The Biggest Mario Character Design Changes

Summary

• Character designs in Mario games have remained largely consistent over the years.
• Some characters, like Daisy and Peach, have undergone significant visual changes.
• Thwomps have taken a long time to find their design groove, while Bowser’s look has remained iconic.

While the art styles in the various Mario games have gradually changed over the years, the majority of the characters haven’t seen much visual difference between their first and most recent incarnations. You know how it is; you find a look that works, you stick with it. Makeovers are expensive.

But there have been a few figures in Nintendo’s flagship series that went through a few redesigns before arriving where you know and love them now. Some are more subtle than others, but you’ve got to respect a good fashion journey.

9

Daisy

• First Appearance: Super Mario Land (1989)

Daisy’s current look is miles removed from how she first looked in-game in Super Mario Land for the Game Boy. But looking at her actual character design at the time, she’s kept a lot more of her look over the years than you might have realized.

Even so, there have been some substantial changes. Her dress design has become a bit more intricate, for one. But most notably, her hairstyle has been shortened significantly, and her facial expression now has a lot more character to it, both matching the much more outgoing and rough-and-tumble personality Daisy has developed in the decades since.

8

Mario

• First Appearance: Donkey Kong (1981)

Mario’s current look has only seen minor variations over the last couple of decades, to the point where you probably didn’t even notice that the Mario Kart 9 teaser revealed yet another new design for him. Incremental change is still change, but it’s the big stuff you remember. People still refer to Mario as a rather squat little plumber, but he’s been a little more trim for decades now.

Looking back at Mario’s first few appearances in Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong, they basically look like legally distinct knockoffs that Nintendo would nevertheless still try to sue over. Ironically, unlike Daisy, Mario’s in-game look in both of those titles actually matches his current look more closely than the official artwork from those games.

7

Peach

• First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. (1985)

Talk about a glow-up. Peach started out not only with the arguably less flattering name of Princess Toadstool, but she was also the short one between her and Mario. Not only that, but her hair color was simply all over the place. She’s got light brown hair in the artwork, she’s a redhead in-game (granted, the NES color palette can only do so much). Absolutely zero consistency.

It didn’t take long, though. In fact, much of the artwork for the original Super Mario Bros. is remarkably similar to how she looks today, with the pink dress, blue gem, and golden hair. But artists and game developers apparently didn’t manage to agree on a set design for her until the ’90s, when what is basically her current design was essentially set in stone.

6

Yoshi

• First Appearance: Super Mario World (1990)

Can you imagine if Yoshi still looked the way he used to? He’d look real weird in all of his solo games, since his Super Mario World design was specifically made to accommodate being ridden by Mario.

Thankfully, he’s become much shorter and rounder since then, cementing his status as his own dinosaur. Yoshi’s newer, more well-known look establishes him as more than just a mount, but he still retains his saddle-like shell and is more than happy to haul Mario around when needed. Still, maybe the Yoshis should unionize.

5

Donkey Kong

• First Appearance: Donkey Kong (1981)

You’d think there would only be so many distinctive ways to design an ape. They tend to be ‘gorilla’ and ‘also gorilla.’ But long before the Planet of the Apes reboot movies proved that idea spectacularly wrong, Nintendo and Rare demonstrated that there were at least two.

Donkey Kong Country establishes that the original Donkey Kong is actually Cranky Kong. But just forget about that for the next minute or so, please.

Donkey Kong’s original look in his self-titled arcade game remains iconic, and you most likely recognize his in-game sprite even if his artwork doesn’t ring any bells. But then, Rare’s new visual take for the Donkey Kong Country games turned into basically his default look, which is still around and even inspires further redesigns like you saw in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

4

Thwomps

• First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)

It’s kind of wild to think about, but the vast majority of Mario enemies still bear a striking resemblance to their original designs. Goombas, Koopa Troopas, those spiky black balls with the big eyes that haunt your dreams, they’re all pretty consistent. But Thwomps have weirdly taken a long time to find their groove.

In Super Mario Bros. 3, they had a pretty cool look with an angry blue face surrounded by spikes. Then the 3D games just made them big blue blocks, trading their cool looks for probably the best sound effect ever to come out of the Mario games. Now, they’re not even blue, but they’re way angrier, which is the most relatable character development you could ask for.

3

Bowser

• First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. (1985)

Bowser really had an uphill battle ahead of him after Super Mario Bros. When you look like that, and are barely any taller than the tiny version of your nemesis, who’s going to take you seriously as a conqueror? Don’t even mention the artwork for the game, one of which made him resemble a punk rock goth child of Bebop and Rocksteady.

Luckily for him, it didn’t take long for Nintendo to decide on the memorable look (and oddly variable size) you know him for. There have been some minor tweaks here and there since then, but the perfect color scheme of green, red, and yellow/orange remain, clashing shockingly well with his spiked cuffs that are possibly the most enduring part of his whole vibe.

2

Luigi

• First Appearance: Mario Bros. (1983)

There was a time when Luigi’s entire character trait was “he’s green.” Some modern games poke fun at him being “Green Mario,” but it admittedly hits harder when you lived through it.

Back in the day, Luigi was just a palette swap of Mario. But Super Mario Bros. 2 introduced the idea of him not only being a tall boy, but also having a better jump than Mario. While he would go on to gain more character traits, like being relatably scared of everything, the look established in that particular game is the one that’s been iterated on ever since.

1

Pauline

• First Appearance: Donkey Kong (1981)

It’s hard to think of anyone who’s seen a more substantial visual change in the Mario series than Pauline. In her first appearance in Donkey Kong, not only was she completely unrecognizable with her hair and dress color compared to her more recent design, but she was simply called “Lady”, which really isn’t the ideal way to refer to a romantic interest.

After Donkey Kong, Pauline wasn’t seen for a while. But after a few minor roles in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games, she made her grand return as Mayor Pauline of New Donk City with an evolved version of her new hair and color palette from those games. This launched her into the fandom’s good graces, and she’s been playable in several titles since with a few tweaks to her now quite memorable appearance.