How I Perpetuated an Internet Rumor About the Duck Hunt Dog
No, despite what you may read online, his name is not actually Mr. Peepers.
Hylian 101: The Secrets Hiding in the Language of Zelda
Is Hyrule lore so rich that it created its own linguistic traditions?
Searching for Signs of Super Mario Bros. 2 in Mario Kart World
Nostalgia aside, sometimes a green snake in a jar is just a green snake in a jar.
Pauline: A History of Nintendo’s First Leading Lady
And how she waited more nearly forty years to become a playable character.
Was the Zelda Fairy Fountain Music Inspired by a Track From Super Mario Bros. 3?
You too can learn about cultural inspiration, homage and imitation through the history of a Koji Kondo composition.
Long Live Wart!
Scans from a Super Mario Bros. 2-themed activity book show off official Nintendo art of the game’s forgotten characters.
Is Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga One Big Fart Joke?
How a cross-cultural study of flatulence humor can teach us about the human condition. No, really!
How One Weird Little Guy Connects Yoshi’s Island to Donkey Kong
Nintendo’s effort to bring D.K. back into the fold goes back to 1991, well before the Rare era.
Are Super Mario’s Mushrooms a Reference to Hallucinogenic Drugs?
Mentioned herein: Alice in Wonderland, Santa Claus, the Smurfs, Minnie Mouse, and 1970s toadstool decor.
Organ Grinders, Kongs and Super Mario Monkey Business
An old New York tradition lives on in Nintendo’s biggest franchise — but only accidentally.
Did Time Magazine Declare Birdo Trans?
A Super Mario-themed special issue mentions Birdo’s gender — and Nintendo’s reluctance to comment on it.
The Chocobo Was Not Inspired by Nausicaä, Apparently?
Instead, Final Fantasy’s iconic bird shares a sweet connection with WarioWare’s Pyoro.
How WarioWare Brought the Satanic Panic to Nintendo
Ashley’s theme song briefly revived the hysteria about backmasking and the Devil.
The Devil in the Mushroom Kingdom
Nintendo’s early ban on religious imagery (Satan included) was inconsistent.
Is There a Wizard of Oz Reference Hidden in Super Mario Galaxy?
How Rosalina was supposed to be an homage to Glinda the Good Witch — and might still be.
Does the Tower of Babel Make a Cameo in Super Mario Bros. 3?
The Super Mario games generally don’t incorporate religious iconography, but…
How Impa Jumped from Background Lore to the Zelda In-Game Canon
And she’s not the only game element foreshadowed in the Legend of Zelda instruction booklets.
We Don’t Know Where Ganon’s Name Comes From
Also we have questions about where the Zelda big bad got his “dorf.”
You Cannot Grasp the True Form of Giygas!
The cosmic horror of Earthbound’s big bad should leave you with more questions than answers.
Princess Peach Can’t Get a Break
Princess Peach: Showtime! makes it seem like Nintendo didn’t learn the right lesson from her first solo adventure.