Blimp

From the Super Mario Wiki, the Mario encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Split-arrows.svg It has been suggested that this page be split into the following: Blimp, Luigi blimp, Cheep Blimp, Whale Shark, Zeeppelin. (discuss)
“I LOVE YOU ZEEPPELIN! No! Don't you dare call this beauty a blimp! It's the Zeeppelin!”
Brock, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
The blimp with the Mario Kart Tour logo from Singapore Speedway
The Mario Kart Tour blimp in Singapore Speedway

Blimps are a type of transportation that appears in the Super Mario franchise which either take Mario and other characters to a different location or are used as background objects. They are similar to their real world counterparts, but their design may differ depending on the game.

History[edit]

Mario Kart series[edit]

Mario Kart: Super Circuit[edit]

Luigi Circuit
Mario Kart: Super Circuit

In Mario Kart: Super Circuit, a Luigi blimp can be seen in Luigi Circuit and Sky Garden. In Luigi Circuit, the blimp waits until the third lap to take off and fly around, whereas it is directly in the air in Sky Garden.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!![edit]

A Luigi blimp also appears in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'s Luigi Circuit floating in the air above the racetrack, this time being a 3D model. This blimp does not appear if the players are racing in split-screen mode. It also appears on Luigi Circuit's logo.

Mario Kart DS[edit]

In Mario Kart DS, the Luigi blimp from Mario Kart: Super Circuit reappears in GBA Luigi Circuit, where it now starts to take off on the second lap, and GBA Sky Garden. In the demo versions of the game, the blimp also appears in GCN Luigi Circuit.

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2[edit]

The area in the right of Stadium Arena from Mario Kart Arcade GP 2
The Waluigi blimp floating above the track in Stadium Arena

Blimps appear again in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 in various different styles and colors, sometimes referencing to a certain character. A red blimp and a green one can be seen in Mario Highway and a Waluigi blimp can be spotted floating above the race track in Stadium Arena while following its layout. However, this blimp is not present in Waluigi Stadium even if the track takes place at the same location as Stadium Arena.

Mario Kart Wii[edit]

In Mario Kart Wii, a blimp appears in Luigi Circuit, this time being a Cheep Cheep-shaped blimp and not a Luigi balloon. It can be seen taking off from a landing platform in the middle of a lake located inside the race track and flying overhead afterwards.

Mario Kart 7[edit]

In Mario Kart 7, the Wii blimp seen in Wii Sports Resort, named the Whale Shark, appears in Wuhu Loop and Wuhu Town.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]

In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Whale Shark appears in 3DS Wuhu Town, now featuring the modern Mario Kart logo. In the Booster Course Pass DLC pack, the Mario Kart Tour blimp without the Tour part of the logo appears in Tour Singapore Speedway.

Mario Kart Tour[edit]

A blimp with the Mario Kart Tour logo appears in the background of Singapore Speedway and GBA Sky Garden, where it is flying in the background. It is featured as a course element in the R and R/T variants of the former course, where the player can perform Jump Boosts by bouncing on it. In the Coin Rush variant, the blimp is used to carry a Boost Ring. The Luigi blimp returns in GBA Luigi Circuit, now with the Luigi Raceway logo, and flies over the track throughout the race.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]

The Cheep Blimp floating

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, a large, Cheep Cheep-shaped blimp called the Cheep Blimp appears. Its only purpose is to take Mario to the floating town of Glitzville. Mario must obtain a Blimp Ticket from Don Pianta in order to ride the Cheep Blimp. A Cheep Cheep conductor named Stewart operates the Cheep Blimp.

Mario Party 8[edit]

A special blimp appears in Mario Party 8 which can be seen on the boxart and during the opening sequence of the Star Carnival, after having selected the file, while two Paragoombas with a red Mario Party 8 banner are passing through the screen.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]

In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, the Zeeppelin appears, the blimp used to carry Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toadsworth, and some Toads from Peach's Castle to Pi'illo Island. The name "Zeeppelin" comes from the word zeppelin, a rigid blimp invented in Germany, with an extra "e" to make it match many other spellings in the game (Zeekeeper, Zee Parts, etc.). During the flight, Luigi falls asleep and dreams of Antasma coming on board, which is when Toadsworth teaches Mario how to fight. After the fight, Luigi dreams that the Zeeppelin crashes, though in reality, it lands safely in Pi'illo Blimport (as stated by another Brock).

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Whale Shark appears in the Wuhu Island stage, now featuring the Wii U logo.

Gallery[edit]

Screenshots[edit]

Sprites and models[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • The music accompanying the Cheep Blimp's flight is an arrangement of the athletic level theme from Super Mario Bros. 3.