Koopalings
Encyclopedia
The , also called the Koopa Kids, are a group of seven fictional characters in Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....

's Mario series
Mario (series)
The video game series, alternatively called the series or simply the series, is a series of highly popular and critically acclaimed video games by Nintendo, featuring Nintendo's mascot Mario and, in many games, his brother Luigi. Gameplay in the series often centers around jumping on and...

 of video games. Their names are Ludwig von Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, Roy Koopa, Iggy Koopa, Wendy O. Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr. and Larry Koopa. They first appeared in the NES
Nes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...

 game Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3
, also referred to as Super Mario 3 and SMB3, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the third game in the Super Mario series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, in the United States in 1990, and in Europe in 1991...

, and again in the Super NES games Super Mario World
Super Mario World
, subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 for its original Japanese release, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the fourth game in the Super Mario series...

and Yoshi's Safari
Yoshi's Safari
Yoshi's Safari, known in Japan as is a video game made for the Super NES in 1993.Yoshi's Safari takes advantage of the Super Nintendo's mode 7 capability, which allows backgrounds to be transformed by rotating or stretching it.-Gameplay:...

. Following these appearances, however, they were not seen in any major roles until 15 years after Yoshi's Safari in the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...

 game New Super Mario Bros. Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
is a 2009 side-scrolling platform video game published and developed by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released on November 12, 2009 in Australia, November 15, 2009 in North America, November 20, 2009 in Europe and December 3, 2009 in Japan...

. They were originally conceived as a replacement for recurring appearances of series villain Bowser; series creator Shigeru Miyamoto
Shigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer and producer. Miyamoto was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture; the natural surroundings of Kyoto inspired much of Miyamoto's later work....

 tasked the designers of Super Mario Bros. 3 with creating Koopalings, and the seven best designs were chosen as the basis for the characters. Their names and appearances are based on music, particularly rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...

.

They have made several appearances in other media, most notably in the cartoon The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 is an American animated television series based on the video game Super Mario Bros. 3. It aired on NBC with Captain N: The Game Master in a programming block titled Captain N & The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 from September 8, 1990 through December 1,...

, which featured entirely different names for the Koopalings due to them not having official names by the time of its airing. Since Super Mario Bros. 3, they have received positive reception, with critics citing them for adding variety to the series' villains compared to when the series merely featured Bowser multiple times. Critics bemoaned the lack of the Koopalings in many games, commenting on how it has taken more than 15 years for them to get another major appearance, as well as criticizing Bowser Jr. for replacing them.

Concept and creation

The Koopalings were conceived by various game designers who were challenged to come up with new bosses for Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3
, also referred to as Super Mario 3 and SMB3, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the third game in the Super Mario series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, in the United States in 1990, and in Europe in 1991...

; the favourite designs were chosen for the seven Koopalings. Most of the Koopalings have wild punk
Punk fashion
Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewelry, and body modifications of the punk subculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including...

 hairstyles and are named after musicians. Iggy Koopa's name comes from Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...

; Morton Koopa, Jr.'s name comes from Morton Downey, Jr.
Morton Downey, Jr.
Morton Downey, Jr. was an American singer, songwriter and later a television talk show host of the 1980s who pioneered the "trash TV" format on his program The Morton Downey Jr. Show....

, while the scar star on his eye is based on KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...

 guitarist Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...

's makeup; Lemmy Koopa's name comes from Lemmy Kilmister
Lemmy Kilmister
Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister is an English heavy metal musician....

 of Motörhead; Ludwig Von Koopa's name and hairstyle comes from Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...

; Roy Koopa's name comes from Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...

, as do his horn-rimmed glasses; Wendy O. Koopa's name comes from Wendy O. Williams
Wendy O. Williams
Wendy Orlean Williams , better known as Wendy O. Williams, was the lead singer for the American punk band the Plasmatics, as well as a solo artist...

; and Larry Koopa's name comes from Larry King
Larry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....

. The names of the Koopalings in the DiC
DIC
- Science :* Differential interference contrast microscopy, an illumination technique in optical microscopy* Diisopropylcarbodiimide, a reagent in organic chemistry* Digital Integrating Computer, a digital implementation of a Differential Analyzer...

-made The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 is an American animated television series based on the video game Super Mario Bros. 3. It aired on NBC with Captain N: The Game Master in a programming block titled Captain N & The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 from September 8, 1990 through December 1,...

show were made due to the fact that at the time, none of the Koopalings had names yet, requiring them to name them themselves.

Appearances

The Koopalings first appeared in the NES
Nes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...

 video game, Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3
, also referred to as Super Mario 3 and SMB3, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the third game in the Super Mario series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, in the United States in 1990, and in Europe in 1991...

, where they each conquer one of seven kingdoms in the Mushroom World, transform their kings into various creatures, and steal their wands. After being defeated, they would again appear in the Super NES video game Super Mario World
Super Mario World
, subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 for its original Japanese release, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the fourth game in the Super Mario series...

, where each Koopaling captured a Yoshi
Yoshi
, is a fictional dragon-like character who appears in video games published by Nintendo. His debut was in Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi's sidekick , and he later established his own series with several platform and puzzle games, including Super...

 egg and lay in wait in a castle in each of the game's seven worlds. They have also made appearances in other Mario titles, including Hotel Mario
Hotel Mario
Hotel Mario is a puzzle game developed by Fantasy Factory and published by Philips Interactive Media and Nintendo for the CD-i in 1994. The primary character of the game is Mario, who must find Princess Toadstool by going through seven Koopa hotels in the Mushroom Kingdom. Every hotel is divided...

, Yoshi's Safari
Yoshi's Safari
Yoshi's Safari, known in Japan as is a video game made for the Super NES in 1993.Yoshi's Safari takes advantage of the Super Nintendo's mode 7 capability, which allows backgrounds to be transformed by rotating or stretching it.-Gameplay:...

, and Mario is Missing!. Since Hotel Mario, they had been absent in the series until the 2003 Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...

 video game Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, known in Japan as , is a role-playing game developed by AlphaDream and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance in 2003...

, where they served as mini-bosses under Fawful and Bowletta. Though they were intended to have appeared in Super Princess Peach
Super Princess Peach
is a platform video game published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It was released in Japan in October 2005, the United States in February 2006, Australia in March 2006, and Europe in May 2006....

, but they were ultimately removed from the game. When Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...

 brought up the Koopa Kids and why they weren't in the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...

 game Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy
is a 3D platform game developed by Nintendo EAD Tokyo and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It was released in most regions in November 2007, and is the third 3D original platformer in the Mario series, after Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. The game follows the protagonist, Mario, on a...

, director Yoshiaki Koizumi
Yoshiaki Koizumi
is a Japanese video game designer, director and producer. A graduate from the Visual Concept Planning Department of Osaka University of Arts, he has been working at Nintendo Co., Ltd. since 1991. He is known for his work on the Mario and The Legend of Zelda game series.-Works:-References:...

 commented that he didn't feel that they fit in it well. Aside from brief mentions and a cameo appearance of one of the Koopalings in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...

, they once again were absent in the series until the 2009 release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
is a 2009 side-scrolling platform video game published and developed by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released on November 12, 2009 in Australia, November 15, 2009 in North America, November 20, 2009 in Europe and December 3, 2009 in Japan...

, acting in a similar capacity to their roles in their first two games.

In other media

In the animated cartoon series The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 is an American animated television series based on the video game Super Mario Bros. 3. It aired on NBC with Captain N: The Game Master in a programming block titled Captain N & The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 from September 8, 1990 through December 1,...

by DiC, the original seven Koopalings are given different names based on their given personalities. Their ages are also changed. From oldest to youngest, they are Bully Koopa (Roy), Big Mouth Koopa (Morton), Kooky Von Koopa (Ludwig), Cheatsy Koopa (Larry), Kootie Pie Koopa (Wendy), and Hip and Hop Koopa (Lemmy and Iggy respectively). After this, they appear in the animated cartoon series Super Mario World
Super Mario World (TV series)
Super Mario World was a short-lived animated television series loosely based on the Super NES video game of the same name. It was the third and thus far last Saturday morning cartoon based on the Super Mario Bros. NES and Super NES series of video games...

with the same names, though they more closely resemble their portrayals in the video games. Aside from their names and personalities, they look slightly different and serve their father King Koopa (as Bowser was called in the series) differently compared to their video game counterparts. Instead of acting as minions, they act directly as his children, and do things such as seek his attention, and even plot against him. They also appear in a 1989 Mario anime OVA, the Nintendo Adventure Books
Nintendo Adventure Books
-Nintendo Adventure Books:The Nintendo Adventure Book series was published from 1991 to 1992 by Archway books, and Mammoth books in the United Kingdom. There are twelve in all. They are formatted like the popular Choose Your Own Adventure books, where the reader makes decisions that change the...

, and comic books.

Reception

Since their appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3
, also referred to as Super Mario 3 and SMB3, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the third game in the Super Mario series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, in the United States in 1990, and in Europe in 1991...

, the Koopalings have had mostly positive reception, being referred to by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....

 as common knowledge of the Mario series due to their appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3. Their popularity amongst fans led to them being reused for the Super NES sequel, Super Mario World
Super Mario World
, subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 for its original Japanese release, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the fourth game in the Super Mario series...

. Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...

 listed each Koopaling as one of the reasons to love Nintendo, describing them as some of Nintendo's most beloved villains. They cited their eccentric designs for the quality of their personalities. The Koopalings were named the 19th best Mario villains by GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...

. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...

 editor Henry Gilbert described the battle at the end of each world in Super Mario Bros. 3 as a "special affair"; he also praised them for adding variety to the series compared to Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...

, which featured Bowser as the last boss of each castle. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

 editor Lucas M. Thomas echoed these sentiments, stating that the Koopalings brought their own looks, mannerisms, and methods of attack. Specifically, he described the battle with Lemmy Koopa in Super Mario Bros. 3 as unique and memorable, while also describing Ludwig Von Koopa's battle in Super Mario World
Super Mario World
, subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 for its original Japanese release, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the fourth game in the Super Mario series...

as distinct from the others. Fellow IGN editor Jesse Schedeen featured the Koopalings in the "Big Boss of the Day" feature, describing them as popular bosses in video games.

Joystiq
Joystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...

 editor James Ransom-Wiley called their reappearance in New Super Mario Bros. Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
is a 2009 side-scrolling platform video game published and developed by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released on November 12, 2009 in Australia, November 15, 2009 in North America, November 20, 2009 in Europe and December 3, 2009 in Japan...

a welcome addition, stating that it should boost the quality of the bosses. Fellow Joystiq editor JC Fletcher described them as a draw for New Super Mario Bros. Wii for some fans, also praising the three dimensional designs of the Koopalings. During an interview with Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy
is a 3D platform game developed by Nintendo EAD Tokyo and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It was released in most regions in November 2007, and is the third 3D original platformer in the Mario series, after Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. The game follows the protagonist, Mario, on a...

director Yoshiaki Koizumi
Yoshiaki Koizumi
is a Japanese video game designer, director and producer. A graduate from the Visual Concept Planning Department of Osaka University of Arts, he has been working at Nintendo Co., Ltd. since 1991. He is known for his work on the Mario and The Legend of Zelda game series.-Works:-References:...

, Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...

 noted that they were hoping for the Koopalings to return in it. Destructoid
Destructoid
Destructoid is an independent video game-focused blog based in San Francisco, California that was founded in March 2006. It has since grown into one of the most widely read video game sites on the Internet, reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month...

 editor Conrad Zimmerman stated that the Koopalings were his favourite characters from Super Mario Bros. 3, and added that with regard to the musical references in the Koopalings' names, he doubted that anything similar would be seen in this day and age. GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...

editor Ryan Scott listed the Koopalings as one of the reasons why Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World were quality video games. He also praised New Super Mario Bros. Wii for the inclusion of the Koopalings. The GameSpy staff listed the Koopalings as some of their favorite bosses, stating that they have much more charm than their "dopey successor", Bowser Jr.
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