Thoreau

“What's this (1), you say? You need not worry. The great being that watches us will know what it is.”

—Thoreau, Super Paper Mario

Thoreau is a character in the Wii video game Super Paper Mario. He is the second of the many Pixl creatures that Mario will find in the game. This Pixl allows all of the characters (which include Mario, Princess Peach, Bowser, and Luigi) to pick up the enemy and then throw them. This attack first originated from Super Mario Bros. 2, or Doki Doki Panic on the NES. Other than that, he can also activate switches from afar (just like Kooper or Koops). His name was revealed in the 214th issue of Nintendo Power magazine. According to Tippi, Thoreau "sounds posh and upper class, but he's not afraid to get his hands dirty." He claims to have been locked away for 1,500 years when Mario saves him in the first chapter, but it is unknown whether he knows the right way to count.

Thoreau believes that a "great being" (a reference to the player) listens to him, and believes that it would wish to know that Mario can use him to grab things with the 1 button. This is, indeed, breaking the fourth wall.

Trivia

• His name is a play on the words "throw", referring to his ability.
• It is also possible that his name is based off of real-life philosopher Henry David Thoreau. As a joke, Thoreau mentions that he "dislikes details", a pun on Thoreau's famous quote: "Simplify, simplify!"
• Interestingly, Thoreau resembles a hand, his head being the palm and the five circles being the fingers, this being a nod to his special ability.
• He is the only Pixl who talks after joining Mario's party (besides Tippi), when he says, "Looks like Fracktail is charging in from the right."
• In an article on Super Paper Mario, Nintendo Power joked that Thoreau was once a part of a tacky wall paper design.

Catch Card

File:229. Thoreau Card.JPG

Thoreau's Catch Card.

Card Type: Rare

Card Description: This handy Pixl can pick things up and throw them. He's very...handy.