Origami King boss has five exposed body parts that must all retract before major damage lands?

The Earth Vellumental is a giant tortoise whose shell shrugs off jump attacks, so Mario must strike its legs, head and tail until each pulls back inside.

Watching whom take up painting gave production director Atsushi Ikuno the idea behind Color Splash?

His children's new hobby became a whole game: Ikuno told producer Kensuke Tanabe, who pitched repainting the world to the developers in 2012.

Which game beat The Origami King to Best Family Game at The Game Awards 2020?

Animal Crossing: New Horizons also took Nintendo Game of the Year at the Golden Joysticks, where Fall Guys beat Paper Mario to Best Family Game.

Which PlayStation rhythm game's flat cut-out look inspired Paper Mario's art director Naohiko Aoyama?

PaRappa the Rapper's paper-thin rapping dog was one influence, alongside cel animation, Disney and Looney Tunes, once producer Hiroyasu Sasano judged that polygons could not bring out the characters' cuteness.

Paper Mario hit China in 2004 on which console that squeezes Nintendo 64 hardware into its controller?

The iQue Player came from a joint venture between Nintendo and engineer Wei Yen, built to get around China's ban on traditional home consoles, and only 14 games ever came out for it.

On which website did fans call for Color Splash to be cancelled after its March 2016 reveal?

Change.org hosted the petition, which also targeted Metroid Prime: Federation Force, yet on release Color Splash earned largely positive reviews for its writing.

What shell colour was Bowser after in Color Splash when he accidentally brewed the toxic black paint?

Rainbow was the goal, but mixing every colour in the fountain produced black paint that possessed him as 'Black Bowser' and drained the island of colour.

Paper Mario's Koopa Bros., four colour-coded brothers guarding a Star Spirit, parody which cartoon team?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are the target: the four Koopas wear red, black, yellow and green ninja gear. They first try to scare Mario off with a fake Bowser suit before fighting him themselves.

Kolorado, the Koopa archaeologist who hunts volcano treasure in Paper Mario, parodies which film hero?

Indiana Jones is the model: Kolorado dresses like him and is even chased by a rolling Spiny Tromp, echoing the boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Both are also named after American states.

Which animal ferries Mario from Toad Town to a tropical island in Paper Mario once he cures its bellyache?

A whale does the job, but only after Mario climbs inside its belly and beats the Fuzzipede bouncing around in there. It then shoots him back out through its blowhole.

What does Luigi keep in a secret basement he built under the brothers' bedroom in Paper Mario?

A diary is what Luigi hides down there, and one page admits he is afraid of ghosts. Another wishes for a starring role, which Luigi's Mansion later delivered.

Which animals populate Paper Mario's Shiver City, where Mario is suspected of murdering the mayor?

Penguins live in Shiver City, and their mayor was never dead: he had fallen and knocked himself out while fetching a gift. It was meant for Herringway, the city's famous mystery novelist.

In Paper Mario, Bowser's forces seal the seven Star Spirits inside which objects, shared among his bosses?

Cards hold the seven Star Spirits, and each one Mario frees teaches him a new Star power for battle. The first lesson is a move called Refresh.

What must Peach make in Paper Mario's castle kitchen so the hungry Gourmet Guy won't report her?

A cake buys his silence: Peach bakes a strawberry one with the ingredients left in her captured castle. The delighted Gourmet Guy then lets slip where the next Star Spirit is being held.

Which playground hand game decides the temple tournaments in Color Splash, watched by cheering Toads?

Rock paper scissors is the whole contest, here renamed Super Roshambo. Mario has to win three rounds against the game's enemies to be crowned champion of a temple.

Which dinosaurs have a village on Paper Mario's Lavalava Island, where their youngsters vanish in the jungle?

Yoshis live there, and Mario must round up their missing kids before the village leader will help him reach the volcano. The young runaways are known as the Fearsome 5.

A stage that folds between Paper Mario settings first appeared in 2014 in which other game series?

Super Smash Bros. gave the series its own stage, which refolds itself mid-fight into scenes from Sticker Star and The Thousand-Year Door. It returned in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in 2018.

Which blue-shelled Koopa, Mario's second partner in Paper Mario, dreams of becoming an archaeologist like his hero?

Kooper is the one, and his hero is the explorer Kolorado. He joins after Mario wins back his stolen shell, which can then be launched at switches and items out of reach.

Which pink Bob-omb, found locked in a fortress cell, blasts open cracked walls as Mario's partner in Paper Mario?

Bombette is the one, recognisable by her ponytail-shaped fuse. She had been jailed for exploding next to the Koopa Bros., and frees Mario by blowing a hole in the cell wall.

Which baby Li'l Sparky, freed from a ghost's lantern in Paper Mario, lights up unlit rooms as Mario's partner?

Watt is the answer, a toddler with a pacifier whom the Shy Guys had been using as a light source. Mario has to beat the Big Lantern Ghost and break his lamp open to let her out.

Which eggshell-wearing young rival ambushes Mario six separate times across Paper Mario, growing stronger each time?

Jr. Troopa is the pest, a young Koopa who never left his egg. It is all revenge for Mario wandering into his playground, and he even swims across the ocean twice to pick another fight.

Which Star Spirit, the first freed in Paper Mario, comes to the unconscious Mario in a vision after Bowser's attack?

Eldstar appears in that vision and is later freed from the Koopa Bros. Fortress. Thought to be the eldest of the seven and their leader, he sports a large white moustache.

Which boss of Paper Mario's Dry Dry Ruins ends his fight being chased away by his own overworked Chomp?

Tutankoopa is the unlucky boss, a wizard with a pharaoh complex who guards the second Star Spirit. His Chomps have grown annoyed with him for working them too hard.

Which Paper Mario boss runs a machine that keeps the Sun from rising over Flower Fields?

Huff N. Puff is the culprit, hiding on Cloudy Climb at the top of a giant beanstalk. Mario has to wreck his Puff Puff Machine before the Sun can return.

Which bouncing pests raid Koopa Village in Paper Mario and steal the shells off its residents?

Fuzzies are the thieves, spiky little creatures that first appeared in Super Mario World. One of them takes the blue shell of the Koopa who becomes Mario's second partner.

What does Paper Mario call the split-second button presses that boost Mario's attacks and soften enemy blows?

Action commands only become available once Peach's Lucky Star pendant is delivered to Mario early in the first game. He tries them out straight away in a fight against a Magikoopa.

Which equippable items give Mario extra moves in Paper Mario, each using up part of a limited points pool?

Badges fill that role, with bonuses that range from new attacks to slowly restoring health mid-battle. Each one costs a set number of Badge Points, so Mario can only wear a few at a time.

Which Toad Town cook in Paper Mario turns Mario's ingredients into new items, improving once he finds her a cookbook?

Tayce T. is the cook, an elderly Toad who made all the food for Peach's guests and escaped the castle when Bowser seized it. A blackboard in Mario's house tracks every recipe found.

Paper Mario's staff credits roll over which celebration, with nearly the whole cast taking part?

A parade fills the credits, and afterwards Mario and Peach watch fireworks from his house. The display keeps going until the console is switched off.

Which accessory, a prize from a castle quiz show, lets Peach copy the appearance of Bowser's guards in Paper Mario?

A parasol does the trick, copying the look of whoever Peach is facing. Her disguise fools the guards but not Bowser's sharp-nosed lieutenant, who notices a peculiar smell.

What happens to Peach's Castle when Bowser's fortress erupts from the ground beneath it as Paper Mario begins?

Lifted into space, the castle stays perched on Bowser's fortress until the Star Spirits set it back down at the end. Mario, thrown out of a window, falls all the way to the ground.

Paper Mario opens with a letter inviting Mario and Luigi to which event at Peach's Castle?

A party is the occasion, with guests from all over the Mushroom Kingdom. Super Mario 64 also opens with a letter from Peach, and her castle here looks much as it did in that game.

Which area must Mario find his way through to reach Boo's Mansion in Paper Mario?

Forever Forest is the maze, and a cowardly Toad guard swears he saw a ghost vanish into it. Mario investigates and meets Bootler, a servant sent to invite him to the mansion.

Paper Mario's K64 train was directly inspired by which train-crossed Mario Kart 64 track?

Kalimari Desert is the source, and Paper Mario's own Dry Dry Desert even shares its name in Japanese. An arrangement of the racetrack's music plays whenever Mario rides the train.

Which studio, best known for the Kirby games, wrote the first story for Paper Mario before another team took over?

HAL Laboratory wrote that early story, back when the project was a Super Mario RPG sequel planned for the 64DD disk drive. Development took about four years in all.

Which egg-hatched farm animals in Paper Mario's Toad Town leave an item behind when an eleventh crowds their pen?

Li'l Oinks are the piglets, bought as eggs for 10 coins each. Their pen holds ten, so buying one more makes the oldest run off and drop an item that matches its colour.

Super Paper Mario was first announced at E3 2006 for which console before development moved to the Wii?

GameCube was the original home: it was meant to be one of the last in-house releases for that console. The switch made it the first Mario game on the Wii, though motion controls were barely used.

Which secretary to Count Bleck hypnotises a captured Luigi into the masked villain Mr. L in Super Paper Mario?

Nastasia does the brainwashing, as she did for most of the count's minions. Luigi returns calling himself the Green Thunder and piloting a home-made robot he names Brobot.

Which hand-shaped Pixl in Super Paper Mario lets the heroes grab enemies and objects?

Thoreau is the grabber, the first Pixl the heroes unlock after their starting guide. His pick-up-and-hurl trick goes back to Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic.

Which game-obsessed chameleon in Super Paper Mario is the Chapter 3 boss, ruling a fort in the retro-styled Bitlands?

Francis is the geek in question, an obsessive collector whose Meowmaids guard his fort. He snatches Mario's Pixl guide with his tongue and holds a second Pixl, Carrie, captive too.

Which gloomy afterlife realm in Super Paper Mario, ruled by the strict Jaydes, is nicknamed 'World -1' by a resident?

The Underwhere is the place, and the nickname nods to the Minus World glitch in the original Super Mario Bros. Those who end up there become ghostly beings called Shaydes.

Which brawny, ginger-bearded minion of Count Bleck speaks with a thick Scottish accent in Super Paper Mario?

O'Chunks is the bruiser, fought four times, more than any other boss in the game. Translators kept the joke going: he has a Roman accent in Italian and an Andalusian one in Spanish.

Which ceremony does Count Bleck force on Bowser and Peach in Super Paper Mario to summon the Chaos Heart?

A wedding is the trigger: a book of prophecy says the union of the two will summon the Chaos Heart. The story ends with a second marriage that undoes the damage.

Which ever-growing dimensional hole, created by the Chaos Heart, threatens to swallow every world in Super Paper Mario?

The Void is the hole, and it grows large enough to wipe out one whole world before the heroes can stop it. Its creator means to erase a flawed universe and build a perfect one.

Which handheld system got Sticker Star in 2012, the first Paper Mario game not made for a home console?

Nintendo 3DS was its home, and the small touchscreen shaped the design. On Wii U its sequel could finally let players sort their attacks by touch, which the smaller screen had ruled out.

Sticker Star's World 4 boss Mizzter Blizzard is what kind of figure, who wished for a body that would never melt?

A snowman is right: he was an ordinary Mr. Blizzard melting away as spring arrived. A Royal Sticker revived him, and he hides inside a snow statue of Bowser before the fight.

Which gang of Bowser's underlings, Wendy and Ludwig among them, serve as the main bosses of Paper Mario: Color Splash?

The Koopalings are the bosses, and six of them each guard a Big Paint Star. Lemmy is the fussiest: he takes two special items to beat, a disco ball to distract him and an ice pick to pop his ball.

What do the Slurp Guys of Color Splash carry in their mouths to suck the colour out of everything they find?

Straws are the tool, and the manual says only the best Shy Guys earn one, after training with sit-ups, jogging and dancing. When Mario falls in battle, six of them drain his colour too.

Which tool does Mario swing in Color Splash to splash paint onto the colourless spots drained from its world?

A hammer does the painting, loaded with red, yellow and blue paint that Mario refills by whacking scenery. Collecting hammer scraps raises how much paint he can carry.

Battles in The Origami King scatter enemies across an arena built from which movable shapes?

Rings make up the arena: four of them, cut into twelve slots. Mario stands in the middle with only a few moves and a short timer to line his enemies up.

Which group of giant bosses guards the ends of the streamers in The Origami King?

Legion of Stationery is the name, and its members were ordinary craft tools until the villain enlarged them and brought them to life. A sixth member, Stapler, acts as his personal guard.

Which area of The Origami King features a teahouse, a theatre and a House of Riddles?

Shogun Studios is the park, modelled on real Japanese attractions such as Edo Wonderland and Toei Kyoto Studio Park. Mario arrives by river, travelling downstream from Autumn Mountain.

Which insect-starring indie RPG did designer Jose Fernando Gracia model on the first two Paper Mario games?

Bug Fables is the homage, and Gracia says its battle system was simple enough to recreate. Matching the older games' sense of humour, he found, was the harder job.

Which robotic dragon guards a Pure Heart at the end of Yold Ruins as the first world boss of Super Paper Mario?

Fracktail is the guardian, a machine that has protected the heart for 1,500 years. It is about to let Mario pass when one of the count's minions short-circuits it with a spell.

What plain name do Sticker Star and Color Splash give realistic household objects, such as a fan, that become attacks?

Things is the official term, and they stand out because nothing else in those worlds looks real. In Sticker Star each one must be flattened at a Sling-a-Thing stand before use.

Which book of prophecies does Count Bleck follow in Super Paper Mario as he sets out to end all worlds?

Dark Prognosticus is the book, and the opening narration warns that nobody who owned it ever found happiness. Whole countries are said to have fallen in wars over it.

Which squid boss in Sticker Star, a music lover at heart, cannot stop releasing poison after gaining a Royal Sticker?

Gooper Blooper is the reluctant menace, happiest when playing music with his fellow Bloopers. He first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine, and its boss theme has followed him around since.