Who would’ve thought an Italian plumber would become one of the most iconic characters in video games? For over 30 years,Mariohas defeated Bowser and foiled his plans to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnapping Princess Peach countless times. While Mario explores many different worlds throughout the series, the Mushroom Kingdom remains the primary setting of the games.
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Throughout the series, the Mushroom Kingdom has experienced a variety of changes. From adding new inhabitants to advancements in technology, the Mushroom Kingdom has grown with each new video game appearance. We examine the rich history of the Mushroom Kingdom and take a look into the surrounding areas, inhabitants, and workings of Mario’s home.
Home Sweet Home
Known as the Most Famous of All Kingdoms, the Mushroom Kingdom is primarilyhome to the Mushroom People, also known asToads, as well as other species. The kingdom’s government is an establishedmonarchyruled by Princess Peach. She does have a father, theMushroom King, but he’s only shown up in the originalSuper Mario Bros.game, the Nintendo Adventure books, and the Super Mario manga.
According to Leaping Lizards, one of the Nintendo Adventure books, the Mushroom Kingdom isburied deep beneath the Earth’s surface, which explains why Mario and Luigi can access it through theWarp Pipes. These large, green pipes are the main method of transportation throughout the kingdom.
The Mushroom Kingdom is often divided intoeight different themed worldswith unique environments: Plains, Desert, Islands, Forest, Sky, Mountains, Tundra, and Volcano. Within each of these worlds, there are several named locations, likePeach’s Castle, Goomba Village, and Toad Town.
The kingdom’s geographical appearance changes constantly; inSuper Mario Odyssey, the Mushroom Kingdom was depicted as amushroom-shaped island,but in the Illumination-produced Mario movie it’s aspacious land mass with giant mushrooms and other floating pieces of land.
Invasions
In nearly every Mario adventure, the Mushroom Kingdom is under fire fromBowser and the Koopa Kingdom. King Koopa used to invade the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnap Princess Peach to seize territories and rule the world, but that slowly changed into agrowing romanceon his end. Besides Bowser, the Mushroom Kingdom has also been invaded by theBlorbs, Shroobs, and Dark Star.
Over many years, different inhabitants have migrated to the Mushroom Kingdom. Other than Toads, we’ve seenKoopa Troopas, Goombas, Yoshis, Boos, and Shy Guysall call the kingdom their new home. Whether it’s a result of Bowser attacking other lands, all of these different inhabitants havelived together peacefully.
These new inhabitants also broughtnew technologiesto the kingdom, like aerial and aquatic transportation units, handheld communication devices, and modern infrastructure. Although Bowser has tried on numerous occasions to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom, the realm will forever beprotected by Marioand the many others who reside there.
Appearances Through The Years
Similar to the kingdom of Hyrule in theZeldaseries, the Mushroom Kingdomchanges with each new appearance. Some changes may be more prominent than others, but there isn’t the same kingdom in multiple games.
InPaper Mario, the capital of the kingdom is Toad Town but changes to Peach’s Castle in Odyssey, even though Peach’s Castle made its debut appearance inSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Although Toad Town’s capital status was revoked, Mario and Luigi visit this location frequently, either learning basic skills inSuperstar Sagaor traveling to the town in the past as babies inPartners in Time.
In most games, the Mushroom Kingdom mainly serves as ahub world or a place for Mario to gather informationon where to find Peach and defeat Bowser.Super Mario 64andPaper Mariowere the only instances where Bowser decided to trap Peach within her castle, instead of taking her somewhere else. The Mushroom Kingdom has been depicted as both asprawling kingdomwith many different environments to asingular citywith a bustling marketplace.
Besides the main Super Mario games, the Mushroom Kingdom has frequently appeared in theSuper Smash Bros.series as a fighting stage. The stage has changed from game to game with the addition ofPiranha Plants and Wrap Pipes. Peach’s Castle, specifically, has also appeared in a variety ofMario Kartgames either in the background oras an actual course. But no matter how the Mushroom Kingdom is depicted in the Mario series, it remains one of the most iconic settings in video game history.
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