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 is a character in the Mario series. She is commonly an automatic partner with Yoshi, and the two have been shown to have a close relationship. Birdo is sometimes portrayed as a villainous character, such as in earlier Mario games; though she is portrayed as one of the "good-girls" in most multi-player games. Birdo used to reside in Subcon, the land of dreams, but has since relocated to Nimbus Land. She also comes to the Mushroom Kingdom to participate in activities with Mario and company.

Birdo in Subcon


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 tried to take over 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 her. 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, she comes 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, you have to jump on his/her eggs and throw them at him/her.

In the original Doki Doki Panic/Super Mario Bros. 2, Birdo actually held whatever she would give to player after being defeated, but in the Super Mario All-Stars version and Super Mario Advance, she held nothing, instead spitting it out after being defeated.

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 it to emit honking noises; in this game Birdo spoke clear sentences such as, "This is as far as you go!" and "Hello there!".

Toad Team-Up
Birdo was actually a heroine in 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.

Valentina's Worker
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 Valentina) and was strangely being watered by Shy Away, who was perhaps intending to use it as a weapon of sorts. When Shy Away saw Mario, though, he quickly abandoned his post and fled, leaving Shelly exposed. Mario could then speak to 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; who 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.

Stolen Voice
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. 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 killed 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 her 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 Bido's voice, is able to speak when Mario and Luigi battle Popple and her. This appears to be an in the game, but Birdo may have got her voice back after Cackletta used it on the Beanstar.

Birdo's Debut

 * Birdo's debut into sports was in Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64, which was the first game to ever give Birdo understandable voice acting; Super Mario Advance was the only other game to do so. In this game, Birdo appears next to Yoshi and they are seen to be very affectionate.
 * Birdo appears from the start as a playable character in the game Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. 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.
 * Birdo is in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as Yoshi's default partner. 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.
 * She is playable for the first time in the Mario Party series as an unlockable character in Mario Party 7, when purchased at the Duty Free Shop with 1,000 mileage points. She is one of the two new characters, the other being Dry Bones.
 * In Mario Superstar Baseball, Birdo was a balance character that specializes in batting, but lacks in all other areas. Birdo was on Yoshi's team as a Sub-Captain and could also be chosen as a captain in Exhibition Mode. Her special pitch/hit is the Weird Ball.
 * She is an unlockable character in Mario Hoops 3 on 3 as an all-around type that uses the Egg Shot.
 * Birdo appears as playable from the start of Mario Party 8.
 * Birdo also appears in Mario Kart Wii as a Medium Sized character. 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 in Baseball
Birdo makes a reappearance in the Mario Super Sluggers game, as a captain. Once again, Birdo doesn't have a stadium, but she is once again good at pitching and fielding. Her team name is Birdo Bows, and her powers include: Suction Ball, Cannon Swing & Suction Catch.

She has good chemistry with Daisy, Yoshi, Petey Piranha, Shy Guy and Toadette. Birdo appears in the story mode, she was bronzing herself, and suddenly Koopa Kid arrives, she is captured and the player must win in a duel, when Koopa kid is defeated, Birdo says: thanks! and she joins with Mario and company.

In her card says: Always an eclectic 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 hitting curves.

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

''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. She can easily be destroyed by a strong attack, however. Birdo also appears as a trophy, which unlocks the stage Birdo appears in if the player also has the Pidget trophy.

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.

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. For instance, Popple pauses before settling on calling Birdo a "dame" in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. 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." In the game Captain Rainbow, Birdo is heard with a deep, male voice which gets high-pitched when it 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." In Mario Super Sluggers, Birdo is female.

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.

Yoshi
Yoshi and Birdo are often partners in sports and party games such as Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Mario Tennis and 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?!"

Toad
Birdo joins Toad against Wario in the game Wario's Woods by indirectly giving him bombs to use to complete levels, as well as shouting "Fight! Fight! Oh!" to encourage him. However, she and Toad have not been seen to interact with one another since this game.

Princess Peach
Birdo helped Princess Peach in the game Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Birdo saved Peach from having her voice stolen from Cackletta. Birdo and Peach also receive positive names in the Mario Party series. However, In Mario Super Sluggers the two share bad chemistry. Also in Mario Super Sluggers, Peach and Birdo are seen gazing at the fireworks together.

Princess Daisy
Birdo and Daisy have been shown to have some sort of relationship throughout the Mario Series. In Mario Tennis (N64), When the player chose Daisy in the double tournament mode, Birdo would be her default partner. In Mario Super Sluggers, Birdo has good chemistry with Daisy.

Nick
Birdo joins Nick in the game: Captain Rainbow. Birdo was wrongly suspected of a crime and imprisoned. Nick helps her and Birdo gets a crush on Nick, calling him her boyfriend.

Others
Characters like Petey Piranha, Shy Guy, Toadette and others playable throughout the Mario series share very good chemistry with Birdo in the game Mario Superstar Baseball, and Mario Super Sluggers Tiny Kong, however shares bad chemistry.

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."

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
 * Special Orb: Egg Orb

Super Mario Strikers 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

 * 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 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

Artwork
 

Quotes

 * "This is as far as you go!" – ''Super Mario Advance
 * "I'LL REMEMBER THIS!!" – ''Super Mario Advance
 * " Hello there! " – ''Super Mario Advance
 * "I simply can't wait to see your shot!" – ''Mario Golf Toadstool Tour
 * "How can you possibly make that shot?" – ''Mario Golf Toadstool Tour
 * "Here's my chance!" – ''Mario Golf Toadstool Tour
 * "You're going to lay an egg!" – ''Mario Golf Toadstool Tour
 * "Oh, miss! MISS! Please miss!" – ''Mario Golf Toadstool Tour
 * "“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!" – '' Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
 * "Oh I'm never gonna to let ya go. You're just too...CUTE!" – '' Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Trivia

 * 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. 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.
 * On two courses from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, 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 was seen in the background of Mario Tennis: Power Tour when Ace and Clay got off the plane to get to the Mushroom Kingdom tennis court.
 * 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.
 * In the credits of Super Mario Bros. 2, Birdo was mistakenly labeled as "Ostro", causing confusion about what its name really was.
 * Birdo makes a cameo appearance in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 in front of the podium.
 * Birdo was originally going to appear as a playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, along with Donkey Kong and a few others, but was scrapped before the final product was finished.