Pin-pon-pan-pon
The title of this article is official, but it comes from a Japanese source.
If an acceptable English name is found, then the article should be moved to the new title.
| "Pin-pon-pan-pon" | |
|---|---|
A basic arrangement of "Pin-pon-pan-pon" | |
| Composed by: Unknown | |
| First appearance | Super Mario World (1990) |
| Latest appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024) |
"Pin-pon-pan-pon" is a short, four-note chime often used throughout Japan and other countries as a chime in schools, subway stations and for other public announcements. In the Super Mario franchise, the chime most often appears accompanied by messages containing useful information or in-game news events. "Pin-pon-pan-pon" is an arpeggio in the major scale; in C major, it can be expressed as C-E-G-C, where the last note is an octave higher than the first.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario World[edit]
Message Blocks, which are depicted in Super Mario World as meshed speakers, play a sped up, pitched-up arrangement of "Pin-pon-pan-pon" when activated. This arrangement is also featured in the game's official soundtrack under the title 「メッセージウィンドウが出る時」 (Messēji Windō ga deru toki, "When the message window appears"), where it is credited to Koji Kondo.
 メッセージウィンドウが出る時 - The arrangement heard in Super Mario World | File info |
| メッセージウィンドウが出る時 - The arrangement heard in Super Mario World (25% speed) | File info |
Super Mario All-Stars[edit]
In Super Mario All-Stars, "Messēji Windō ga deru toki" plays when attempting to erase a file, as well as when stopping the slots in Bonus Chance in Super Mario Bros. 2.
Super Mario Advance[edit]
In Super Mario Advance, a compressed version of "Messēji Windō ga deru toki" is used for the same purpose as in the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. 2.
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2[edit]
In Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, a compressed version of "Messēji Windō ga deru toki" is used for the same purpose as in Super Mario World.
| Message block jingle - The arrangement heard in Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 | File info |
Super Mario Sunshine[edit]
In Super Mario Sunshine, the chime heard when a Delfino Emergency Broadcast System alert appears is an arrangement of "Pin-pon-pan-pon". It returns in Super Mario 3D All-Stars for the same purpose.
| D.E.B.S. alert jingle - The arrangement heard in Super Mario Sunshine | File info |
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]
In Super Mario 3D World and the Nintendo Switch port, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, "Messēji Windō ga deru toki" along with several other sound effects and theme snippets from Super Mario World can play at random when Bowser's Muscle Car in its destroyed state is hit in The Great Tower of Bowser Land.
Super Mario Maker[edit]
In Super Mario Maker, an arrangement of "Messēji Windō ga deru toki" from Super Mario World is played when a notification window appears.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars / Super Mario RPG[edit]
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and its remake, an arrangement of "Pin-pon-pan-pon" is played by the Signal Ring whenever the player enters a room containing a Hidden Treasure. This sound effect also plays when an enemy's thought appears after using Thought Peek.
| Signal Ring jingle - The arrangement heard in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars | File info 0:01 |
Paper Mario series[edit]
Paper Mario[edit]
In Paper Mario, an arrangement of "Pin-pon-pan-pon" plays when the game prompts the player to save and is most commonly heard after the player strikes a Save Block. This arrangement resembles the one from Super Mario World.
| Save Block - The arrangement heard in Paper Mario | File info 0:01 |
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door features a similar arrangement of "Pin-pon-pan-pon" that plays after striking a Save Block. This arrangement is reused in Super Paper Mario for the same purpose.
A slowed-down version of "Pin-pon-pan-pon" also appears on the Excess Express as the PA system jingle, playing when an announcement is made or the train is arriving at a station.
| Save Block - The arrangement heard in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | File info 0:01 |
Paper Mario: Sticker Star[edit]
Like the previous games, Paper Mario: Sticker Star features an arrangement of "Pin-pon-pan-pon" that plays after striking a Save Block.
| Save Block - The arrangement heard in Paper Mario: Sticker Star | File info 0:01 |
WarioWare series[edit]
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$![edit]
In WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!, "Pin-pon-pan-pon" appears in the beginning of the track "GBA SP Ad", which plays during the eponymous Game Boy Advance SP advertisement that appears after ending the All For One multiplayer game with a high enough score earning the "Best Buds" rank.
Game & Wario[edit]
In Game & Wario, an arrangement of "Pin-pon-pan-pon" plays when a tutorial appears on-screen.
| Game tutorial - The arrangement heard in Game & Wario | File info 0:01 |
Mario Kart series[edit]
Mario Kart Wii[edit]
In Mario Kart Wii, an arrangement of "Pin-pon-pan-pon" played when the details of a tournament was shown in the Mario Kart Channel.
| Tournament Information - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart Wii | File info 0:01 |
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
In Mario Kart 8 and its Nintendo Switch port, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as part of the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 DLC, a vocalization of "Pin-pon-pan-pon" can be heard as part of the ambient announcement noise in Super Bell Subway.
List of Super Mario appearances[edit]
Games[edit]
| Work | System | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario World | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | 1990 | Original | 「メッセージウィンドウが出る時」 (Messēji Windō ga deru toki)[1] | Koji Kondo |
| Super Mario All-Stars | 1993 | Original | Koji Kondo | ||
| Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World | 1994 | Original | 「メッセージウィンドウが出る時」 (Messēji Windō ga deru toki)[1] | Koji Kondo | |
| Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars | 1996 | Arrangement | |||
| Paper Mario | Nintendo 64 | 2000 | Arrangement | ||
| Super Mario Advance | Game Boy Advance | 2001 | Arrangement | ||
| Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 | 2001 | Arrangement | |||
| Super Mario Sunshine | Nintendo GameCube | 2002 | Arrangement | ||
| WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! | 2003 | Arrangement | "GBA SP Ad" | ||
| Super Paper Mario | Wii | 2007 | Past arrangement (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door) | ||
| Mario Kart Wii | 2008 | Arrangement | |||
| Paper Mario: Sticker Star | Nintendo 3DS | 2012 | Arrangement | ||
| Game & Wario | Wii U | 2013 | Arrangement | ||
| Super Mario 3D World | 2013 | Arrangement | |||
| Mario Kart 8 | 2015[a] | Vocalization | |||
| Super Mario Maker | 2015 | Arrangement | |||
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Nintendo Switch | 2017 | Vocalization | ||
| Super Mario 3D All-Stars | 2020 | Past arrangement (Super Mario Sunshine) | |||
| Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury | 2021 | Past arrangement (Super Mario 3D World) | |||
| Super Mario RPG | 2023 | Arrangement |
- ^ Added in the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 DLC on April 23, 2015
Albums[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario World | 1991 | Original | 「メッセージウィンドウが出る時」 (Messēji Windō ga deru toki) | Koji Kondo |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ピンポンパンポン[2] Pin-pon-pan-pon |
Onomatopeia for the sound |
Notes[edit]
- In the Japanese version of Paper Mario: The Origami King, the in-game announcement system starts each announcement by saying "ピン ポン パン ポン♪" (pin pon pan pon♪), referencing the popular chime. Despite this, its associated sound effect is not an arrangement of "Pin-pon-pan-pon".[3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Super Mario World album
- ^ The National Language Research Institute (1978). The National Language Research Institute Research Report 63. Page 132.
- ^ キヨ。 (July 21, 2020). 首もげるキノピオまで5秒前『 ペーパーマリオ オリガミキング 』#8. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
