Editing List of controversies
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==Implied themes== | ==Implied themes== | ||
=== | ===Transgender portrayals=== | ||
In the manual of ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'', the character of [[Birdo]] is described as follows: | In the manual of ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'', the character of [[Birdo]] is described as follows: | ||
<blockquote>''He thinks he is a girl and he spits eggs from his mouth. He'd rather be called "birdetta."{{sic}}''</blockquote> | <blockquote>''He thinks he is a girl and he spits eggs from his mouth. He'd rather be called "birdetta."{{sic}}''</blockquote> | ||
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Due to the confusion surrounding this odd translation, Nintendo of America usually distances itself from this statement, with a clearly gender-defined Birdo appearing as early as the ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'' cartoon. However, official sources have since been contradictory or vague about the ordeal:<ref>https://www.themushroomkingdom.net/birdo.shtml</ref> | Due to the confusion surrounding this odd translation, Nintendo of America usually distances itself from this statement, with a clearly gender-defined Birdo appearing as early as the ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'' cartoon. However, official sources have since been contradictory or vague about the ordeal:<ref>https://www.themushroomkingdom.net/birdo.shtml</ref> | ||
*The ''[[Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic]]'' manual, ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'' manual, ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' (set to Japanese), and ''[[Itadaki Street DS]]'' state that Birdo is a man convinced he is a woman. | *The ''[[Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic]]'' manual, ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]'' manual, ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' (set to Japanese), and ''[[Itadaki Street DS]]'' state that Birdo is a man convinced he is a woman. | ||
*In ''[[ | *In ''[[Mario Tennis]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Advance]]'', Birdo is given a feminine voice, with the latter being provided by the voice actress of [[Princess Peach]] and [[Princess Daisy]] at the time, [[Jen Taylor]]. However, starting with her appearance in ''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]'', she is given a masculine-sounding voice provided by composer and [[Yoshi]] voice actor [[Kazumi Totaka]] instead. | ||
*''Mario Tennis'', ''Super Mario Advance'', ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' (set to English), ''Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour'', ''[[Mario Superstar Baseball]]'', ''[[Mario Super Sluggers]]'', ''[[Mario Party 9]]'', ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'', and ''[[Paper Mario: Color Splash]]'' imply or state that Birdo is a female. | *''[[Mario Tennis]]'', ''[[Super Mario Advance]]'', ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' (set to English), ''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]'', ''[[Mario Superstar Baseball]]'', ''[[Mario Super Sluggers]]'', ''[[Mario Party 9]]'', ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'', and ''[[Paper Mario: Color Splash]]'' imply or state that Birdo is a female. | ||
*Birdo's description on the Japanese website of ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'' and the European website of ''[[Mario Strikers Charged]]'' imply or state that Birdo is a male. | *Birdo's description on the Japanese website of ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'' and the European website of ''[[Mario Strikers Charged]]'' imply or state that Birdo is a male. | ||
*In ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'', [[Popple]] alludes to Birdo's ambiguous gender by hesitating before calling Birdo a "dame" when encountered in [[Teehee Valley]]. | *In ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'', [[Popple]] alludes to Birdo's ambiguous gender by hesitating before calling Birdo a "dame" when encountered in [[Teehee Valley]]. | ||
*''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!''{{'}}s Japanese website description is ambiguous (''Birdo appears to be Yoshi's girlfriend, but is actually his boyfriend!?''), as well as the Spanish manual and the Spanish website of ''[[Super Mario Strikers]]'' (''Birdo is your man... well, or woman.''). | *''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]''{{'}}s Japanese website description is ambiguous (''Birdo appears to be Yoshi's girlfriend, but is actually his boyfriend!?''), as well as the Spanish manual and the Spanish website of ''[[Super Mario Strikers]]'' (''Birdo is your man... well, or woman.''). | ||
*The localized ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' [[Trophy (Super Smash Bros. series)|trophy]] description of the character mentions Birdo has an "indeterminate gender" and uses "it" to refer to her. | *The localized ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' [[Trophy (Super Smash Bros. series)|trophy]] description of the character mentions Birdo has an "indeterminate gender" and uses "it" to refer to her. | ||
*In ''[[Captain Rainbow]]'', Birdo has a deep male voice | *In ''[[Captain Rainbow]]'', Birdo has a deep male voice. The matter is used as a side quest, where the player must find something to prove Birdo is really female. The object is found, though it is censored. | ||
*The song Birdo sings in ''[[Paper Mario: Sticker Star]]'' is about her ambiguous gender. | *The song Birdo sings in ''[[Paper Mario: Sticker Star]]'' is about her ambiguous gender. | ||
*In ''[[Mario Tennis Aces]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Party]]'', most versions refer to Birdo as female, while the British English versions refer to Birdo as male. The French and Chinese versions use ambiguous genders instead. | *In ''[[Mario Tennis Aces]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Party]]'', most versions refer to Birdo as female, while the British English versions refer to Birdo as male. The French and Chinese versions use ambiguous genders instead. | ||
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The different forms that Mario takes make no statement beyond the games themselves."</blockquote> | The different forms that Mario takes make no statement beyond the games themselves."</blockquote> | ||
A spokesperson from PETA later claimed that their allegations were "tongue-in-cheek", "a fun way to call attention to a serious issue, that raccoon dogs are skinned alive for their fur" and that "[PETA] wish real-life tanukis could fly or swat enemies away with their tails".<ref>https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2396529,00.asp</ref> Over 250 | A spokesperson from PETA later claimed that their allegations were "tongue-in-cheek", "a fun way to call attention to a serious issue, that raccoon dogs are skinned alive for their fur" and that "[PETA] wish real-life tanukis could fly or swat enemies away with their tails".<ref>https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2396529,00.asp</ref> Over 250 thousand people played "Super Tanooki Skin 2D" within the first 36 hours of it being uploaded.<ref>http://kotaku.com/5860212/peta-that-whole-bloody-mario-thing-that-was-just-a-joke</ref> The website is still currently active. The game was widely criticized, however, for being "absurd" and seeming to be not researched.<ref>https://n4g.com/news/893293/the-mario-kills-tanooki-controversy-shows-that-gamers-arent-ready-for-gaming-as-an-artform</ref> | ||
{{br}} | {{br}} | ||
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|alt2=Final boxart | |alt2=Final boxart | ||
}} | }} | ||
At E3 2017, Nintendo unveiled the pre-release box art for ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]'', which featured a collage of screenshots from the game's kingdoms with Mario dressed accordingly to the location. On the lower-left corner, Mario could be spotted shivering in the [[Sand Kingdom]] wearing the sombrero and the poncho | At E3 2017, Nintendo unveiled the pre-release box art for ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]'', which featured a collage of screenshots from the game's kingdoms with Mario dressed accordingly to the location. On the lower-left corner, Mario could be spotted shivering in the [[Sand Kingdom]] wearing the sombrero and the poncho, near the RP rating. This look earned the nickname of "Mexican Mario" and was described as a negative stereotype of the Mexican people and their culture, with several sources accusing Nintendo of racism and cultural appropriation.<ref>https://www.keengamer.com/article/16637_nintendo-accused-of-cultural-appropriation-with-odyssey</ref> Later, the game's box art was changed, with the "Mexican Mario" image removed and replaced with a different screenshot showing Mario swimming in the [[Lake Kingdom]]. | ||
{{br|right}} | {{br|right}} | ||
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The European retailer GAME confirmed<ref name="thunderbolt"/> that the game was withdrawn from shelves because some copies included an offensive line as part of a magic spell used by [[Kamek|Magikoopa]] in the board [[Shy Guy's Perplex Express]]: | The European retailer GAME confirmed<ref name="thunderbolt"/> that the game was withdrawn from shelves because some copies included an offensive line as part of a magic spell used by [[Kamek|Magikoopa]] in the board [[Shy Guy's Perplex Express]]: | ||
<blockquote>"[[Magikoopa]] magic! Turn the train [[wikipedia:Spastic (word)|spastic]]! Make this ticket tragic!"</blockquote> | <blockquote>"[[Magikoopa]] magic! Turn the train [[wikipedia:Spastic (word)|spastic]]! Make this ticket tragic!"</blockquote> | ||
Because "spastic" is an ableist slur in the United Kingdom, derived from muscle spasms in cerebral palsy patients, the game was declared banned and immediately recalled. ''Mario Party 8'' was eventually re-released on August 3, 2007, with the offensive statement altered; European copies use the word "erratic" instead and American copies use a completely different statement: "Let me use my magic to make this all a little more interesting!" | Because "spastic" is an ableist slur in the United Kingdom, derived from muscle spasms in cerebral palsy patients, the game was declared banned and immediately recalled. ''Mario Party 8'' was eventually re-released on August 3, 2007, with the offensive statement altered; European copies use the word "erratic" instead and American copies use a completely different statement: "Let me use my magic to make this all a little more interesting!" | ||
Although it is unknown if ''Mario Party 8'' is the direct catalyst, several first-party Nintendo games released after it have had at least a few English localization differences between the American and British releases instead of using the American English text for all regions. A similar offense in ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'' with the word "shag" was preemptively altered for the European release. | Although it is unknown if ''Mario Party 8'' is the direct catalyst, several first-party Nintendo games released after it have had at least a few English localization differences between the American and British releases instead of using the American English text for all regions. A similar offense in ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'' with the word "shag" was preemptively altered for the European release. | ||
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==Legal and copyrights== | ==Legal and copyrights== | ||
===Universal Studios=== | ===Universal Studios=== | ||
{{main- | {{main-external|Wikipedia|Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd.}} | ||
Approximately nine months after the original ''[[Donkey Kong (game)|Donkey Kong]]'' game was marketed in 1981, [[Universal | Approximately nine months after the original ''[[Donkey Kong (game)|Donkey Kong]]'' game was marketed in 1981, [[wikipedia:Universal Studios|Universal Studios]] sued [[Nintendo]] and their production companies, alleging that ''Donkey Kong''{{'}}s name, story, and [[Donkey Kong|titular character]] were similar to that of the character [[wikipedia:King Kong|King Kong]] (the rights to produce another ''{{wp|King Kong (franchise)|King Kong}}'' film had been recently won by Universal in 1976).<ref>https://openjurist.org/746/f2d/112</ref> | ||
After seeing the success of ''Donkey Kong'' in Japan, Universal attempted to enter the gaming industry by producing a video game with [[wikipedia:Tiger Productions|Tiger Productions]] that starred King Kong and featured similar gameplay. However, in 1981, Nintendo exported ''Donkey Kong'' to the West, where it became famous, selling 60,000 arcade units and earning Nintendo $180 million in profit (from both arcade systems and console ports). This prompted Universal to terminate all contracts with Tiger and threaten to sue Nintendo and various producers of ''Donkey Kong''-related material because "[their] actions falsely suggest to the public that [its] product originates with or is authorized, sponsored or approved by the owner of the King Kong name, character and story." | After seeing the success of ''Donkey Kong'' in Japan, Universal attempted to enter the gaming industry by producing a video game with [[wikipedia:Tiger Productions|Tiger Productions]] that starred King Kong and featured similar gameplay. However, in 1981, Nintendo exported ''Donkey Kong'' to the West, where it became famous, selling 60,000 arcade units and earning Nintendo $180 million in profit (from both arcade systems and console ports). This prompted Universal to terminate all contracts with Tiger and threaten to sue Nintendo and various producers of ''Donkey Kong''-related material because "[their] actions falsely suggest to the public that [its] product originates with or is authorized, sponsored or approved by the owner of the King Kong name, character and story." | ||
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On 23 November, 2009, Nintendo obtained a Federal Court search order in respect of the individual's residential premises. This led to the seizure of property from those premises in order to gain further evidence against the individual."<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20100214064952/http://www.nintendo.com.au/index.php?action=news&nid=76&pageID=6</ref> | On 23 November, 2009, Nintendo obtained a Federal Court search order in respect of the individual's residential premises. This led to the seizure of property from those premises in order to gain further evidence against the individual."<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20100214064952/http://www.nintendo.com.au/index.php?action=news&nid=76&pageID=6</ref> | ||
</blockquote> | </blockquote> | ||
On February 9, 2010, the federal court ruled in favor of Nintendo of Australia and ordered Burt to pay a total of AU$1.4 million (AU$1.3 million in damages and AU$100,000 in legal fees) to Nintendo as compensation, as the game had been downloaded at least 50,000 times. After the case, Burt advised others not to "do what he did" | On February 9, 2010, the federal court ruled in favor of Nintendo of Australia and ordered Burt to pay a total of AU$1.4 million (AU$1.3 million in damages and AU$100,000 in legal fees) to Nintendo as compensation, as the game had been downloaded at least 50,000 times. After the case, Burt advised others not to "do what he did," stating that "It's something I'm going to have to work through for the rest of my life". Less than a month later, a settlement agreement between Burt and Nintendo would be reached, with the former ending up paying a "significant lesser amount".<ref>https://kotaku.com/collateral-damage-in-the-war-on-piracy-5480510</ref> | ||
Burt later revealed in a 2023 interview that the price of the lawsuit amounted to nothing and that he had declared bankruptcy as part of the settlement agreement. He speculated that Nintendo only sued him as an example to deter other people from "doing something similar".<ref>https://youtu.be/1IxZ_UWqo4A?t=451</ref> | Burt later revealed in a 2023 interview that the price of the lawsuit amounted to nothing and that he had declared bankruptcy as part of the settlement agreement. He speculated that Nintendo only sued him as an example to deter other people from "doing something similar".<ref>https://youtu.be/1IxZ_UWqo4A?t=451</ref> | ||
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===YouTube video takedowns containing unofficial ''Super Mario'' content=== | ===YouTube video takedowns containing unofficial ''Super Mario'' content=== | ||
In tandem with the release of ''[[Super Mario Maker]]'', Nintendo was responsible for the take-downs of many videos containing unofficial fan-made ''Super Mario'' content, including playthroughs and speedruns of | In tandem with the release of ''[[Super Mario Maker]]'', Nintendo was responsible for the take-downs of many videos containing unofficial fan-made ''Super Mario'' content, including playthroughs and speedruns of modded ''[[Super Mario World]]'' levels.<ref>Cowan, Danny. (September 10, 2015). [https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/nintendo-targets-speedrunners-with-youtube-copyright-claims/ Mario betrays some of his most devoted fans with new YouTube copyright claims]. ''Digital Trends''. Retrieved September 18, 2015.</ref><ref>Geigner, Timothy. September 15, 2015. [https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150911/06482132220/nintendo-hates-you-massive-takedowns-youtube-videos-featuring-mario-bros-fan-created-levels.shtml Nintendo Hates You: Massive Takedowns Of YouTube Videos Featuring Mario Bros. Fan-Created Levels]. ''Techdirt''. Retrived September 18, 2015.</ref> One notable takedown included Alex "PangaeaPanga" Tan's video of Item Abuse 3, a modded ''Super Mario World'' level, with Panga stating that "YouTube wrecked my channel".<ref>Hernandez, Patricia. (September 9, 2015). [https://kotaku.com/creator-of-hardest-super-mario-world-level-ever-says-co-1729624158 Creator of 'Hardest Super Mario World Level Ever' Says Copyright Crackdown Gutted His YouTube Channel]. ''Kotaku''. Retrieved September 18, 2015).</ref><ref>Panga. September 3, 2015. [https://twitter.com/PangaeaPanga/status/639647877137043456]. Twitter. Retrieved September 18, 2015.</ref> He later chose to make levels in ''Super Mario Maker'' itself to post onto his channel. These legal actions coincide with Nintendo's previous enforcement of copyright on YouTube, including sharing revenue from Let's Play videos, which has been met with intense criticism by fans, popular YouTube personalities, and the mainstream gaming press. | ||
===Chinese government controversy=== | ===Chinese government controversy=== | ||
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===EPA controversy=== | ===EPA controversy=== | ||
In February 2019, it was discovered that the {{wp|United States Environmental Protection Agency}} used music from ''[[Yoshi's Island DS]]'' without permission in their recycling game ''Recycle City Challenge'', which had gone unnoticed for many years. The EPA responded to Nintendo by | In February 2019, it was discovered that the {{wp|United States Environmental Protection Agency}} used music from ''[[Yoshi's Island DS]]'' without permission in their recycling game ''Recycle City Challenge'', which had gone unnoticed for many years. The EPA responded to Nintendo by stating that the game was made by a contractor. After it was discovered, the music was removed.<ref>Kelly, Makena (February 20, 2019). [https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18233575/nintendo-yoshi-environmental-protection-agency-epa-government-island-ds The EPA stole music from ''Yoshi's Island DS'' for a pro-recycling Flash game]. ''The Verge''. Retrieved July 30, 2019.</ref> | ||
{{br}} | {{br}} | ||
==Other== | ==Other== | ||
===Wigger Wednesday=== | ===Wigger Wednesday=== | ||
[[File:Wigger Wednesday.jpg|thumb|The Wigger Wednesday tweet]] | [[File:Wigger Wednesday.jpg|thumb|The infamous Wigger Wednesday tweet]] | ||
On April 22, 2015, Nintendo of America's {{wp|Twitter}} account posted a photo of a plush [[Waluigi]] riding a [[Wiggler]] with the caption "''Reply "WAAAA" for #WaluigiWednesday. Reply "🌼" for #WiggerWednesday.''", having misspelled "Wiggler" as the slur word "{{wp|wigger}}", a term used to describe a white person perceived as emulating mannerisms of African-American culture. The typo was met with widespread bemusement and derision from Nintendo's social media followers, with many screenshotting the original tweet.<ref name="dailydot">Imrad Khan (April 23, 2015). [https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/nintendo-twitter-wigger-wednesday/ Nintendo forgets to spell-check its tweet, promotes #WiggerWednesday]. ''The Daily Dot''. Retrieved March 14 2018</ref> The account would later delete the tweet and post a message stating "''When tweeting about one of our characters, we missed a letter. Oops! Sorry about that!''"<ref>Nintendo of America Twitter account (April 22, 2015). [https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/591046983307100160 "When tweeting about one of our characters, we missed a letter. Oops! Sorry about that!"], ''Twitter''. Retrieved March 14 2018</ref> Although the tweet was deleted, #WiggerWednesday became a minor trend on Twitter.<ref name="dailydot"/> | On April 22, 2015, Nintendo of America's {{wp|Twitter}} account posted a photo of a plush [[Waluigi]] riding a [[Wiggler]] with the caption "''Reply "WAAAA" for #WaluigiWednesday. Reply "🌼" for #WiggerWednesday.''", having misspelled "Wiggler" as the slur word "{{wp|wigger}}", a term used to describe a white person perceived as emulating mannerisms of African-American culture. The typo was met with widespread bemusement and derision from Nintendo's social media followers, with many screenshotting the original tweet.<ref name="dailydot">Imrad Khan (April 23, 2015). [https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/nintendo-twitter-wigger-wednesday/ Nintendo forgets to spell-check its tweet, promotes #WiggerWednesday]. ''The Daily Dot''. Retrieved March 14 2018</ref> The account would later delete the tweet and post a message stating "''When tweeting about one of our characters, we missed a letter. Oops! Sorry about that!''"<ref>Nintendo of America Twitter account (April 22, 2015). [https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/591046983307100160 "When tweeting about one of our characters, we missed a letter. Oops! Sorry about that!"], ''Twitter''. Retrieved March 14 2018</ref> Although the tweet was deleted, #WiggerWednesday became a minor trend on Twitter.<ref name="dailydot"/> | ||