Big Boo (character)
- This article is about the specific recurring character known as "Boss Teresa" in Japanese. For Big Boos in general, which are sometimes treated as singular characters, see Big Boo. For the character from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, see Three Musty Fears.
| Big Boo | |
|---|---|
 Artwork from Super Mario 64 | |
| Species | Big Boo Sleepy Boo (Super Mario Sunshine) |
| First appearance | Super Mario 64 (1996) |
| Latest appearance | WarioWare: Move It! (2023) |
- “Boooooo-m! Here comes the master of mischief, the tower of terror, the Big Boo! Ka ha ha ha...”
- —Boo, Super Mario 64
Big Boo, also known as King Boo, is a particularly large Big Boo introduced in Super Mario 64, acting as the Boos' leader. His role—and, starting with Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, his size—would later be given to the character of King Boo from Luigi's Mansion, though the two briefly coexisted, with both appearing in Super Mario 64 DS with the same model. Like with Koopa Kid, his English names are shared by other, similar entities.
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
Big Boo makes his debut in Super Mario 64 as the owner of Big Boo's Haunt, being the boss of three missions: Go on a Ghost Hunt, Ride Big Boo's Merry-Go-Round, and Big Boo's Balcony. Like with the normal Boos, Big Boo disappears when looked at and becomes visible again when Mario turns away. Big Boo has a high-pitched laugh like a normal Boo, but he makes the same low-pitched grunt as a Thwomp does (changed to the sound made when a platform drops in the DS remake) when hit. If this Boo attacks Mario, he loses three wedges of health. He uses the same model as normal Boos, but enlarged.
Big Boo can be attacked only when visible, so Mario has to attack this massive ghost by either ground-pounding him from above or punching him from the side. He takes three hits to defeat, becoming smaller after each hit. However, if the player leaves the area before completely defeating Big Boo, his health resets. After defeating Big Boo, Mario receives a Power Star.
In Super Mario 64 DS, Big Boo plays the same role as in the original, but he now has his own, more sophisticated model and moves faster. Yoshi cannot defeat Big Boo due to low attack power, just like with the normal Boos, though due to his inability to enter Big Boo's Haunt, this cannot be seen without manipulating the game. King Boo from Luigi's Mansion also makes an appearance and shares a model with Big Boo, though while he retains his crown from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and characteristic cackle, he is also referred to as "Big Boo" in English versions. The crowned Big Boo uses the same attack pattern, but with more abilities.
Mario Party series
Mario Party
The Big Boo appears in Running of the Bulb, where it slowly chases players down a hallway with other Boos and Thwomps. If the Big Boo catches a player, they will be eliminated. One of the players must carry a lightbulb to a socket at the hallway's end, but if the Big Boo catches that player (or the player gets hypnotized by a regular Boo and walks into the Big Boo), all the players will lose.
Mario Party 2
In Mario Party 2 Big Boo appears in the Horror Land stage. As with a typical Boo, it is able to steal objects from player's rivals, being coins or stars. However, Big Boo deals for stealing the coins or the stars from all the opponents, while paying to him three times the amount of coins than a normal Boo would do. Characters can ask for him only in night time; in daytime, Big Boo appears as a giant Boo statue. Since Big Boo can only be visited at night after taking a path that requires the Skeleton Key, meeting him proves to be a difficult and rare opportunity for players, especially during "Lite Play" mode.
In Mario Party Superstars, King Boo replaces Big Boo from the original Horror Land board.
Mario Party 4
In Mario Party 4, Big Boo reappears in the board Boo's Haunted Bash, having the same role as in Mario Party 2. In the game, he appears in an odd blue color (similar to the Big Boos in Super Mario World), contrasting the Red Boos. He appears when the two Happening Spaces at the top right of the board are activated three times. The Gaddlight has no effect on him.
Mario Pinball Land
In Mario Pinball Land, Big Boo is one of the five bosses. He appears in the haunted house at the Fun Fair. To defeat him, Mario has to attack him from behind or quickly attack him when he turns visible. He has no direct attacks but instead approaches Mario continuously. If Mario comes into contact with Big Boo while the latter is invisible, Mario temporarily spins out of control as if in a daze. Hitting Big Boo grants 10,000 points each time, and doing so three times defeats him and grants 500,000 points. Once defeated, Big Boo leaves behind four Yellow Coins, four Blue Coins, and a Star Key.
Big Boo reappears and is fought again after all the Boos are defeated in his rematch room in the Fiery Stage. This time, defeating him grants 1,000,000 points and yields the player a Star.
WarioWare: Move It!
Big Boo reappears in Level 3 of the Mario Pinball Land microgame in WarioWare: Move It! It must be defeated to win the microgame.
Unused appearances
In certain unused text strings in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, King Boo is referred to as "Boss Teresa," implying he was intended as a redesign of this character with elements from both designs rather than the Luigi's Mansion character until late in development; this likely explains King Boo's change in size and coloration for this game.
Profiles
Super Mario Pia
Gallery
Mario Party 2
Mario Pinball Land
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | Big Boo[?] | Big Boo (Super Mario 64) | |
| Roi Boo[?] | King Boo (Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario 64 DS) | ||
| German | Big Boo[?] | Big Boo (Super Mario 64, Super Mario 64 DS; shared with King Boo in the latter) | |
| König Buu Huu[?] | King Boo (Super Mario Sunshine) | ||
| Italian | Re Boo[?] | King Boo (Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario 64 DS) | |
| Grande Boo[6] | Big Boo | ||
| Gran Boo[7] | Great Boo (Super Mario 64) | ||
| Korean | 부끄짱[?] Bukkeu Jjang |
Boo Boss | |
| Spanish | Rey Boo[?] | King Boo (Super Mario Sunshine) | |
| Gran Boo[?] | Big Boo (Super Mario 64 DS; shared with King Boo in this game) |
Trivia
- In Mario Party 7, Mathemortician features Red Boos with similar crowns to Big Boo's Super Mario Sunshine appearance.
- The noise Big Boo makes when he gets hit with a pepper in Super Mario Sunshine was later reused for King Boo's horn in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
References
- ^ 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, Super Mario 64 section. Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 978-4091065698. Page 85.
- ^ スーパーマリオボール 遊園地ステージ. Nintendo.co.jp (Japanese). Retrieved September 30, 2016.
- ^ Nemoto, Yasuhiro, Hideki Endo, Yuta Naoi, and Noriko Noriko, editors (1996). 『スーパーマリオ64完全クリアガイド』. Tokyo: Media Factory (Japanese). ISBN 4-88991-411-0. Page 14.
- ^ Mario Party Official Nintendo guide, unknown page
- ^ Super Mario Ball Shogakukan book
- ^ 2018. Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 978-8893674362. Page 54.
- ^ Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Page 85, 88.
| Mario Party 2 | |
|---|---|
| Main characters | Mario • Luigi • Princess Peach • Yoshi • Wario • Donkey Kong |
| Other characters | Bowser • Toad • Goomba • Boo • Koopa Troopa • Thwomp • Kamek • Whomp • Big Boo • Mr. I • Mushroom Genie • Steamer • Snifit Patrol • Shy Guy • Sushi • Baby Bowser • Woody • Professor Fungi • Battle T. • Totem Bros. |
| Items | Mushroom • Skeleton Key • Plunder Chest • Dueling Glove • Warp Block • Golden Mushroom • Magic Lamp • Boo Bell • Bowser Suit • Bowser Bomb |
| Spaces | Blue Space • Red Space • Item Space • Happening Space • Battle Space • Bowser Space • Star Space • Chance Time Space • Bank Space |
| Boards | Pirate Land • Western Land • Space Land • Mystery Land • Horror Land • Bowser Land |
| Other | Crazy Counting • Dinky Rinky • Goodness Rakes • Melon Mayhem • Nintendo 64 Funtastic Series Personality Test • Nomiss • Rules Land • Gallery • Mario Land • Media • Minigames • Pre-release and unused content • Quotes • Sound test • Staff |
