| Princess Daisy | |
|---|---|
| Mario character | |
 Promotional art by Shigehisa Nakaue (2021) | |
| First game | Super Mario Land (1989) |
| Voiced by | Deanna Mustard (2003–22) Giselle Fernandez (2023–present) Others
|
| Portrayed by | Samantha Mathis (film) |
| In-universe information | |
| Nationality | Sarasaland |
Princess Daisy (Japanese:デイジー姫,Hepburn:Deijī-hime) is a character in theMario franchise. She debuted in the 1989Game Boy launch gameSuper Mario Land as the ruler ofSarasaland where she was given the role ofdamsel in distress forMario to rescue. Daisy has been presented asLuigi's love interest, paralleling the relationship between Mario andPrincess Peach. Since her appearance inMario Tennis, she has been a stapleplayable character inMariospin-off games, includingMario Party andMario Kart. She also appears as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. Daisy has been primarily voiced by American voice actress Deanna Mustard from 2003 to 2022, who was succeeded by Giselle Fernandez starting withSuper Mario Bros. Wonder. She is portrayed bySamantha Mathis in the live-actionSuper Mario Bros. film.
Princess Daisy has been a popular character for her noticeable contrast to Peach and her memorable characterization in games such as theMario Strikers series. Though the character had largely been exclusive to spin-off titles since 2000, she was later integrated into the mainlineSuper Mario series of video games as a playable character inSuper Mario Run in 2017 andSuper Mario Bros. Wonder in 2023.
Princess Daisy was created as adamsel in distress forMario to rescue inSuper Mario Land.[2] It was produced as a launch title for theGame Boy handheld game console byGunpei Yokoi in partnership withSatoru Okada without the input ofShigeru Miyamoto. With the aim to create a scaled-down game based on the gameplay of the 1985Super Mario Bros., it moved away from the usual setting of the Mushroom Kingdom.[3] The development team created Sarasaland, named after a type of floral design, and made Daisy to match that concept.[4]
Daisy was added toMario Tennis for theNintendo 64 due to the developerCamelot Software Planning wanting someone whose body shape was appropriate for real-life sports.[5] Daisy's appearance inSuper Mario Bros. Wonder came about due to the game's director, Shiro Mouri, noticing that his two daughters often fought over who got to play asPrincess Peach, so he wanted to resolve that and also pleaseMario fans.[6] In variousMario games, she has been voiced by a variety of different individuals, including Deanna Mustard from 2003 to 2022 and Giselle Fernandez since 2023.[7]
First appearing in 1989'sSuper Mario Land, Daisy is the princess of Sarasaland, a world outside of the series' usual setting of the Mushroom Kingdom, and is rescued by Mario from thealien Tatanga.[8] In 1991, she had a smaller appearance inNES Open Tournament Golf as Luigi'scaddie.[9] In 2000, Daisy appeared as aplayable character inMario Tennis.[10] Since then, Daisy is regularly a playable character inMario sports games,[11] usually wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts in the colors of her princess gown.[12]
In 2001, she was introduced as a playable character in theMario Party series beginning withMario Party 3.[13] She is also playable inMario Kart games, first appearing inMario Kart: Double Dash!!, where her course is known asDaisy Cruiser.[14]Mario Kart Wii also added Baby Daisy, hertoddler version, which has since appeared in multiple games.[15] Other playable appearances have includedSuper Mario Run,[16]Fortune Street,[citation needed] andSuper Mario Bros. Wonder.[17] She was added toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable character, after previously appearing as a trophy. Her gameplay inUltimate is largely identical to that of Princess Peach.[18]
Daisy appears as askin in multiple video games, includingSuper Mario Maker andMinecraft.[19][20] Daisy'sAmiibo figurine for theSuper Mario franchise was released on November 4, 2016, to coincide with the release ofMario Party: Star Rush. Meanwhile, her Amiibo figurine related to theSuper Smash Bros. franchise was released on February 13, 2019.[21] Daisy was added toDr. Mario World in a post-launch update in 2019.[22] In 2022, she was also added as a post-launch downloadable character toMario Strikers: Battle League.[23]
Daisy is one of the main characters of 1993'sSuper Mario Bros. film, loosely based on the games, portrayed bySamantha Mathis. She is a student of archaeology atNew York University with whom Luigi falls in love. Daisy is kidnapped by two henchmen ofPresident Koopa, the dictator of Dinohattan, who wants to merge his world and the human world, necessitating Mario and Luigi to save her.[24]
Super Nintendo World, an immersive area at variousUniversal parks, includes an interactive "Power-Up Band" featuring a design based on her dress.[25]
Daisy has received generally positive reception. Critics noted the similarities between Peach and Daisy, such asDestructoid writer Chad Concelmo andSiliconera writer Jenni Lada.[26][27] Lada felt thatMario Tennis Aces successfully gave Daisy a distinctive personality, stating that she was more energetic whereas Peach was reserved and stylish. She felt that Daisy's characterization was an improvement on Peach due to being more athletic and emotional.[27]
Daisy's inclusion as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate was highly anticipated by CJ Andriessen ofDestructoid, who described her as the "best princess" and considered her to be one of the most requested characters for theSmash roster.[28]Syfy writer Mason Brady considered Daisy's introduction in theSuper Smash Bros. series disappointing due to being a near copy of Peach, describing it as a "blatant lack of originality."[29]
When the base roster forMario Strikers: Battle League was revealed, several fans expressed disappointment and anger that Daisy was excluded.[30] Neal Ronaghan ofNintendo World Report felt that she was a beloved character in theStrikers series, bemoaning her absence.[31]VentureBeat considered starting aChange.org petition for her to be included, commenting that she had stood out inSuper Mario Strikers for her "sassy attitude" and celebration pose that involves turning her back to the camera.[32] Ari Notis ofKotaku echoed fan excitement when she was added to the game in aDLC update and thought that her exclusion had been indicative of a wider problem with the game's limited content.[23] Hope Bellingham writing forGamesRadar+ expressed excitement that Daisy was finally getting recognition from Nintendo by making her a playable character inSuper Mario Bros. Wonder and noted that although it was not technically the first time she had been playable, it was a "momentous occasion" for fans.[33]
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