Sylvia (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)

Sylvia
Species	Bob-omb
First appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004)
Latest appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024)

“Yes, they seek to buy it…yet how can one appraise what the eye cannot perceive?”

—Sylvia, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

Sylvia is a minor character encountered during the events of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. The wife of Goldbob, the president of Goldbobbington's, and mother of Bub, she lives with her family in Poshley Heights, though they are seen traveling throughout the game.

History

Sylvia first appears during Chapter 3, where she spends her vacation in Glitzville with her family. She shows a disdain for the combat sports in the Glitz Pit, going as far as to call them "barbarous". As Mario, under the alias of the "Great Gonzales", raises in ranks, however, she admits that her son might benefit from knowing how to fight for self-defense purposes and starts looking for a fighting tutor. She even offers Mario this position after he became champion, although the player is unable to accept her offer.

Mario meets Sylvia again in Chapter 6 on the Excess Express as she and her family return to their home in Poshley Heights. Goldbob and Sylvia argue over what to get Bub for his birthday, with Goldbob wanting a house or a car to flaunt the family's wealth and Sylvia wanting to get him study materials to prepare him for the future. Their arguing seems of little concern to Bub, who actually just wants an autograph of the Excess Express engineer. The argument is so loud that the Excess Express conductor can hear them from outside their room. The following day, Goldbob apologizes to Mario for seeing him and his wife when they "weren't at their best". Sylvia expresses happiness that Bub is in much higher spirits after receiving the autograph and thanks Mario for giving it to him. Sylvia then remains in her cabin while the rest of her family disembarks for a walk outside during the train's stop at Riverside Station.

At the start of the third day, Sylvia, along with her family and the other passengers and staff, goes missing, being absorbed into a hoard of Smorgs that attacks the train. Mario eventually defeats the Smorgs, causing them to blow away in the wind. After the incident, Sylvia and her family safely arrive in Poshley Heights.

Sylvia also appears in Bowser's sequence after the player completes Chapter 7, again alongside Goldbob. When Bowser speaks to them, they start a conversation about Poshley Heights' fountain, completely ignoring him. The conversation baffles him and states that they "scare" him.

Appearance

Sylvia is a silver Bob-omb, which is reminiscent of her name. She wears pink, pointed shoes and a small pink hat, decorated with pearls and feathers. Her eyes show an angry expression at all times, similar to her husband. If the player tattles her, Goombella remarks that Sylvia's perfume smells like "money".

Personality and marriage

Sylvia is shown to be very protective of her son Bub. She is almost always worried about his future and is eager to find someone or something that helps him to learn how to prevail in the life of their social class. She often argues with her husband because he values the price of a matter over its usefulness for the future.

Goldbob's and Sylvia's marriage is depicted as somewhat reserved during the game. Their family seems to go on vacations occasionally, and Goldbob and Sylvia are also shown to hold casual conversations. However, they occasionally argue and their personal interests seem to differ greatly. It is even implied that they sleep in separate beds, since at the Excess Express they are both shocked to find out that there are only two beds for three people. Sylvia is quick to decide to share a bed with her son, rather than with her husband. Goldbob is not pleased by the thought of sharing the night with Sylvia as well, since he claims that she "tends to explode in her sleep". Goldbob always refers to Sylvia as "the wife".

Tattle information

• "That's Sylvia the Bob-omb. She's super-wealthy. She's got a real high-society air around her... Even her perfume smells like money."

Gallery

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  Concept art of the Excess Express passengers and staff, including Sylvia and her family

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	シルビア[?] Shirubia	Sylvia; possibly from a partial homophone of「シルバー」(shirubā, "silver")
French	Argelle[?]	From argent ("silver", but also means "money") and possibly the name "Belle"
German	Silbia[?]	Silber ("silver") and the name "Sylvia"
Italian	Bomb-oniera[?]	Pun on "Bob-omb" and bomboniera ("wedding favor")
Spanish (NOA)	Silvia[?]	Sylvia
Spanish (NOE)	Bombowitz[?]	Play on bomba ("bomb") and "Koplowitz" (the surname of two famous Spanish millionaire sisters)

Trivia

• In Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door's end credits parade, Sylvia's silhouette can be seen with the Poshley Heights characters.
  • In the remake, Bub runs across the stage gleefully holding the autograph while Goldbob and Sylvia walk behind him, followed by the Bob-ombs from Fahr Outpost.