The Koopalings, also known as Bowser's Minions in the British English versions of some games, and in certain American works as the Koopa Kids, are a seven-member clan of recurring enemies in the Super Mario franchise, portrayed as siblings[1][2] who act as leaders of Bowser's Minions under Bowser. Individually, they are named Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig. Although Bowser Jr. is not a member of the Koopalings, they sometimes act as his personal minions, and he is often seen accompanying them.
The Koopalings debuted in Super Mario Bros. 3, and they later appeared as bosses in various SNES-era games of the Super Mario franchise before going on a long hiatus, reappearing once in 2003's Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and then being redesigned for 2009's New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which has since been followed by numerous appearances as both bosses in the platformers of the Super Mario series and playable characters in various spinoffs. They have also appeared in various other media, including the cartoon The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, which featured entirely different names for the characters due to them not having official names at the time of its production phase.
Originally, the Koopalings were depicted as Bowser's children[3][4][5][6][7] and stated to be his offspring.[8][9][10][11][12] Older games continue to maintain them as his children in re-releases and updated manuals.[13][14][15][16] However, Shigeru Miyamoto eventually affirmed that Nintendo's "current story is that the Koopalings are not Bowser's children" in 2012, leaving the Koopalings as his underlings and Bowser Jr. as his only child.[17]
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Members[]
- Larry Koopa
- Morton Koopa Jr.
- Wendy O. Koopa
- Iggy Koopa
- Roy Koopa
- Lemmy Koopa
- Ludwig von Koopa
- Cheatsy Koopa
- Big Mouth Koopa
- Kootie Pie Koopa
- Hip and Hop
- Bully Koopa
- Kooky Von Koopa
General information[]
Physical appearance[]
All the Koopalings look relatively similar to Bowser and Bowser Jr., but lack horns on their head. Morton has a unique darker complexion, and three have heads that are not green in coloration (Morton's head is white and Roy's is pink while Wendy's head matches the rest of her body's yellow coloration). Three of them (Larry, Wendy and in part Iggy) have blue eyes much like Bowser in Super Mario Bros. 3 (but while Bowser's eyes were changed to red, the Koopalings' eyes remained blue). Originally, Ludwig, Morton and Lemmy's eyes were merely black dots, however the former two have since been shown to have thin dark gray irises. All of them have pointed claws on their hands. All the Koopalings have various distinguishing features, such as varying numbers of teeth protruding from their snouts and unique hair styles and colors. Oddly, their sprites in Super Mario World and the Super Mario Bros. 3 remake in Super Mario All-Stars gave them all white hair and coloration that did not match their artwork, carrying over from the original, inaccurate color palette from the NES. All of them, like Bowser, have ribbed plated bellies. Although the Koopalings were shown in the sprites to have at least four spikes on their shells, the cover for Nintendo Power Player's Guide for Super Mario All-Stars showed them, or at least Morton and Roy, only having three spines, all of which were directly on the center of the shell from top to bottom. In addition, while Lemmy does not have fangs, his in-game depiction in Super Mario World does.
While most of the Koopalings originally had green shells, redesigns introduced with New Super Mario Bros. Wii gave them all unique shell colors. Other aspects of their pre-existing designs were also tweaked, such as Iggy's hair being green rather than multicolored in order to differentiate him further from Lemmy, and their heights and builds being more varied, with Morton now the tallest, followed by Iggy, Roy, Ludwig, Wendy, Larry and finally Lemmy, who was the runt of the litter in their original appearances as well. Their tails also became visible in their official artwork starting from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, having not been drawn until then[26] except for some sprite depictions and an artwork which apparently shows Iggy's tail.[27] In their playable appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series, because they are model swaps of Bowser Jr., all of the Koopalings appear roughly the same height as one another, most notably with Roy, Iggy, Morton and Lemmy (although Iggy is still thin).
The Koopalings' designs were modified in the DIC cartoons, although they were still recognizable.
Personalities[]
The Koopalings' individual personalities have not been fleshed out much besides being childlike, their desire to cause mayhem, and their loyalty to Bowser. However, there were some hints in various supplementary materials. Some of the personalities changed between localizations. For example, Roy in the North American localizations was depicted in a manner similar to a bully (which also earned him the name "Bully" in the DIC cartoons), but the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 3 instruction booklet and Super Mario Advance 4 e-Reader cards give him a calm and collected demeanor. The original manual also gave each of the Koopalings several quirks unique to each of them that hinted at their individual personalities with some speeches uttered by them; however, the official English translation toned down several of these quirks or removed them altogether. Although loyal to Bowser, they also did not wish to be on the receiving end of Bowser's rage if they failed a task, as evidenced by Larry's reason for why he and the other Koopalings will not give up the kings' wands easily to Mario, as he stated that the alternative would be to get yelled at by Bowser. Prior to their modern depictions, they were given distinguishing characteristics in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and the Super Mario World cartoon, as well as the Nintendo Comics System and Nintendo Adventure Books. In Mario Kart 8, the Koopalings seem to have better speech capabilities than Bowser, as they can be heard saying their names at several points, and even yelling one or two-liners. In addition to being childlike, a Play Nintendo quiz describes the Koopalings as "zany".[28]
The Koopalings' loyalty to Bowser is strong enough that they are willing to serve him even when "Bowser" is actually not himself and in fact possessed by another figure. This is implied by their servitude to Bowletta in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and later confirmed in Paper Mario: Color Splash, where Wendy and Larry specifically mention doing their actions for Bowser and Morton indirectly says that as well despite Bowser being under the influence of black paint. In the former game's remake, they also possessed strong enough wills that Fawful, when brainwashing them with his spray, was ultimately forced to use a maximum potent dosage on them to sway them to his side.
They were also willing to work with Bowser's son, Bowser Jr., and had little problem with him, as implied by Roy Koopa briefly calling him squirt (Young Master in the Japanese version) and overall talking to him in a casual nature. However, Bowser Jr.'s Journey indicated that even they have their limits when working with Bowser Jr., as many of them ended up quitting on him due to being fed up with his notoriously selfish nature while they were trying to hunt for the remedy for the blorbs, the only real exceptions being Iggy and Morton, the former being forced to leave by Bowser Jr. due to finding him annoying, and the latter ended up brainwashed by the Best Fitness Friends into attacking Bowser Jr..
Abilities[]
The Koopalings each have varying abilities, but in general, the Koopalings are capable of using their shell as both a method of defense and a method of offense. In addition, they are all capable of jumping very high, and are all skilled in magic, frequently using magic wands as a weapon. While only Ludwig, Iggy, and Larry spat fireballs in Super Mario World, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga revealed that all Koopalings have this ability. Despite that, they are weak to fireballs, though their exact limit has varied between taking multiple fireballs to take down, or being one-hit knocked out by a single fireball. Similar to Bowser, they also have a tendency to survive dangerous hits. This is especially evident with their defeat in Super Mario World, where Larry, Wendy, Iggy, and Lemmy were dunked into lava by the Mario Bros., and each Koopaling later had their castles collapse on them, in New Super Mario Bros. Wii where they, alongside Bowser and Bowser Jr., ended up surviving being crushed by Bowser's falling castle, and in New Super Mario Bros. 2, where all of them were accidentally knocked into the lava twice (once by a gigantic Bowser, and then by a gigantic Dry Bowser). Their fighting prowess was such that they managed to casually knock away several Beanies while discussing how they can find Bowser at the same time in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions.
In terms of talents unique to individual Koopalings, they seem to know their own spells. While most of them simply cast a colorful shot of magic that slowly flies in a straight line, Wendy instead creates glowing rings that ricochet off the surfaces of the room, and Lemmy creates bouncing circus balls that can knock the Mario Bros. into a bottomless pit. In every game appearance outside of Super Mario World, Lemmy is always seen in battle balancing on top of a big yellow circus ball covered with starry patterns. Ludwig could create earthquakes with his descents in Super Mario Bros. 3, an ability that was taken away from him ever since New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but kept by Roy and Morton. Ludwig was given the ability to flutter jump in the New Super Mario Bros. games instead. In Super Mario World, Roy and Morton were able to walk up walls and ceilings and drop down at will.
Family relationship[]
In their first appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3, the Koopalings were introduced as siblings and Bowser's own children.[29][4][3] Most re-releases and remakes of this 1988 game as well as republications of the game's story retain this detail in Japan, including the 2013 Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console release.[13][14][30] However, the 2007 Japanese Wii Virtual Console version's manual does not mention their relationship to Bowser,[31] and the 2015 Japanese Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros. uses a less strong statement than the one found in the original manual.[2] The 2018 English and French versions of Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros. preserve the original manual's description of the Koopalings being Bowser's children verbatim,[32][33] while the German and Spanish translations of said book make no mention of their relationship.[34][35] Translations of Super Mario Bros. 3, its re-releases, remakes, official guides, and websites have kept this detail to varying degrees, with most calling the Koopalings Bowser's offspring.[36][37][38][8][9][10][11][39] The 1990 cartoon based on the game, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, follows this portrayal, with the Koopalings referring to Bowser as "king dad".[40]
The 1991 Super Mario World English manual,[5] the Japanese Nintendo Official Guidebooks for both the original and 2001 Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World remake,[41][15] and related 1990 Japanese materials state that the Koopalings are Bowsers' children,[6] while the in-game text and Japanese manual (as well as its re-releases and remakes) do not make any direct statements about their relationship. In three character books written with the involvement of Nintendo, the Koopalings are considered Bowser's children, and in two cases explicitly stated to be members of his royal family (「王おう族ぞく」).[42][43][44]
The back of the English Yoshi's Safari box calls them Bowser's "offspring" in 1993, and the French translation of said text uses the same term as well,[12] which is absent in the Japanese manual.[45]
The manual for the SNES version of Mario is Missing! vaguely describes the Koopalings as Bowser's "bad boys",[46] although in the DOS version's in-game dialogue, the Koopalings refer to Bowser by name rather than with a familial title. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Bowser's seven children are mentioned in both the Japanese and English versions,[7] and this relationship is also mentioned in the Super Mario Advance series from 2001 to 2003.[15][39]
Following the introduction of Bowser Jr. in 2002, who is treated independently from the Koopalings, and the lack of major appearances from the Koopalings between Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga in 2003 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii in 2009, there was confusion about the nature of Bowser's parenthood. Bowser Jr. was first implied to have replaced the Koopalings as Bowser's sole child in the description of Bowser's trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Japanese version of which refers to Bowser Jr. as「ひとり息子」, meaning "one son" or "only son".[47] While the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. appear together in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, official websites refer to the Koopalings as Bowser's minions rather than his children, and as each other's comrades rather than siblings;[48][49] however, the game's Prima guide refers to the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. collectively as Bowser's children, and considers Bowser Jr. to be a Koopaling himself.[50][51] In a September 2012 interview, Shigeru Miyamoto, speaking with Takashi Tezuka, stated that the "current story is that the seven Koopalings are not Bowser's children", leaving Bowser Jr. as his only child (with an unknown mother).[17] In the Japanese Nintendo Direct announcing the Koopalings as playable characters in Mario Kart 8, they are described as「クッパ大魔王だいまおうの子分こぶん」(King Koopa's kobun),[52] which can refer to either underlings or adopted children. Their guidance conversation in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (which was later used again in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) notes their resemblance to Bowser Jr. and calls the relationship between them and Bowser a mystery, with the Japanese version also mentioning that they have been heard to be Bowser's minions. The website Play Nintendo has implied that Bowser needs to treat them more like his family.[53] Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge at Super Nintendo World has Bowser and the Koopalings form the antagonistic racing team; the queue has several vague allusions to their relationship, such as books with titles such as Raising Destructive Children and Sibling Rivalries and How to Exploit Them[54] (though the latter may instead be referring to Mario and Luigi).
In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, the Koopalings have lines of dialogue, which would later continue in games such as Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Paper Mario: Color Splash, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. To reflect their revised portrayal, in the Japanese versions of the games, the Koopalings refer to Bowser as Master Bowser (「クッパ様さま」) and consider each other comrades (「仲間なかま」) without any family relationship, though multiple translations, including the English versions, portray them as siblings.[55][56] While the Japanese and English versions of Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam portray the Koopalings' relationship to Bowser simply as them being his minions, the Italian and German translations mention that Bowser is their father.[57][58] Additionally, the Italian translation of Paper Mario: Color Splash is devoid of every explicit mention of the Koopalings as Bowser's minions present in the Japanese version.[59] The Italian manual of Monopoly Gamer Collector's Edition presents the Koopalings as the seven most dangerous amongst Bowser's minions,[60] and the Italian and German translations of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions retain a mention from the Japanese version that Bowser Jr. is the only son of Bowser.[61]
The Japanese website of New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, besides referring to them using the newer Team of Seven Bowsers (｢クッパ7人衆｣) term instead of the original Bowser's Minions (｢クッパの手下｣) term, also indicates that they are considered as the leaders of the Bowser clan (｢クッパ一味の幹部｣).[62]
Birth order[]
In Nintendo Power, Larry was stated to be the youngest of the Koopalings[63] (reaffirmed as still true in his trophy description in the American version of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and his character origin tip in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate), while Ludwig was said to be the oldest.[18] The birth order for the five middle children was not confirmed, although in Super Mario Bros. 3, as Larry is the first Koopaling to be fought and Ludwig is the last, the implication would seem to be that all seven Koopalings are fought in order from youngest to oldest (provided the player does not warp); however, Morton is described as "one of the older Koopalings" in the Super Mario Bros. 3 Nintendo Power Strategy Guide. [64] although this may have been in relation to Larry, the previous boss encountered. The Prima strategy guide for Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 describes Roy as being "a little heavier than his younger family", which might indicate that Roy is one of the older Koopalings.[65]
In The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Hip and Hop (Lemmy and Iggy) are depicted as twins and are contradictorily believed to be the youngest. Although Kootie Pie (Wendy) celebrated her sixteenth birthday in "Reptiles in the Rose Garden", the specific ages of the others was never confirmed. According to the Writer's Bible included on the Shout! Factory DVD set and brief concept clips of the cartoon, the other Koopalings were all teenagers; Bully (Roy) was the eldest, followed by Big Mouth (Morton), Kooky (Ludwig), Cheatsy (Larry), Kootie Pie, and finally Hip and Hop both at six years old. This is seemingly the reference used for the Nintendo Adventure Books series, since in Leaping Lizards Morton exclaims, "Little brothers are so cowardly!" in regards to Iggy, although this may have been a quip at Luigi's expense (who expressed particular resentment at that remark).
Leadership[]
The Super Mario Bros. 3 Nintendo Power Strategy Guide also states that Ludwig is Bowser's second in command,[18] effectively making him the leader of the Koopalings. Since then, this role has been supplanted by characters such as Kammy Koopa, Kamek, and Bowser Jr. The American English version of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and the European English version of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U state that Larry leads the Koopalings and Bowser's Minions respectively, although both are inaccurate translations of the original Japanese description, which simply states that Larry is one of the seven Koopalings and the leader of a special unit in Bowser's Minions.[66] In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Larry calls Ludwig "boss", and Ludwig shows that he thinks of himself as a leader, and even a king, both of which are contested by other Koopalings.
Gallery[]
