Boo's Mansion
Boo's Mansion | |
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Mario and Lady Bow inside Boo's Mansion | |
First appearance | Paper Mario (2000) |
Greater location | Mushroom Kingdom, between Forever Forest and Gusty Gulch |
Owner | Lady Bow |
Inhabitants | Boos, notably Bootler, Franky, Igor |
- “What a magnificent mansion! Being haunted must hurt the real estate value, though. I like the old-fashioned yet eerie style. The chandelier and the display case look like they're valuable antiques. Even the sofa in the foyer looks like it's pricey, even though it's a bit worn. I love antiques. I wouldn't mind taking a good look at those things.”
- —Goombario, Paper Mario
Boo's Mansion, as its name implies, is a mansion filled with Boos in Forever Forest in Paper Mario. They could be based on Ghost Houses from Super Mario World and other games in the Super Mario franchise. Lady Bow rules the mansion and its Boo inhabitants, aided by her butler, Bootler. According to a Boo in the mansion, the mansion has been passed down through the years by Bow's ancestors.[1] With three different floors, Mario and his party members must navigate various puzzles and traps in order to reach Lady Bow on the third floor. Though the mansion is in a dilapidated state, it is filled with remnants of a prosperous era, including many lavish chandeliers, portraits, and furniture. The rooms within the mansion include a grand foyer, various sitting rooms, what appears to be a ballroom, a library, an equivalent to a throne room, and a basement with various storage rooms. Igor runs the Boo's Shop, the shop in the mansion. The Boo inhabitants of the mansion are fiercely loyal to Bow. One of the Boos at the mansion even scribbles a confession of their love for Bow on the Toad Town notice board. Additionally, the Boos in Gusty Gulch write an admiration letter to Bow, greeting "everyone at Boo's Mansion". Gusty Gulch, Windy Mill, and Tubba Blubba's Castle are all down the road from the mansion.
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and its remake on the Nintendo Switch, Boo's Mansion (though referred to only as "the mansion") is briefly mentioned by Bow, who appears alongside Bootler in Poshley Heights in the post-game. Wishing to get away from the mansion after spending so much time there, Bow and Bootler decided on Poshley Heights as a vacation destination.
History[edit]
Mario is invited to the mansion at the beginning of Chapter 3 in Paper Mario. When he approaches the Forever Forest entrance in Toad Town, Bootler appears and tells him that Lady Bow has important news regarding the Star Spirits and wishes to see him. After Mario travels through Forever Forest and arrives at the mansion, he is told to see Lady Bow on the third floor; however, the stairs in the foyer only lead to the second floor. Mario must solve a series of puzzles and traps to get to the third floor:
Step | Location |
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get the Record | east room, second floor |
use the Record to lure a Boo away from the Weight | west room, second floor |
use the Weight to open the door to the basement | foyer |
get the Super Boots deep in the basement | west room, first floor |
use it to land on the bookshelves and find Boo's Portrait | east room, first floor |
put Boo's Portrait in the empty frame. This allows Mario to go to the third floor. | corridor, second floor |
Once Mario reaches Bow's throne room on the third floor, he will be greeted by Bow and Bootler. They explain to Mario that the Boos are under attack from Tubba Blubba, and Bow requests Mario defeat Tubba Blubba in exchange for Skolar, the Star Spirit Mario is trying to save. Bow believes Mario will require her assistance to defeat Tubba Bubba, so she decides to join his party, despite objections from Bootler. Bow, however, is convinced she will be safe with Mario since he solved all the puzzles and traps she set up for him, including ordering Igor, the Boo merchant in the basement, not to sell any items to him. Since he proved himself to Bow, Franky informs Mario he can visit Igor's shop before Mario, Bow, and the rest of his party set off for Tubba Blubba's Castle.
Upon the liberation of the Boos, the background music in Boo's Mansion is replaced with a cheerful tune. Once Tubba Blubba is defeated and Skolar is freed, Bow decides to stay with Mario. At the end of the game, Lady Bow returns to Boo's Mansion after her adventure with Mario, and receives an invitation to Princess Peach's party at Peach's Castle to celebrate the return of the Star Spirits. A pipe in the Toad Town Tunnels can be unlocked to teleport Mario directly outside the mansion. This is helpful as one of Koopa Koot's favors and Parakarry's letter delivery side-quests involve interacting with Franky in the mansion.
Geography[edit]
The mansion is broken down into a foyer, a first floor, a second floor, a third floor, and a basement. This section lists those areas by order in which Mario can access them.
Outside and the foyer[edit]
The clearing in front of the mansion connects to Forever Forest via the fence and Gusty Gulch via the back gate. The latter is opened after Bow joins Mario's party. In the clearing, there is a ? Block containing a Volt Shroom and a bush growing Strange Leaves. There is also a pipe from Toad Town Tunnels, which can be unlocked later in the game. Finally, by the front side of the mansion are a Save Block and a Heart Block.
Inside the mansion, the foyer is a big room that spans three floors, with doors to other rooms to the north. There is a sofa that shoots Mario to the chandelier. An underground Star Piece can be found near the sofa; however, there are only stairs up to the second-floor corridor, at the end of which is an empty frame. According to the frame, Mario must find whatever is missing in it to get to the third floor.
Second floor[edit]
The east room on the second floor is almost empty, with three cabinets by the west wall. Mario must check the middle one, and play the guess-who-holds-it game with the Boos that come out. Once he picks the correct Boo, they will give him the Record. The other cabinets are traps. There is also an underground Star Piece at the center of the room.
The west room on the second floor contains a phonograph and a treasure chest. A Boo is told to guard the treasure chest by Bow. By playing the Record with the phonograph at the right pace, Mario is able to lure the Boo away and get the Weight inside the treasure chest. The Boo then disappears. The room also has a table and some chairs.
First floor and basement[edit]
The west room on the first floor is blocked by a glass case, which can be moved by attaching the Weight to the chandelier in the foyer. The treasure chest in the room is a trap. Going down the stairs by the left wall leads to a basement room with a clock and an underground Star Piece. To the right of the basement entrance is a library. To the south is a pair of storage rooms.
The first storage room has some crates on the ground, one of which contains a Super Shroom. There is a one-way door to the right, leading to the second storage room. The second storage room has a big treasure chest containing the Super Boots. Mario must play the same game with the Boos that come out of the chest to get the boots. Once he gets them, the Boos disappear, and another Boo appears and readily informs Mario how he can use the boots to get the underground Star Piece in front of him. There are also crates containing a Maple Syrup. To exit the room, Mario must break the wooden boards on the ground with the Super Boots to fall to the area even lower. In this lower area is Boo's Shop, run by Igor. The shop remains closed for Mario until Bow joins his party. There are also switches, and pressing them will reveal the stairs that lead to the first storage room. This gives Mario a way to go back.
Back in the foyer, the east room on the first floor has a vase containing an 8-bit easter egg as well as several crates where Apples can be found. By breaking the wooden floor on the ground with the Super Boots, Mario is able to land on the bookshelves in the library room mentioned earlier. On top of the bookshelves is the Boo's Portrait. Mario can also jump from the bookshelves to the stacked crates nearby and break them, where he can find a Star Piece.
Lady Bow's room[edit]
The large, throne room on the third floor is where Lady Bow and Bootler reside, and where the Star Spirit Skolar is temporarily imprisoned. After Mario solves the puzzles and gets there, he will be greeted by the two. Bow wants Mario to defeat Tubba Blubba and promises to free Skolar if he does so. She also says that Mario needs her help and joins Mario's party. Bootler intends to follow and protect Bow, but Bow insists that he waits here for her return, which he does. Mario and Bow then leave Boo's Mansion and set off for Tubba Blubba's Castle.
After Tubba Blubba is defeated near Windy Mill, Bootler releases Skolar from his captivity in the room. After this, Bootler remains in the room worrying about Bow's safety and waiting for her return. The room is seen again at the end of the game, this time with Bootler giving Bow an invitation letter to the party at Peach's Castle.
Characters[edit]
Items[edit]
Several items can be purchased from Boo's Shop run by Igor. Other items found in this area include:
Item | Image | Location
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Volt Shroom | In a question block in front of the gate.
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Strange Leaf | In a bush near the backyard gate (replenish-able resource).
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Record | Held by the Boos in the cabinet in the right room on the second floor.
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Weight | In a chest box guarded by a Boo in the left room on the second floor (play the Record to lure the Boo away).
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Maple Syrup | In the underneath crate within the room with Super Boots.
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Letter | Given by Franky after giving him a letter from Little Mouser.
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Super Shroom | In the middle crate of the room next to the room with Super Boots.
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Apple |
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Boo's Portrait | At the northeastern corner of the room below the right room on the first floor (requires Super Boots and Parakarry).
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Star Piece |
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Old Photo | Given by Franky while doing Koopa Koot's 13th favor.
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Profiles[edit]
- Tattles
- "It's Boo's Mansion. Great name for a haunted house, don't you think?"
- "What a magnificent mansion! Being haunted must hurt the real estate value, though. I like the old-fashioned yet eerie style. The chandelier and the display case look like they're valuable antiques. Even the sofa in the foyer looks like it's pricey, even though it's a bit worn. I love antiques. I wouldn't mind taking a good look at those things."
- "Wow! What a gorgeous chandelier! If they actually cleaned it, it would brighten this place up."
- "Hey, that strange contraption at the back of the room is a phonograph. You know, a machine for listening to records. Have you seen any records around here? I wouldn't mind doing a little adventuring to the timeless classic, "Mario's Theme"!"
- "The blue light is spooky in here, but you can tell that this room is really nice. It feels like something is watching us. It feels like that everywhere. It's almost as if this haunted mansion is...haunted.
- "A storage room... isn't it? You'd think those candles would provide a bit more light."
- "Another storage room, I guess. Not a whole lot here, as far as I can tell. Hey, incidentally, what happened to the door...?"
- "This room does have a lot of space, but it's still a shame to use it for storage. That pot and those wooden boxes look suspicious... There's also a weakened spot on the floor. Look...under the chandelier. Hey, check it out! A real old rocking chair! These things rule! It rocks back and forth when you sit on it. I love napping in these."
- "There certainly seem to be a lot of books. I didn't know Boos liked books."
- "This is the highest room in the mansion. I'm guessing it's Bow's room. She seems like the type to live in a huge room. When you look at this room, it's pretty obvious that Bow was raised by a really wealthy family of Boos."
- "This is the back gate to Boo's Mansion. As far as I can tell, this is the edge of Gusty Gulch. Tubba Blubba's Castle is up on the hill. It's amazing how the scenery changes from forest to gulch so quickly."
- In-game map description
- It's a mansion. For Boos, of course. Watch out for tricks!
- Lots of Boos live here. There's a shop in the basement.
Gallery[edit]
Boo's Shop run by Igor.
Mario receives a Star Piece from Igor.
Lady Bow joins Mario's party
The blue Warp Pipe from Toad Town Tunnels appears
Names in other languages[edit]
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Japanese | テレサのおやしき[?] Teresa no Oyashiki |
Boo's Mansion | |
テレサハウス[?] Teresa Hausu |
Boo House | ||
Chinese | 嘘嘘鬼大厦[?] Xūxūguǐ Dàshà |
Boo Mansion | |
French | Manoir Boo[?] | Boo Mansion | |
German | Buu Huus Villa[?] | Boo Hoo's Mansion | |
Italian | Villa Boo[?] | Boo's Mansion | |
Spanish | Mansión Boo[?] | Boo Mansion |
Trivia[edit]
- The right room on the first floor contains a vase. If Mario jumps into this vase, he will pop back out as an 8-bit sprite. This lasts until Mario jumps back into the vase or leaves the room, and it is worthy of note that playable 8-bit characters are somewhat of a running joke in role-playing games of the Super Mario franchise, having additionally been featured in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Super Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (which predates Paper Mario). However unlike Super Mario RPG in which it could only be performed once, in Paper Mario the 8-bit Mario trick is repeatable.
References[edit]
- ^ "This mansion has been passed down through the years by Lady Bow's ancestors. It's so comfortable... So nice and gloomy... The dirt on the walls... The splintered floorboards... It's really one of a kind." – A Boo on the second-floor corridor. Paper Mario.