Mushroom Kingdom
| Mushroom Kingdom | |
|---|---|
| Mario location | |
 A portion of the Mushroom Kingdom as it appears in Super Mario Odyssey, with Princess Peach's Castle
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| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. (1985) |
| Created by | Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Genre | Platformer |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Principality |
| Ruler | Princess Peach |
| Race(s) | Various |
| Locations |
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| Population |
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The Mushroom Kingdom (キノコ王国, Kinoko Ōkoku) is a fictional principality in Nintendo's Mario franchise. It is the primary setting of the franchise and has appeared in the vast majority of Mario video games and related media since its first appearance in Super Mario Bros. (1985), though its presentation, geography, and included regions have never been formally established and vary between appearances.
Within the fictional universe of the Mario franchise, the Mushroom Kingdom is a principality ruled by Princess Peach (Princess Toadstool in older appearances). However, the manual for Super Mario Bros., as well as other early Mario media from the 1980s and early 1990s, mentions Peach's father, known in said manual as the "Mushroom King", as the formal ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. Toadsworth appears as Peach's steward in later games, though earlier media featured various other minor characters serving as retainers or assistants. The Mushroom Kingdom is often depicted as predominantly populated by Toads, though other species from the franchise such as Yoshis, Goombas, and Koopas (among others) are also often depicted as residents, though the latter two and other enemies generally vary between being depicted as wildlife or fully-fledged citizens. Only a small number Mushroom Kingdom citizens, namely Peach, Mario, and Luigi, are portrayed as humans. The Kingdom's most prominent fictional currency is coins (usually gold) which are featured in nearly every Mario-related game. Objects and entities from the video games, generally inert or helpful ones such as brick blocks, question-mark blocks, and warp pipes, are depicted as prevalent throughout the kingdom in various forms of media.
Locations
Princess Peach's Castle
Princess Peach's Castle is typically portrayed as a Central European-style, red-and-white castle. It is usually decorated with stained-glass above the main doors which represent the princess. Inhabited by the princess and her Toad retainers, the castle first appeared in-game in Princess Toadstool's Castle Run (1990) but is more prominently featured in Super Mario RPG (1996) and is the central hub in Super Mario 64. Its design has remained relatively consistent.
Mario and Luigi's House
Mario and Luigi's House is the home of Mario and his brother Luigi in some games of the Mario series. It is sometimes located near Princess Peach's Castle, and other times outside the entrance to the Mushroom Kingdom, such as in Super Mario Galaxy.
Bowser's Castle
Bowser's Castle is the lair of Bowser, most often the dastardly arch-nemesis of Mario. The castle has often been destroyed and rebuilt and appears differently in each game it is featured in. It is usually filled with lava pits and booby traps. Variations of Bowser's Castle appear in nearly every Mario game, and every Mario Kart game features at least one course titled "Bowser's Castle" or "Bowser Castle."
Landscapes
The Mushroom Kingdom has changed several times in different Mario games. In Super Mario Bros., for example, the Mushroom Kingdom encompasses 32 different levels of varying terrain. Super Mario Bros. 3 expands on this concept with a map screen to add a sense of topography to the kingdom. The games do not follow these landscape variants exactly, but still are recurring themes in the Mario series. For example, even though Super Mario World is set in Dinosaur Land, its geography is very similar to the Mushroom Kingdom. The paintings that lead to the different levels in Super Mario 64 follow this idea.
In other games and media
The Super Smash Bros. series includes four different stages based on the Mushroom Kingdom. The original Super Smash Bros. includes the unlockable stage "Mushroom Kingdom" which is graphically based on the original Super Mario Bros. Super Smash Bros. Melee includes a revamped "Mushroom Kingdom" which omitted Piranha Plants and warp pipes from the original stage, and its stage "Mushroom Kingdom II" is based on the Subcon setting of Super Mario Bros. 2. Super Smash Bros. Brawl includes the level "Mushroomy Kingdom," which primarily appears as an abandoned, derelict version of "World 1-1" of Super Mario Bros.
Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood feature areas themed to the Mushroom Kingdom.
The Mushroom Kingdom also makes an appearance and has a major role in The Super Mario Bros. Movie with an appearance similar to its Super Nintendo World form.