Birdo

"Clearly this is a test for me. Yes, the powers-that-be want me to go out on my own. Once I overcome many hardships, I shall be one step closer to superstardom!"

- Birdo

Birdo (Japanese: キャサリン Kyasarin) is a recurring character in the Mario series. In fact, there have been multiple characters known as "Birdo," similar to multiple Donkey Kongs and multiple Yoshis that have appeared throughout history. The concept of a Birdo character was not solidified until the same pink Birdo began appearing in various spin-off titles. The central Birdo character (that appears in the Mario Kart series, the Mario Party series and the various sports titles) wears a red bow, a diamond ring, and appears to have a close relationship with Yoshi, as they are the automatic partners in various competitions. Other Birdo characters have resided in Subcon, in Nimbus Land, and other locales.

Super Mario Bros. 2
The first appearance of Birdo was in Super Mario Bros. 2, where Birdo would appear as a mini-boss character of various levels, serving the evil Wart, as he enslaved all of the creatures of Subcon. Birdo, depending on the form, spat eggs, fireballs, or a combination of both at the player. Birdo's standard pink form fired eggs, a red color swap shot both eggs and fireballs, and a green Birdo sent only fire after the characters. In the event of a green Birdo, the player had to find a Mushroom Block to toss at Birdo. Rarely, a Birdo would appear as a common enemy, instead of a boss. These Birdos are, in a way, invincible, as after the player defeats one of these Birdos, they come right back. The credits of Super Mario Bros. 2 label Birdo as Ostro, and vice versa, a different enemy that has nothing to do with Birdo. To defeat Birdo in Super Mario Bros. 2, one has to jump on Birdo's eggs and throw them at back at the pink creature.

In the game Super Mario Advance, a remake of Super Mario Bros. 2, there was also a robotic Birdo boss named Robirdo, who took over a second Mouser's position as the boss of World 3. Super Mario Advance is also notable for being one of the last games to give Birdo understandable voice acting, as further games would simply allow her to emit honking noises. In this game, Birdo spoke clear sentences such as, "This is as far as you go!" and "Hello there!".

Wario's Woods
Birdo was one of the many heroes in the game Wario's Woods. The woodland monsters were attacking the Mushroom Kingdom, and Birdo, along with Wanda and Toad, went up against Wario. Although not playable, she aids Toad by giving bombs to Wanda, who then passes them to Toad. Birdo will also shout instructions and encouragement to Toad from the corner. The instruction manual for this game calls Birdo Catherine, which is the character's original Japanese name.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Another Birdo appeared as a boss in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Birdo was first seen as an egg named Shelly who was found in Nimbus Castle (while the stronghold was under the control of the usurper queen Valentina). The egg was cared for by Shy Away, who intended to use the newborn Birdo as a weapon. When Shy Away saw Mario, he quickly abandoned his post and fled, leaving Shelly exposed. Mario could then speak to the Birdo inside Shelly, who would request for Mario to play with her. If Mario complied, a battle between his party and Shelly would begin.

Although Shelly would never attack or perform any malicious moves toward Mario and friends, the group (through attacking) could gradually split the egg open to reveal Birdo. She would cheerfully introduce herself and start attacking. After suffering more attacks from Mario and company, Birdo would also raise her attacking methods, beginning to shoot out the explosive Eggberts rather than normal eggs.

Defending on a turn in which Birdo shot out Eggberts would actually fling the explosive eggs back into Birdo's nest, where they could then be attacked so that they would explode and deal massive damage to Birdo herself. Despite the pain and anger she showed ambiguous signs of going through, Birdo eventually gave up mid-battle (though she actually suffered normal defeat and Mario's party earned battle spoils such as Experience Points as normally) due to the fact that she found Mario and his friends too cute to destroy. After defeating her she gives the key to Mario, Birdo remains within shelly and Mario gets to the back door of Nimbus Castle.

Mario Tennis series
Birdo's sports debut was in Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64. She appeared next to Yoshi, and the two are seen to be very affectionate. In this game, Birdo competed as a Speed player, and was one of the new girls. In the intro of Mario Tennis, Birdo is seen entering the court after Paratroopa, and she faces off against Peach in the tournament.. Later she is seen with Paratroopa & Yoshi, when Bowser interupts the fun.

Her own court (Slow but bouncy) can be unlocked when the player win the Star Cup with Birdo in doubles. Also, when the player chose Daisy in the double tournament mode, Birdo would be her default partner. This was the first game to ever give Birdo understandable voice acting; she is portrayed by Jen Taylor.

Mario Golf series
Birdo appears as a playable character in the game Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. In this game, she appears from the start. Her medium size made her a balanced character. When playing as Birdo and getting a nice shot, her swing consists of a rainbow. This is actually very similar to the Yoshi golf swing, and this game was the first game in which Birdo used a rainbow ability. Her letter of challenge states, "I love to golf and now I want to play other golfers! Are you in?". She also appears in the opening movie golfing with Boo.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Super Smash Bros. Melee Birdo re-appeared as a two-dimensional Super Mario All-Stars sprite on the Super Mario Bros. 2-based stage. Sometimes, Birdo will come out from the side of the stage and shoot eggs, hurting any player who comes in contact with them. Like in Super Mario Bros. 2, these eggs could be jumped upon and picked up by the playable characters. Birdo can easily be destroyed by a strong attack, however. She also appears as one of the two trophies that must be collected in order to unlock the Mushroom Kingdom II stage (the other tropy is a Pidget). In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, one of the names that can appear whenever a player presses the random button when they're naming their custom stage is BIRDO.

Mario Kart series
Birdo's forst foray into kart racing was in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as Yoshi's default partner. When the player has unlocked the second wallpaper, Birdo is teamed up with Peach. Birdo's special item is the Birdo Egg, which differs from Yoshi's attack in that it has pink spots instead of green; it is also different from Birdo's original pure white eggs.

Her emblem appears throughout the Dry Dry Desert course,and the staff ghost uses Birdo and Yoshi in the Turbo Yoshi. On two courses, there are signs posted that read "Ribbon." In much smaller letters in the center, it reads "Birdo watching." They feature a picture of Birdo posing. The signs can be found in Mushroom City and Yoshi Circuit. Birdo also had her personal unlockable kart, called: Turbo Birdo, it has an average speed, acceleration, and steering capabilities.

Birdo later appeared in Mario Kart Wii as a Medium Sized unlockable character. In this game, she is portrayed by Yuko Kaida. She is unlockable when the player defeats 250 other players in online racing, or when the player does Time Trials on 16 different courses. Birdo shares the Medium-Sized group of karts and bikes, but all in her own favorite colors. Birdo has her own set of bonuses that boost certain stats for her vehicles. Birdo's egg emblem appears throughout the Dry Dry Ruins course. Lamentably, Birdo is the only character who isn't used as a Staff Ghost.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Birdo helped the heroes by disguising herself as Princess Peach when Cackletta and Fawful visited the Mushroom Kingdom. When Cackletta attempted to steal the princess' voice, she got Birdo's instead; then, when the Beanish witch tried to use the "pure" voice to awaken the Beanstar, it went berserk. All of this is not revealed until later in the game, when Toadsworth (who originally came up with the plan) and Peach explained the situation to the Mario Bros. As they spoke, Birdo appeared and started wildly chasing one of Lady Lima's assistants, after winking at them flirtatiously.

Some time later, Birdo replaces Bowser as Popple's "Rookie" out of her mad love for the Beanish crook. Oddly, she is now an enemy of the Mario Bros. even though she had been a helper before in the game. Birdo was a powerful opponent, as one of her attacks involves sucking in Mario or Luigi. If Birdo is successful in this, it will not only hurt the unfortunate Mario Brother she sucked up, but will also revive her own HP. The only way to dodge this attack is to hit Birdo with a hammer. She can also throw flaming eggs in a wild, sporadic and put Popple in protective but deadly egg shields. The main difference between Birdo's and Popple's first Rookie's attack patterns, however, is that it won't counterattack the Mario Brothers if they attacked Popple first, making her easier to kill them both. Birdo, however, becomes stronger as she turns red and says "You may have defeated my darling, but that's as far as you go!" (a reference to Birdo's debut in Super Mario Bros. 2).

After Popple and Birdo failed in their attempt to destroy the Mario Brothers, Popple blamed it all on Birdo and even went as far as to fire his latest apprentice. Birdo (who was noticeably less obedient than Popple's original Rookie) responded by furiously knocking him away and ending their relationship (which was unrequited by Popple anyway). She then gave a short speech about her new dedication to strive towards super-stardom, expressed her anger at Mario and Luigi, and ran away. Although Cackletta stole Birdo's voice, she is able to speak when Mario and Luigi battle Popple and her. This appears to be an error in the game, but Birdo may have got her voice back after Cackletta used it on the Beanstar.

Mario Baseball series
In Mario Superstar Baseball, Birdo made her first appearance on the baseball field, she is a balance character specializing in batting, but lacking in all other areas. Her special pitch/hit is the Weird Ball, when the player has purchased the weird ball in the store from the Challenge Mode, Birdo is able to use her special move. She was found on Yoshi's team as a unlockable Sub-Captain, and could also be chosen as a captain in Exhibition Mode. Her alternate names are: Birdo Models, Birdo Beauties and Birdo Bows. Birdo shared good chemistry with Yoshi, Shy Guy and Petey Piranha; Also she doesn't share a bad chemistry with the rest of the characters.

In the sequel, Mario Super Sluggers, Birdo reprised her role as a Team Captain (of the Birdo Bows), but still did not have her own stadium. She contined to be good at pitching and fielding, and her powers include Suction Ball, Cannon Swing & Suction Catch. Birdo has good chemistry with Daisy, Yoshi, Petey Piranha, Shy Guy and Toadette.

In this game, Birdo is seen arriving on the island with other close Mario company, where they are greeted by Peach and Toadsworth. Birdo and the rest follow to the lighthouse on the Daisy Cruiser, where they overlook the island. After Birdo is seen with Yoshi in the Yoshi Park, she is seen with Daisy in the batter-box until rushing to Luigi and Mario after their victory. At the end of Challenge Mode, Birdo is seen running with Yoshi to toss Mario in the air as congratulations for defeating Bowser. Soon after, the fireworks start, and Birdo is seen at the Mario Stadium with Peach, where they enjoy a final explosion.

Mario Party series
In Mario Party 7 Birdo is a secret guest of Toadsworth, who resides on the Duty Free Shop. She was one of the two new characters, the other being Dry Bones, they join-up to go on a luxury cruise around the world. This is the first time in the Mario Party Series with Birdo as a playable character, she is unlocked with 1,000 mileage points on the Duty Free Shop. Her default partner is Yoshi on the Team Mode, and their team orb is the Egg Orb. Birdo then appeared as playable from the start of Mario Party 8.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Birdo is an unlockable character in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, playing alongside characters from the Final Fantasy series. Here she is an all-around type that uses the Egg Shot. She is also playable in the Japanese game Itadaki Street DS, a cross-over with Dragon-Quest. Birdo's head and Birdo's clothings are collectable that can be equipped on customizable characters.

Mario & Sonic series
Birdo, along with Donkey Kong and many others, were originally going to appear as playable characters in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, but were scrapped from the final product for unknown reasons. Additionally, she is the only scrapped character with an incomplete model. The Birdo model doesn't seem to be finished because her mouth seems off. Also, Using a hacking tool on the game, revealed several characters including Birdo and Donkey Kong that can be playable too.

Captain Rainbow
Birdo appears in the game Captain Rainbow, where she lives on Mimin Island, in the so-called Cute Home. It is located on a remote place of the island which is separated from the rest of it. The Cute Home represents Birdo's personality and her likings: the interior consits of mostly pink and red equipment decorated with many heart and ribbon emblems.

In the game, Birdo is wrongly imprisoned for using the female bathroom, as the robot jailer did not believe her when she insists she is a girl. She gets quite upset about this, and asks Nick to go to her Cute Home and find something that will prove she is not lying. Nick finds a mysterious object under Birdo's pillow, and while it is never revealed exactly what the object is, is serves its purpose and Birdo is released.

Birdo develops a crush on Nick, and calls him her "boyfriend". Nick accompanies her in her walks near her Cute Home, and she helps him carry a fallen Star to the altar on the top of Mimin Island. If Nick lets Birdo's wish be granted, she flies into the sky with the Star and disappears.

Personality
Birdo displays great determination and confidence in all aspects of her life. In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga Birdo revealed her goal of becoming a Superstar. Birdo has tackled a wide variety of sports and was the first known Birdo to emerge in the public spotlight in Mario Tennis.

Birdo perceives herself to be very beautiful and feminine. Birdo often strikes poses to show off her appearance. Additionally, Birdo always wears a massive diamond ring on her finger. In Mario Party 7, when Birdo gets a Star, she shows off this ring during one of her poses.

Always looking for love, Birdo has had a variety of crushes and relationships throughout her life. Birdo is very flirtatious and affectionate with others, even when she doesn't know them very well, as evidenced in Birdo's relationship with Popple in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. In the same game, Birdo expresses her high opinion of love and romance, explaining her flirtatious nature and drive to find love. The effect of these whirlwind romances on Birdo have only been hinted at in her Egg Shot move in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, which sends broken hearts flying; this is a stark contrast to Princess Peach's Heart Shot.

Sex and Gender
According to the North American instruction manual of Super Mario Bros. 2: "'Birdo thinks he is a girl and likes to be called Birdetta. He likes to wear a bow on his head and shoot eggs from his mouth.'" This statement applies to all translations of the title, including the Japanese version. In Japan, Catherine is male as well, and likes to believe that he is female. Like Birdo, he likes to be called Cathy as opposed to his real name, Catherine. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Birdo's trophy description describes the character as "gender indeterminate," and uses the pronoun "it" rather than gender-specific pronouns such as "he" or "she".

The confusion surrounding Birdo's gender has also been addressed in a light-hearted matter, such as when Popple pauses before settling on calling Birdo a "dame" in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. More recently, in the game Captain Rainbow, Birdo is heard with a deep, male voice which gets high-pitched when she gets angry or excited. Additionally, in the game's second trailer, Little Mac from Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! speaks about Birdo, calling her a "young lady," only to take a short break and ponder. His final verdict is "Depending on one's view point, she is a young lady." This ultimately means some or all of these Birdo characters are physically male, but identify with the female gender.

Powers and Abilities
In addition to eggs, Birdo can shoot fireballs from her snout, though this ability is only displayed in Super Mario Bros. 2 and its subsequent remakes. Birdo has also shown the ability to utilize her snout in a manner similar to a vacuum, using her to suck things closer to herself or even swallow them; Birdo displays this ability in both Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, which notably has her leeching away the health of those she sucks up, and Mario Superstar Baseball. Birdo has also shown, on occasion, to envelop people, including herself, in large eggs, in order to increase defense. She is usually classified as all-around in sports games, where she has a great deal of strength.

In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour hitting a nice shot while playing as she will cause a rainbow to form similar to Yoshi, but rainbow abilities have since then not been seen. Birdo also has some hints of heart based power similar to Princess Peach as shown in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour in her victory cut-scene and Mario Hoops 3-on-3 in her special shot. However, they are not as strong or as useful as Peach's hearts; which often results in comedic instances, such as when they only succeeding in charming Birdo's Golf trophy into the air for a short time until it fell down again, to her owner's great surprise.

Relationship with Yoshi
Yoshi and Birdo are often partners in sports and party games such as Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Mario Tennis, Mario Party 7, and Mario Party 8. They were seen nuzzling each other on the title screen of Mario Tennis. The ring Birdo wears is suggestive, but likely unconnected. On the official site for Mario Kart: Double Dash!! the description for Catherine states "Catherine appears to be Yoshi's girlfriend... or does that mean boyfriend?!"

Physical Description


She is a pink dinosaur; however, it is not the same species as Yoshi. Birdo's head is shaped similarly to that of Yoshi's, but its mouth is quite different – its mouth is shaped somewhat like a funnel. Her stomach has a large, white oval spot; its belly is fairly rounded, making it seem as if she is overweight. Her body is shaped near identically to Yoshi's – even her height is particularly close to Yoshi's height.

Birdo commonly wears purple eye makeup. Atop her head is a massive red bow, which makes it seem as if she is slightly taller than Yoshi. On Birdo's left hand is a large diamond ring, though it is unknown where Birdo got it. In the Mario Football series, Birdo wears a two-piece soccer outfit. This outfit is composed of a jersey and shorts. In the Japanese commercial for Super Mario All-Stars, she wears a very expensive black dress, adorned with a black necklace with many pearls, also she wears a white stole, and a very elegant fan. In her team name: Birdo Bows from Mario Super Sluggers, she wears lipstick; this is odd because, during the game she doesn't use lipstick.

Mario Tennis'' Information

 * Partner: Yoshi
 * Bio: " Her speed lets her move around the court with ease. "

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Information

 * Partner: Yoshi
 * Personal Kart: Turbo Birdo
 * Special Item: Birdo Egg
 * Bio: "Birdo decked out in her favorite bow and ready to race!"
 * Bio 2: "You might be asking yourself who Birdo is. Of course, you'll be pondering this on the side of the road after Birdo's giant egg has crushed your kart."

Super Mario Advance Information

 * Bio: " Watch out for Birdo's special egg attack. The best way to deal with Birdo is to catch the eggs and toss her right back. "

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour Information

 * Bio Quote: "I love to golf and now I want to play other golfers! Are you in?"
 * Range Marker: 209y.

Mario Party 7 Information

 * Partner: Yoshi
 * Bio: "Time for a new face to join this party....It's Birdo!, What a nice bow!."
 * Special Orb: Egg Orb

Mario Smash Football Information

 * Aggressive choice.
 * Bio: "Birdo is always an offensive threat when in possession of the ball. If you're looking for a sidekick who can deliver some points, she is the player for you."

Mario Strikers Charged Football

 * Type: Power
 * Skillshot: Extreme Egg
 * Deke: Spins to repel opponents.

Stats

 * Movement: 3
 * Shooting: 10
 * Passing: 3
 * Defense: 10

Mario Hoops 3-on-3 Information

 * Type: All-Around
 * Special Shot: Egg Shot
 * Letter to Tap: ▼

Mario Superstar Baseball Information

 * Teams: Birdo Beauties, Birdo Models, Birdo Bows
 * Type: Balanced
 * Starting Team Captain: Yoshi
 * Status: Secondary Captain
 * Stats:
 * Batting: 6/10
 * Pitching: 4/10
 * Fielding: 4/10
 * Running: 4/10
 * Player Profile: "Birdo offers a little extra power, but lacks in other areas."
 * Strong Point: Batting
 * Special Talents: Suction, Body Check
 * Trajectory:
 * Field: Center
 * Height: Normal
 * Special Ball: Weird Ball
 * Default Batting Position: Right
 * Default Throwing Arm: Right
 * Sweet Spot: The Purple spot on the bat
 * Compatible Relationships: Yoshi, Shy Guy, Petey Piranha
 * Bio: "A dinosaur that spits eggs from her huge mouth. Birdo is very particular when it comes to fashion, though her reliance on the color pink is a bit limiting. Her bow and ring are her pride and joy. Birdo's mouth has massive suction that can even catch a ball by sucking it in."

Mario Party 8 Information

 * Partner: Yoshi
 * Bio: "Birdo's a favourite at parties, mostly because you can talk her into helping tidy up afterward."
 * Team Names:
 * Mario: Super Snozzios
 * Luigi: Samba Smashers
 * Yoshi: Egg Explosion
 * Peach: Pink Superpowers
 * Daisy: Gallopin' Gal-Pals
 * Toadette: Pink Powerhouse
 * Toad: Surprise Attackers
 * Wario: Rotten Eggs
 * Waluigi: Double Scammy
 * Boo: Unfair Pair
 * Dry Bones: Bone Chokers
 * Blooper: What-the-Bloop
 * Hammer Bro: Two-Timers

Mario Kart Wii Information

 * '''Class: Medium
 * '''Stats:
 * '''Acceleration: **/***
 * '''Top Speed: **/***
 * '''Off-Road: **/***
 * '''Bio: "Wearing a distinctive red bow, she is easy to spot on the track - but not always so easy to overtake!"
 * Actual Bonuses
 * Weight: +1
 * Off-Road: +1
 * Mini-Turbo: +2

''Mario Super Sluggers

 * Team Name: Birdo Bows
 * Collectable Card Info: "This is one team where you never know who is going to be in the lineup. That's probably why it seems like the Birdo Bows are always finding new ways to win. All that confusion makes them tough to play against."
 * Stats:
 * Pitch: 4/10
 * Bat: 8/10
 * Field: 7/10
 * Run: 5/10
 * Abilities:
 * Star Swing: Cannon Swing
 * Collectable Card Info: "When Birdo unleashes a Cannon Swing, it's a good idea to yell, 'Heads up.' That's because there will be more than one object in the air after Birdo spits an egg toward the ball that has just been hit."
 * Star Pitch: Suction Ball
 * Collectable Card Info: "Is it a fastball, or is it a changeup? Birdo can deliver both with a single pitch. Just when the batter is ready to swing, the ball is sucked back toward the mound. Hitting this pitch takes amazing timing and a little luck."
 * Fielding: Suction Catch
 * Player Chemistry:
 * Good Chemistry: Yoshi, Daisy, Shy Guy, Toadette, Petey Piranha
 * Bad Chemistry: Peach, Tiny Kong, Baby Peach
 * Bio: "A good player who has trouble hitting curves."
 * Collectable Card Info: "Always an ecletic character, Birdo boasts a surprisingly diverse group of friends. As a power hitter with great stamina, Birdo should do fine as a first-time captain, despite having trouble hitting curves."

Artwork
 

Trivia

 * In the credits of Super Mario Bros. 2, Birdo was mistakenly labeled as "Ostro", causing confusion about what her name really was.
 * In Super Paper Mario, there is a Sammer Guy named Squatting Birdo, an obvious reference to Birdo and its species. Also, like a few other Sammer Guys, Squatting Birdo recognizes its namesake as an almost deity-like creature; and its ramblings when first encountered suggest that Birdos are flightless birds rather than dinosaurs (although technically birds are modern dinosaurs). This may have been a reference to the confusion between Birdo and and the ostrich-like Ostro in Super Mario Bros. 2. Birdos did indeed fly in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, however.
 * Birdo was seen in the background of Mario Power Tennis when Tina and Max got off the plane to get to the Mushroom Kingdom tennis court.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Birdo's name appears in the random name selection.