Not to be confused withMagic Silver Whistle orFlute.

Recorder
Artwork of a Magic Whistle fromSuper Mario Bros. Mushroom World
First appearance	The Legend of Zelda (1986, overall) Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988,Super Mario franchise)
Latest appearance	The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023, cameo)

“One toot on this whistle will send you to afar away land!”

—Toad,Super Mario Bros. 3

ARecorder, also known as aMagic Whistle,^[1][2][3] aWarp Whistle,^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]} or simply aWhistle,^[7] is a rare item that appears inSuper Mario Bros. 3. It is originally fromThe Legend of Zelda; the six notes played upon use are identical, as is the whirlwind it summons that whisks the player to another location.

History[edit]

Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

InSuper Mario Bros. 3, using a Magic Whistle summons a whirlwind that takesMario orLuigi to World 9, theWarp Zone, where the player can skip ahead to the start of a laterworld. Using the Magic Whistle inWorld 1 allows Mario or Luigi to warp toWorld 2,World 3, orWorld 4; using it in World 2 throughWorld 6 allows him to warp toWorld 5, World 6, orWorld 7; and using it in World 7,World 8, or World 9 allows him to warp to World 8.

There is a total of three Magic Whistles: Two of them are in World 1, and one is in World 2. Each Magic Whistle can be collected from a certaintreasure box, but only two are required to warp directly to World 8. The first Magic Whistle is obtained inWorld 1-3 by holding Down on while standing on theWhite Block platform at the end of thelevel, so that Mario or Luigi drops behind the background, and then quickly getting behind the black curtain at the end of the level before the White Block's effect wears off. Behind the curtain is a secretToad's House, whose single box contains the Whistle. The second Magic Whistle is obtained inWorld 1-Fortress byflying above the ceiling at the end of the first room, where there is a door hidden above the top of the screen. The door leads to a small secret room where a treasure box contains the Magic Whistle. Clearing World 1-Fortress in that way does not open its lock on the map. The third Magic Whistle can be obtained by defeating theBoomerang Brother in World 2- to obtain aHammer, which must be used to break the rock at the top right of the map screen, opening a secret passage behind a palm tree. The passage contains a Toad's House (with aFrog Suit) as well as a pair ofFire Brothers. Defeating both Fire Brothers awards the player the Magic Whistle. According toPrincess Toadstool'sletter upon the player completingGiant Land, the Magic Whistle had been stolen and taken to the sand dunes on the east side ofDesert Land.

The Magic Whistle of World 5-1, exclusively obtainable via a glitch in the Family Computer version

Exclusively in the originalFamily Computer release, there isa glitch that allows the player to obtain a fourth Magic Whistle inWorld 5-1. The glitch can cause the treasure box to appear at the end of the level instead of in its usual location. The glitch is performed by reaching the end of the level, then turning around and flying above the wall of blocks until the player hears the sound of a treasure box appearing. After that, if the player returns to thegoal, they will notice glitched graphics (as it is not supposed to be possible to activate a treasure box and the goal simultaneously). If the player then hits the goal from the far left corner, the treasure box will teleport to the goal, and picking it up will earn the player either fiveextra lives or a Magic Whistle. Later versions shorten the level by replacing theWarp Pipe to this area (as well as aBuster Beetle) with the goal in internationalNES releases andreissues.

Paper Mario: Color Splash[edit]

InPaper Mario: Color Splash, this item (now known as theRecorder, its original name fromThe Legend of Zelda) makes a reappearance after 28 years of absence and in time for its 30th anniversary debut. It is hidden in theGreen Energy Plant, in a course specially dedicated toSuper Mario Bros. 3. Mario mustflip into 3D and go beyond theGoal Pole at one of the ends of the area. At first, the Recorder looks identical to its appearance inSuper Mario Bros. 3, but after Mario tosses it into the air, it becomes a photo-realistic recorder. The Recorder can also be purchased from theWringer for 300coins and sold as a card for one coin. A replica version of the Recorder can be collected from theBattle Spin. It is also given developers' notes in the game's digital manual.

When the Recorder Card is used in battle, the scenery changes to a field and the Recorder plays the original melody. Three more Recorders appear and play theSuper Mario Bros. 3Coin Heaven/Sky Land/Warp Zone theme, causing atornado to appear. The tornado lifts any enemies into the air and causes them to plummet back down. The effect of the attack is increased if the player presses the buttons on theWii U GamePad when the Recorder is playing the initial melody.

References in other media[edit]

• In the seriesThe Legend of Zelda, the Recorder reappears in thetelevision series andcomic under the name "Magic Whistle"; in addition, its melody has been remixed throughout the series, especially as the title theme ofThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
• During the climax ofThe Wizard, Haley tells Jimmy to seek out the Magic Whistle (which she refers to as the "Magic Flute") in the World 1 Fortress, which he succeeds in doing. However, it is unclear how Haley even knew of its existence, asSuper Mario Bros. 3 was a game that the characters had never played before.
• InLeaping Lizards, aMagic Silver Whistle is the prize of theInternational Mushroom Games, which are held in a neutral area of theMushroom Kingdom every six years.Iggy Koopa is the whistle's current holder, and the heroes compete against him in order to reverse the spell placed on theMushroom King, who was transformed into a rabbit.
• In the 2006 version ofNintendo Monopoly, the Warp Whistle is referenced by theCoin Block "Advance to Go" card.
• Mystical Whistle, the name of aSammer Guy inSuper Paper Mario, is a reference to the Magic Whistle.

Profiles[edit]

Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

• Instruction booklet description:
  • English:
    Not much is known about the Magic Whistle. See if you can find it!
  • Other languages:
    • Japanese:
      伝説の魔法の管。
      (Translation:A magic flute of legend.)

• Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console manual description:
  • English:
    Warps Mario to a different world.

Paper Mario: Color Splash[edit]

• Item description:The pleasant, nostalgic melody makes you feel like you're being whirled up into the sky.

Gallery[edit]

• 

  The original Recorder fromThe Legend of Zelda

• 

  The first Magic Whistle's location inSuper Mario Bros. 3

• 

  The second Magic Whistle's location inSuper Mario Bros. 3

• 

  The third Magic Whistle's location inSuper Mario Bros. 3

• 

  The inventory tile inSuper Mario Bros. 3

• 

  The summoned tornado inSuper Mario Bros. 3

• 

  The summoned tornado inSuper Mario All-Stars

• 

  Paper Mario: Color Splash

• 

  Paper Mario: Color Splash

• 

  Paper Mario: Color Splash

• 

  Paper Mario: Color Splash

• 

  Paper Mario: Color Splash

• 

  The Recorder playing a few notes

• 

  The Recorder summoning three others

• 

  The Recorders summoning a windstorm

Multimedia[edit]

Whistle (Super Mario Bros. 3) - Plays when the Magic Whistle is used

File info 0:30

Whistle (Super Mario All-Stars) - Plays when the Magic Whistle is used

File info 0:30

Whistle (Super Mario Advance 4) - Plays when the Magic Whistle is used

File info 0:30

Thing: Recorder - Plays while using the Recorder Thing

File info 0:20

Help:Media file •Having trouble playing?

Names in other languages[edit]

Notes[edit]

• An arrangement of the tune for the Recorder can be heard if the player wins three times in a row in the minigameLoves Me...? fromSuper Mario 64 DS.
• If the player uses a Magic Whistle while on the canoe in World 3, the player can go off to the left and leave the Warp Zone map. However, they cannot get back and are stuck there unless they have another Magic Whistle. This was fixed in the international versions. TheSuper Mario All-Stars version fixed this glitch in a different manner by not allowing the player to use a Magic Whistle while on a canoe.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Recorder on Zelda Dungeon Wiki
• Recorder on Triforce Wiki

Recorder coverage on otherNIWA wikis:

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Zelda Wiki

• Musical instruments
• Artifacts
• Paper Mario: Color Splash cards
• Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 items
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