Mushroom Kingdom
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The Mushroom Kingdom (Japanese:キノコ王国) is a 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 Princess Peach in most of the games; in the non-canon Mario comics and movie the ruler is King Toadstool. 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, the citizens of this area are the mushroom-like Toads. The people of the mushroom kingdom enjoy many competitive sports, such as soccer, golf, go-kart racing, baseball, and board games, among others. Some of the yoshies, creatures from Dinosaur Land migrated into the Mushroom Kingdom shortly after Super Mario World. Proof of this is that you can race a yoshi after collecting 120 stars in Super Mario 64.
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, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and New Super Mario Bros., though several maps and tracks from the Mario Kart and Mario Party series take place here as well.
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[edit] 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.
[edit] 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. Places like Dry Dry Desert and Shifting Sand Land are found here.
- 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. Places such as "Cool, Cool Mountain" are located in this region.
- 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 such 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. Contains Mount Eta
Each land usually has a castle and/or fortress (sometimes more than one of each). A boss is typically situated there. Some of the games feature unique worlds not seen anywhere else (Star Road and Special Area in Super Mario World or "Tick Tock Clock" in Super Mario 64).
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.
[edit] 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. New Super Mario Bros. introduced a new variation called warp cannons. 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 is an unclear issue. Flight is possible, as many inhabitants of the kingdom are capable of flying. Some have the natural ability (Lakitu, Albatoss, etc.) while Mario and Luigi would need flight-enabling powerups or outside assistance such as a flying carpet. The Koopas have a tendency to use flying ships. Aquatic transportation is usually covered by swimming, but gondolas (Super Mario Bros. 3) and submarines (Super Mario 64) have been seen as well.
[edit] Specific Locations in or near 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 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
- 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.
- 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.
- Fahr Outpost, the snow-covered home to a Slavic group of Bob-Ombs. Introduced in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
- Forever Forest, a haunted area in the east that houses the boo duchess Lady Bow and the all-mighty Tubba Blubba
- Glitzville, The location of the Glitz Pit in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
- Goomba Village, the outset point of Paper Mario, inhabited by a Goomba family. Goomba Village is located directly west of Mushroom Kingdom's capital, Toad Town.
- Gritzy Desert, another desert located to the north-east. Home of the Koopaseum.
- Hollijolli Village, a snowy and peaceful village that seemingly celebrates Christmas all year.
- Isle Delfino, the tropical setting of Super Mario Sunshine
- 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 Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (it is a theme park in Mario Party 2).
- Nimbus Land, Mallow's homeland in the clouds in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- Rogueport, setting of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Surrounding areas such as Glitzville are not technically part of Rogueport or the Mushroom Kingdom.
- Sarasaland, 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.
- 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 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Yoshi's Island, an island in Dinosaur Land in which the eponymous sequel to Super Mario World takes place. May also be featured in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, during which the player visits "Yo'ster Isle," which is also inhabited mainly by yoshis. It is not entirely clear if these represent the same island, or a different island with similar inhabitants.
