I came to a startling realization yesterday while playing Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island that will potentially rewrite the books of Mario canon as we know it.
For those that don't know the story, Baby Mario and Luigi are being delivered by their parents when the wizard Kamek hits the stork and kidnaps baby Luigi. Mario falls into the mass of land that is Yoshi's Island, and the Yoshi community decides to let the baby guide them back to his lost brother.
We all know the game has been universally acclaimed for its unique gameplay, hand-drawn art style, and Yoshi love...but we've ignored a fact one simple fact for so long. There are some massive unanswered questions about the origins of Baby Mario and Luigi! Are they really the two men who would go on to be the legendary Super Mario Brothers? I say no, and I've spent an unnecessary amount of time developing my argument that you should consider!
First, let's start with the beginning of the story. Baby Mario and Luigi are carried by stork in the Mushroom Kingdom. We know this because Yoshi exist solely in the Mushroom Kingdom and Baby Bowser (game villain) once again, is listed as an inhabitant of the world. So, how then, are Mario and Luigi Italian Plumbers from Brooklyn?
Okay, we all know the movie is not canon, but Shigeryu Miyamoto himself confirms that Mario is an Italian plumber from NYC in multiple interviews...so who is this baby in the Mushroom Kingdom? This leads us to 1 of 2 conclusions...
1. Baby Mario Is Not Mario
My first theory is that Baby Mario and Luigi is not the real Mario or Luigi at all, but the children of Mario and Peach after the events of Super Mario World. This would account for the fact that Baby Mario and Luigi's parents are within the Mushroom Kingdom, and explain how Baby Bowser is the same age as the babies in the game, but then remains unchanged in future games.
This has some interesting implications. For example, for the timeline to make sense, this means that Super Mario Sunshine would have to take place at some point between the events of Super Mario World and Super Mario World 2. This makes sense as why would it be significant that Mario and Peach take a vacation together? They're on their HONEYMOON! You can realistically set up a canon around this theory that goes as follows...
- Donkey Kong: Mario bachelor years...dates Pauline who is now his ex-gf...possibly the mother of Bowser Jr.
- Super Mario Bros: Mario first meets Peach. Doesn't ask her out because they just met and that's weird.
- Super Mario Bros 3: Mario gets the courage to ask Peach out and she says yes.
- Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario RPG, Super Mario 64: Dating years of Mario and Peach...random adventures and Mario getting invited over for "cake"? C'mon...
- Super Mario World: Mario and Peach get married
- Super Mario Sunshine: Mario and Peach go on their honeymoon
- Super Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island: Mario and Peach await the birth of their children Baby Mario and Luigi.
It works out perfectly! This explains why Baby Mario and Luigi have appeared in the Superstar Saga and Mario Kart alongside their adult counterparts and gives an accurate reason as to why Baby Bowser has not aged at all in a couple decades. It also answers the question as to whether Mario and Rosalina are a thing...because Super Mario Galaxy Mario is actually matured Baby Mario in the future!
This is the theory I like the most, and I'd love for it to be confirmed by someone at Nintendo, but I could be wrong...and there's some convincing evidence that I might be!
2. The Mushroom Kingdom Exists Within Our World
So Baby Mario really is Mario, but the Mushroom Kingdom is a part of our human world. This would explain some things but then allow you to draw some interesting conclusions about others.
First off, it would explain why it appears that Mario is in Mexico in this teaser for the new Nintendo game...
It would also explain as to how Mario and crew are consistently able to make an appearance at the official Olympic games with Sonic and his friends...
This would also lead us to believe that Bowser and his race are incredibly resilient and have a ridiculously long lifespan. This is why Bowser Jr. is still a child after two decades in the Mario universe.
As for the appearances of the Mario babies in other games when Mario and Luigi are present? It's the same time travel method that was developed in Superstar Saga and they really abuse the privilege of messing with the universe.
So which theory do you subscribe to? I like both personally, and honestly I'm curious as to whether or not either would be officially recognized by Nintendo!
