Mario vs. Wario: The Birthday Bash

Mario vs. Wario: The Birthday Bash is the second Mario vs. Wario comic strip after Mario vs. Wario, published in Nintendo Power a year later, in issue #56 (January 1994). It is a completely original work and is independent of any game, and it is not released as part of the reprints Super Mario Adventures has received.

Story
Princess Toadstool's birthday is coming up on Sunday, so she sends an invitation to both of Mario and Wario. The two of them want to give her a perfect present for the special occasion. Suddenly, the two recall that while Toadstool, Toad, Luigi, Wario and Mario were on their way to the park, the princess noticed a Samus Doll in a store window and expressed it was cute. Mario and Wario both wanted to buy the doll and give it to the princess as a gift.

When Wario reached the store, he discovered that the doll was bought by a guy with a big black mustache. Wario was positive it was Mario and then, he bought a jack-in-the-box toy and asked the store owner to wrap it just like his present. The next Sunday, Wario and Mario went to Toadstool's party. While the Toads were decorating, Toadstool asked Wario to help her. When he did, she asked Mario to get the door. When Mario ran off, Wario swapped the two gifts. Then, he gave the princess "his" present. Upon opening it, Toadstool discovered a Jack-in-the-box with the toy inside of it popping out and scaring her. The same happened with Mario's gift.

The two started fighting and then figured out that the one who bought the gift wasn't one of them. While Toadstool was crying, Luigi calmed her down by giving her a gift. Upon opening it, Toadstool discovered a Samus Doll and said that it was the perfect gift and rewards Luigi with a kiss on his cheeks.

Trivia

 * The Birthday Bash is the first instance in any English media where the Mushroom People are now referred to as "Toads", given the localized name of Toad uniformly. This later became a widespread practice after the release of Paper Mario.