When a franchise has survived the test of time the way theMarioseries has, it’s only natural that sometimes a character’s appearance will evolve alongside the series over the course of decades. Back when developers only had a limited color palette to work with, designs needed to be simple, but as theMariogames stretch into the modern era, some of those simple designs almost seem unrecognizable today.
As Nintendo brings Mario and friends onto yet another new console, some have noticed that their designs have been tweaked slightly. Although it affects some characters more than others, the whole roster seems to have been given a more cartoonish makeover. This change is small, though, compared to what some characters have gone through. A recent Twitter post pointed out thatPrincess Peach’s design has changed drasticallyover the years, including fan art that shows what the original design of Peach might look like today. But she isn’t the onlyMariocharacter whose design has undergone significant changes over the years.
How and Why the Designs of Mario’s Friends and Foes Have Changed
Donkey Kong
Probably still in recent memory for many fans, Donkey Kong received a significant redesign forMario Kart Worldand his upcoming title,Donkey Kong Bananza. Fans have been divided over the choice, with some preferring the older style, while others defend the decision to take the character in a different direction. The first major leap in DK’s appearance was when he made the transition from 2D to 3D, with Rare being responsible for his model. The design Rare used had been polished, but not drastically changed fromDonkey Kong 64’s version untilBananza. When asked about the change,Shigeru Miyamoto explained that it was to allow Donkey Kong to be more expressive. His larger eyes and more pronounced mouth allow the character to create a much greater range of facial expressions.
Wario
Wario’s history is an unusual one for theMariofranchise. His first appearance as the villain ofSuper Mario Land 2was somewhat rough. It was clear that he was meant to be an ‘evil’ version of Mario, but beyond that concept, he looks almost like a bad caricature of his counterpart with an exaggeratedly large nose, head, eyes, and body.
By the timeWario Land 2rolled around, he had become more defined with better proportions, a more defined silhouette, and his iconic yellow and purple color palette. This is still Wario’s main design, but the firstWarioWaregame introduced an alternate outfit in the form of a biker costume. This design would go on to be the main outfit for Wario in theSmash Bros.games, as well as inspiring the use of his motorcycle as an attack. It’s unclear why exactly he was given the biker design when his classic design is still in use, but the change of wardrobe in some ofWario’s many gamesstill sets the character apart.
Bowser
Bowser’s in-game design has remained pretty consistent since his debut in the originalSuper Mario Bros., but a look at that game’s box art tells the story of a very different design the character almost had. When planning for the firstMario Bros.game, Shigeru Miyamoto had wanted Bowser to be an Ox. It was later pointed out to him, though, that since the other Koopa enemies are turtles, Bowser should be a turtle as well. Miyamoto ultimately agreed, so the sprite in the game looks mostly turtle-like, but since Miyamoto also created the game’s box art himself, his vision for the character still reflects some aspect of the Ox-inspired enemy the villain almost became. AlthoughBowser has taken on many formsover the years, none of them have much resemblance to his box art design, as the look fans have come to love has become an icon of the franchise.
TheMariogames are constantly evolving and changing, and that’s part of what fans love about the franchise. All thebeloved characters of Mario’s universehave been so painstakingly designed to reflect what developers want players to feel for them. So, while designs might change over time, it’s often for good reason, as the games change along with them.
