Puni elder

Puni elder
Artwork from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Species	Puni
First appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004)
Latest appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024)

“Oh, stop with the whining! You never interrupt an elder mid-lecture! NEVER! You wonder why the other Punies call you a "doofus" sometimes? That's why. And your time to be a doofus is over, because you have to lead our Puni tribe one day! That day is not far off! ...And THAT is why you need to listen! Now, first of all...”

—Puni elder, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

The Puni elder, also known as the Great Tree elder, is an elderly and wise Puni with a short temper. She is the leader of the Puni tribe during the events of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. During Mario's quest, she gives him the Puni Orb. As she is old and has bad hearing, the Puni elder mispronounces Mario's name as 'Marty-o' (Japanese: マリコ - Mariko), and, during Bowser's visit to the Great Tree, mistakenly refers to Princess Peach as "Princess Pinch".

History

Background

Before the Puni elder gained the title of elder, she was "considered a Puni prize" and had countless suitors, though she seems to have taken particular interest in Puni boy named Punderton. It is possible he is related to the Puni elder becoming leader of the tribe, as the mention of him is what leads to the elder going on a two-hour speech on the subject. Ultimately, none of this backstory is revealed to the player, as the game skips past it. Once she became elder, she was taught to protect the Emerald Star from evil and give it to "a pure heart". She also received the Puni Orb, a symbol of the Puni leader.

It is unclear if she has a familial relationship with Punio and Petuni. One of Punio's lines after Chapter 2 is changed in the remake to refer to the elder as "the world's loudest grandma" instead of "the old hag", which could imply that she is the siblings' grandmother. This could also explain why Punio, the elder of the two, is next-in-line to become the Puni leader. However, Punio always calls her "elder" besides this one instance, and the similar term "gramma" is used as an insult elsewhere in the game (such as Lord Crump calling the elder one), so it is possible that this line should not be taken literally. It is also worth noting that the elder's Japanese name, オババ (Obaba), is a pun on the Japanese word for grandmother, and she is referred to as such by all characters in the game, which could be taken as further evidence of her not literally being a grandmother.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

During the X-Naut invasion of the Great Tree, the Puni elder is imprisoned along with Petuni and 89 other Punies. Unlike the other prisoners who are locked in a blue cage, she is kept in a separate, red cage adjacent to it. When Mario, his partners, and Punio reach her cage, she tells them to save the other Punies before her. However, since the Red Key is found more easily than the Blue Key, the elder is released first. She is angry at Punio for leaving his sister behind to find the key and proceeds to lecture him for the next several hours, causing Mario and his partners to fall asleep. Once the lecture is finished and Punio makes it clear to the elder that he was trying to rescue her and then the other Punies, she rushes out of the cage and heads towards the Great Tree's entrance.

At the entrance, the elder orders Puniper to trust Punio as their leader and to help Mario fight off the X-Nauts. Puniper listens to her, allowing 10 Punies to join Mario's party. Following this, she tells Mario that the Emerald Star is at the bottom of the tree and encourages him to find it before the X-Nauts do. She also gives him the Puni Orb so the Punies can more easily help him. Just before Mario and his party leave, the elder remembers to tell them that she can whistle to round up any lost Punies back to the entrance.

After Lord Crump steals the Emerald Star and activates a time bomb to destroy the Great Tree, he is stopped by the Puni elder at the entrance. Angry at his insults, she grows to tremendous size, but sudden back pain shrinks her down to normal. Thankfully, Mario and his party arrive just in time, leading to Lord Crump turning off the bomb and fighting them in Magnus von Grapple. Following his defeat and the subsequent retreat of the X-Nauts from the tree, the Puni elder rewards Mario with the Emerald Star.

Later, during Bowser's intermission following the completion of Chapter 3, he and Kammy Koopa enter the Great Tree to find the Crystal Star. While the other Punies are frightened and hide, the elder stands up to them, thinking they are members of the X-Naut trying to steal the Crystal Star again. Kammy Koopa insults the elder, leading to the two arguing until Bowser asks about the Crystal Star. The Puni elder tells them that Mario already took it, leaving Bowser in shock.

The Puni elder has a Trouble Center request, Life Mushroom!, where she asks that Mario bring her a Life Mushroom. She rewards him with 60 coins in the original game, or 50 coins in the remake, if he does. She is also part of the Newsletter... trouble, where she is one of the people who the Routing Slip must be taken to, as she is a member of the Silver Club alongside Kroop and Mayor Dour.

During the final battle against the Shadow Queen, the Puni elder cheers on Mario alongside the other Punies outside the Great Tree.

General information

Physical appearance

The Puni elder has a light purple orb on her antenna, and her eyes are usually half closed. Unlike other Punis, she has lines on her face that are likely wrinkles. She wears what looks to be a light gray robe that covers her feet, with a dark gray cloak over it. Whenever she yells at someone, she grows to a large size.

Personality

The Puni elder is overcritical, often lecturing Punio, the future Puni leader, for hours on end for mistakes he has supposedly made. Despite this, she believes in his abilities, as seen with how she orders Puniper to follow him, and ultimately just wants Punio to be the best leader he can be. The elder has a lot to say even when not lecturing, as seen with her detailing her past to Mario.

Unlike other Punies, the Puni elder shows no fear, standing up to Lord Crump and being the only one to not hide from Bowser. She also appears to have a soft spot for romance, calling Peach a "lucky lass" for having Mario look for her and going on a monologue about Punderton, who she calls a "fine boy".

Tattle

• "That's the Puni elder. She's ancient, but actually peppier than everyone else. No need to worry about her! She'll live to be 150, griping and nagging all the way." (GCN)
• "That's the Puni elder. She's ancient, but actually peppier than everyone else. No need to worry about her! She'll live to be 150, griping all the way." (Switch)

Gallery

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

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  Punio approaching the Puni elder

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  The Puni elder scolding Punio

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  The Puni elder lecturing Punio

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  The Puni elder leaving the cage

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  The Puni elder with the other free Punies

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  The Puni elder scolding Puniper

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  The Puni elder holding the Puni orb

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  The Puni elder halting Mario

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  The Puni elder speaking

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  Mario speaking to the Puni elder

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  The Puni elder summoning the Punies

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  The free Punies surrounding Mario

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  The Puni elder blocking Lord Crump

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  The Puni elder scolding Lord Crump

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  The Puni elder using her elder powers

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  The Puni elder after her back starts acting up

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)

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Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	オババ[?] Obaba	Pun on「お婆さん」(obāsan, "grandmother") and「婆」(baba, "old woman")
	プニ族のオババ[?] Puni-zoku no Obaba	Obaba of the Punis	Trouble Center list
Chinese	老婆婆[?] Lǎopópo	Granny
	普尼族老婆婆[?] Pǔnízú Lǎopópo	Grandma of the Punis	Trouble Center list
Dutch	Leider[?]	Leader
French	Matriarche[?]	Matriarch
German	Bubuma[?]	Portmanteau of Bubu ("Puni") and Oma ("grandma")
Italian	Matriarca[?]	Matriarch
Korean	할멈[?] Halmeom	Grandma
	말랑족 할멈[?] Mallang-jok Halmeom	Grandma of the Punis	Trouble Center list
Spanish	Punicleta[?]	Portmanteau of "Puni" and the Spanish name "Cleta"

Trivia

• Despite Goombella predicting that the Puni elder will live to be 150, her tattle on another unnamed Puni indicates that members of the species likely do not live long.