Kolorado

Kolorado is a bold (although somewhat foolish), mustachioed Koopa explorer in Paper Mario. Mario can first hear of the famous adventurer during his visit to Koopa Village. Kooper mentions that Kolorado is his role model, and if Mario enters his house (the one with the yellow roof), the hero can meet his wife, who is angry that her husband is constantly away from home.

Mario and his partners can finally meet Kolorado when they reach Dry Dry Desert. He, along with a group of fellow explorers, is there to find the treasure of the famous Dry Dry Ruins. When Mario discovers the Dry Dry Ruins, he can find an Artifact to give Kolorado for his trouble. A Letter addressed to Kolorado can also be found on Mt. Rugged. Later, Kolorado sends Mario a letter, stating that he finally found the ruins (which, unbeknowst to him, was because Mario had called it from the ground), but had not found any treasure there. Later, Moustafa sends a letter saying he saw a "suspicious looking Koopa" messing around the ruins. He was probably referring to Kolorado.

Later, Mario encounters Kolorado again on Toad Town Port, where he was trying to get to Lavalava Island as to find more treasure. Mario (who happens to be trying to reach the same island) finds a Whale who agrees to carry the two adventures to the island after Mario cures it of a stomachache caused by the Fuzzipede. Kolorado then accompanies Mario to Yoshi's Village (being attacked by Jungle Fuzzies and Spear Guys on the way), and when a path is opened to Mt. Lavalava, he follows him into the volcano. Many unfortunate things happen to him in the volcano, even getting crushed by a large stone. During Mario's battle with the Lava Piranha, Kolorado attempts to help the hero, but is badly burnt and runs off. After the plant's defeat, Kolorado, Mario, and the newly freed Misstar venture deeper into the near-erupting volcano to try to find a way out. At the end of the volcano, a chest is discovered, and a frantic Kolorado makes a near fatal reach for it as lava rises behind him. He is scooped up at the last minute by Misstar, and the band of adventurers escape from the volcano.

Kolorado, however, is still distraught at his lost treasure, and will not leave Yoshi's Village until Mario finds the treasure chest, which miraculously survived the explosion and landed in an early area of Jade Jungle. Mario finds a piece of treasure in the chest and trades it to Kolorado for a Magical Seed necessary to open the portal to Flower Fields. The duo then return to Toad Town via Whale, and Kolorado tells Mario that he plans to go back to Koopa Village and see his wife. However, during his return, a large Koopa called Kent C. Koopa blocks the path to Koopa Village and demands one hundred Coins for passage. Mario can optionally the distraught Kolorado by defeating the burly Koopa, and Kolorado spends the remainder of the game with his wife, despite the fact that he had plans to explore what is thought to be Crystal Palace.

After the game is beaten, Kolorado and Kooper organize an expedition to Shiver City to actually travel to Crystal Palace, fulfilling Kolorado's past plans. When they get there, though, they are stopped by Parakarry, who gives Kolorado a message from his infuriated wife, forcing him to return to Koopa Village. Kolorado is later seen alongside his wife (who seems to show no sign of anger at the wayward Koopa) in the game's ending parade, where he waves to the player atop a float based on the Whale and is sprayed into the air.

Kolorado is mentioned several times during Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Goombella informs Mario that Kolorado was a student of the renowned scientist Professor Frankly, and in Hooktail Castle, the bones of his his father can be found. (His father was a fellow adventurer who died while exploring the castle.) If Mario reads Lumpy the Ratooey's journal, he will discover that at some point Kolorado went back to Dry Dry Desert and that Lumpy encountered him there.