Crossovers with Pikmin

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Pikmin
The logo for the Pikmin series as of 2022.
Wordmark for the Pikmin franchise used since 2022.
First installment Pikmin (2001)
Latest installment Pikmin 4 (2023)

Pikmin is a sci-fi video game franchise created and published by Nintendo. The mainline Pikmin titles are top-down real-time strategy games in which the goal is most often to leave the planet the titular Pikmin reside on, PNF-404. This is done by leading large squads of the Pikmin to defeat enemies, collect valuable objects, and explore the environment.

As Pikmin was created with heavy involvement from Shigeru Miyamoto, both it and the Super Mario franchise have had much shared history. References to each other are frequent, and several core elements to the Pikmin franchise are directly inspired by Super Mario, such as its main characters.

Recurring crossover subjects[edit]

Captain Olimar from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Artwork of Captain Olimar and Pikmin in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Pikmin[edit]

Main article: Pikmin

Pikmin are the titular creatures of the Pikmin franchise. They are small, plant-like creatures that appear in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. In their home series, Pikmin are the key focus of gameplay, as the player must grow them, pluck them, send them to fight predators, and use those predators' corpses to grow more Pikmin. In the Super Mario franchise, Pikmin primarily appear as Easter eggs suiting their small forms. They are frequently hiding in tall grass or flower beds.

Captain Olimar[edit]

Pikipedia article: Captain Olimar

Captain Olimar is a deep-space freight driver who acts as the main protagonist of the first two Pikmin games, as well as making large appearances in later Pikmin titles. Olimar's appearance is generally based on Mario, as they both have brown hair, large round noses, and a red color scheme. Olimar's name is also derived from Mario's, as his name in Japanese, 「オリマー」(Orimā), is a reversal of Mario's, 「マリオ」(Mario).

Starting with Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Captain Olimar has appeared as a fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series. He has also made appearances in microgames based on the Pikmin games in the WarioWare series and as a costume in Super Mario Maker. Designs based on him also appear in Mario Kart 8 as one of the Mii racing suits and as a pattern for the Yarn Yoshi in Yoshi's Woolly World.

History in the Super Mario franchise[edit]

Luigi's Mansion[edit]

A trailer for Pikmin is included in Luigi's Mansion in the settings menu, under an option labeled "View a Pikmin™ Movie". In the Nintendo 3DS remake and the Nintendo GameCube - Nintendo Classics release of the game, the option was removed.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour[edit]

Pikmin from Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Pikmin appearing from a flowerbed

Pikmin have a chance of appearing from flowerbeds in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour when hit with golf balls.

Donkey Konga series[edit]

Donkey Konga[edit]

"Ai no Uta", a song created for television advertisements for Pikmin, is a playable song exclusive to the Japanese version of Donkey Konga.

Donkey Konga 2[edit]

"Tane no Uta", a song created for television advertisements for Pikmin 2, is a playable song exclusive to the Japanese version of Donkey Konga 2. Also, three badges depict a Red, Blue, and Yellow Pikmin, using their clay artwork from Pikmin 2.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door includes Punies, characters that resemble Pikmin in several ways. They are small creatures with antenna-like appendages who are individually weak, but when several of them follow behind Mario they can join together to take down huge waves of enemies. 101 Punies can follow behind Mario at one time, similarly to how at-most 100 Pikmin can follow behind Olimar.

WarioWare series[edit]

WarioWare: Smooth Moves[edit]

Pikmin 2 in WarioWare: Smooth Moves.
The Pikmin 2 microgame

WarioWare: Smooth Moves features the microgame Pikmin 2 based on the Pikmin installment of the same name. The aim of the microgame is to crush several Pikmin by rolling an Empress Bulblax over them.

WarioWare: D.I.Y.[edit]

The Western release of WarioWare: D.I.Y. features a Pikmin microgame, replacing Murasame Jō from the Japanese release. The player controls Captain Olimar and must tap the screen at the correct time to throw a Pikmin onto a nectar blob.

One of 9-Volt's records is an arrangement of "Carry, Fight, Increase and be Eaten" from the first Pikmin game.

WarioWare Gold[edit]

Drawing of Olimar in WarioWare Gold
Wario's Sketch of Captain Olimar in WarioWare Gold

WarioWare Gold reuses the Pikmin 2 microgame from WarioWare: Smooth Moves, where it plays much the same. In addition, Wario's amiibo Sketch allows the player to scan in either a Captain Olimar or Pikmin amiibo to have them be crudely drawn by Wario.

WarioWare: Get It Together![edit]

WarioWare: Get It Together! features a new Pikmin 2 microgame, with the aim to knock Pellets off of their Pellet Posies.

WarioWare: Move It![edit]

WarioWare: Move It! introduces a third microgame based on Pikmin 2. The gameplay in this one involves plucking Pikmin from the ground as Olimar. When playing in multiplayer, P2 controls Louie, the second playable character introduced in Pikmin 2.

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario Galaxy[edit]

The Planet Rocket of Space Junk Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy
The rocket in Space Junk Galaxy

Within the Space Junk Galaxy of Super Mario Galaxy, a red-and-white rocketship with two windows can be visited. While not an exact replica, as it has differing proportions, no speaker, and a slightly different pattern, Erik Peterson, one of the English localizers for both Pikmin 2 and Super Mario Galaxy, stated that this is Olimar and Louie's ship from Pikmin 2 at an E3 2006 showcase.[1]

Super Mario Maker[edit]

As with many other series that feature amiibo, Super Mario Maker includes costumes based on the Pikmin series.

# Image Costume Unlock method Notes
51 Pixel Character, in Super Mario Maker. Captain Olimar Clear 100 Mario Challenge on Expert setting or harder
or
Use any Olimar amiibo
Olimar's voice from Pikmin 2 can be heard, and the "Course Clear" fanfare is replaced by the tune that plays after obtaining an important item in Pikmin 3. If the player presses +Control Pad up, Olimar will blow on his whistle.
52 A Costume Mario from Super Mario Maker Pikmin Clear 100 Mario Challenge on Easy setting or harder
or
Use any Pikmin amiibo
Pikmin sound effects can be heard, the "lose a life" tune is replaced by the Pikmin's own death cries, and the "Course Clear" fanfare is replaced by the tune that plays after obtaining an important item in Pikmin 3. Pressing +Control Pad up causes the red and blue Pikmin to mature into flowers. When underwater, all three of them are encased in a bubble.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park[edit]

Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park added Pikmin cameos to the game, where they were not present in the original Super Mario Bros. Wonder release.[2]

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]

Mario Kart 8 deluxe includes 19 unlockable racing suits that can be used by Mii racers when an appropriate amiibo is scanned. One of these suits is the Pikmin Suit, unlocked by scanning a Captain Olimar or Pikmin amiibo. The suit is based on Olimar's spacesuit as it appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, with a mostly yellow suit, red gloves, and three "buttons" along the right side of the chest. The helmet is a mostly original design, with a Red Pikmin clinging onto the back. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe brings back the Pikmin Suit with the same unlock conditions.

Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World[edit]

Yoshi's Woolly World and its Nintendo 3DS port feature the amiibo Hut, where several amiibo can be scanned to unlock Yoshi patterns. Olimar is one of these patterns, in which the Yoshi's saddle represents Olimar's backpack, and the spines are colored red, yellow, and blue respectively each with their own eyes to represent Red Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin, and Blue Pikmin respectively.

Super Nintendo World[edit]

Mine-Cart Madness mural
Pikmin in a mural found in the Mine-Cart Madness ride

Super Nintendo World is primarily based on the Super Mario and Donkey Kong Country franchises, but also features several small cameos from Pikmin. The Universal Hollywood App also features the "Pluck Out Pikmin" badge, which is granted by using the binoculars to observe one of these groups of Pikmin on Mount Beanpole.

Illumination film series[edit]

The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]

A glass statue resembling a Pikmin appears very briefly in The Super Mario Bros. Movie in the home of the BrKLnCouple.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie[edit]

Three Pikmin in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
A Yellow, Red and Blue Pikmin as seen in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

In The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the S.S. Dolphin lands on the flight deck on the Gateway Galaxy and several Yellow, Red, and Blue Pikmin come out. Later, when Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi meet up with Peach and Toad at the flight deck, a group of Pikmin briefly appears carrying an object while Luigi watches them for a moment. A Yellow, Red, and Blue Pikmin also make a brief appearance in a promotional short.

History in the Pikmin franchise[edit]

Pikmin series[edit]

Pikmin[edit]

Pikmin does not have any direct references or content from Super Mario, but does make allusions to the series. The game is the introduction of Captain Olimar, who is based heavily on Mario. The game's most prominent enemy, the Spotty Bulborb, bears visual similarity to a Super Mushroom. Both have large, round rear sides that are red with white spots, and smaller, tan front sides with a pair of large eyes. Similarly, the Beady Long Legs greatly resembles a Scuttlebug as they appear in Super Mario 64, as both have four long spindly legs, a marbled red-and-yellow color scheme, and large, perfectly spherical body sections.

Pikmin 2[edit]

Pikmin 2 introduces treasures to the franchise, which are contemporary human objects that appear as massive ancient artifacts to the games' protagonists. Several of these treasures reference the Super Mario franchise.

In addition, Pikmin 2 introduces the character of Louie, who acts as a second playable character and work partner to Captain Olimar. Much like Olimar is based on Mario, Louie is based on Luigi as he is taller, slimmer, and has a similarly derived Japanese name, 「ルーイ」(Rūi), based on 「ルイージ」(Ruīji).

Pikmin 3 / Pikmin 3 Deluxe[edit]

The opening cutscene of Pikmin 3 and its Nintendo Switch remaster reuses the "walking" sound effect from Mario Bros. to indicate the movement of the S.S. Drake through space. Additionally, the area Twilight River is mainly composed of two large sections which are connected by a large pipe, which is covered in green moss that makes it resemble a Warp Pipe.

Pikmin 4[edit]

Pikmin 4 once again features treasures as a major collectable, with a few also referencing the Super Mario franchise.

In addition, the castaway Beaux references various Nintendo characters when he mentions his previous acting roles, including "a cheerful yet sprightly plumber".

Pikmin Short Movies[edit]

Pikmin Short Movies are a collection of three animated shorts based around Pikmin. The longest short, Occupational Hazards, features a scene where several Pikmin climb through several metal pipes in a construction site. At the other end, a Yellow Pikmin emerges holding a red mushroom resembling a Super Mushroom, as a green pipe above them begins shaking and making noises as coins get shoved out, culminating in a Red Pikmin emerges covered in dust that resembles Mario's cap, nose, and moustache, accompanied by a Warp Pipe sound effect. The Red Pikmin performs a classic "Mario jump" as the first seven notes of Ground BGM from Super Mario Bros. plays.

Hey! Pikmin[edit]

Hey! Pikmin reintroduces treasures from Pikmin 2, with a greater emphasis on human-made creations, including Nintendo games.

Hey! Pikmin includes amiibo functionality, which allows the player to scan in various Pikmin, Super Mario, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon amiibo into the game where they can be collected as treasures. 15 amiibo from the Super Mario series are compatible.

Pikmin Bloom[edit]

As a reward for linking a Nintendo Account to Pikmin Bloom, the player receives the "Super Mario Keychain" (originally called "Mario Hat") Special Decor Pikmin, which is a Blue Pikmin wearing a Mario Cap keychain as a hat. This Special Decor Pikmin was also available for a limited time from Special Spots at Nintendo New York and Nintendo Tokyo. The Pikmin received by linking a Nintendo Account has its location origin set to Nintendo's headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, and has "near Nintendo" in its name.

One of the possible names that can be generated for a Party Walk is "Super Walk Brothers".

The 2025 Nintendo Consoles Event features two different banners in English and Japanese, showing the Pikmin gathered around Nintendo Entertainment System or Family Computer games respectively. The English banner features box art for Donkey Kong[3], while the Japanese banner features the boxes for Dr. Mario and Super Mario Bros., as well as the cartridge for the latter.[4]

A promotional event for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie running from April 1, 2026 to June 23, 2026 globally and from April 24, 2026 to June 23, 2026 in Japan adds special missions for players who have linked their Nintendo Account to earn Gold Seedlings that grow into three new "Super Mario Keychain" Decor Pikmin for Red, Yellow, and Purple Pikmin. The Red Pikmin wears a ? Block, the Yellow Pikmin wears a Luigi Cap, and the Purple Pikmin wears a Warp Pipe.[5]

The 2026 Game Pak Event released a Decor Pikmin set called "Game Pak," which are Pikmin that wear Nintendo Entertainment System or Famicom game cartridges, with Red, Yellow, White, and Purple Pikmin wearing cartridges for Mario games. Red Pikmin wear a Famicom cartridge for Donkey Kong, Yellow Pikmin wear a Famicom cartridge for Super Mario Bros., White Pikmin wear a Famicom cartridge for Dr. Mario, and Purple Pikmin wear an NES cartridge for Super Mario Bros.. Mii costumes with the Famicom box art for Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., and Dr. Mario, as well as the NES box art for Super Mario Bros. were also released.[6]

Shared history[edit]

Animal Crossing series[edit]

Both Super Mario and Pikmin have had several furniture and clothing items in the Animal Crossing series. In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, both series have furniture items in the Nintendo Set.

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, there are trophies of both the Pikmin and Olimar. The Pikmin trophy is randomly unlocked when playing the game while the Olimar trophy is unlocked by having a save file for Pikmin on the memory card.

# Name Image Game / Move Description
273 Pikmin Pikmin Pikmin
12/01
These strange beings are part plant, part animal. They spend most of their time buried in the earth, but they will befriend whoever plucks them, as evidenced by their devotion to Captain Olimar. Each Pikmin has a leaf on its head that grows into a bud and finally a flower. Like a flower, the life of a Pikmin is both fragile and beautiful.
274 Captain Olimar Captain Olimar Pikmin
12/01
The main character of the game Pikmin, Captain Olimar crash-lands on a mysterious planet after his spaceship malfunctions. In order to get off the planet, he must gather the pieces of his broken ship, but the atmosphere of the planet is poisonous to Olimar. As a result, he has to enlist the help of the native Pikmin.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

Captain Olimar using Pikmin Pluck in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Olimar plucking Pikmin on Yoshi's Island

Select material is described below. For Pikmin trophies, see List of SSBB trophies (Pikmin series). For the equipable stickers, see List of stickers (Pikmin series). For music, see List of SSBB Music (Pikmin series).

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Olimar is one of the playable characters. He heavily relies on the Pikmin as they make up the majority of his moveset. He can perform Pikmin Pluck as his neutral special, Pikmin Throw as his side special, Pikmin Chain as his up special, and Pikmin Order as his down special. When Pikmin Pluck is performed, one of five Pikmin types can appear: red, blue, yellow, purple, or white. He is able to have up to six Pikmin in battle at once and each Pikmin type has different properties when used in an attack. His Final Smash, End of Day, sees him board the Hocotate ship and blast off into the air, leaving the other fighters to get attacked by Bulborbs. The ship then crashes into the ground, causing an explosion.

A stage based on PNF-404 appears in the game called Distant Planet. While the stage is not based on any location in particular, it most resembles the Awakening Wood from Pikmin 2. Pellet Posies can bloom and leave pellets when they are attacked enough times. Leaving them alone causes the number on pellet to increase to 5 or 10, depending on how long they are alive. If players throw pellets into the Onions that can land, the Onions produce a number of items based on the number on the pellet and if the colors of the two match. Occasionally, a giant Bulborb walks in from the right. If a character enters its mouth, they are taken off screen and are KO'd.

In the Subspace Emissary, Olimar first appears outside the Ancient Ruins attacking a R.O.B. with his Pikmin. The R.O.B. rotates around, flinging the Pikmin off its body and killing most of them in the process. Suddenly, Captain Falcon drives towards them in the Blue Falcon, ejects himself from the vehicle, and punches the R.O.B. As Captain Falcon slides on the ground, he kills all but one of Olimar's remaining Pikmin. The two then traverse on the island and find themselves on a cliff. They spot Diddy Kong and Falco chasing after the Smash Skiff. Although Olimar tries to protest, Captain Falcon grabs him and jumps down to the skiff. After Diddy Kong frees Donkey Kong, the four battle the Subspace Army and make their way to the inside of the Isle of the Ancients. They enter the Subspace Bomb Factory and find Ganondorf ordering the R.O.B.s to self-destruct the island with the Subspace Bombs. Now with Samus, Pikachu, and the leader of the R.O.B.s, they all board the Falcon Flyer to escape.

Once the Subspace Gunship is destroyed, Olimar uses the Hocotate Ship to enter Subspace. He, alongside many other fighters, confronts Tabuu and gets turned into a trophy by Tabuu's Off Waves.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U[edit]

Select material is described below. For Pikmin trophies, see List of SSB4 trophies (Pikmin series). For music, see List of SSB4 Music (Pikmin series).

Olimar returns as a fighter in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. In these games, he can only have a maximum of three Pikmin on the field at once. However, the order that the Pikmin are plucked is fixed. His up special has also been changed to Winged Pikmin. For four of his alternate costumes, he is replaced with Alph, a captain from Pikmin 3.

The Distant Planet stage returns in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, a stage based on the Garden of Hope from Pikmin 3 was added. Fighters can interact with the elevator platforms and fragment structures, a bridge and flower pot, in the stage. If enough damage is dealt to the bridge or flower pot, they shatter and are eventually rebuilt by some Pikmin. Occasionally, the Peckish Aristocrab walks across the stage, damaging any fighters that come in contact with it.

An item called the Hocotate Bomb appears in these games. It takes the appearance of the Hocotate ship. When it is thrown, it rockets into the air. It is able to take fighters up as it ascends. After some time, it crashes back down and explodes on impact.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

Select material is described below. For Pikmin spirits, see List of spirits in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (501–1000). For music, see List of SSBU Music (Pikmin series).

Olimar, the Distant Planet and Garden of Hope stages, and the Hocotate Bomb all return in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. New to this game is the Burrowing Snagret Assist Trophy. When summoned, it periodically emerges from the ground and pecks at nearby opponents.

Classic Mode route
Planetary Explorer
Round Opponent(s) Rule Stage Song
1 Mario, Rosalina Mario Galaxy Super Mario Galaxy
2 Wolf Lylat Cruise Star Wolf's Theme / Sector Z (for 3DS / Wii U)
3 Kirby, King Dedede Free-for-All Dream Land Planet Popstar
4 Zero Suit Samus Brinstar Brinstar (Melee)
5 Fox, Falco Corneria Corneria - Star Fox
6 Alph / Olimar* Distant Planet Garden of Hope
Final Master Hand, Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher) Final Destination Master Hand
Master Hand / Crazy Hand (intensity 7.0 or higher)

* - Olimar is fought if the player is playing as Alph.

Nintendogs[edit]

The Secondhand Shop in Nintendogs features a Bulborb figure, as well as a ? Block. Several other Super Mario references are featured in the game.

Nintendo Land[edit]

Nintendo Land features Mario Chase, Yoshi's Fruit Cart, Luigi's Ghost Mansion, and Donkey Kong's Crash Course based on the Super Mario series, as well as Pikmin Adventure based on the Pikmin series. Beyond being in the same collection, Pikmin Adventure in particular also includes several Super Mario elements, such as ? Blocks and Coins as major interactive elements, and Super Mushrooms and Fortresses appear as decorative elements in some stages.

Nintendo Monopoly[edit]

The 2010 version of Nintendo Monopoly includes the S.S. Dolphin (referred to as "Pikmin Rocket") as a token. The third railroad in the same version is also an Onion.

Tetris 99[edit]

Tetris 99 has themes based on several Super Mario titles, as well as one based on Pikmin 4.

Gallery[edit]

Sprites and models[edit]

Screenshots[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "In one area, you can actually go to Olimar and Louie's ship from Pikmin 2 and you can run around on it." – Erik Peterson (May 10, 2006). Super Mario Galaxy (working title) Gameplay Movie (3:00). Retrieved March 3rd, 2025 from GameSpot.
  2. ^ March 10, 2026. Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park — Overview Trailer (3:16). Nintendo of America. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  3. ^ April 30th, 2025. Join the Nintendo Consoles Event and Meet Pikmin Decked Out in Classic Gaming Gear!. English. Retrieved from Pikmin Bloom.
  4. ^ April 30th, 2025. 懐かしのゲーム機を身につけたピクミンが登場する「任天堂ゲーム機」イベント開催!. Japanese. Retrieved from Pikmin Bloom.
  5. ^ March 26th, 2026. Adventure Awaits: Celebrate the New Super Mario Movie with Pikmin Bloom!. English. Retrieved from Pikmin Bloom.
  6. ^ April 26th, 2026. A nostalgic twist to your walks: Game Pak Decor Pikmin. English. Retrieved from Pikmin Bloom.