Earth
- "Real World" redirects here. For the general locale from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team sometimes colloquially referred to as the "real world", see Pi'illo Island.
| Earth | |
|---|---|
 Earth as it appears in Mario is Missing! (SNES) | |
| First appearance | Donkey Kong (1981) (real world) Super Mario Bros. (1985) (counterpart) |
| Latest appearance | Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (2024) |
| Greater location | Solar System |
| Inhabitants | Humans, Goombas, Toads, Koopas, Yoshis |
Earth is a planet on which a wide variety of people, cultures, and ecosystems reside. While the Earth that appears in the Super Mario franchise has some features derived from the non-fictional entity, fictional alterations to the planet have also been applied. Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that the backstory of Super Mario Bros. has Mario arrive in the Mushroom Kingdom through one of the Warp Pipes seen in Mario Bros. in New York City on Earth.[1] Similar depictions include those of the DIC cartoons, in which the "Real World" is separate from the world of the Mushroom Kingdom, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, in which Earth and the Mushroom Kingdom are in separate worlds connected by a Warp Zone. Later games have depicted the world of the Mushroom Kingdom as an Earth or Earth-like planet,[2] sometimes incorporating places from the real world.
History[edit]
Real world[edit]
Donkey Kong[edit]
Earth first appears in Donkey Kong with Shigeru Miyamoto stating that "Donkey Kong is set in New York".[1]
Mario Bros.[edit]
Miyamoto further states that Mario Bros. is also set in New York City, this time its sewer system.[1] He also states that the Mario Bros. are "Italians" in New York.[3]
DIC cartoons[edit]
According to The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'s introduction and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "Toddler Terrors of Time Travel", Mario and Luigi happened upon a Warp Zone to the Mushroom Kingdom while performing a plumbing house call and were sucked down into the Mushroom Kingdom. This second explanation was later modified through the power of Kooky von Koopa's Time Travel Tube, but no major changes were made to the history of the "Real World".
In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Mario and Luigi live in the Real World and run a moderately successful plumbing business called Mario Brothers Plumbing in their hometown of Brooklyn. Many of the brothers' relatives live on the planet as well, including Mama Mario and Papa Mario; the show's live-action segments take place in Brooklyn, and Australia is mentioned during an encounter with Alligator Dundee. In the animated segments, Mario and Luigi often try to find their way back to Brooklyn, usually via a Warp Pipe; however, towards the end of the series, they decide to stay so that they can protect Princess Toadstool and the Mushroom Kingdom.
In The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, many episodes feature characters using Warp Pipes to travel back and forth between the Real World and the Mushroom Kingdom. In the episode "7 Continents for 7 Koopas", King Koopa assigns each of his seven Koopalings to take over one of the Real World's continents:
- Asia – Bully vandalizes the Great Wall of China.
- Australia – Cheatsy goes to the Australian Outback and turns humans into kangaroos.
- Europe – Kootie Pie goes to the Louvre museum in Paris, France, where she magically alters works of art.
- Africa – Kooky transforms animals into plush animals in a savanna in a non-specified location.
- Antarctica – Big Mouth creates a monster to terrorize penguins.
- North America – Hip takes over all TV networks in the continent.
- South America – Hop turns a portion of the Amazon rainforest into a parking lot.
King Koopa is seen in the Real World in a flashback sequence in the Super Mario World episode "Rock TV".
Mario is Missing! and Mario's Time Machine[edit]
In the games, the real Earth is more explicitly and thoroughly visited in the several versions of Mario is Missing! and Mario's Time Machine, both educational titles intended to teach players about world geography, cultures and history. As such, these games involve Luigi and Mario, respectively, visiting many landmarks and historically significant locations on all continents of the planet.
In both games, greater focus is given to the continents of Europe and North America (the United States of America in particular): in the PC version of Mario is Missing!, nine out the of 25 locations visited are European cities, while in the PC version of Mario's Time Machine half of the 20 unique places are located in that continent, and other five are in the USA. In Mario is Missing!, Antarctica is where Bowser's castle is located, thus being the final destination in the story.
| Mario is Missing! (PC) |
Mario is Missing! (SNES) |
Mario is Missing! (NES) |
Mario's Time Machine (PC) |
Mario's Time Machine (SNES) |
Mario's Time Machine (NES) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Australia/Oceania |
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| Unspecified/other |
Super Mario Bros. film[edit]
The Super Mario Bros. film features an introduction that outlines the rule and extinction of the dinosaurs on Earth. Dinosaurs were the dominant species on the planet and overall superior to the small mammals who also inhabited Earth, until one day a gigantic meteor struck the planet. This cataclysm not only killed off the dinosaur population on Earth, but also caused spatial and dimensional disturbances that created a parallel Earth that subsequently became the new domain of any surviving dinosaurs and other animals. This alternate, parallel dimension becomes known as Dinohattan, and allowed for most of its reptilian inhabitants to evolve into humanoid creatures, while some retain their reptilian form. However, some members, such as Yoshi, seemed to have retained their reptilian forms. Aside from one rundown city, Dinohattan, the parallel Earth is an arid wasteland, lacking various resources.
The first act of the film takes place in Brooklyn, New York on Earth, until Daisy is kidnapped by Iggy and Spike and brought to Dinohattan. It is established that a link between these two dimensions exists in the sewers of New York City. The plot of the film involves President Koopa trying to use Daisy's meteorite pendant, a remnant from the meteor that split the dimensions, to merge and combine them back together. At the film's climax, Lena uses the meteorite shard to temporarily successfully combine the two dimensions. After Koopa's defeat, Mario and Luigi successfully un-merge the dimensions back to their original state and return to their home in Brooklyn.
Mario Kart series[edit]
In Mario Kart Tour, most new courses are themed after cities and/or countries from Earth, featuring real-world landmarks, and many tours are aptly named after such locations. Fourteen tracks based on real cities were released in Mario Kart Tour and in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass, of which seven are in Europe, three are in North America, three are in Asia and one is in Australia. The planet, as well as the Andromeda Galaxy, can now be seen in the background of 3DS Rainbow Road.
Mario & Sonic series[edit]
The Mario & Sonic games, which tie in with the real world Olympic Games, naturally place the cast of the Super Mario and Sonic franchises on the real Earth. Cities that have hosted the event and appear in this series are:
- Beijing, China (Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games)
- Vancouver, Canada (Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games)
- London, United Kingdom (Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games)
- Sochi, Russia (Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games)
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games)
- Tokyo, Japan (Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020).
Mushroom Kingdom counterpart[edit]
Another Earth[2] serves as the planet where the Mushroom Kingdom and other lands reside. Super Mario Galaxy features Mario traveling between the planet and others across space, while Super Mario Odyssey features him traveling between continents on the planet.
Much like the Mushroom Kingdom itself, depictions of this planet vary greatly between appearances. Some games, such as Mario Kart Wii, depict a planet identical to the actual Earth in terms of landmasses, albeit surrounded by fictional elements from the Super Mario franchise, making its actual nature ambiguous. Other titles opt to obscure the surface of the planet, or show completely fictional continents altogether.
Club Nintendo[edit]
During the events of the Club Nintendo magazine comic "Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24", aliens erroneously take Earth for a giant coconut, and since they adore this kind of fruit, they take the planet with them, pulling it away from the sun. This results in a sudden drop of temperature all over the planet. When Donkey Kong and some of his friends talk to the aliens, they return Earth back to its original position.
In "Die Jagd nach dem Nintendo 64: Krawall im All", from the same magazine, Mario and Luigi travel through space in search for a new spaceship. They finally find it on Earth (which Luigi referred to as "Planet Terra").
Wario franchise[edit]
Wario refers to the area below the Awazon as "deep within the Earth" in the manual of Virtual Boy Wario Land. In the WarioWare series, Wario has a map of the Earth inside his house. Additionally, the Earth appears in the opening and closing cutscenes of WarioWare Gold. The Earth also appears in the microgame "Shave the World" from WarioWare: Twisted! and WarioWare Gold.
Mario Party series[edit]
Earth appears in the maps of the Astro Avenue and Rocket Road boards from Mario Party 6 and Mario Party: Island Tour, the former being the starting space, and the latter in the map's background. In Mario Party 7 and Mario Party 8 (in a minigame in the latter), the Earth can be seen. In Mario Party DS, Globe Gunners is a minigame where players run on a globe and shoot opponents.
Mario Kart series[edit]
Official artwork for Mario Kart DS depicts various characters racing and battling on the Earth's surface, visually representing the worldwide scope of the Nintendo DS's Wi-Fi capabilities.
In Mario Kart Wii, Earth is seen in the background of the Rainbow Road course, underneath the track. Players that fall off the course will fall towards the planet, appearing to start burning up in the atmosphere like a meteor before being saved by Lakitu. Earth also appears as a background for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and the Mario Kart Channel. During matchmaking, the camera zooms in towards the surface to briefly highlight individual players, whose Miis stand over their console's selected region. Mario Kart 7 also features Earth in the background for online features, including its own Mario Kart Channel.
In Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Rainbow Road is again set above Earth, along with a Blooper spaceship and MKTV satellites floating in space. The planet can also be seen in the background of the Lunar Colony battle course in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. A globe of the Earth can be seen in the background of GBA Ribbon Road, due to it now taking place inside a child's bedroom. Earth also continues to be prominently featured as a visual for the online mode, and players in an online lobby gather atop its surface between matches.
The key art, loading screen (prior to version 2.0.0) and multiplayer menu for Mario Kart Tour features Earth, appearing more cartoonishly with flat colors and visible latitude/longitude lines. It also resembles the planet's appearance in Super Mario Odyssey, with some minor design differences.
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
In Super Mario Galaxy, Earth is shown primarily in the opening and ending cutscenes, with Peach's Castle Gardens being the first setting that Mario traverses through. Earth is first shown from space when Bowser kidnaps Peach, removes her castle from its foundation, and carries them both into space. Earth is also the setting of Grand Finale Galaxy, due to it involving Mario returning to Peach's Castle Grounds in order to attend the uninterrupted Star Festival.
Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
Earth returns in Super Mario Galaxy 2, where it is shown in the background of World 1 and the Grand World Map. The settings of subsequent worlds also resemble real places, such as the Solar System in World 2, the Orion Arm in World 3, the Milky Way galaxy in World 4, the Local Group in World 5, and a black hole/quasar in World 6. World S is exempt, due to it featuring a planet with star-shaped islands instead, as well as the backgrounds of the first two Bowser Jr. galaxies (Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker is the exception, due to it featuring a Sun in the background).
Super Mario 3D World[edit]
Earth also appears in the backgrounds of Worlds Star, Mushroom, and Flower in Super Mario 3D World, due to those worlds being set in space. Upon completing Super Galaxy in World Star, Rosalina will be unlocked as a playable character. Like Rosalina, both Lumas and Star Bits are also fittingly present.
Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
Earth is featured in the game Super Mario Odyssey. Mario and Cappy travel across the world to stop Bowser. Their ship, the Odyssey, has a globe that is used to transition to the menu for traveling to different kingdoms. Earth looks different than how it appears in real life, with the western hemisphere featuring a landmass resembling Pangaea and the eastern hemisphere featuring landmasses resembling Laurasia and Gondwanaland, as well as islands shaped like a top hat, a Triceratops head, a flower, and a mushroom. The game features various kingdoms serving as stand-ins for real countries and cities such as London, England; Mexico; Greece; possibly Germany, New York City, NY; Russia, the French Riviera; Italy; and Japan.
Earth can be seen from the Moon Kingdom, where it is seen rising from the horizon, while its southern hemisphere is seen during the escape sequence after the final boss fight, signifying an exit of a collapsing cave in the moon.
Other appearances[edit]
Earth appears in the background of the box arts for Super Mario World (Japanese version) and Super Mario 64. Its atmosphere can also be seen in the background during the battle against Raphael the Raven in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
Mario Tennis Open[edit]
Earth can be seen in the background of Galaxy Arena in Mario Tennis Open.
Mario Golf: World Tour[edit]
In Mario Golf: World Tour, the Earth can be seen in Diddy Kong's eagle, albatross, and hole-in-one animations when he soars so high on his Barrel Jet out of joy that he ends up in Earth's atmosphere next to space, leaving him staring at the camera comically confused.
Super Paper Mario[edit]
In Super Paper Mario, on Chapter 7-3 if either Mario or company jumps on Cyrrus, they will be sent into orbit and back down to Earth, which is seen in the background.
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat[edit]
In Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Earth can be seen in the background during Asteroid Belt and the fight with Sumo Kong.
Gallery[edit]
Earth seen from 3DS Rainbow Road in Mario Kart Tour
Closer look of Earth in 3DS Rainbow Road
Earth seen in Diddy Kong's Albatross animation in Mario Golf: World Tour
Names in other languages[edit]
Earth[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 地球[?] Chikyū |
Earth | |
| Chinese | 地球[?] Dìqiú |
Earth | |
| Dutch | Aarde[?] | Earth | |
| French | Terre[?] | Earth | |
| German | Erde[?] | Earth | |
| Italian | Terra[?] | Earth | |
| Korean | 지구[?] Jigu |
Earth | |
| Portuguese | Terra[?] | Earth | |
| Russian | Земля[?] Zemlya |
Earth | |
| Spanish | Tierra[?] | Earth |
Real world[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 現実の世界[?] Genjitsu no Sekai |
Real world | |
| リアルワールド[?] Riaru wārudo |
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| Dutch | Echte wereld[?] | Real world | |
| French | Monde réel[?] | Real world | |
| German | Realwelt[?] | Real world | |
| Italian | Mondo reale[?] | Real world | |
| Korean | 현실 세계[?] Hyunshil segye |
Real world | |
| Portuguese | Mundo real[?] | Real world | |
| Romanian | Lumea reală[4] | Real world | The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 |
| Russian | Реальный мир[?] Realny mir |
Real world | |
| Spanish | Mundo real[?] | Real world |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c April 25, 2023. インタビュー マリオ映画公開記念！宮本茂さんインタビュー 制作の始まりから驚きの設定まで. Nintendo Dream Web (Japanese). Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- ^ a b "Perhaps the best way to say it is that the human characters you're encountering here and Mario also live on an Earth together"" – Kenta Motokura. Super Mario Odyssey Gameplay with Developers at E3 2017 – Nintendo Minute (08:58). YouTube (American English). Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ November 8, 2010. Q&A: 'Mario' creator Shigeru Miyamoto. USA Today (English). Archived November 11, 2010, 14:01:07 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ KidsCo TV (January 28, 2018). Aventurile Fraților Super Mario | Episodul2 - Reptile în Grădina cu Trandafiri. YouTube. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
