Wart (Nintendo)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wart
Wart as he appeared in a Super Mario Bros. 2 strategy guide in the premiere issue of Nintendo Power.
Game series	Super Mario series
First game	Super Mario Bros. 2 - 1988
Creator(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto

Wart (マム, Mamu^?) is a fictional character most commonly recognized from the Western version of the video game Super Mario Bros. 2, which was derived from the game Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, released only in Japan. Wart is the game's final boss and appears in the last room of the Level 7-2. Wart is a regal, fat frog, with a crown on his head and a robe that can scarcely conceal his big belly.

Wart is the only character besides Bowser and Bowser Jr. to appear as the final boss of one of the console-based Super Mario platform games.

[edit] Characteristics

According to the instruction manual to Super Mario Bros. 2, Mario has a dream in which a voice pleads for his help. The voice explains that Wart has taken over Subcon, the land of dreams, but that Mario can defeat him by taking advantage of Wart's severe allergy to vegetables.

Wart never appeared again in a Mario game, excluding the remake of Super Mario Bros. 2, which was featured in Super Mario All-Stars and also ported to Super Mario Advance. In Super Mario Advance, Wart spoke, and did so in an angry, grumbly voice (provided by Charles Martinet). His introduction was "I am the Great Wart! Wah, ha ha!!" and would croak "ribbit" when hit with vegetables.

[edit] Appearances in other series

In Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, Wart abducts the youngest brother and sister from an Arabian family by snatching them away through an enchanted storybook. This game's heroes — siblings Imajin and Lina and parents Mama and Papa — fight Wart in the same manner, however. And again, killing Wart frees the mysterious red fairy folk in this game as well.

Curiously, Wart appears as a helpful character in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, under the name "Mamu" (Japanese for wart). The sprite is nearly identical[1], in fact. He teaches Link a new song to play on the ocarina, "Frog Song of Soul." Also note that Link's Awakening, like Super Mario Bros. 2, takes place inside what is presumably a dream.

In the Nintendo GameCube title Animal Crossing, one of the possible residents players could have live in their town is a frog named Wart Jr. The nod to this Wart is a small one, as they share the same name, not appearance. Wart Jr is brown, with a bumpy looking face. Wart Jr. is however, very grumpy. In the Nintendo DS sequel Animal Crossing: Wild World though, Wart Jr. occasionally mentions his plan of conquering the world, but it is foiled by various jock characters.

[edit] Non-game appearances

Wart makes an appearance in the Super Mario Bros. comics.

Strangely, Wart himself never appeared in the Super Mario Bros. television series, even though his many minions were regulars during the first season. It is possible that the producers merged Wart and Bowser into King Koopa for the animated series, especially since the latter's animated design borrows some features from Wart (most notably the crown on his head and the more crocodilian face).

However, Wart did appear in one comic story published for the Nintendo Comics System. Titled "Cloud Burst", this story has Princess Toadstool's father, King Toadstool, looking to buy a new mattress, as his current one is too lumpy. Disguised as a bed salesman, Wart takes the King up into the clouds and advertises a bed-shaped rain cloud as a Cloud Nine mattress. As the King rests up on that cloud, it causes rain all over the Mushroom Kingdom, but is quickly patched up by the Mario Bros. Oddly, his character design resembled a crocodile rather than a frog.

Wart also appeared in book six of the Nintendo Adventure Books, titled Doors to Doom. There, though, he appeared as a skateboarder who ended up helping the Mario Bros. during their current plight.

{{CVG Navigation | name = Mario series | title = Video games featuring Mario | body = Donkey Kong • Mario Bros. • Super Mario Bros. • The Lost Levels • Super Mario Bros. 2 • Super Mario Bros. 3 • Super Mario Land • Super Mario World • Super Mario Land 2 • Super Mario 64 • Super Mario Sunshine • New Super Mario Bros. • {{{1}}}