50 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.

Which Super Mario RPG studio turned down Paper Mario because it was busy with Final Fantasy VII?

Square was tied up making Final Fantasy VII for Sony's PlayStation, so Nintendo's Fire Emblem studio took the project and the planned sequel became 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 asked Sticker Star's team 'It's fine without a story, so do we really need 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 between Mario and his partner, while Star Points are the experience that levels him up and Badge Points cap how many badges he can wear.

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 guards the third Star Spirit, and once his heart is beaten the bully is reduced to fleeing from the Boos he used to eat.

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 out as a minion sent to stop Mario, switching sides to impress 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 grieving Bob-omb sailor 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.

What is the largest audience that can fill the seats at The Thousand-Year Door's theatrical battles?

200 seats open up as Mario levels, from a starting cap of 50, and a good show makes the crowd throw helpful items while a bad one has them leave or hurl objects.

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.

Nintendo Life found the 2024 Thousand-Year Door remake runs at what frame rate, half the original's?

30 frames per second replaced the GameCube's 60, a downgrade critics noted but said did not hurt the play, and the remake still sold 1.76 million copies within six weeks of launch.

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

Flipside's dimensional doors lead to every world, and its mirror image 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.

How many Pure Hearts does Super Paper Mario demand before Mario can face Count Bleck?

Eight Pure Hearts are needed to counter the Chaos Heart, and the Void still swallows one whole world before the set is complete.

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.

Which director of Super Paper Mario said one stage 'required the efforts of creating two levels'?

Ryota Kawade hid secrets in 3D that were invisible in 2D, so every level was designed twice, and he pitched the dimension-flipping idea to producer Kensuke Tanabe himself.

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 what share of players liked Super Paper Mario's plot, Tanabe said?

One percent or fewer found the plot interesting, a figure Nintendo used to justify gutting Sticker Star's narrative to almost nothing.

Which composer, also behind Fire Emblem's scores, wrote every original piece in the first Paper Mario?

Yuka Tsujiyoko wrote all of the game's compositions, with Koji Kondo's classic Mario themes rearranged inside them, and the soundtrack came out in Japan on two discs.

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

Prism Island runs on six Big Paint Stars, and the letter-Toad turns out to have been sent by Bowser himself to lure Mario there.

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 fills every gap, and it is joined by the 1000-Fold Arms, which let Mario peel back scenery, and a museum that displays the treasures he digs up.

Which amnesiac Bob-omb in The Origami King finds his lost fuse and lights it to free a trapped friend?

Bobby was the first partner designed for the game, and his fuse turns up aboard the ocean liner The Princess Peach before he uses it on the boulder pinning his friend.

How many cranes has The Origami King's villain folded by the last battle, one short of his goal?

999 cranes leave him one short of the thousand said to grant a wish, and after his defeat his sister folds him into the thousandth.

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

The Earth Vellumental is fought on the ring arena's boss layout, where Mario rides the rotating rings along arrows to reach attack and magic-circle tiles.

Watching whom take up painting gave Nintendo's 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 was a joint venture between Nintendo and engineer Wei Yen to dodge 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.