Moon
- This article is about the actual moon. For the moon in Super Mario Maker 2, see Moon (Super Mario Maker 2). For the item from Super Mario World, see 3-Up Moon. For the collectible in Super Mario Odyssey, see Power Moon.
| Moon | |
|---|---|
 Mario landing on the moon in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | |
| First appearance | Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushū (1984) |
| Latest appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024) |
| Inhabitants | Astro-Lanceurs Bodyslam Koopas Bomubomus Little Mousers Rabbits Mini-Z-Yuxes Moon Clefts Walking Turnips X-Nauts Z-Yuxes |
- “When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that's Amore!”
- —Mario's face, Mario Teaches Typing 2
The moon in the Super Mario franchise is a celestial body that orbits a planet, often depicted as Earth's natural satellite, and it has appeared commonly as decoration for a background or as a setting for a particular level.
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
The moon, also smiling (although its expression could be changed based on completion of a secret level) and in a waxing crescent phase, appears as a playable area in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, in which it is one half of Space Zone (two thirds if one counts the aforementioned secret stage). It is populated by many Bomubomus, and this was the first time any character ever explored it; when on the moon (and anywhere in the Space Zone) Mario is wearing a spacesuit, and the moon has more gravitational affect on Mario than the star where Tatanga was fought did.
Super Mario Galaxy
In Super Mario Galaxy, some moons appear in the various Galaxies. The boss Kamella comes from the moon on the Deep Dark Galaxy the second time she is fought.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
In Super Mario Galaxy 2, six moons are shown. There are two green moons, a brown moon with holes through it, a small white moon, a small green moon and a small dark red moon. A similar body serves as a planet in Boo Moon Galaxy. There are no enemies on it but will lean to whichever side Mario stands on. Mario must collect the Star Chips on it to progress.
Super Mario Odyssey
In Super Mario Odyssey, the moon appears as the location of three kingdoms, being the Moon Kingdom, the Dark Side, and the Darker Side. It has light gravity on the surface, but gravity is normal when underground. The moon is the source of Moon Rocks, the raw material that makes up the game's primary collectable, Power Moons.[1] Rabbits live on the moon, including the game's recurring antagonists, the Broodals. The moon is key to the game's story, as Bowser takes Princess Peach to the Moon Kingdom to force her to marry him. The moon is present in the backgrounds of all of the kingdoms, in the sky for the ones that are not part of the moon. While the moon's maria look the same, unlike the moon in real life, the moon in the game is much larger (roughly about the size of either the planets Mars or Mercury), orbits much closer to the Earth, and its maria are located on its southern hemisphere instead of on the hemisphere facing Earth. If Mario uses Binoculars to look at the moon from kingdoms that are not on the moon, Cappy will comment on the view.
Super Mario Maker 2
In Super Mario Maker 2, a level known as Tunnel to the Dark Side of the Moon is heavily based on the moon. The course description also states that the course creator "Mischievous Mole" dug all the way to the other side of the moon.
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Count Koopula" showed that, if a Koopa Troopa stared at the moon when it was full, they would make the horrific transformation into a Wereturtle.
Mario's Time Machine
In the NES release of Mario's Time Machine, Bowser steals the American flag from the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 to put in his museum. Mario must return the flag to the Apollo Lunar Module. In this stage, Koopas are given space helmets and the Bird is replaced with a UFO. This is the only area in the game where enemies go through cosmetic changes befitting the location. An unnamed astronaut also wanders in front of the lunar module.
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
A much smaller moon also appears in Raphael The Raven's Castle, which is World 5-8 of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and its Game Boy Advance version, Raphael the Raven was combated on the moon (Ravens also used moon-like planetoids as their native turf). After Baby Bowser is defeated and returns to his normal size, Kamek takes him and flies to the moon.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and its remake, the terrain of Star Hill heavily resembles the moon's surface. Additionally, when the Star Road is rebuilt in the original game, a crescent-shaped moon can be seen.
Mario Kart series
In addition to appearing in the Mario Kart series as the setting for several race and battle courses, the moon also appears in the background of many courses set during the night, such as Moonview Highway in Mario Kart Wii.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
In Mario Kart: Super Circuit, the course Cheese Land seems to be on a moon made out of cheese, due to the amount of moon-like craters; it also has a moon in a starry sky. Little Mousers can be found here. The track returns in the DLC for Mario Kart 8 (as well as the base version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe); however, it is no longer moon-themed, due to the daytime sky, as well as a more desert-like look and plateau-like layout.
Mario Kart 7
In Mario Kart 7, part of the Rainbow Road course goes over the moon. When the player drives over it, the music changes into a softer variation of the Rainbow Road theme.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the battle course Lunar Colony takes place on the moon and once again features low gravity and craters that the player can trick off of. 3DS Rainbow Road returns in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of the third wave of the Booster Course Pass DLC; as such, the Moon segment returns in that course.
Mario Kart Tour
In Mario Kart Tour, the moon appears in the background of GBA Sunset Wilds during the night segment and the returning course 3DS Rainbow Road.
Luigi's Mansion
A version of the moon appears in Luigi's Mansion and its remake, in the background of the Observatory. Luigi, while progressing through the mansion, blows the moon up with a Shining Ghost shot from his Poltergust 3000, creating a path of debris that leads to the Star he is looking for.
WarioWare series
The moon has sometimes appeared in the WarioWare series. In WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!, the moon can be seen at the end of a game in Balloon Bang, and the player who lost is found here after the balloon explodes. In WarioWare Gold, the moon, which is white and has a crescent shape, is seen at night over Luxeville in the opening cutscene.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario and co. have to go to the moon in order to obtain the Crystal Star, which is located in the X-Naut Fortress. The X-Naut Fortress itself was located on the moon, as well. The only way Mario could get to the moon was to fire himself out of Big Bob in Fahr Outpost. Once landing on the moon, Goombella also mentions how a Goomba landed on the moon in '69, which is a reference to the Apollo 11 landing (the first manned landing on the Earth's moon) in 1969. The moon in this game is shown to contain no land features other than craters and rocks.
The moon is also consistently visible throughout Twilight Town - it is an apparently significant object to the villagers there, who believe it has the power to grant wishes. One of the Twilighters even foreshadows the fact that Princess Peach is being held captive on the moon; if Mario speaks to him after his name and body are stolen, he exclaims that someone living on the moon must have heard his wish to not be turned into a pig before asking Mario who he thinks lives there, to which there are two possible answers - "little green men" or "Princess Peach."
On the moon, with its low gravity, Mario and co. jump much higher than normal but also move more slowly, making it difficult to avoid enemies such as Moon Clefts. The moon spans six areas, which loop unlike other areas in the game. Interestingly, when approaching the X-Naut Fortress from the foreground, a high-pitched sound can be heard.
The following enemies appear on the Moon:
For possible enemy formations, see List of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy formations § The Moon.
Items
The following items are found on the moon:
| Item | Location |
|---|---|
 Courage Shell
|
In the screen to the left of the landing screen, it is in the cracked rock in the south. |
 Maple Syrup 
|
In a breakable rock in the second screen right of the landing site, in the west. |
| In a breakable rock in the second screen left of the landing site, in the east. | |
 POW Block
|
In a breakable rock in the screen with the X-Naut Fortress in the background, in the southwest. |
 Power Punch
|
In the screen with the X-Naut Fortress, it is in the cracked rock in the southeast. |
 Ruin Powder 
|
In the screen to the right of the X-Naut Fortress screen, it is inside the cracked rock in the center. |
 Star Piece
|
In the screen with the X-Naut Fortress, it is behind a rock to the southeast of the pipe. |
 Stopwatch
|
In the landing screen, it is in the cracked rock in the northwest. |
 Volt Mushroom
|
In the screen to the east of the landing screen, it is in the cracked rock in the middle. |
 Ultra Mushroom
|
In a breakable rock in the first screen right of the landing site, in the northeast. |
Tattles
- "We're on the moon! Awesome! The moon I always look up at, can you believe it? I mean, I heard they'd put a Goomba on the moon in '69, but who knew WE'D get here? Boy, nothing's impossible on your adventures, Mario! You are the COOLEST!" (GCN)
- "We're on the moon! Awesome! The moon I always look up at, can you believe it? I mean, I heard they'd put a Goomba on the moon, but who knew WE'D get here? Boy, nothing's impossible on your adventures, Mario! You are the COOLEST!" (Switch)
- "Boy, I guess there are pretty much just rocks on the moon. I guess I knew that, but it's still kind of disappointing. Bummer..." (GCN)
- "Boy, I guess there are pretty much just rocks on the moon. I guess I knew that, but it's still kind of disappointing. Lousy, boring moon..." (Switch)
- "The stars sure are pretty here. I wonder if I can find my favorite constellation... I'm such a totally shameless romantic, it's not even funny."
- "There's a weird-looking building off in the distance. Why would THAT be here? Looks like we'll need to find a pipe to get there, though. So...let's look for a pipe."
- "You see the Moon Clefts that live up here? You think they live on green cheese, Mario? ...You know I'm kidding, right? I'm not that much of a cheeseball...get it? I'm still bummed there are only rocks here." (GCN)
- "You see the Moon Clefts that live up here? You think they live on green cheese, Mario? You know I'm kidding, right? I'm not that much of a cheeseball...get it? I'm still upset there are only rocks here." (Switch)
- "Hey, Mario! Did you see that? I saw a comet or something! It was all, like, "PSHOOWEE!" Should I try and make three wishes, do you think? I wish for... Hee hee hee! That's TOP SECRET!"
Mario Party 8
In Mario Party 8, the moon appears in Test for the Best, where the players can reach it if they have a score of 9800 points or more. Various Captain Shy Guys are seen on it.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
The moon also appears in each of the possible but similar endings for Donkey Kong Country Returns, depending on the characters remaining. After defeating Tiki Tong, the Kongs are blasted high in the sky and fall down to the moon. If only Donkey Kong defeats Tiki Tong, Donkey Kong uses his fist to punch the moon into the atmosphere and slam into Tiki Tong Tower in the Volcano. If Tiki Tong is defeated by Diddy Kong, Diddy attempts to escape the gravitational pull of the moon to no avail and lands on his head. However, the force of the impact also results in Diddy unintentionally causing the moon to fall and slam into the tower. If Tiki Tong is defeated while both Kongs are active, Donkey Kong has Diddy Kong speed him toward the moon with his jetpack, accelerating Donkey Kong as he punches the moon, which causes it to fall onto the tower. After the moon crushes Tiki Tong Tower, the volcano erupts the banana hoard, sending the moon back into its original position.
Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World
The moon appears several times in Yoshi's Woolly World and its 3DS port. At the end of Wonderful World of Wool, Yoshi is launched over the moon which has three Red Shy Guys on it.
Yoshi's Crafted World
The moon reappears in Yoshi's Crafted World, where it appears in the second portion of the course The Countdown Begins.
Profiles
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Area Tattles:
- "We're on the moon! Awesome! The moon I always look up at, can you believe it? I mean, I heard they'd put a Goomba on the moon in '69, but who knew WE'D get here? Boy, nothing's impossible on your adventures, Mario! You are the COOLEST!"
- "Boy, I guess there are pretty much just rocks on the moon. I guess I knew that, but it's still kind of disappointing. Bummer... (GCN) / Lousy, boring moon..." (Switch)
- "The stars sure are pretty here. I wonder if I can find my favorite constellation... I'm such a totally shameless romantic, it's not even funny."
- "There's a weird-looking building off in the distance. Why would THAT be there? Looks like we'll need to find a pipe to get there, though. So...let's look for a pipe."
- "You see the Moon Clefts that live up here? You think they live on green cheese, Mario? ...You know I'm kidding, right? I'm not that much of a cheeseball...get it? I'm still bummed (GCN) / upset (Switch) there are only rocks here."
- "Hey, Mario! Did you see that? I saw a comet or something! It was all, like, "PSHOOWEE!" Should I try and make three wishes, do you think? I wish for... Hee hee hee! That's TOP SECRET!"
- Map: The best place in the world for stargazing, but also a place pocked with craters large and small. In contrast to the world where Mario and his friends live, it's very difficult to traverse.
Gallery
The moon from the Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins commercial
Cheese Land's Moon-like surface in Mario Kart: Super Circuit
The exterior of the X-Naut Fortress on the moon in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Kamella coming down from the moon in Super Mario Galaxy
Big Bob aiming for the moon in the Nintendo Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Tsuki |
Moon | |
| Chinese | 月亮[?] Yuèliang |
Moon | |
| Dutch | Maan[?] | Moon | |
| French | Lune[?] | Moon | |
| German | Mond[?] | Moon | |
| Italian | Luna[?] | Moon | |
| Korean | 달[?] Dal |
Moon | |
| Portuguese | Lua[?] | Moon | |
| Romanian | Lună[?] | Moon | |
| Russian | Луна[?] Luna |
Moon | |
| Spanish | Luna[?] | Moon |
- ^ The Art of Super Mario Odyssey, page 301.
