Earth
- "Real World" redirects here. For the general locale from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team sometimes colloquially referred to as the "real world", see Pi'illo Island.
| Earth | |
|---|---|
 Earth as it appears in Mario is Missing! (SNES) | |
| First appearance | Donkey Kong (1981) |
| Latest appearance | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass (2023) |
| Greater location | Solar System |
| Inhabitants | Humans |
Earth is a planet that features a wide variety of people, cultures, and ecosystems. While the Earth that appears in the Super Mario franchise has some features derived from the nonfictional entity, fictional alterations to the planet have been applied in the series. Shigeru Miyamoto stated that the backstory of Super Mario Bros. has Mario arrive in the Mushroom Kingdom through one of the Warp Pipes from Mario Bros. in New York City on Earth.[1] The Super Mario Bros. Movie also represents this connection. In the cartoons, there were two versions of the Earth which were the "Real World" and a parallel one that featured the Mushroom Kingdom.
Video games
Mario is Missing! / Mario & Sonic series
Lands of Earth
Earth is organized into seven continents whose borders are based on geographical features rather than political boundaries. Continents are not necessarily separated by water. With the exception of Antarctica, each continent is further subdivided into countries, political bodies ruled by a government. Several countries are in more than one continent. The subdivisions of countries vary, but every country has population centers such as towns or cities.
Africa
Africa is home to both sandy deserts and lush rainforests. Luigi visits one of its countries, Egypt, in Mario is Missing!; specifically, he visits the city of Cairo.
Antarctica
Antarctica is a large icy desert continent located at the southernmost point of the planet, mostly populated by penguins. In Mario is Missing!, Bowser attempts to melt Antarctica in a plot to flood Earth, thus setting the game's plot into motion.
Asia
The largest continent, Asia includes Japan, China and India. The Great Wall of China is one of the continent's most famous landmarks, visited by Luigi in Mario is Missing!. He also visits the city of Mumbai—or Bombay as it was previously known—in India. China's national capital, Beijing, is the location of the 2008 Summer Olympics in which Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and others competed during the events of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Tokyo is the location where the Mario & Sonic cast competes during the events of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Australia
Australia is the smallest continent on Earth; its largest country shares the same name, and is home to a very large variety of animal species, including kangaroos. It is often referred to as "down under", due to its location in the southern half of the planet.
Europe
Europe shares a landmass with Asia, separated from it by the Ural Mountains. Famous for its varied culture and large role in Earth's history, Europe is divided into countries such as France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Italy. Famous cities include Venice, Paris and London, the latter of which is the main setting for Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, where the 2012 Summer Olympics took place. In addition, the Russian city of Sochi is the main setting for Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, where the 2014 Winter Olympics took place.
North America
North America is the location of the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico, among some other nations. The United States of America is home to many famous and influential cities and other locations, many of which were featured in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. These include New York City and its borough Brooklyn (which is depicted as Mario and Luigi's hometown in certain media), Washington, D.C. (the nation's capital), Hawaii, and the Kennedy Space Center. The Canadian city Vancouver is the setting of both Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.
South America
A largely tropical continent, South America is famous for the Amazon rainforest. Countries include Argentina, of which Buenos Aires is the capital and one of the locations in Mario is Missing!. One of the continent's main cities, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, also appears in Mario is Missing! and likewise serves as the main setting for Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where the 2016 Summer Olympics took place.
Super Mario series
Earth first appears in Donkey Kong with Shigeru Miyamoto stating that "Donkey Kong is set in New York".[1]
Miyamoto further states that its sequel, Mario Bros. is also set in New York City, this time its sewer system.[1] He also states that the Mario Bros. are "Italians" in New York.[2]
Mario Kart series
In Mario Kart Tour, most new courses are themed after cities and/or countries from Earth, featuring real-world landmarks, and many tours are aptly named after such locations. The planet, as well as the Andromeda Galaxy, can now be seen in the background of 3DS Rainbow Road.
Television
According to The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'s introduction and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "Toddler Terrors of Time Travel", Mario and Luigi happened upon a Warp Zone to the Mushroom Kingdom while performing a plumbing house call and were sucked down into the Mushroom Kingdom. This second explanation was later modified through the power of Kooky von Koopa's Time Travel Tube, but no major changes were made to the history of the "Real World".
In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Mario and Luigi live in the Real World and run a moderately successful plumbing business called Mario Brothers Plumbing in their hometown of Brooklyn. Many of the brothers' relatives live on the planet as well, including Mama Mario and Papa Mario; the show's live-action segments take place in Brooklyn, and Australia is mentioned during an encounter with Alligator Dundee. In the animated segments, Mario and Luigi often try to find their way back to Brooklyn, usually via a Warp Pipe; however, towards the end of the series, they decide to stay so that they can protect Princess Toadstool and the Mushroom Kingdom.
In The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, many episodes feature characters using Warp Pipes to travel back and forth between the Real World and the Mushroom Kingdom. In the episode "7 Continents for 7 Koopas", Bowser assigns each of his seven Koopalings to take over one of the Real World's continents:
- Bully – Asia
- Cheatsy – Australia
- Kootie Pie – Europe
- Kooky – Africa
- Big Mouth – Antarctica
- Hip – North America
- Hop – South America
Notably, after all the trouble is undone, a screen is shown with non-native animals in Australia.
Bowser is seen in the Real World in a flashback sequence in the Super Mario World episode "Rock TV".
In a television commercial for Super Mario Bros. 3, thousands of children and teenagers are shown on the Earth's surface, forming a giant Mario face spanning the United States when the Earth is seen from space.
Film
The Super Mario Bros. film features an introduction that outlines the rule and extinction of the dinosaurs on Earth. Dinosaurs were the dominant species on the planet and overall superior to the small mammals who also inhabited Earth, until one day a gigantic meteor struck the planet. This cataclysm not only killed off the dinosaur population on Earth, but also caused spatial and dimensional disturbances that created a parallel Earth that subsequently became the new domain of any surviving dinosaurs and other animals. This alternate, parallel dimension becomes known as Dinohattan, and allowed for most of its reptilian inhabitants to evolve into humanoid creatures, while some retain their reptilian form. However, some members, such as Yoshi, seemed to have retained their reptilian forms. Aside from one rundown city, Dinohattan, the parallel Earth is an arid wasteland, lacking various resources.
The first act of the film takes place in Brooklyn, New York on Earth, until Daisy is kidnapped by Iggy and Spike and brought to Dinohattan. It is established that a link between these two dimensions exists in the sewers of New York City. The plot of the film involves President Koopa trying to use Daisy's meteorite pendant, a remnant from the meteor that split the dimensions, to merge and combine them back together. At the film's climax, Lena uses the meteorite shard to temporarily successfully combine the two dimensions. After Koopa's defeat, Mario and Luigi successfully un-merge the dimensions back to their original state and return to their home in Brooklyn.
Names in other languages
Earth
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 地球[?] Chikyū |
Earth | |
| Chinese | 地球[?] Dìqiú |
Earth | |
| Dutch | Aarde[?] | Earth | |
| French | Terre[?] | Earth | |
| German | Erde[?] | Earth | |
| Italian | Terra[?] | Earth | |
| Korean | 지구[?] Jigu |
Earth | |
| Portuguese | Terra[?] | Earth | |
| Russian | Земля[?] Zemlya |
Earth | |
| Spanish | Tierra[?] | Earth |
Real world
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 現実の世界 Genjitsu no Sekai リアルワールド[?] Riaru wārudo |
Real world | |
| Dutch | Echte wereld[?] | Real world | |
| French | Monde réel[?] | Real world | |
| German | Realwelt[?] | Real world | |
| Italian | Mondo reale[?] | Real world | |
| Korean | 현실 세계[?] Hyunshil segye |
Real world | |
| Portuguese | Mundo real[?] | Real world | |
| Romanian | Lumea reală (The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3)[?] | Real world | |
| Russian | Реальный мир[?] Realny mir |
Real world | |
| Spanish | Mundo real[?] | Real world |
References
- ^ a b c インタビュー マリオ映画公開記念！宮本茂さんインタビュー 制作の始まりから驚きの設定まで (April 25, 2023). Nintendo Dream Web. Retrieved April 25, 2023
- ^ Q&A: 'Mario' creator Shigeru Miyamoto
