Baby Mario

“Not-a-bad, for a baby!”

—Baby Mario, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Baby Mario is a major character in the Yoshi series of video games, created to be Mario as an infant. Baby Mario is often rescuing Baby Luigi, who is carried off by Kamek, as seen in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Since then, he has appeared in two other games in the Yoshi series and alongside his older self in several sports spin-off games. Despite being a baby, he is capable of playing various sports, driving karts, and even battling enemies (as shown in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time).

History

Yoshi series

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

File:SMW2 BabyMario.png

Baby Mario as he appears in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Baby Mario made his debut in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Here, the Stork is on his way to deliver Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to their parents in the Mushroom Kingdom. However, on the way, Kamek, an evil Magikoopa, kidnaps Baby Luigi and the Stork. Baby Mario falls into Yoshi's Island and lands on the back of Yoshi. Kamek has predicted that the Mario Brothers will cause problems for the Koopas in the future, and he attempts to kidnap the babies. Yoshi brings Baby Mario to the other Yoshis, and they decide to help Baby Mario rescue Baby Luigi from Kamek and Baby Bowser. After trekking across the six worlds and defeating the eleven bosses, they finally reach Baby Bowser's Castle, where they battle him to a final showdown. But after defeating him, Kamek uses his power to make Baby Bowser giant, even bigger than Yoshi's Island itself. After a long and grueling battle, Baby Bowser is defeated, and Baby Luigi is rescued. Then the Bros. are brought back to their parents.

Yoshi Touch & Go

File:Touchngoartwork65.png

Baby Mario riding Yoshi's back in Yoshi Touch & Go.

Baby Mario once again rides Yoshi's back in the spin-off Nintendo DS game Yoshi Touch & Go. Every mode starts similar to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island with Kamek knocking Baby Mario off the Stork and taking Baby Luigi captive. The player has to guide Baby Mario to the ground using clouds and trapping enemies in bubbles. When he reaches the ground, a Yoshi will be at the bottom saving him when all his balloons pop. The Yoshi's color will depend on the amount of points received during that mode. Baby Mario and Yoshi then chase after the Toadies, who are carrying Baby Luigi away. He is saved by Yoshi and Baby Mario. This game has no direct storyline; it remains unclear exactly when the events of this game chronologically took place.

Yoshi's Island DS

Superstar Mario in Yoshi's Island DS.

In Yoshi's Island DS, Baby Mario is one of the babies kidnapped by Kamek in his search for the Star Children, Bowser ordered Kamek to kidnapp the babies because with their combined power, Bowser is able to take over the universe. However, the Stork arrives just in time and manages to rescue Baby Mario, who drops onto Yoshi's back like in the original Yoshi's Island game. He is one of the babies who accompany the Yoshis on their quest to rescue the other children that Kamek has kidnapped. Like the other babies in this game, Baby Mario possesses special abilities that he can use to assist the Yoshis. His powers are to enable the Yoshi that is carrying him to dash very fast, as well as causing M Blocks to be tangible. Baby Mario, the Yoshis, and the other babies eventually succeed in rescuing all the children from Kamek and Bowser and restoring things to normal, after which he is revealed to be one of the seven Star Children.

Mario Golf

Baby Mario in Mario Golf.

Baby Mario makes his first spin-off appearance in Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64. He is a basic character, being a default character out of four. Baby Mario has a draw shot with a drive of 215 yards. In result, he is the strongest of all the default characters, yet he is the fourth weakest in the entire game.

Mario Tennis series

Mario Tennis

File:BabyMario MT64.png

Baby Mario as he appears in Mario Tennis.

Baby Mario is a playable speed character in Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64. He offers more power than the other speed characters but lacks reach. He also shares a stage with Yoshi, simply titled the Baby Mario and Yoshi Court. This stage is mainly for speed characters, since it has the fastest ball speed, but a weak bounce. The stage is unlocked by completing the Mushroom Cup with Yoshi. His tennis racket's signature insignia in this game was a lowercase letter M in order to differentiate from his older self whose tennis racket's insignia had the signature uppercase letter M.

Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color)

Baby Mario plays sports once again in the Game Boy Color version of Mario Tennis. In this game he is a speed character, and is also given his own minigame, titled Baby Mario Target Shot which involves hitting the ball into the target area on the opposite side of the court. Depending on the type of shot, the player will get a certain number of points. The game ends once the player fails to hit the ball. He has the same signature as the previous game (a lowercase letter M).

Mario Tennis Open

Baby Mario in Mario Tennis Open.

After 4 years of absence, Baby Mario appears as an unlockable playable character in Mario Tennis Open. This is the first time he appears as an unlockable character. He will be unlocked by completing Level 3 of Super Mario Tennis. His signature insignia on his tennis racket is now updated and has an uppercase letter M like his adult self, but with bonnet frills around the letter M.

Mario Kart series

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Baby Mario and his younger brother Baby Luigi in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

Baby Mario is a default character in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! alongside his younger brother Baby Luigi. Both are light-weight characters. His kart is the Goo Goo Buggy. The babies' special item is a Chain Chomp. It can lead Baby Mario and Baby Luigi through the course, knocking other karts out of the way. They have their own course, Baby Park.

Mario Kart DS

Although Baby Mario does not appear as a playable character in Mario Kart DS, Baby Park from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! reappears as a Retro Course in the game, so he and Baby Luigi both appear in the billboard on the race track.

Mario Kart Wii

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Baby Mario in Mario Kart Wii.

Baby Mario appears as a playable character in Mario Kart Wii. Baby Mario is still a small character, having a weight of +3 and a handling of +2. His weight bonus, along with Baby Luigi, is the largest in the game out of all bonuses and it grants him a significant edge when it comes to that stat. Unlike Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Baby Mario does not have his own vehicles, much like the other characters, but the vehicles available to him get a different paint job than other characters. His vehicles are blue and red.

Mario Baseball series

Mario Superstar Baseball

File:MSS Ball for Baby Man.png

Baby Mario taking a bat in Mario Superstar Baseball.

In Mario Superstar Baseball, Baby Mario is a default character in all the modes. He is on Yoshi's team along with his younger brother Baby Luigi, Birdo, and five Shy Guys in the Challenge Mode. Baby Mario is a right handed pitcher and batter by default just like his older counterpart. Along with Baby Luigi, he is a speed character and he has the Wall Jump ability. In order for Baby Mario to become a superstar, he must first complete his six missions.

Mario Super Sluggers

Baby Mario returns in the second Mario Baseball game Mario Super Sluggers. He is a default character like in the previous game. In Challenge Mode, the player finds Baby Luigi crying about something. The player soon learns that Baby Mario is trapped in Mario Stadium by Bowser Jr.. The player's team later defeats Bowser Jr., setting him free. After that, Baby Mario quickly joins in on the player's team.

Baby Mario has the same stats as Toadette, along with the same ability: Enlarge. The two are also the same in that they bat and field with their right hands.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Baby Mario in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.

Baby Mario and his brother Baby Luigi, star alongside Mario and Luigi in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. After he protects Baby Peach from Baby Bowser, the Mushroom Kingdom is under attack by an evil alien race, known as the Shroobs. Although Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, Baby Bowser, and Toadsworth the Younger escape on the Koopa Cruiser, the entire Mushroom Kingdom is in danger. Meanwhile, in the present day of the Mushroom Kindom, Professor E. Gadd has finished his latest invention, the Time Machine, which is powered by the Cobalt Star. Princess Peach decides to go back to the Mushroom Kingdom of the past, however, when the Time Machine returns, a beast known Junior Shrooboid exits it instead of Peach. Fortunately, Peach is safe in the past. After beating the monster, the bros. finds out that the Time Machine created Time Holes that lead back to the past of the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario and Luigi end up going back in time along with E. Gadd's talking suitcase, Stuffwell. They reach Hollijolli Village, which is destroyed by the Shroobs. Mario and Luigi end up losing a battle to three Shroobs. Fortunately, the Koopa Cruiser is hovering above Hollijolli Village. Baby Bowser is convinced to rescue the village, due to Baby Peach's crying. Baby Mario and Baby Luigi end up rescuing their older selves. The group team up at Baby Bowser's Castle. They soon realize that they must find the Cobalt Star Shards in order to rescue Peach, who has been captured by the Shroobs. They must find the Cobalt Star Shards, defeat Princess Shroob, and rescue Princess Peach.

In the end, Bowser is beaten, the Shroobs are destroyed, and the Baby Mario Brothers, Baby Peach, and Toadsworth the Younger go back to their original time period. Before going back, Baby Mario gives Mario his hammer as a gift.

Cameos

An opening screenshot from Mario Power Tennis

Baby Mario and Baby Luigi (spotted in the bottom right hand corner) in the Mario Power Tennis opening.

Baby Mario appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Baby Mario is a trophy and sticker. Here, he is featured in the Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island artwork.

Both Baby Mario and Baby Luigi can be seen in the crowd in the opening of Mario Power Tennis. They can be seen only in the first match where Mario and Luigi beat Wario and Waluigi.

Baby Mario and Baby Luigi also make a cameo appearance in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, with several notable characters. Here, they can be seen throughout Yoshi Park 1 and have a sponsor, Baby Land, seen throughout other courses.

General Information

Personality

Baby Mario is described as being mostly brave and courageous, such as when he constantly rescues Baby Luigi. However, his Super Smash Bros. Brawl trophy information describes him as a crybaby, which is also true. Unlike his older self, Baby Mario is not a silent protagonist and is actually very talkative. He is also very energetic, as seen as when he wins a race in Mario Kart Wii. Baby Mario is also very playful when he joins his adult counterparts and his baby companions in kart and bike races, tennis games, and baseball games. Baby Mario is also shown to be very speedy due to the fact that he is a Speed or Lightweight character in every single Mario series spin-off to date. Baby Mario has a very high Speed stat in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Partners in Time also shows he's rather impulsive, and Baby Mario's brash use of his hammer has gotten him and the others in trouble multiple times throughout the game.

Physical Description

Baby Mario has beady black eyes and his large trademark nose. Baby Mario has a thin layer of brown hair always covered by his trademark 'M' hat. Like most of the babies, his outfit eventually changed. In earlier appearances, Baby Mario wears nothing but a white diaper and his hat. He wears a yellow cape whenever he acquires a Super Star. Later on, he is given a new outfit in Mario Golf, which he continues to wear in his spin-off appearances, sometimes with minor adjustments. In this design he wears a red shirt covered by blue overalls akin to his older self Mario. Originally, the shirt was short-sleeved during the Nintendo 64 era, but his shirt is currently long sleeved like his adult self as of Mario Kart: Double Dash. He also wears a pair of light blue and white sneakers. His emblem was originally a lowercase M in Mario Tennis, but Mario Superstar Baseball and subsequent games changed his emblem to a capital M like his adult self.

Relationships with Other Characters

Baby Bowser

Main article: Baby Bowser

Baby Mario is arch enemies with Baby Bowser, similarly to Mario and Bowser. In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, they battle each other at the end. In Yoshi's Island DS, Baby Bowser betrays Baby Mario and the Yoshis at the final castle, starting a battle between them. However, he does turn out to be a member of the Star Children, along with Baby Mario. During the events of Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Baby Bowser stays enemies with Baby Mario. They both battle each other numerous times and fight over the possession of the Cobalt Star.

Baby Luigi

Main article: Baby Luigi

Baby Mario and Baby Luigi in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Baby Mario and Baby Luigi have a good relationship. This is due to the fact that they are twins. They also team up in many games. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, they are partners. In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Island DS, Baby Luigi is kidnapped; Baby Mario and Yoshi set out to rescue him. In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the two brothers help their future selves defeat the Shroobs. During this game, the babies look for each other. For example, if one passes out, the other will hold him, protecting him from any enemy's harm. In Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers, they are both in the same team, and they share good chemistry with each other.

Baby Peach

Main article: Baby Peach

Baby Mario and Baby Peach are allies and friends. In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Baby Mario tries to protect Baby Peach. When Baby Bowser attempts to attack them, Baby Mario saves Baby Peach. In Yoshi's Island DS, they both team up with the Yoshis to save Baby Mario's brother. They both fight Bowser at the end, too. In Mario Super Sluggers, they both have good chemistry with each other.

Yoshis

File:SkyblueYoshi.gif

Main articles: Yoshi (species), Yoshis

Baby Mario and the Yoshis are allies and friends. They rescue Baby Luigi, twice, from the clutches of Kamek. In both games, they defeat Baby Bowser and Bowser at the end in order to end their journey and find his brother. In Mario Super Sluggers, the Yoshis have good chemistry with Baby Mario.