View source for List of rumors and urban legends

{{italic title|List of rumors and urban legends about ''Mario''}}
Being a long-running and popular franchise, there have been many '''rumors, misconceptions, and urban legends''' regarding fictional elements, production history, and gameplay elements within the ''[[Mario (series)|Mario]]'' franchise.

==Production==
===Donkey Kong's name origin===
Over the years several purported explanations for the origin of [[Donkey Kong]]'s name have surfaced. The popular myth states that [[Donkey Kong (game)|the original game]] was meant to be titled "Monkey Kong", but was called "Donkey Kong" due to either a mistranslation<ref>"It seems the entire game is a misnomer. Legend has it that the Japanese wonk who developed the game made a mistake when translating the Japanese for 'Monkey Kong' into English. By the time the error was discovered millions of labels had already been printed." 1.Dougherty, Kerry."Pretendo — Oops, Nintendo — Separates Males from Females." The [Norfolk] Virginian-Pilot. 4 January 1997 (p. A11).</ref> or typo<ref>"Why exactly the giant ape is called 'Donkey Kong' is a mystery, although I heard one story that sounds plausible: The original arcade game, designed in Japan, was supposed to be called 'Monkey Kong,' but somebody misspelled it and the name stuck." Burrill, William. "Game Boy Cart More Fun Than Barrel of Donkeys." ''The Toronto Star''. 4 August 1994 (p. F5).</ref><ref>"According to Mark Smith, editor of the Club Nintendo magazine, the game should have been called Monkey Kong — it did indeed feature a large gorilla, with nary a donkey to be seen — but there was a typing error on a fax from Nintendo (Japan) to Nintendo" Bailey, Eric. "Is There No Rescue at Hand in This Super Mario Land?" ''The [London] Daily Telegraph''. 23 December 1991.</ref>. ''Monkey'' and ''donkey'' are, first, two completely different words in Japanese, so it is unlikely to be a translation error, and while typos resulting in popular names do exist, the myth's multiple variations make this explanation dubious at best.

Another explanation states that ''donkey'' was used to avoid copyright issues with King Kong<ref>The word "donkey" is, given a poor grasp of english idiom, the opposite of the word "king" (etymology: donkey — ass — fool; fool is traditionally the opposite of king). The title "Donkey Kong" is supposed to be a clever pun, but it doesn't translate well. It also serves as a way to refer to the movie King Kong without violating copyright.</ref>, even though Nintendo was [[List of Mario-related controversies#Universal Studios|sued]] by [[wikipedia:Universal Studios|Universal Studios]] in 1982 for this exact reason.

However, [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] himself has claimed numerous times that he found the name from a Japanese-English dictionary when looking for something "stubborn" or "stupid". While "donkey" is not usually considered to be an adjective, the animals themselves ''are'' often associated with those traits.<ref>"[Miyamoto] consulted a Japanese-English dictionary and found 'donkey' listed as an English equivalent to the Japanese word for stupid or goofy. He decided that Kong would be a good name for the gorilla, so he called the game Donkey Kong." Mingo, Jack. How the Cadillac Got Its Fins. New York: HarperBusiness, 1994. ISBN 0-88730-677-2 (pp. 136-141).</ref><ref>"''I had always been under the impression that Kong meant gorilla. So I wanted to name him "something-something" Kong. And so, because I wanted to make a dumb character, I went and looked that word up in an English dictionary. When I did that, I found that the word "donkey" had that meaning in addition to that of the animal. And so with that, I gave him the name Donkey Kong, but when we brought him to America, it was said over and over that "That's a weird name... Donkey doesn't mean dumb." But I was just like, "Well, whatever," and left the name that way. (laughs) Even after all that, Donkey Kong is still loved all over America, right? I think that when something is called "weird," there's a strong negative connotation to it, but on the other hand, by leaving it that way I think it definitely sticks in people's minds better. ''"[http://themushroomkingdom.net/interview_miyamoto_nom18_feb2000.shtml; "Exclusive Interview with Donkey Kong Creator Shigeru Miyamoto."] Nintendo Online Magazine. 1 Feb. 2000. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. Retrieved from The Mushroom Kingdom on August 10, 2014. ([http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0002/01/miyamoto.html Original Japanese interview])</ref>

===Gunpei Yokoi is the creator of Wario and Daisy===
Due to being by far the best-known personality of [[Nintendo]]'s former [[Nintendo Research & Development 1|Research & Development 1]] department and his role as producer for many of their games, [[Gunpei Yokoi]] is often attributed as the sole creator of R&D1's franchises and characters up to his departure. As such, it is common for fans to credit [https://www.google.ca/search?q=Gunpei+Yokoi+daisy&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=u3oaVpyNFYHR-AGvpJjgAw#q=Gunpei+Yokoi+daisy&safe=off&start=0 the] [https://www.google.ca/search?q=Gunpei+Yokoi+daisy&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=u3oaVpyNFYHR-AGvpJjgAw#safe=off&q=Gunpei+Yokoi+wario+creator creation] of the characters [[Wario]] and [[Princess Daisy]], two of the main characters of R&D1's [[Super Mario Land (series)|''Super Mario Land'' games]], to Yokoi.

In truth, Yokoi has never been credited as a character designer in any of the games he was involved with, and no report done during Yokoi's lifetime or modern interviews with former R&D1 staff stated he created any characters for R&D1's games.

[[Hiroji Kiyotake]], director and graphic designer for ''[[Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins]]'', is the creator of Wario, as stated by multiple participants in a 2004 interview with the magazine [[Nintendo Dream]]<ref>Nintendo Dream Vol. 118 (September 6, 2004). "Famicom Disk System: The More You Play It, the More You'll Want to Play" ([http://www.metroid-database.com/m1/fds-interview-p0.php translation available at Metroid Database]). Retrieved October 11, 2015.</ref>; he is also credited as the original designer of Wario throughout the ''[[WarioWare]]'' series. While no specific creator has been attributed for Daisy, [[Satoru Okada]] (director of ''[[Super Mario Land]]'') or [[Hirofumi Matsuoka]] and/or Masahiko Mashimo (graphic designers for the game) would be more likely candidates.

===Inspiration for the Super Mushroom===
Rumours have questioned the [[Super Mushroom|Super Mushroom's]] origin, and it has been suggested that they are inspired by real-life drugs.<ref>http://www.gamesradar.com/top-7-most-disturbing-things-about-mushroom-kingdom/</ref><ref>http://www.destructoid.com/six-sinister-things-about-super-mario-28654.phtml</ref> Similarities to both mushrooms in ''Alice in Wonderland'' and Amanita Muscaria have been pointed out.<ref>http://www.cracked.com/article_18585_the-7-most-wtf-origins-iconic-pop-culture-franchises.html</ref> Miyamoto himself has denied a connection to ''Alice in Wonderland'', and said he drew inspiration from ''enchanted foodstuffs in myths and folklore''.<ref>http://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2010/sep/13/games-gameculture</ref> Miyamoto and Iwata have talked about how the Super Mushroom was first meant to be a gameplay mechanic that would appeal to the player as a "good item".<ref>http://nintendoeverything.com/iwata-miyamoto-on-the-origins-of-marios-overalls-mushrooms/</ref>

===Larry Koopa's namesake===
Several articles (such as [https://web.archive.org/web/20110512072842/http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/16520/features/10-amazing-mario-facts/ this one] by the British Official Nintendo Magazine) purports that [[Larry Koopa]] is named after the talk show host [[wikipedia:Lary King|Larry King]]. However, according to former [[Nintendo|Nintendo of America]] employee Dayvv Brooks, Larry is also named after a musician like the rest of his siblings: in this case, [[wikipedia:Larry Mullen, Jr.|Larry Mullen, Jr.]], the drummer for the rock band [[wikipedia:U2|U2]].<ref>[[Special:Contributions/Dayvvbrooks|Dayvv Brooks]] (former Nintendo of America employee), on July 18, 2012.</ref>

However, Brooks contradicted this in a 2015 interview with gaming website Kotaku, stating that Larry's name was chosen because "he looked like a Larry"  and that he wasn't named after anyone in particular<ref>Klepek, Patrick (December 29, 2015). [http://kotaku.com/how-a-mario-character-was-named-after-motorheads-lemmy-1750180427?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Twitter&utm_source=Kotaku_Twitter&utm_medium=Socialflow How A Mario Character Was Named After Motorhead's Lemmy]. ''Kotaku''. Retrieved December 30, 2015.</ref>.

===Mario and Luigi's last names===
With the introduction of Luigi as Mario's brother, the pair began to be collectively referred to as the Mario brothers. Because of the title, many have been led to believe that Mario and Luigi's last names are actually "Mario". This was further pushed by the ''[[Super Mario Bros. (film)|Super Mario Bros.]]'' Hollywood film released in 1993, which uses "Mario" as the brothers' surname. Several other isolated cases have also appeared that use the "Mario" last name, such as the ''[[Mario Party 2]]'' [[Prima Games]] guide, and the promo flyer for the ''[[Donkey Kong/Donkey Kong Jr./Mario Bros.]]'' arcade cabinet. [[Charles Martinet]], Mario's current voice actor, has also given this as his response when asked about Mario's last name.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAjhjLuWbC8 Mario (Charles Martinet) reveals his last name & other tales - San Diego Comic Con 2012] "''"What's my last name? That's-a very good question! Uh...uh... that's right! My name's-a Mario Mario. Of course, my brother's name, a-Luigi Mario. And of course, my mama's-a Mama Mia Mario; my papa Papa Pio Mario. Of course, my grandmama Grandmama Mia Mario and my greatpapa et cetera, et cetera. Yeah, first name Mario, last name Mario. Yahoo!"''"</ref> 

For many years, various [[Nintendo]] employees and representatives, including series creator [[Shigeru Miyamoto]], have stated that Mario and Luigi do not have a last name.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS713fNTJ8c&t=2m02s Inside Edition News Report With Super Mario Bros.]</ref><ref>Totilo, Stephen (August 17, 2012). [http://kotaku.com/5935721/super-marios-boss-doesnt-want-to-overdo-it-with-mr-video-game-and-wont-deceive-you-with-dlc Nintendo Chief: Mario Is Part Of Gamers' DNA]. Kotaku. Retrieved August 16, 2014.</ref><ref name="Game Informer">Dan Ryckert (September 24, 2014). [http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/09/24/miyamoto-tezuka-interview.aspx Mario's Creators Answer Burning Questions About The Series]. Game Informer. Retrieved August 16, 2014.</ref> However, Miyamoto later recanted this stance, stating during the [[Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary]] festival held in Shibuya that Mario's full name is in fact "Mario Mario"<ref>Brian. [http://nintendoeverything.com/miyamoto-says-marios-full-name-is-mario-mario/ Miyamoto says Mario’s full name is “Mario Mario”]. ''Nintendo Everything'' (September 14, 2015). Retrieved September 14th 2015</ref>.

===Super Mario FX===
A rumour suggests that a 3D platformer named "Super Mario FX" was in development for the SNES, which would have used the Super FX chip to display 3D graphics. Variants of this rumour claim that the game became or was otherwise the inspiration for ''[[Super Mario 64]]''.

As SnesCentral elaborates, there is no actual proof that such a game was in development (which would have been unlikely due to the timetable of ''Super Mario 64'''s development), and claims of its existence seem to originate from IGN misinterpreting an interview in the January 1996 issue of ''[[Nintendo Power]]'', where [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] stated he got the idea of developing a 3D ''Mario'' platformer (without specifying platform) while developing ''[[lylatwiki:Star Fox (game)|Star Fox]]'', a game released on the SNES that used the Super FX chip to display full 3D graphics. Furthermore, said article's writer contacted Dylan Cuthbert (a game programmer who designed the Super FX chip and collaborated with Miyamoto on ''Star Fox''), who confirmed that no 3D ''Mario'' platformer was in development for the SNES and that "Super Mario FX" was actually a codename for the chip itself.<ref>http://www.snescentral.com/article.php?id=1032</ref>

===Super Mario Galaxy DS===
In December 2007, a video showing a supposedly downloadable, Nintendo DS version of ''Super Mario Galaxy'' emerged.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3FVLyzmNAI]</ref> The footage showed Mario and Luigi jumping from the Wii to the DS using a previously unknown, hidden galaxy unlockable after collecting every Power Star as both Mario and Luigi and the DS' Wi-Fi download capabilities. It also shows both brothers in the game's galaxies simultaneously, implying a co-op mode. The video also stated that each Power Star collected in the DS game would be redeemable for 10 Wii points. When asked about this, Nintendo stated that they do not comment on rumors. A slightly shorter, more stable version of the same footage was later posted on the video-sharing site Stage6 by user psycho3ler. It was shown to belong to Pablo Belmonte, a video editor behind a "Nintendo ON" hoax video posted in 2005. The extended footage on Stage6 even shows a Nintendo ON-shaped planet.

===''Super Mario Galaxy'' boxart hidden message===
[[File:SMG Logo.png|thumb]]
Started on NeoGAF,<ref>http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=190547</ref> the "hidden" message in the boxart of ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' can be found in the logo of the game. If one singles out all the letters with a small twinkle, the message apparently reads "UR MR GAY" (You are Mr. Gay), leading some to suggest that it may be the sneaky work of the cover artist.<ref>Swiniski, A. (September 18, 2007). [http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/18/u-r-mr-gay-message-discovered-in-super-mario-galaxy-box-art/ 'U R MR GAY' message discovered in Super Mario Galaxy box art] Retrieved December 19, 2014.</ref><ref>Sterling, J. September 16, 2007. [http://www.destructoid.com/ur-mr-gay-super-mario-galaxy-artwork-holds-a-mirror-to-your-homosexuality-44806.phtml UR MR GAY! Super Mario Galaxy artwork holds a mirror to your homosexuality]. Retrieved December 19, 2014.</ref> Nevertheless, in [[Super Mario Galaxy 2|the sequel]], the sparkles have been [[:File:SMG2 Logo.png|rearranged]] to spell out U R M I AY, although this can be interpreted this as YA, I M, RU? (Yeah, I am, are you?)<ref>Sterling, J. (February 27, 2010). [http://www.destructoid.com/ur-mr-gay-ya-i-m-r-u--165205.phtml UR MR GAY? YA, I M, R U?]. Retrieved December 19, 2014. </ref> Both title logos' arrangement of the sparkles in aesthetically pleasing areas spelling out an unintended message is likely a case of confirmation bias.
{{br}}

==Fiction==
===Ashley's age===
It is commonly claimed among online fans that [[Ashley]] is 9/10-years old in Japanese ''[[WarioWare (series)|WarioWare]]'' material and that her age was "changed" for the western localization. The claim was featured for a time on the wiki's [[Ashley and Red]] page, although it was later removed for being unsourced.

While there are hints that Ashley is meant to be younger than 15-years old (such as her voice and Ashley referring to herself in the third person in her [[Game & Wario#Miiverse Sketch Masterpiece Collection|Miiverse Sketch Masterpiece Collection]] video, a verbal tic that usually denotes young, immature characters in Japanese media) she has no specific stated age in any Japanese ''WarioWare'' media, including the official Japanese ''[[WarioWare: Touched!]]'' website<ref>[http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/azwj/02-4.html Ashley's page on the Japanese WarioWare: Touched! Website], Nintendo of Japan, (accessed February 25, 2014)</ref>.

===Clawdia Koopa===
A popular rumor has that an unspecified UK Nintendo magazine issue once joked that Bowser's wife is named "Clawdia Koopa". However, despite the rumor's popularity, no scan or direct quotation of the statement has surfaced. Furthermore, most sites making this claim [https://www.google.com/search?q=Clawdia+Koopa+Nintendo+UK&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:fr:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=4PlfVM2-FdDY8geT6oCYBA#safe=off&rls=org.mozilla:fr:official&channel=sb&q=Clawdia+Koopa+Nintendo+Power+UK attribute it] to "Nintendo Power UK", a publication that does not exist in that region. 

The idea that Bowser has a wife named Clawdia Koopa likely originates from the ''Mario'' fansite Lemmy's Land. Lemmy Koopa, the webmaster, created an original character named Clawdia to play the role of Bowser's wife in his fanfiction. She appeared on the site as early as 2002.<ref>''"Disclaimer: Let's see... "Super" Mario and all related characters are property of Nintendo and I didn't make them, but I did add Clawdia, Susan, Bagels, and Playful. The stories accredited to me are indeed mine."'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20020802141637/http://lemmykoopa.com/lkmain.html Lemmy's Land] (Archived on August 2, 2002). Retrieved November 26, 2014.</ref> As Lemmy Koopa has always been open about Clawdia being his original character, it's most likely that a third party started the "Nintendo Power UK" rumor.

===King K. Rool's costumes are separate characters in Japan===
[[King K. Rool]]'s [[trophy]] description in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' states that "His brother, Kaptain K. Rool, made an appearance in the game ''[[Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest]]''". This lead to several fans wondering if this was a change in the Japanese localization of the ''Donkey Kong Country'' games, which, due to the [[wikipedia:Chinese whispers|broken telephone effect]], was morphed into a "fact" that King K. Rool's disguises are separate characters in Japan. In truth, Japanese material for the ''Donkey Kong Country'' series also have K. Rool's aliases being mere disguises<ref>[http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AD%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB#.E3.82.AD.E3.83.A3.E3.83.97.E3.83.86.E3.83.B3.E3.82.AF.E3.83.AB.E3.83.BC.E3.83.AB Japanese Wikipedia page for King K. Rool], Wikimedia foundation (accessed August 8, 2014) </ref>, and thus the trophy description is merely an error.

===''Super Mario Bros. 3'' is a stage play===
Because of several design elements in the game, such as the rising and closing curtains at the beginning of the game, the end of each stage being a black void representing an exit stage, several platforms being held up in midair, and some platforms being bolted into the background and casting shadows onto the sky, it has become a popular idea that ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' is actually a stage play rather than a real adventure.<ref>[http://www.dorkly.com/post/13074/the-dorklyst-the-6-greatest-videogame-theories-on-the-internet The Dorklyst: The 6 Greatest Videogame Theories on the Internet]. Dorkly (March 16, 2011). Retrieved September 10, 2015.</ref> The theory began to spread around the Internet with [http://i.imgur.com/MCQB1.jpg an image] showing evidence for the theory. In 2015, however, Shigeru Miyamoto, in a video discussing various ''Mario'' rumors and myths, would confirm that the theory is true.<ref>Nintendo UK (September 10, 2015). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu2DnTd3dEo Mario Myths with Mr Miyamoto]. YouTube. Retrieved September 10, 2015.</ref>.

===The ''Mario'' characters are actors===
In September 2012, Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka held an interview with gaming magazine [[wikipedia:Game Informer|Game Informer]], which was reported by several sites. Among other information, the interview had Shigeru Miyamoto stating he pictured the ''Mario'' cast as "[...] a troupe of actors".<ref name="Game Informer"></ref> As many who reported the interview omitted the context of the statement (with at least [http://www.polygon.com/gaming/2012/9/25/3407672/miyamoto-the-mario-cast-is-a-troupe-of-actors-and-bowsers-kids-are one site] running it as the headline), this lead to several assuming that the statement was meant to be taken literally, that is, the ''Mario'' characters are actors playing a role and that their adventures are not "real" in the context of the ''Mario'' universe. Further supporting this idea is the [[#Super Mario Bros. 3 is a stage play|above interpretation]] that ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' is a play.

Miyamoto's answer, however, was of a different nature. When asked by the interviewer why [[Mario]] and [[Princess Peach]] partake in friendly sporting competitions with [[Bowser]] despite their antagonistic relationship in the platforming games, Miyamoto responded that he pictured the ''Mario'' cast as being similar to old comic and cartoon characters (specifically mentioning ''[[wikipedia:Popeye|Popeye]]''), which frequently changed time period and occupation depending on the scenario with no explanation, concluding that he envisions them as "one big family, or maybe a troupe of actors."<ref>Ryckert. Dan (24 September, 2012). [http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/09/24/miyamoto-tezuka-interview.aspx Mario's Creators answer our burning questions]. ''Game Informer''. Retrieved February 11, 2015</ref>.

<blockquote>'''Interviewer:''' Time and again, Bowser kidnaps Peach. Why do Mario and Peach still race go-karts and play tennis with him??<br>
'''Miyamoto:''' If you're familiar with things like Popeye and some of the old comic characters, you would oftentimes see this cast of characters that takes on different roles depending on the comic or cartoon. They might be businessman in one [cartoon] or a pirate in another. Depending on the story that was being told, they would change roles. So, to a certain degree, I look at our characters in a similar way and feel that they can take on different roles in different games. It's more like they're one big family, or maybe a troupe of actors.</blockquote>

===Toads' genders===
On November 17, 2014, GameSpot posted [http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-reveals-the-toads-gender-secret/1100-6423610/ an article] featuring a segment of an interview with [[Koichi Hayashida]] on ''[[Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker]]'', who, when discussing the Toad's genders, stated that, "[...]we never really went out of our way to decide on the sex of these characters, even though they have somewhat gendered appearances." This led the article's writer and many others to conclude that the [[Toad (species)|Toad species]] is a genderless race. Other more direct sources reveal, however, that Toads are not exactly genderless. An interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, for instance, has clarified that when Toads were designed, the developers did not focus on their genders until [[Toadette]], who was clearly designed to be female, was introduced, and then players began assuming the Toad character as male.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUkU6O4p7Lw&t=8m44s Shigeru Miyamoto Interview (Creator of Mario!)]. iJustine (December 17, 2014). Retrieved December 20, 2014.</ref> In other words, Toads were more likely viewed with an ambiguous gender at first rather than being flat-out genderless as the GameSpot article seems to imply.

==Gameplay==
===Chunky Kong in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U]]''===
Around the time the ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]'' demo was available at select North American Best Buy locations, Smashboard user wildvine47 reported that he saw [[Chunky Kong]] as an [[Assist Trophy]] character while playing the demo at the Schaumburg Best Buy. He described Chunky's effect as making bananas fall from the sky<ref>[http://www.dkvine.com/interactive/forums/index.php?showtopic=8318&st=5900&p=336564&#entry336564 wildvine47's post on the Donkey Kong Universe forum]. (Retrieved December 22, 2014)</ref>. While the report was corroborated by another poster and initially seen as credible, its veracity was questioned due to there being no video or image captured of the supposed Assist Trophy. The rumor was finally confirmed false when both versions of the game were released, with no sighting or mention of Chunky Kong as one of the Assist Trophies in either version.

On December 22, 2014, wildvine47 admitted in a forum post that he had invented the rumor, both to see which fake "leaks" would pick up on it, and for his own amusement<ref>[http://smashboards.com/threads/k-rools-kremling-kutthroats-request-the-king-in-your-smash-club-nintendo-forms-today.324259/page-516#post-18244015 Smashboard post by wildvine47.] (Retrieved December 22, 2014)</ref>.

===Laser Suit in ''[[Super Mario World]]''===
In late 2006, a video was posted on YouTube showing off a secret exit in the [[Top Secret Area]] reached by leaping into a "Warp Pipe" between the two left question blocks. Said warp would take the player to a hidden goal, which would in turn lead to a level on the island above called "???". In this level is a [[Message Block]] containing a congratulatory message from the Nintendo staff presenting the Laser Suit, which would have the properties of the cape and allow Mario to shoot lasers. The suit was actually created by ''Super Mario World'' hacker KPhoenix, who made the level and added the message "so people would be fooled on Youtube."<ref>[http://acmlm.kafuka.org/archive3/thread.php?pid=184903&r=1#184903 Post on Acmlm's Board by KPhoenix] on November 11, 2006. Retrieved August 14, 2014.</ref>.

===Luigi in ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' / "L is real 2401"===
One of the most famous rumors surrounding ''Super Mario 64'' is that Luigi is available as a secret playable character, often citing a statue with small characters that purportedly spelled "L is real 2401" as proof, (though the characters can also be read as "Eternal Star"). Many theories regarding the meaning of the "L is real 2401" message were circulated, such as doing 2401 laps around the statue in order to make Luigi appear.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G31sxNAXpks</ref> After receiving several fake methods, the review site IGN eventually offered a $100 (US) reward for an authentic method of unlocking Luigi<ref>[http://ca.ign.com/articles/1996/11/14/in-search-of-luigi In Search of Luigi]. (November 13, 1996). ''IGN''. Retrieved August 20, 2014.</ref>, but as the staff suspected, Luigi's inclusion in ''Super Mario 64'' was a myth, and no proof to the contrary was forthcoming<ref>[http://ca.ign.com/articles/1996/11/21/luigi-still-missing Luigi Still Missing]. (November 20, 1996). ''IGN''. Retrieved August 20, 2014.</ref>. Nintendo itself acknowledged the rumours in the 1998 April Fools' issue of ''Nintendo Power'', which stated that it would discuss the "L is real 2401" message on the non-existent page 128. While his presence in the original ''Super Mario 64'' was nothing more than a rumour, Luigi was made a playable character in the remake, ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]''.

A variant of the "L is real 2401" rumor claims that the "message" instead refers to ''[[Paper Mario]]'', a game that Luigi does appear in, though as a non-playable character. According to the rumor, the "2401" refers to the game's supposed North American release date of February 4, 2001<ref>[http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/198848-super-mario-64/45354911 L is Real 2401: WHAT IT REALLY MEANS!!!!!]. NeoGaf (original post by 1337_M4rio on September 9, 2008). Retrieved May 2, 2015.</ref><ref>[http://eeggs.com/items/52448.html Super Mario 64 Easter Egg - L is Real 2401/eternal star]. The Easter Egg Archive. (posted March 21, 2008.) Retrieved May 2, 2015.</ref>, even though its actual North American release date was one day later, on February 5. In addition, the game was actually first released in Japan on August 11, 2000, the ''Super Mario 64'' staff would have had no idea of the game's release date years in advance, and the game was originally scheduled for a December 26, 2000, launch in North America before being delayed to February 2001.<ref>IGN Staff. (September 8, 2000.) [http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/09/09/stop-the-press Stop the Press!]. IGN. Retrieved May 2, 2015.</ref> The rumor appears to have originated from "Hairball" in 2000, explaining the "L is real 2401" rumor on its webpage.<ref>http://www.sm128c.com/april2000/luigifound.php</ref>

===Luigi's hanging shadow===
[[File:Hanging Luigi Shadow.jpg|thumb|250px|Luigi's shadow supposedly having been hanged.]]
In the game ''[[Luigi's Mansion]]'', the player must go to the [[Telephone Room]] after beating the Boss Battle of the Area 3. Within these calls, the player must have Luigi holding the the phone and wait until a lightning strikes: Luigi's shadow appears to be much different from Luigi itself that it seems he has been hanged. After being noted, some speculation<ref>http://www.vgfacts.com/forums/thread-1559.html</ref> began to show up: some people think the shadow indicates that Luigi is really dead. Others have suggested that ''Luigi's Mansion'' was in production a more violent and dark game than the final product.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYRQqqMnmdk</ref>

The shadow is most likely a result of the camera angle and the lighting properties: when Luigi phones, the camera slightly changes its position, angling up and zooming in. Since the lightning "strikes from the camera", the shadow is actually misplaced. The shadow matches Luigi's pose; one of his supposed arms is actually the tube of the [[Poltergust 3000]], where the "rope" around Luigi's neck is the flashlight and the Game Boy Horror; the idea that he is being "hanged" based on the silhouette is possibly a case of [[wikipedia:Pareidolia|pareidolia]] that matches the game's ghostly themes.

===Marty the Thwomp===
[[File:Mk64 green thwomp.png|thumb|left|"Marty the Thwomp" in Bowser's Castle.]]
A popular rumor regarding ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'' involves the green [[Thwomp]] (named "Marty" by fans) locked behind a cage at the beginning of [[Bowser's Castle (N64)|Bowser's Castle]]. Rumors about using a complicated method to unlock him circulated<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9pKU9vyhRA&feature=related A YouTube video describing the method of "unlocking" the Thwomp.] Retrieved 12/24/2014</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdCdwprt45k Another method to "unlock" him. Retrieved 12/24/2014]</ref><ref>[https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marty-the-Thwomp/174648505906855?hc_location=timeline Marty the Thwomp has his own Facebook page.] Retrieved 12/24/2014.</ref>, though it is unknown where the rumor exactly originated from. These videos are posted as an April Fools' joke. There is no evidence in the game's data to indicate that the Thwomp is a playable character, nevertheless.

===[[Rosalina]] in ''[[Mario Tennis Open]]''===
Sometime after the release of ''[[Mario Tennis Open]]'', a Nindori magazine scan with [[Rosalina]]'s head over the QR code used to unlock [[Black Yoshi]] in the game started appearing on Japanese websites.<ref>[http://blog-imgs-50.fc2.com/h/i/m/himastime/20120517184807925r.jpg The magazine scan] depicting Rosalina's head over the QR code. The katakana says, "Rosetta", Rosalina's Japanese name.</ref> At a later point, however, another scan appeared stating that she had been replaced with [[Luma]].{{refneeded}}
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===Waluigi in ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]''===
[[File:SM64DSWaluigi.png|thumb|150px|The "Purple Prizes" image.]]
In 2007, rumors about [[Waluigi]] appearing in ''Super Mario 64 DS'' started, similar to the original ''Super Mario 64'' Luigi rumours. Many fans even suggested that the original "L is Real 2401" statue would be involved in accessing Waluigi in the sequel, and various fake ways to unlock him were put forth<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIq4PtGrOF0</ref>.

One of the more popular pieces of evidence was a fake magazine scan titled "Purple Prizes." It stated that Waluigi could be unlocked by collecting every Power Star and becoming "the fastest foot racer in the land", then triggering a hidden switch to reveal his door and defeating the "Rabbit King" to collect the key; the page also described his standard and [[Power Flower (Super Mario 64 DS)|Power Flower]] abilities, as well as stating that he has a "special ending". The "scan" was created by Andrew Brown, who edited a custom-made Waluigi model into game screenshots and posted the image onto his DeviantART account as well as some small gaming forums as an April Fool's joke in 2005, though it quickly spiked in popularity. Some began to state that the image has been posted onto IGN and that the "scan" was from an issue of Nintendo Power.<ref>Brown, Andrew (December 7, 2011). [http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/28610/waluigi-we-hardly-knew-ye-the-time-i-fooled-the-world The time I fooled the world]. Nintendo World Report. Retrieved November 25, 2014.</ref>

===''[[Luigi's Mansion]]'' early versions===
There are various rumours circulating regarding [[List of Luigi's Mansion pre-release and unused content|earlier iterations and cut content]] from ''Luigi's Mansion'', most of which assert that the game was meant to be "darker" and more violent than the final version. Two recurring components of these rumours are a cut "hunter" [[Portrait Ghost]], and the presence of an in-game time limit of 3 days, both of which were featured on earlier versions of the wiki's "List of Luigi's Mansion pre-release and unused content" page.

====Hunter ghost====
A common rumour is that the [[Safari Room]] originally featured a hunter boss, who wanted to have [[Luigi]]'s head as one of his trophies, and who was cut for being too "scary" for the target audience of the game. No evidence of an hunter ghost is present in the game's data despite the presence of other unused ghosts, and no direct mentions of the supposed boss exist in previews.

The rumour originates from [[Nintendo Power]]'s October 2001 issue: the issue included a preview of ''Luigi's Mansion'', which featured a screenshot of the Safari Room with the caption ''"When your ghoul-busting mission takes you to the trophy room, proceed with caution. If you meet up with the ghost of a hunter, he'll want to add Luigi to his collection."'' The caption was likely an attempt at flavour rather than a serious indication that a game hunter-themed ghost was in the game, as the article was written after Luigi's Mansion's Japanese release, long after such a character would've been considered and cut from the game.

====Time limit====
The most common claim about earlier builds of ''Luigi's Mansion'' is that it originally featured a time limit of 3 days to complete the game, after which the titular mansion would dissapear with [[Mario]] still inside. Similar to the above, no evidence of a scrapped time limit exist in the final versions' data, and no previews of the game mention it.

The time limit rumour may be another instance of Chinese whispers, this time relating to showings of ''Luigi's Mansion'' at video game conventions. The game's show floor demo at E3 2001 featured an on-screen timer of 1 minute 30 seconds. After the time elapsed, [[Professor E.Gadd]] would appear and boot back the player to the tile screen, ending their time with the game.
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==External links==
*[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Misconceptions_and_urban_legends_about_Transformers The Transformers Wiki's "Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers" page] (the inspiration for this page)
*[http://www.ssbwiki.com/list_of_rumors Smashwiki's "List of rumors" page]

==References==
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[[Category:Lists|Rumors]]
[[Category:References|controversies]]