Bub
- This article is about the character from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. For the enemy known as "Bub" inSuper Mario 64, seeCheep Cheep.
| Bub | |
|---|---|
 Sprite fromPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | |
| Species | Bob-omb |
| First appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004) |
| Latest appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024) |
- “Well, so... Thinkyou can detect what I really want for my birthday?”
- —Bub,Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Bub is a character inPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. He is a young, bronzeBob-omb with an affinity for trains. Bub is the son ofGoldbob, president ofGoldbobbington's, andSylvia, and he travels to various locations with his parents throughout the game.
History[edit]
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]
Mario and hisparty first meet Bub inGlitzville outside theGlitz Pit while he and his family are vacationing there. Goldbob and Bub become quick fans of Mario after he begins rising through the ranks of the Glitz Pit, often referring to him to by his stage name, "The Great Gonzales".
Bub is next encountered on theExcess Express as it departs fromRogueport to head toPoshley Heights. On the train, Goldbob and Sylvia argue over what to get Bub for his birthday, with Goldbob wanting a house or a car to flaunt the family's wealth and Sylvia wanting to get him study materials to prepare him for the future. Their arguing seems of little concern to Bub, who actually just wants anautograph of theExcess Express engineer since he someday hopes to become a train engineer himself. Seeing no hope in getting through to his parents, Bub asks Mario to get the autograph for him. The engineer is flattered to oblige Bub's request, giving Mario the autograph. When Mario presents the autograph to him, Bub expresses his appreciation by giving Mario aShine Sprite. Goldbob and Sylvia are surprised to learn of their son's interests in trains, with Goldbob proclaiming he will buy Bub a solid gold train. Sylvia apparently convinces Goldbob to tone down the gift as later that night Bub is excited that his parents are getting him a trainset rather than an actual train, though Goldbob is adamant that the train set must be solid gold. Goldbob and Bub admire the Express outside as it is stopped atRiverside Station.
At the start of the third day, Bub, along with his family and the other passengers and staff, goes missing, being absorbed into a hoard ofSmorgs that attacks the train. Mario eventually defeats the Smorgs, causing them to blow away in the wind. After the incident, Bub and his family safely arrive in Poshley Heights. WhenBowser andKammy Koopa arrive in Poshley Heights, Bowser can optionally talk to Bub, who will ask him for his name: Evil King Extraordinaire, Businessman of Legend, orKoopa Koot. If Bowser answers "Evil King Extraordinaire", Bub will become terrified and flee.
Later, Bub gets into an argument with Sylvia for not doing his homework. To apologize for the argument, he posts atrouble at theTrouble Center. The trouble requests eitherMushroom Cake,Keel Mango, orFright Mask to present to Sylvia as a gift. If Mario choosesMushroom Cake, he will needZess T. to mix aMushroom with aCake Mix, which can be bought fromPianta Parlor, to make one. After delivering the item to Bub, he makes apresent out of the item, writes a letter, and asks Mario to deliver the present and letter to Sylvia. When Mario delivers the letter, Sylvia is so moved by it that she cries tears of joy and explains she was never angry at him; she was only being stern because she loves him and cares about his future. For solving the trouble, Bub rewards Mario with threeCoins, which he says are his "entire fortune".
During Mario's battle against theShadow Queen, Bub, his family, residents of Poshley Heights, and, in the remake, staff from the Excess Express gather outside ofPoshley Sanctum to shout support into theGarnet Star to empower Mario and his partners.
In the original game's end creditsparade, Bub's silhouette can be seen with the Poshley Heights characters. In the remake, Bub runs across the stage gleefully holding the autograph while Goldbob and Sylvia walk behind him, followed by the Bob-ombs from Fahr Outpost.
Letter to Sylvia[edit]
Dear lovely Mama...
I'm sorry I didn't do my homework.
From now on, I'll do my homework and try to be a good Bob-omb like Papa.
And I will give you good food and a nice house...
...and a pretty hat
So please don't hate me.From Bub
Super Mario-kun[edit]
Bub appears in volume 34 ofSuper Mario-kun during thePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door arc. In it, Bub rides the Excess Express with only his father, and he asks Mario, not the engineer, for an autograph. Shortly after, Bub is trapped by Smorg alongside other passengers.
Profiles[edit]
- Tattles:
- "That's Bub the Bob-omb. He's from a very rich family, so he's kind of spoiled. Still, kids are kids, no matter how big their trust fund is... Aren't they?"
- "That's Bub the Bob-omb. He's from a very rich family, so he's kind of spoiled. He put in a request to help him make up with a certain someone." (alternate tattle for Bub when Mario takes on histrouble)
Gallery[edit]
Concept art of theExcess Express passengers and staff, including Bub and his family
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | コナリキン[?] Ko'narikin | Portmanteau of「小」(ko, "child") and「成金」(narikin, "parvenu") | |
| Chinese | 小金公子[?] Xiǎojīn Gōngzǐ | From 「小金」 (Xiǎojīn, a Chinese name that can be translated as "small gold") and 「公子」 (gōngzǐ, young master) | |
| Dutch | Bronz[?] | Frombronzen ("bronze") | |
| French | Bairain[?] | A mixture between "Bob-Omb" andairain ("bronze") | |
| German | Bronzmuth[?] | From "bronze" and the German name "Helmuth" | |
| Italian | Bomb-ottino[?] | From "Bob-omb" andbottino ("booty") | |
| Korean | 소락부자[?] Solakbuja | Combination of "소" (so, small) and "벼락부자" (byeolakbuja, suddenly rich) | |
| Spanish | Bombino[?] | Pun onbomba ("bomb") andbambino (Italian word for "kid") |
Notes[edit]
- Bub is one of few friendly Bob-ombs with a visible fuse; most friendly Bob-ombs wear hats or lack one entirely, including his parents andLucky.
