Koopa Kid
- This article is about Bowser's identical-looking minions. For other uses, see Koopa Kid (disambiguation).
- "Mini Bowser" redirects here. For the toy based on Bowser from Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge, see Mini Bowser (toy).
- Not to be confused with Kid Koopa.
| Koopa Kid | |
|---|---|
 The three colorful Koopa Kids from Mario Party 5 | |
| First appearance | Mario Party (1998) |
| Latest appearance | Mario Party Superstars (cameo) (2021) |
| Variant of | Koopa |
- “I'm here to cause trouble on behalf of Bowser.”
- —Baby Bowser, Mario Party 2
The Koopa Kids (called Mini Bowsers in Europe, and originally known as Baby Bowsers in all non-Japanese versions of the first three Mario Party games) are minions of Bowser who only appear in the Mario Party series. The Koopa Kids resemble miniature versions of Bowser - and are therefore very similar in appearance to Bowser Jr. and Baby Bowser. A Koopa Kid also appears as a playable character in Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 6.
In their first appearance, there are seven Koopa Kids, potentially acting as a generic stand-in for the Koopalings; in other earlier games in the series, there appears to be an uncountably large number of Koopa Kids, as shown by minigames such as Baby Bowser Bonkers in Mario Party 3, with the Koopa Kids being capable of splitting themselves. Mario Party 4 specifically refers to the Koopa Kid who appears on Bowser Spaces as "one of the Koopa Kids". However, starting in Mario Party 5, there seems to be only a single Koopa Kid of the regular coloration, likely due to his new playable status (though multiple Koopa Kids do appear in Super Duel Mode in the aforementioned game). The other Koopa Kids in the game are divided into color: Green K. Kid, Red K. Kid, and Blue K. Kid (Green M. Bowser, Red M. Bowser, and Blue M. Bowser in British English). However, more than one standard Koopa Kid can appear at once in Mario Party 7 (where Koopa Kid is non-playable again) in Pyramid Park.
When treated as a singular character especially, Koopa Kid acts as something of a prototype to Bowser Jr. Though the two coexisted during the Nintendo GameCube era (albeit never appearing in the same game), Koopa Kid was retired from use shortly after. Bowser Jr. replaces the Koopa Kids in Mario Party DS and onwards, including direct replacements in various minigame remakes in Mario Party: The Top 100 and Mario Party Superstars.
History[edit]
Mario Party[edit]
The Baby Bowsers make their debut appearance in Mario Party, as Bowser's henchmen. They are only seen on the final board of the game, Eternal Star.
After playing all seven other boards and accumulating at least 100 Stars, Bowser will steal all the Stars that the player collected throughout the game and travel to Eternal Star. When the players find him, he forces them to challenge seven Baby Bowsers to get the Stars back.
Each of the Baby Bowsers is stationed in a different location on the game board, and can be challenged by any player for 20 coins. If this is done, the player will have to play a short minigame against the Baby Bowser. Both characters will hit a Dice Block, with the higher number winning. It is easy for the player to win, as the player's Dice Block is programmed to only roll 8-10. If the player wins, they get the Baby Bowser's Star and the Baby Bowser disappears from the board. However, if the Baby Bowser wins, he will take one of the player's Stars.
When all seven Baby Bowsers are defeated, a new group appears and the player must start all over again. This continues until the game is completed. In the board's ending cutscene, the winning player uses the Stars to send the Baby Bowsers and Bowser flying into space.
Mario Party 2[edit]
In Mario Party 2, Baby Bowser's role is expanded slightly. A single Baby Bowser appears on every board in the game, in a similar capacity to Toad, who sells Stars. He is initially placed in one of several predetermined locations on the board alongside Toad, and every time that the Star is bought from Toad, he will move to Toad's previous location. If a player passes Baby Bowser, he will steal 5 Coins from that player. However, he occasionally gives a player 5 Coins instead, later claiming that this was an accident. He will always give the player coins if they are using a Bowser Suit.
Several Baby Bowsers appear in Bowser Land, including one who hosts the board instead of Toad. Another Baby Bowser hosts the Bowser Parade, allowing the player to change the direction of the parade for five coins (or for free if the player uses a Bowser Suit). Bowser Land's Bowser Banks are run by a unique blue, glasses-wearing Baby Bowser Banker. The secondary Item Shop on the board is also run by a red, monocle-wearing Baby Bowser Shopkeeper, who will forcibly sell players items for more Coins than usual.
Baby Bowsers also appear in Item Minigames, where they often symbolize losing, such as the Baby Bowser space in Hammer Slammer. No Baby Bowsers appear in Bowser Slots, however.
If a Bowser Bomb is collected by any player in an Item minigame or bought from a Baby Bowser Shopkeeper, Baby Bowser will briefly be replaced by Bowser at the end of the turn, who will hit three Dice Blocks and then travel around the board, stealing all coins from any player he passes. This also occurs if someone lands on a Bowser Space and the roulette lands on Bowser's Appearing Act.
At the end of the Mini-Game Coaster, Baby Bowser appears disguised as the Mini Game Toad and demanding the player to redo all of the events. Once the real Mini Game Toad unveils Baby Bowser's deceit, he forgoes his disguise and splits into three Baby Bowsers. The three of them then challenge the player character to a custom game of Shell Shocked in which a team of three Baby Bowser Tanks are faced.
Mario Party 3[edit]
In Mario Party 3, Baby Bowser runs his own Item Shop, which sometimes appears in place of Toad's, where he sells items such as Lucky Lamps, Reverse Mushrooms and Boo Bells. Like in Mario Party 2, Baby Bowsers also appear in Item Minigames, where they once again often symbolize losing, such as the Baby Bowser space in Winner's Wheel. If he is summoned on an Item Space, he may ask the player a question, and will give them an item if they pick the "bad" answer.
In Duel Mode, Baby Bowser also appears as one of the possible partners. He is not a default partner, but can be obtained through the lottery. His attack is one, and his health is one. He can occasionally turn into Bowser and deal triple damage when attacking; however, if the transformation fails, he deals no damage. Baby Bowser's salary is three coins per turn. A group of Baby Bowsers also appears in Story Mode carrying Bowser after the Koopa King is defeated by Waluigi in a fight.
Mario Party 4[edit]
Koopa Kids appear under their current name in Mario Party 4; here, a Koopa Kid would often come in place of Bowser whenever a player lands on a Bowser Space, and would steal 10 to 30 Coins from either the player who landed there, or from all the players. Sometimes, the Koopa Kid would then call Bowser after stealing coins, and a Bowser event would begin. In the Bowser Minigames, two Koopa Kids work as Bowser's servants; one of which is seen fanning him and the other one explains the rules to the game (which may be Fruits of Doom, Darts of Doom or Balloon of Doom) and in addition, he also brings the dart board to the players and announces the scores in Darts of Doom. The same two Koopa Kids appear in The Final Battle!, attacking the player with fireballs from Koopa Clown Car-like vehicles while the player solves a puzzle. One Koopa Kid also hosts the last board: Bowser's Gnarly Party and is seen selling items and hosting board games. Unlike other board hosts, this Koopa Kid appears identical to others. In addition, Koopa Kid can be unlocked as a playable character in Beach Volley Folly. This marks the first time when Koopa Kid is a playable character.
Mario Party 5[edit]
In Mario Party 5, Koopa Kid is a playable character, except in Story Mode and Card Party. In Story Mode, Koopa Kid splits up into Red K. Kid, Blue K. Kid, and Green K. Kid, and the player has to steal all their coins on abridged versions of the regular boards to defeat them. Unlike in a normal game, all three Koopa Kids move at the same time. In Card Party, Koopa Kid shows up to cause trouble on the Bowser Card. In their main artwork, Red K. Kid's and Blue K. Kid's shells are incorrectly colored green when they should be normally colored red and blue.
Mario Party 6[edit]
In Mario Party 6, Koopa Kid is again a playable character. The colored Koopa Kid trio also reappears as the player's opponents in Solo Mode's mini games. Unlike in Mario Party 5, Koopa Kid is playable in all game modes.
Mario Party Advance[edit]
In Mario Party Advance, Koopa Kids could be seen working with Bowser, and appear in some of his minigames, where the object was usually for the player to defeat them. Up to ninety-nine of them could appear at once. One main Koopa Kid appears throughout the game as Bowser's right-hand man, often appearing to antagonize the player by doing things such as stealing Mushrooms from them or flinging them somewhere else in Shroom City.
Mario Party 7[edit]
In Mario Party 7, Koopa Kid is no longer a playable character. Instead, he appears whenever someone lands on a Koopa Kid Space, and will do things such as swapping players' coins or positions, or use a Cursed Mushroom on the player/team who lands on his space. Red K. Kid, Blue K. Kid and Green K. Kid also antagonize the players in the three multiplayer Bowser minigames, and are also seen operating the cannons in Bowser's Enchanted Inferno! A Koopa Kid is also one of the hazards (alongside Bowser) in Bowser's Lovely Lift!. This is the last game in the Mario Party series to feature Koopa Kid physically.
Mario Party: The Top 100[edit]
Koopa Kids do not physically appear in Mario Party: The Top 100, only appearing on box art of Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 6 that can be viewed in the game's Collection. Additionally, Koopa Kid's role in The Final Battle! is taken over by Bowser Jr.
Mario Party Superstars[edit]
Similarly to Mario Party: The Top 100, Koopa Kids only appear on box art of Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 6 that are visible in the character encyclopedia, and they are replaced by Bowser Jr. in item minigames, Quicksand Cache and Archer-ival.
General information[edit]
Relationships[edit]
Koopa Kids are generally on good terms with Bowser. In English releases of Mario Party, Koopa Kid is simply introduced as "Bowser's Cohort". However, in the original Japanese version, the phrase that describes him is rather 「クッパさまのぶんしん」[1] "Kuppa-sama no bunshin". 「ぶんしん」 derives from the kanji 「分身」, which translates into "one's child" or "one's other self". Therefore, it can be interpreted as either "Master Koopa's Kid" or "Master Koopa's Avatar". Due to the ambiguity, it is unclear if Koopa Kid is specifically meant to be an offspring or offshoot. In the first three games, they are also identified as "Baby Bowser", yet despite the name, are not indicated to be a younger form of Bowser himself.
Certain lines in the sequels suggest an attempt to clarify the relationship. In Mario Party 4, a Koopa Kid refers to Bowser as "Dad" whenever he calls for him. In Mario Party 6, during Solo Mode when the player wins against the Koopa Kids in a minigame after landing on a Bowser Space, Bowser also grounds him by taking away his action figure of the character the player is playing as if he fails him, implying a parental-like relationship at the very least. In Mario Party 7, when a Koopa Kid would steal coins from a windmill in Windmillville during Bowser Time, Bowser would proudly refer to him as "Son"; however, Koopa Kids instead refer to him as "Mr. Bowser" and appear to work for a wage, expecting to get a raise from Bowser after causing trouble on a Koopa Kid Space.
Unlike the Koopalings in their earlier appearances as well as Bowser Jr., neither Bowser nor the Koopa Kids ever call each other with precisely familial terms in the Japanese versions.[citation needed]
Profiles[edit]
Mario Party 2[edit]
- Wii Virtual Console manual: "This is a henchman of Bowser's. He will steal five coins from you when you pass in front of him."[page number needed]
List of appearances[edit]
| Title | Description | Release | System/format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Party | Non-playable character | 1998 | Nintendo 64 |
| Mario Party 2 | Non-playable character | 1999 | Nintendo 64 |
| Mario Party 3 | Non-playable character | 2000 | Nintendo 64 |
| Mario Party 4 | Non-playable character Playable character (Beach Volley Folley only) |
2002 | Nintendo GameCube |
| Mario Party 5 | Playable character Non-playable character (Story Mode and Card Party only) |
2003 | Nintendo GameCube |
| Mario Party 6 | Playable character | 2004 | Nintendo GameCube |
| Mario Party Advance | Non-playable character | 2005 | Game Boy Advance |
| Mario Party 7 | Non-playable character | 2005 | Nintendo GameCube |
| Mario Party: The Top 100 | Box art of previous games | 2017 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Mario Party Superstars | Box art of previous games | 2021 | Nintendo Switch |
Quotes[edit]
- "This is a present from Master Bowser...I'm sure he dropped it or accidentally left it behind!" - Mario Party 4
- "Yeah! Like a London broil!!" - Mario Party 4
- "Warp time! I'm gonna send you flying!" - Mario Party Advance
- "It was supposed to be a slackers' game! Grr! This makes me so mad!" - Mario Party 7
- "Gwa ha ha! It wasn't for slackers at all! The boss is going to love me for this!" - Mario Party 7
Gallery[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Koopa Kid.
Mario Party 6
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ミニクッパ[?] Minikuppa |
Mini Bowser | |
| French | Mini-Bowser[?] | - | |
| Italian | Mini Bowser[?] | - | from Mario Party 4 onwards |
| Baby Bowser[?] | Mario Party 2 and Mario Party 3 | ||
| Spanish (NOE) | Mini Bowser[?] | - | from Mario Party 4 onwards |
| Baby Bowser[?] | Mario Party 2 and Mario Party 3 |
Trivia[edit]
- In the American English version of the Mario Party 5 instruction booklet describing the Bowser Card of Card Party, Koopa Kid is erroneously referred to as Bowser Jr.[2]
- Additionally, the Prima Games strategy guide for Mario Party 5 erroneously lists Koopa Kid's debut as either Super Mario World or Super Mario Sunshine. Neither of these are correct, as Super Mario Sunshine was Bowser Jr.'s debut.
- Both of this character's American names have been used by other Koopas in the Super Mario franchise. The name used from Mario Party to Mario Party 3 is "Baby Bowser", which is also the name of Bowser as an infant, and from Mario Party 4 to Mario Party 7, he is known as "Koopa Kid", which is the name used by the Koopalings in the cartoons.
- His Japanese and British English name would also become that of a wind up toy in Bowser's likeness in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.
References[edit]
- ^ Aserayamikae (July 10, 2013). マリオパーティ 永遠のスター. YouTube (Japanese). Retrieved September 13, 2016.
- ^ "If you turn this card over, either Bowser or Bowser Jr. will appear and start a horrible event." – 2003. Mario Party 5 instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 49.
