Mushroom Kingdom
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The Mushroom Kingdom (Japanese:キノコ王国) is a fictional setting in the Super Mario Bros. video game series where most of the games take place. It is a monarchy and its head of state and ruler is either Princess Peach (in most games) or King Toadstool (in the Mario comics and movie). The Chancellor of the kingdom is its head of government in Super Mario RPG. Its capital, as set forth by Paper Mario, is Toad Town. Though Princess Peach is human (at least partially), the citizens of this area are the mushroom-like Toads.
The Mushroom Kingdom is often tormented by the Koopa Kingdom. Bowser, King of the Koopas, has kidnapped Princess Peach more than ten times. Initially, it was because she had the power to undo Bowser's handiwork, but in recent games he has developed romantic feelings for the princess. This can be best seen in the original Paper Mario. Games in the Mario series often suggest that the Mushroom Kingdom is a rival of Bowser's domain, the Koopa Kingdom. The Koopa Kingdom has been glimpsed at least three times as the last worlds in Super Mario Bros. 3, , and New Super Mario Bros., though several maps and tracks from the Mario Kart and Mario Party series take place here as well.
Government
Super Mario Bros. 3 takes place in the "Mushroom World," a collection of eight different kingdoms ruled by independent kings. In the Mario comic books, the physical appearance of King Toadstool is based on that of the king of Grassland, which is why some people equate it with the Mushroom Kingdom. However it's unclear what the precise relationship is. The instruction manual for the game states that Bowser had taken over the Mushroom Kingdom, and that the Mushroom Kingdom is a gateway to the Mushroom World, but this is never elaborated upon in Super Mario Bros. 3 or in any other games. Another theory is that the Mushroom Kingdom and Mushroom World are one and the same, and that the eight lands are all unified under the Mushroom Kingdom, with Princess Peach and/or her father as the primary ruler.Landscape
The Mushroom Kingdom has been re-vamped several times over the course of the Mario games. In Super Mario Bros., for example, the Mushroom Kingdom encompassed 24 different levels of varying terrain. Super Mario Bros. 3 expanded on this concept by adding topography to the kingdom through means of a map screen. This would later be reused in New Super Mario Bros. In any case, the Mushroom Kingdom is comprised of eight different landscapes:
- Plains (Grass Land) - Usually the first terrain the player must traverse: the overall geography recalls a prairie with rolling hills. Princess Peach's castle is usually located here.
- Desert - With its sandy dunes, pyramids, and sphinxes, this land has an Egyptian theme, specifically recalling the area around the Giza plateau.
- Islands - The map spreads out across several islands or peninsulas, and is water-themed. Some of the levels are completely underwater.
- Forest - Set in a backdrop of trees. Many of the levels contain multiple exits and are maze-like in structure. In some games such as Super Mario Bros. 3, it is a forest of pipes, not trees.
- Sky - Set high above the clouds. Flight is required in many of the levels.
- Mountains - Many of the levels are vertical as opposed to being horizontal and in some cases, climbing is essential. Sometimes, the level is set in a mountain range (New Super Mario Bros.), or on one summit ("Tall, Tall Mountain" from Super Mario 64). In Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario 64, similarly-themed worlds were based on this land featuring oversized enemies or pipes (Giant Land and "Tiny-Huge Island", respectively).
- Ice/Snow - Arctic-themed lands where traction is difficult due to the slippery ice.
- Volcano/Canyon - A bleak territory that is home to Bowser. The sky is perpetually dark and in some cases, there is abundant lava that adds much more difficulty to the level. Enemies suh as Dry Bones are seen here. This is technically not considered part of the Mushroom Kingdom, but is nonetheless an area that must be cleared. Bowser's Castle is always located here.
The games do not follow these landscape variants exactly, but still are recurring themes in the Mario series. For example, even though Super Mario World was set in Dinosaur Land, its geography was very similar to the Mushroom Kingdom's. The paintings that led to the different levels in Super Mario 64 followed this idea as well.
The Mushroom Kingdom reappeared in Super Mario RPG, where was depicted as a single city. Paper Mario reversed this trend by considering the entire game world as different parts of the Kingdom and naming the city "Toad Town". It should also be noted that Princess Peach's castle has changed appearances both internally and externally with almost every new game it appears in. Mario Kart Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS has implied that there are metropolitan cities in it, and the Mario Golf series has implied that there are humans as well, though they appear to be a minority.
Transportation
The main mode of transportation in the Mushroom Kingdom has been said to be through warp pipes. The range of these warp zones vary in length: some pipes merely travel a short distance (such as over and underground), while some pipes are linked to entirely different worlds. However, the Mario Kart series opened up the concept of automobiles and highways (not just karts) in the Mushroom Kingdom (Toad's Turnpike, Mushroom City, etc.), so it an unclear issue. Flight is also possible, as many non-human inhabitants of the kingdom are capable of flying. Some have the natural ability while Mario and Luigi would need flight-enabling powerups. Aquatic transportation is usually covered by swimming, but gondolas (SMB3) and submarines (SM64) have been seen as well.
Warp cannons were recently introduced in New Super Mario Bros., that blast the player to another world. They are similar to the warp pipes found in previous games.
Specific Locations in the Mushroom Kingdom
The following is a list of many of the areas on the same planet as the Mushroom Kingdom:- Beanbean Kingdom, setting of
- Crocodile Isle, island stronghold of King K. Rool and his Kremling hordes in ''
- Diamond City, a rich and large town that is home of Wario and his games company, Wario Ware Inc.
- Dinosaur Land, a set of islands including Yoshi Island. Dinosaur land is the setting of Super Mario World. Sometimes called "Dinosaur Island" in the GBA port of the game.
- Donkey Kong Island, the setting of Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong 64 (This, along with the other Donkey Kong Country regions, is disputed by some fans.)
- Dream Depot, the setting for "Mario Party 5" created from people's dreams. Locales of note include Sweet Dream and Bowser Nightmare.
- Dry Dry Desert, a barren desert in the south. Home to the ghostly Tutankoopa and the mysterious mouse, Moustafa.
- Feral Home of Conker and Berri, as well as the Panther King. (Disputed, as in same world as DK Island)
- Forever Forest, a haunted area in the east that houses the boo duchess Lady Bow and the all-mighty Tubba Blubba.
- Gritzy Desert, another desert located to the north-east. Home of the Koopeaseum.
- Hollijolli Village, a snowy and peaceful village that seemingly celebrates Christmas all year.
- Isle Delfino, the tropical setting of Super Mario Sunshine
- Isle o' Hags Home of Banjo and Kazooie from the Banjo-Kazooie series. (Disputed, as in same world as DK Island)
- Jewelry Land, home of the captive Prince Pine and King Fret in Yoshi's Safari
- Kitchen Island, home of Captain Syrup's gang in the Wario Land games
- Koopa Kingdom, home of the Koopas and the location of Bowser's Castle
- Mario Land, the area Mario must take back from Wario in (it is a theme park in Mario Party 2).
- Nimbus Land, Mallow's homeland in the clouds in
- Rogueport, setting of . Surrounding areas such as Glitzville are not technically part of Rogueport or the Mushroom Kingdom.
- Northern Kremisphere, region in which and Donkey Kong Land 3 take place
- Sarasa Land, contains four kingdoms ruled by Princess Daisy and serves as the setting of Super Mario Land.
- Shiver City, a frosty village bordering the beautiful Crystal Palace. It is also the home of the famous penguin mystery writer Herringway.
- Star Haven, the home of Star Spirits and many other animate stars. Location of the Star Rod and thus the point from which wishes are granted.
- Star Hill, a beautiful blue hill that is a gateway to the Star Realm.
- Subcon, the setting of Super Mario Bros. 2, which may or may physically not exist as the events of the game were a dream, although characters introduced in Subcon have appeared in other games.
- Timber's Island Home of Timber the Tiger, and the setting of Diddy Kong Racing and its DS remake. (Disputed, as in same world as DK Island)
- Toad Town, the capital of the Mushroom Kingdom, as depicted in Paper Mario.
- Toadwood Forest, a mysterious forest to the north-west of Peach's castle.
- Thwomp Volcano, a volcano constructed out of Thwomps and home of Professor E. Gadd during his days as a young man.
- Vibe Island, the island where Princess Peach stars in Super Princess Peach. Areas include Ladida Plains, Hoo's Woods, Shriek Mansion, Fury Volcano, Wavy Beach, Gleam Glacier, Giddy Sky, and Bowser's Villa
- Waffle Kingdom, setting of Luigi's adventures in
- Yoshi's Island, an island in Dinosaur Land in which the eponymous sequel to Super Mario World takes place .
External links
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