Don Pianta
| Don Pianta | |
|---|---|
 Sprite from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) | |
| Species | Pianta |
| First appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004) |
| Latest appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024) |
- “I'm Don Pianta! I make cryin' babies weep!”
- —Don Pianta, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Don Pianta, also known as the Don of Untimely Death, is the boss of the Pianta syndicate as well as ruler of the west side of Rogueport. Don is the father of Francesca and the rival of Ishnail. His skin is orange, he has a mustache, and he wears a dark suit, dark sunglasses, and a gangster-style fedora in addition to the traditional Pianta grass skirt. Like all stereotypical gangsters, Don Pianta speaks with a Brooklyn accent. This trait is shared with Rocko and Ishnail.
Mario must visit him in order to acquire tickets to the Cheep Blimp, in order to reach his destination, Glitzville. Don Pianta agrees to supply Mario with the tickets needed under one condition, that he find his missing daughter and his most trusted henchman Frankie, who have eloped. After Mario locates them at the docks, Frankie and Francesca confront the mob boss. Through Mario's intervention, Don Pianta gives the couple his approval, and rewards Mario and co. with the tickets he promised.
He soon falls ill however; he misses his daughter so much, he becomes sick with grief. He is revisited by Mario who is, once again, looking to gain a ticket, this time for the Excess Express in order to reach Poshley Heights. Vinny and Tony promise Mario tickets, if he can find and return Francesca. Mario travels to Keelhaul Key, and after notifying Francesca of her father's condition, she returns with Frankie in tow. Upon the arrival of his daughter, Don Pianta instantly recovers and comes to the realization that his job as boss of the Pianta syndicate is too stressful and passes the leadership on to his daughter and son-in-law, and retires. He then awards Mario with tickets to the Excess Express. Afterwards, he remains in the Pianta Parlor for the rest of the game.
Profiles
- Tattles
- That's the boss, Don Pianta. It's true what they say about power: this guy's got POISE. But he's got a mean streak a mile wide... They call him "The Don of Untimely Death." Still, he's got a really soft spot for his daughter, Francesca...
- (After his retirement) That's Don Pianta, the former syndicate boss. He's retired now, but he's still a force. He must be here because he's all worried about Frankie and Francesca, huh? Or... maybe he's just worried that Francesca's cracking the whip on poor old Frankie!
Gallery
Original sprite
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | モンテオーネ[?] Monteōne |
A portmanteau of「モンテ」(Monte, "Pianta"), and "Al Capone", an infamous Italian American gangster, or "Don Corleone", who is from the renowned film, The Godfather, about fictional Italian American gangsters | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 蒙特奥内[?] Méngtèàonèi |
From the Japanese name | |
| Chinese (traditional) | 蒙特奧內[?] Méngtèàonèi |
From the Japanese name | |
| French | Pianteone[?] | Pun on "Pianta" and "one", due to its high rank. It may also be a pun on "Pianta" and "Al Capone", a famous mobster, or "Corleone", the Protagonist crime family of the Godfather movies | |
| German | Al Palmone[?] | Portmanteau of Palma ("Pianta"), and "Al Capone" or "Don Corleone" | |
| Italian | Don Malapalma[?] | Portmanteau of Mala or Malavita, which means "organized crime" or "crime underworld", and palma ("palm") from Palmense ("Pianta") | |
| Korean | 몬테오네[?] Monteone |
From the Japanese name | |
| Spanish (NOA) | Don Malpianta[?] | Don Badpianta | |
| Spanish (NOE) | Forestone[?] | From Foresto ("Pianta") and from "Al Capone" or "Don Corleone" |
Trivia
- Don Pianta resembles the Italian mob boss in The Godfather, referred to as the "Don".
- In addition, Don Pianta's anger at his daughter and right-hand getting married and sending them away, and later suffering an illness caused by depression regarding their departure, are based on one of the first talking films, The Jazz Singer.
- Don Pianta was originally designed as a Mega Mole running a syndicate of Monty Moles; the only remnant of this in the final is his pointy glasses.
