MIPS
- “Yeeoww! Unhand me, brute! I'm late, so late, I must make haste! This shiny thing? Mine! It's mine. Finders, keepers, losers... Late, late, late... Ouch! Take it then! A gift from Bowser, it was. Now let me be! I have a date! I cannot be late for tea!”
- —MIPS, Super Mario 64
MIPS,[1] also known as the Yellow Rabbit,[2] is a minor character found in the basement of the Mushroom Castle in Super Mario 64. He is Princess Peach's pet rabbit.[3]
Along with Mario, MIPS was the first character created for Super Mario 64. He was used extensively in early Nintendo 64 test simulations and ultimately made it into the final game because the development team liked him so much.[4] MIPS is named after the MIPS (Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages) microprocessor, the instruction set used in the Nintendo 64. Several of MIPS's lines reference the White Rabbit from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
History
Super Mario 64
MIPS, the rabbit, can be first seen in Super Mario 64, after the player collected fifteen Power Stars. He is found in the basement of the Mushroom Castle - when Mario approaches MIPS, he runs away. After Mario catches MIPS, the rabbit rewards him a Power Star. MIPS appears in the basement a second time after Mario has collected fifty Power Stars, and Mario can catch MIPS again for another Power Star. MIPS will not reappear for the rest of the game after that.
In the remake Super Mario 64 DS, MIPS does not make a reappearance, instead being replaced by the rabbits scattered throughout the castle for each character to find. They are modeled after MIPS, but they do not give up Power Stars. Instead, they give up keys to unlock minigames in the Rec Room. Two of Mario's, one of Wario's, and one of Yoshi's rabbits can be found in the same location MIPS was in the original game. The rabbits are also internally named "MIP"[5] with their key known as a "MIP Key,"[6] suggesting a connection.
Mario Party 3
MIPS also makes a cameo appearance in Mario Party 3 in Woody Woods, where several can be seen gathering near the item shop. MIPS appears in three colors: orange, yellow, and pink, which are colors matching the rabbits that replace MIPS in Super Mario 64 DS (the only absent color is green).
Mario no Bōken Land
MIPS makes a cameo in the Super Mario 64 storyline of Mario no Bōken Land.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ミップ[3] Mippu |
MIP | |
| German | MIPS[?] | - | |
| Italian | MIPS[?] | - |
Trivia
- Mario was originally able to throw MIPS, but this was removed.[7]
- MIPS is involved in a glitch where if the player picks him up and places him near a wall, Mario will go through that wall.
- Originally, a rabbit that is most likely MIPS was going to be raced, but ended up being replaced by Koopa the Quick in the final due to Mario not being able to keep up with it because it was too fast during testing.[8]
References
- ^ The Super Mario 64 Player's Guide. Pages 49, 43, 44, 83, 103.
- ^ (February 24, 1998). Bonus Stars. Nintendo: Super Mario 64 Strategy (Internet Archive: Wayback Machine). Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ^ a b Shogakukan. 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, Super Mario 64 section, page 85. 「ピーチ姫の飼っているウサギ。」 ("Princess Peach’s pet rabbit.")
- ^ Shigeru Miyamoto Interview from Nintendo Power (October 1996) at Miyamoto Shrine
- ^ Super Mario 64 DS internal object name (MIP)
- ^ Super Mario 64 DS internal object name (OBJ_MIP_KEY)
- ^ The Cutting Room Floor
- ^ "Super Mario 64 – 1996 Developer Interviews originally featured in the official strategy guides" shmuplations.com. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
