Earth
- "Real World" redirects here. For the general locale fromMario & Luigi: Dream Team sometimes colloquially referred to as the "real world", seePi'illo Island.
| Earth | |
|---|---|
 Earth as it appears inMario is Missing! (SNES) | |
| First appearance | Donkey Kong (1981) (real world) Super Mario Bros. (1985) (counterpart) |
| Latest appearance | Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (2024) (real world) Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (2025) (counterpart) |
| Greater location | Solar System |
| Inhabitants | Humans,Goombas,Toads,Koopas,Yoshis |
Earth is a planet on which a wide variety of people, cultures, and ecosystems reside. While the Earth that appears in theSuper Mario franchise has some features derived from the non-fictional entity, fictional alterations to the planet have also been applied.Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that the backstory ofSuper Mario Bros. hasMario arrive in theMushroom Kingdom through one of theWarp Pipes seen inMario Bros. inNew York City, specifically the borough ofBrooklyn, on Earth.[1] Similar depictions include those of theDIC cartoons, in which the "Real World" is separate from the world of the Mushroom Kingdom, andThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, in which Earth and the Mushroom Kingdom are in separate worlds connected by aWarp Zone. Later games have depicted the world of the Mushroom Kingdom as an Earth or Earth-like planet,[2] sometimes incorporating places from the real world.
History[edit]
Real world[edit]
Donkey Kong[edit]
Earth first appears inDonkey Kong with Shigeru Miyamoto stating that "Donkey Kong is set inNew York".[1]
Mario Bros.[edit]
Miyamoto further states thatMario Bros. is also set inNew York City, this time its sewer system.[1] He also states that the Mario Bros. are "Italians" in New York.[3]
DIC cartoons[edit]
According toThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'s introduction andThe Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "Toddler Terrors of Time Travel",Mario andLuigi happened upon aWarp Zone to the Mushroom Kingdom while performing a plumbing house call and were sucked down into the Mushroom Kingdom. This second explanation was later modified through the power ofKooky von Koopa'sTime Travel Tube, but no major changes were made to the history of the "real world".
InThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Mario and Luigi live in the real world and run a moderately successful plumbing business calledMario Brothers Plumbing in their hometown ofBrooklyn. Many of the brothers' relatives live on the planet as well, includingMario's mom andMario's dad; the show's live-action segments take place in Brooklyn, andAustralia is mentioned during an encounter withAlligator Dundee. In the animated segments, Mario and Luigi often try to find their way back to Brooklyn, usually via aWarp Pipe; however, towards the end of the series, they decide to stay so that they can protectPrincess Toadstool and the Mushroom Kingdom.
InThe Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, many episodes feature characters using Warp Pipes to travel back and forth between the real world and the Mushroom Kingdom. In the episode "7 Continents for 7 Koopas",King Koopa assigns each of his sevenKoopalings to take over one of the real world's continents:
- Asia –Bully vandalizes theGreat Wall of China.
- Australia –Cheatsy goes to theAustralian Outback and turns humans into kangaroos.
- Europe –Kootie Pie goes to theLouvre museum in Paris, France, where she magically alters works of art.
- Africa –Kooky transforms animals into plush animals in a savanna in a non-specified location.
- Antarctica –Big Mouth creates amonster to terrorize penguins.
- North America –Hip takes over all TV networks in the continent.
- South America –Hop turns a portion of theAmazon rainforest into a parking lot.
King Koopa is seen in the real world in a flashback sequence in theSuper Mario World episode "Rock TV".
Super Mario (Kodansha manga)[edit]
In theSuper Mario manga published by Kodansha, the Mushroom Kingdom is part of Earth, as Mario and friends are often seen flying to real-life countries in various occasions, such as in theQiX adaptation.
Mario is Missing! andMario's Time Machine[edit]
In the games, the real Earth is more explicitly and thoroughly visited in the several versions ofMario is Missing! andMario's Time Machine, both educational titles intended to teach players about world geography, cultures and history. As such, these games involve Luigi and Mario, respectively, visiting many landmarks and historically significant locations on all continents of the planet.
In both games, greater focus is given to the continents of Europe and North America (theUnited States of America in particular): in thePC version ofMario is Missing!, nine out of the 25 locations visited are European cities, while in thePC version ofMario's Time Machine half of the 20 unique places are located in that continent, and other five are in the USA. InMario is Missing!, Antarctica is whereBowser's castle is located, thus being the final destination in the story.
Super Mario Bros. film[edit]
TheSuper Mario Bros. film features an introduction that outlines the rule and extinction of thedinosaurs on Earth. Dinosaurs were the dominant species on the planet and overall superior to the small mammals who also inhabited Earth, until one day a gigantic meteor struck the planet. This cataclysm not only killed off the dinosaur population on Earth, but also caused spatial and dimensional disturbances that created a parallel Earth that subsequently became the new domain of any surviving dinosaurs and other animals. This alternate, parallel dimension allowed for most of itsreptilian inhabitants to evolve into humanoid creatures, whilesome retain their reptilian form. Aside from one rundown city,Dinohattan, the parallel Earth isan arid wasteland devoid of resources.
The first act of the film takes place inBrooklyn,New York on Earth, untilDaisy is kidnapped byIggy andSpike and brought to Dinohattan. It is established that a link between these two dimensions exists in the sewers of New York City. The plot of the film involvesPresident Koopa trying to use Daisy'smeteorite pendant, a remnant from the meteor that split the dimensions, to merge and combine them back together. At the film's climax,Lena uses the meteorite shard to temporarily successfully combine the two dimensions. After Koopa's defeat, Mario and Luigi successfully un-merge the dimensions back to their original state and return to their home in Brooklyn.
Mario Kart series[edit]
InMario Kart Tour, mostnew courses are themed after cities and/or countries from Earth, featuring real-world landmarks, and manytours are aptly named after such locations. Fourteen tracks based on real cities were released inMario Kart Tour and in theMario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass, of which seven are in Europe, three are in North America, three are in Asia and one is in Australia. The planet, as well as theAndromeda Galaxy, can now be seen in the background of3DS Rainbow Road.
Mario & Sonic series[edit]
TheMario & Sonic games, which tie in with the real worldOlympic Games, naturally place the cast of theSuper Mario andSonic franchises on the real Earth. Cities that have hosted the event and appear in this series are:
- Beijing, China (Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games)
- Vancouver, Canada (Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games)
- London, United Kingdom (Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games)
- Sochi, Russia (Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games)
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games)
- Tokyo, Japan (Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020).
Fictionalized counterpart[edit]
Another Earth[2] serves as the planet where theMushroom Kingdom and other lands reside.Super Mario Galaxy featuresMario traveling between the planet and others across space, whileSuper Mario Odyssey features him traveling between continents on the planet.
Much like the Mushroom Kingdom itself, depictions of this planet vary greatly between appearances. Some games, such asMario Kart Wii, depict a planet identical to the actual Earth in terms of landmasses, albeit surrounded by fictional elements from theSuper Mario franchise, making its actual nature ambiguous. Other titles opt to obscure the surface of the planet, or show completely fictional continents altogether.
Club Nintendo[edit]
During the events of theClub Nintendo magazine comic "Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24", aliens erroneously take Earth for a giantcoconut, and since they adore this kind of fruit, they take the planet with them, pulling it away from the sun. This results in a sudden drop of temperature all over the planet. WhenDonkey Kong and some of his friends talk to the aliens, they return Earth back to its original position.
In "Die Jagd nach dem Nintendo 64: Krawall im All", from the same magazine, Mario and Luigi travel through space in search for a new spaceship. They finally find it on Earth (which Luigi referred to as "Planet Terra").
Wario franchise[edit]
Wario refers to the area below theAwazon as "deep within the Earth" in the manual ofVirtual Boy Wario Land. In theWarioWare series, Wario has a map of the Earth inside his house. Additionally, the Earth appears in the opening and closing cutscenes ofWarioWare Gold. The Earth also appears in the microgame "Shave the World" fromWarioWare: Twisted! andWarioWare Gold.
Mario Party series[edit]
Earth appears in the maps of theAstro Avenue andRocket Road boards fromMario Party 6 andMario Party: Island Tour, the former being the starting space, and the latter in the map's background. InMario Party 7 andMario Party 8 (in aminigame in the latter), the Earth can be seen. InMario Party DS,Globe Gunners is a minigame where players run on a globe and shoot opponents.
Mario Kart series[edit]
Official artwork forMario Kart DS depicts various characters racing and battling on the Earth's surface, visually representing the worldwide scope of theNintendo DS's Wi-Fi capabilities.
InMario Kart Wii, Earth is seen in the background of theRainbow Road course, underneath the track. Players that fall off the course will fall towards the planet, appearing to start burning up in the atmosphere like a meteor before being saved by Lakitu. Earth also appears as a background for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and theMario Kart Channel. During matchmaking, the camera zooms in towards the surface to briefly highlight individual players, whoseMiis stand over their console's selected region.Mario Kart 7 also features Earth in the background for online features, including its own Mario Kart Channel.
InMario Kart 8 andMario Kart 8 Deluxe,Rainbow Road is again set above Earth, along with aBlooper spaceship andMKTV satellites floating in space. The planet can also be seen in the background of theLunar Colony battle course inMario Kart 8 Deluxe. A globe of the Earth can be seen in the background ofGBA Ribbon Road, due to it now taking place inside a child's bedroom. Earth also continues to be prominently featured as a visual for the online mode, and players in an online lobby gather atop its surface between matches.
The key art, loading screen (prior to version 2.0.0) and multiplayer menu forMario Kart Tour features Earth, appearing more cartoonishly with flat colors and visible latitude/longitude lines. It also resembles the planet's appearance inSuper Mario Odyssey, with some minor design differences.
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
InSuper Mario Galaxy, Earth is shown primarily in the opening and ending cutscenes, withPeach's CastleGardens being the first setting thatMario traverses through. Earth is first shown from space when Bowser kidnaps Peach, removes her castle from its foundation, and carries them both into space. Earth is also the setting ofGrand Finale Galaxy, due to it involving Mario returning to Peach's Castle Grounds in order to attend the uninterruptedStar Festival.
Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
Earth returns inSuper Mario Galaxy 2, where it is shown in the background ofWorld 1 and theGrand World Map. The settings of subsequent worlds also resemble real places, such as the Solar System in World 2, the Orion Arm in World 3, the Milky Way galaxy in World 4, the Local Group in World 5, and a black hole/quasar in World 6. World S is exempt, due to it featuring a planet with star-shaped islands instead, as well as the backgrounds of the first twoBowser Jr. galaxies (Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker is the exception, due to it featuring a Sun in the background).
Super Mario 3D World[edit]
Earth also appears in the backgrounds ofWorlds Star,Mushroom, andFlower inSuper Mario 3D World, due to thoseworlds being set in space. Upon completingSuper Galaxy in World Star,Rosalina will be unlocked as a playable character. Like Rosalina, bothLumas andStar Bits are also fittingly present.
Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
Earth is featured in the gameSuper Mario Odyssey. Mario andCappy travel across the world to stop Bowser. Their ship, theOdyssey, has a globe that is used to transition to the menu for traveling to different kingdoms. Earth looks different than how it appears in real life, with the western hemisphere featuring a landmass resembling Pangaea and the eastern hemisphere featuring landmasses resembling Laurasia and Gondwanaland, as well as islands shaped like a top hat, a Triceratops head, a flower, and a mushroom. The game features various kingdoms serving as stand-ins for real countries and cities such as London, England; Mexico; Greece; possibly Germany, New York City, NY; Russia, the French Riviera; Italy; and Japan.
Earth can be seen from theMoon Kingdom, where it is seen rising from the horizon, while its southern hemisphere is seen during the escape sequence after the final boss fight, signifying an exit of a collapsing cave in the moon.
Other appearances[edit]
Earth appears in the background of the box arts forSuper Mario World (Japanese version) andSuper Mario 64. Its atmosphere can also be seen in the background during the battle againstRaphael the Raven inSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
Mario Tennis Open[edit]
Earth can be seen in the background ofGalaxy Arena inMario Tennis Open.
Mario Golf: World Tour[edit]
InMario Golf: World Tour, the Earth can be seen inDiddy Kong's eagle, albatross, and hole-in-one animations when he soars so high on hisBarrel Jet out of joy that he ends up in Earth's atmosphere next to space, leaving himstaring at the camera comically confused.
Super Paper Mario[edit]
InSuper Paper Mario, on Chapter 7-3 if either Mario or company jumps onCyrrus, they will be sent into orbit and back down to Earth, which is seen in the background. This Earth, however, belongs to the dimension ofThe Underwhere andThe Overthere instead of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat[edit]
InDonkey Kong Jungle Beat, Earth can be seen in the background duringAsteroid Belt and the fight withSumo Kong.
Gallery[edit]
Earth seen inDK: Jungle Climber
Earth seen from3DS Rainbow Road inMario Kart Tour
Closer look of Earth in 3DS Rainbow Road
Earth seen in Diddy Kong's Albatross animation inMario Golf: World Tour
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Names in other languages[edit]
Earth[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 地球[?] Chikyū | Earth | |
| Chinese | 地球[?] Dìqiú(Mandarin) Deihkàuh(Cantonese) | Earth | |
| Dutch | Aarde[?] | Earth | |
| French | Terre[?] | Earth | |
| German | Erde[4] | Earth | |
| Italian | Terra[?] | Earth | |
| Korean | 지구[?] Jigu | Earth | |
| Portuguese | Terra[?] | Earth | |
| Russian | Земля[?] Zemlya | Earth | |
| Spanish | Tierra[?] | Earth |
Real world[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch | Echte wereld[5] | Real world | |
| French | Monde réel[6] | Real world | |
| German | Realwelt[7] | Real world | RTL dub |
| Wirklichen Welt[8] | KidsCo dub | ||
| Italian | Mondo reale[9] | Real world | |
| Korean | 현실 세계[10] Hyeonsil segye | Real world | |
| Portuguese | Mundo real[11] | Real world | |
| Romanian | Lumea reală[12] | Real world | |
| Russian | Реальный мир[13] Real'nyy mir | Real world | |
| Spanish | Mundo real[14] | Real world |
References[edit]
 | Wikipedia has an article onEarth. |
- ^abcApril 25, 2023.インタビュー マリオ映画公開記念！宮本茂さんインタビュー 制作の始まりから驚きの設定まで.Nintendo Dream Web (Japanese). Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- ^ab"Perhaps the best way to say it is that the human characters you're encountering here and Mario also live onan Earth together"" –Kenta Motokura.Super Mario Odyssey Gameplay with Developers at E3 2017 – Nintendo Minute (08:58).YouTube (American English). Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^November 8, 2010.Q&A: 'Mario' creator Shigeru Miyamoto.USA Today (English). Archived November 11, 2010, 14:01:07 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^German Club Nintendo Comics 1991-2001 (In German)
- ^The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 Dutch Dub - Bedonder nooit een Koopa DVD (Part 1)
- ^SUPER MARIO, LA SÉRIE ANIMÉE / Serpents dans le jardin, Les koopas ninjas géants
- ^The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 Staffel 1 Folge 1 HD Deutsch
- ^Die Abenteuer von Super Mario Bros. 3 - Ninja Koopas
- ^Le avventure di Super Mario 2x02 - Rettili alla Casa Bianca
- ^Super Mario World Korean Dub 슈퍼마리오 4 VHS Volumes 1 - 4
- ^Super Mario Bros. 3 - Répteis Ameaçam a Casa Branca (Dublagem Herbert Richers)
- ^KidsCo TV (January 28, 2018).Aventurile Fraților Super Mario | Episodul2 - Reptile în Grădina cu Trandafiri.YouTube. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
- ^Мультфильм Супер Марио 2 серия
- ^Las Aventuras de los Super hermanos Mario: 01 - Reptiles En El Jardin De Las Rosas
