Flagpole
- This article is about flagpoles in general. For the specific flagpoles that mark the ends of stages, seeGoal Pole.
| Flagpole | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Mario andLuigi with flagpoles inMario & Luigi: Brothership | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario 64 (1996) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2025) | ||
| Variant of | Pole | ||
| |||
Flagpoles[1] appear as objects in several games of theSuper Mario franchise. A majority of them take inspiration from theGoal Poles (themselves often just called "flagpoles" or "poles") located at the ends of stages inSuper Mario Bros. and most of the platform games followingNew Super Mario Bros. Some of these even appear at the ends of stages but are not the specific stage goal themselves. Most of the time, they can be climbed like typicalpoles. What sets flagpoles apart from Goal Poles is the lack of certain mechanics, especially points for landing on them and the level ending immediately after they are activated.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario 64 /Super Mario 64 DS[edit]
During the development ofSuper Mario 64, the traditional level-end flagpoleswere considered to be used for stage goals,[2] but were replaced withPower Stars to better fit with the game's 3D sandbox style. The only flagpoles are yellow with an image of aKoopa Shell, which take up most of the poles and are much shorter than the goal-type poles. They are the goal points forKoopa the Quick's races, and they can be climbed like miscellaneouspoles andtrees and vaulted off from the top. Flagpoles reappear inSuper Mario 64 DS with the same purpose.
Super Mario Sunshine[edit]
The flagpoles inSuper Mario Sunshine had their height adjusted to be in-line with the traditional goal flagpoles from the 2D games. The flag is now red and depicts a bluePianta, though remains a lot larger than the pole. They are based on the flagpoles fromSuper Mario 64, with their purpose being only to mark the end of races, specifically againstIl Piantissimo.
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
Flagpoles are featured at the end ofRolling Ball segments inSuper Mario Galaxy. They are depicted green and have a picture of a golf course. The pole and the block it is attached to are intended to be visually reminiscent of the goal flagpoles inSuper Mario Bros., although they are much smaller. Mario retains the ability to climb flagpoles.Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada has similar poles, except these lack any flags.
Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
Flagpoles are featured in different capacities inSuper Mario Galaxy 2. They sport aBowser-themedJolly Roger, and are located inBowser's Lava Lair,Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker, and theThrowback Galaxy. Either aLife Mushroom or a1-Up Mushroom can often be found on top of a flagpole. The poles at the end ofStar Ball segments now lack flags and havecannon shots at the top.
Mario Party series[edit]
InCrank to Rank, a minigame inMario Party 8 and reintroduced inMario Party: The Top 100, there are flagpoles with theStar Carnival emblem.
Mario & Luigi series[edit]
As ofMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, when Mario, Luigi, Bowser (inMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story), orPaper Mario (inMario & Luigi: Paper Jam) gainExperience Points, flagpoles appear as the EXP meter; when the flag gets to the top of the pole, theylevel up. InMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, the flags on each pole are yellow, and rectangular-shaped with mushroom emblems. Starting withMario & Luigi: Dream Team, and followingMario & Luigi games, the flags areswallowtail-shaped, and bear Mario and Luigi's respective colors and emblems. Bowser's flagpole inMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story bears a black, spikedtruck, and his flag is a dark gray flag with three tips that bears his red emblem; inMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, Bowser's flagpole has a standard yellow truck, and his flag has the same swallowtail shape as Mario and Luigi, colored black and still bearing his emblem. Paper Mario's flag inMario & Luigi: Paper Jam is yellow and bears a yellow "P" emblem. In earlier games, the poles are round and crooked, though inMario & Luigi: Brothership, they are perfectly straight and thus more resemble Goal Poles.
Gallery[edit]
Naming[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario 64 DS | data/normal_obj/obj_race_flag/ | RACE_FLAG | Race Flag |
| Super Mario Galaxy Super Mario Galaxy 2 | ObjectData/FlagTamakoro.arc | FlagTamakoro | Rolling Ball Flag |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ゴール[3] Gōru | Goal |
References[edit]
- ^Pelland, Scott, and Dan Owsen (1996).Super Mario 64 Player's Guide.Nintendo of America (American English). Page 21.
- ^Interview between Satoru Iwata and Koichi Hayashida regardingSuper Mario 3D Land:
Iwata: The impression the goal pole makes has a big influence over the impression that the game makes. I supposehe thought this was an area that deserved effort.
Hayashida: Later, I asked (Yoshiaki) Koizumi-san, and he said that they tried a goal pole once for Super Mario 64.
Iwata: Oh, is that so.
Hayashida: But at the time, when they thought about what was the most fun about playing in 3D, it was going to all sorts of places and looking for something, so they decided on players getting a Star. - ^「任天堂公式ガイドブック スーパーマリオ64」 (Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook – Super Mario 64).Shogakukan (Japanese). Page 12, 80.
