Jolene

Jolene
Artwork from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Species	Toad
First appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004)
Latest appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024)

“It's time to ring the starting bell…and begin a match that will echo the halls of the Glitz Pit for eternity!”

—Jolene, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)

Jolene, known anonymously as "X" when first sending Mario emails, is a female Toad who resides in Glitzville as Grubba's assistant in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and its remake. She began working for Grubba to secretly investigate the mysterious disappearance of her brother, Prince Mush. After Macho Grubba's defeat, she takes over management of the Glitz Pit with support from Glitz Pit Security.

History

“Let me tell you everything. I had a little brother once, by the name of Mush. He's have done anything for me. Our family was always poor, so he became a fighter here to support all of us... But he suddenly went missing one day. Our family was inconsolable. I suspected foul play, so I got hired on as the manager and investigated in secret. As I looked for clues about my brother, I accidentally saw Mr. Grubba transform. Seeing what I was up against, I almost gave up hope...and then you appeared. So I decided to secretly guide you.”

—Jolene, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Jolene first appears at the very beginning of Chapter 3 in Grubba's office. After Mario and his partners join the Glitz Pit, she leads them to their locker room and explains how matches work and how to schedule them on the Match Reservation System. By talking to Bandy Andy, Mario can discover that occasionally Jolene had been seen going into places, such as bathrooms, and never coming back out.

As Mario advances in the rankings, some of the fighters start to go missing. He also starts getting emails from a strange person called "X". One such email tells him to look in the attic of the building, where he finds the crumpled bodies of fellow fighters King K and Bandy Andy. While exiting the attic, Mario notices Jolene about to enter. When she sees him, she quickly runs away before Mario can confront her. Mario's partner suggests Jolene may have something to do with the missing fighters, or indeed be the cause of them, though it is ultimately revealed that Grubba is the actual culprit. After Mario defeats Macho Grubba, Jolene walks in and tells him that she is actually the sister of the first champion of the Glitz Pit, Prince Mush. Prince Mush disappeared and Jolene suspected Grubba of kidnapping him, explaining why she got a job as his assistant, so that she could learn his secrets. She also revealed that she was actually "X", and had sent Mario the emails so that he would unknowingly help her uncover the mystery, as she thought he would be the only one who could defeat Grubba.

Jolene in her regular outfit

Jolene in her casual attire

Jolene questions the now-defeated Grubba about her brother, but Grubba simply says that Prince Mush "ain't around these parts no more". Grief-stricken, Jolene is surprised when Prince Mush suddenly appears from the Gold Star Grubba was using to power his machine; Grubba had been using Prince Mush to give the Crystal Star more power. Happily reunited with her brother, Jolene grants Mario the Gold Star so that the tragic events caused by it may never reoccur. She then goes on to become the manager and referee of the Glitz Pit, taking over the Match Reservation System and the rest of Grubba's duties for the remainder of the game.

She appears to be friends with Toodles, as suggested by one of the troubles at the Trouble Center that Mario can solve. Jolene has borrowed the Wrestling Magazine from Toodles, who wants it back. Jolene also has her own trouble at the Trouble Center, which involves disposing all the garbage in the storeroom and giving it to Goomfrey, whom she has contacted. She says that she could not stand the smell of rubbish and tells Mario to put it somewhere where she could not see it again.

When not at work, Jolene can be found at the Glitzville Fresh Juice Shop; though not stated outright, it is heavily implied throughout the game, mainly from her recognizable appearance. This would also explain her going into bathrooms and not coming out; she actually just changes her clothes and no one recognizes her, although it is also implied that she uses a certain "man-eating toilet" to warp from room to room via the bathroom, like Mario did when a security guard locked him in an abandoned locker room. Also, when X tells Mario to get the Super Hammer from Podler in an email, "Jolene" is not present.

Goombella's field tattles on Jolene are viewable after she escorts Mario to the minor-league locker room of the Glitz Pit but before Mario leaves for first match, when she is inside Glitzville's Fresh Juice Shop without her glasses and suit, and when she is in her Glitz Pit office (having succeeded Grubba).

Email

Doing well?

Mario,
Or rather, the Great Gonzales...I realized that I never thanked you for handling my request, so I decided to email you.

I never thought for a moment that you, a former champion, would end up taking care of the wrestling trunks for me.

After you left here, know what Mush said to me? He said, "There are some things that can only be understood by fighting." He's an odd one, Mush. He's actually training now...yes, he's planning a comeback!

You should come by the Glitz Pit if you get some time. You're just the type of star the fans crave, you know?

Take care, Jolene

Tattles

Glitz Pit, as Grubba's manager

• "That’s Grubba's manager, Jolene. She strikes me as a very driven young woman. She’s a little cold, though... I mean, would it kill her to be a little nicer sometimes?" (GCN)
  • "That's Grubba's manager, Jolene. She seems really focused on her job. She's also a bit concise. And impersonal. And... rude, I'm just gonna say it." (Switch)

Glitzville, Fresh Juice Shop

• "Wow, this lady is so pretty! I wonder what her name is. As far as I can tell, she always quietly enjoys her juice in the corner, alone. What is it that mysterious women do to become so mysterious? What a mystery!"

Glitz Pit, as promoter

• "That's Jolene, the Glitz Pit promoter. She's a real strong businesswoman. Boy, I wouldn't want her mad at me, know what I mean? She's all business!"

Gallery

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  Jolene in Grubba's office

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  Jolene with the Gold Star in Glitzville in the remake

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  Jolene as the referee in the remake

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  Prince Mush and Jolene in the remake

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  Prince Mush and Jolene in the remake’s credits

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  Concept art of Jolene in both of her outfits

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	キノシコワ[?] Kinoshikowa	"Kinoshikova"; a portmanteau of「キノピオ」(Kinopio, "Toad") and "-ova" (a common feminine name ending for Slavic surnames)
Chinese (simplified)	奇诺席可娃[?] Qínuòxíkěwá	Transliteration of Japanese name
Chinese (traditional)	奇諾席可娃[?] Qínuòxíkěwá	Transliteration of Japanese name
Dutch	Jolinde[?]	Dutch version of her name
French	Céno T.[?]	Pun on c'est noté (French phrase meaning "it's noted")
German	Toadskova[?]	From "Toad" and part of the Japanese name
Italian	Signorina Von Fungen[?]	Miss Von Mushroomen (faux German)
Korean	키노시코바[?] Kinosikoba	Transliteration of Japanese name
Spanish	T. Lisa[?]	-