Businessman
| Businessman | |
|---|---|
 Sprite from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | |
| Species | Ratooey |
| First appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004) |
| Latest appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024) |
- “I'm traveling on business, so everything goes on the expense account! Yes!”
- —Businessman, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
The businessman is a thirty-year-old[1] Ratooey who appears in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door as a passenger aboard the Excess Express. He appears to work for a hot sauce company and is married.
History
The businessman first appears aboard the Excess Express in Cabin 007, happy that he can charge everything to his business account as he is riding the train for business reasons. He appears to abuse this privilege, with Goombella referring to his spending habits as "sketchy". He hopes to complete all of his work on the first day of the travel so that he can rest for the rest of the trip.
On the second day, he loses his briefcase, which contains contracts for his company's next deals, one of which is written on the Vital Paper, and their new product prototype, Nitro Honey Syrup. He is confident he will get fired, or worse, for losing such a key asset. The businessman enlists the help of detective Pennington to locate the stolen prototype, though Pennington delegates the investigation to Mario as his assistant. Mario finds the Vital Paper in Cabin 001, occupied by Doopliss, who is disguised as Zip Toad, and later catches "Zip Toad" in his own cabin (005). Doopliss stole the Nitro Honey Syrup at the behest of Beldam of the Three Shadows in hopes of using it to create a bomb. The businessman expresses profound gratitude to Mario for returning the briefcase and its contents, saving his career, his marriage (as his wife would have "let [him] have it" if he lost his job), and possibly his life.
At the start of the third day, the businessman, along with the other passengers and staff, goes missing, being absorbed into a hoard of Smorgs that attacks the train. Mario eventually defeats the Smorgs, causing them to blow away in the wind. After the incident, the businessman safely arrives in Poshley Heights. Since his associates are running late, he contemplates doing sightseeing at Poshley Sanctum. He leaves Poshley Heights at the end of the chapter.
Later on, the businessman appears in Glitzville selling Hot Sauce for ten coins. Before Mario can purchase his goods, the plumber has to complete the Ratooey's Trouble Center request. For unknown reasons, the businessman has a love of chairs that borders on outright fanaticism. In fact, his trouble (posted in Trouble Center after Chapter 6) consists of Mario having to tell him how many chairs are in certain houses spread out across the world, such as Don Pianta's office and Flurrie's House. The reason for this is because he has forgotten the security code to his briefcase, which consists of the numbers of chairs in four houses.
In the "Rogueport Today" section of "RDM Issue 6", which Mario can read using his Mailbox SP, it is stated that the businessman was taken into custody by port authorities for trying to board the Cheep Blimp with large quantities of Hot Sauce (the report refers to it as a "volatile red liquid" and a "spicy condiment"). After being released, the businessman advertised his company's product with the statement: "Buy our new Hot Sauce, folks!"
In the original game's end credits parade, the businessman's silhouette can be seen with the Poshley Heights characters. In the remake, he, Chef Shimi, the Excess Express waitress, Toodles, Zip Toad, and Heff T. follow behind Pennington as he investigates the stage. This is until Ghost T. appears and spooks at them, resulting in them all fleeing in horror as Ghost T. ascends into a bright light.
Tattle
- Excess Express
- "He's a Ratooey businessman. He's on the Excess Express for business, obviously. I bet he's putting everything on an expense account, huh? Is that a fringe benefit?"
- Poshley Heights
- "That's the Ratooey businessman who was on the Excess Express. He's still trying to put everything on his expense account. SKETCHY!"
- Glitzville
- "That's the business Ratooey who was on the train with us. I don't know what, but I just feel like crying when I think of the lives of businessmen."
Gallery
The buisnessman with the Gold Star in Glitzville in the remake
Concept art of the Excess Express passengers and staff, including the businessman, who originally had a far more weasel-like appearance.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | サラリーマン[?] Sararīman |
Office worker; the word「サラリーマン」(salaryman) is a typical example of「和製英語」(wasei-eigo), a Japanese term formed by English words. | |
| Chinese | 上班族[?] Shàngbān Zú |
Office Worker | |
| French | Businessman[?] | - | |
| German | Handelsvertreter[?] | Sales representative | |
| Italian | Impiegato[?] | Employee; shared with Clerk and Staff Member | |
| Korean | 회사원[?] Hoesawon |
Office Worker | |
| Spanish | Comercial[?] | Commercial |
