Warp Pipe

"Hm? Ah, a pipe. Definitely a pipe. And that means we're going in, right?"

- Kersti

The Warp Pipe is one of the main modes of transportation of Mushroom World. Generally speaking, a Warp Pipe is a pipe that doesn't always appear to be connected to a second pipe physically, although traveling through it will transport the traveler to the other end. In many cases, Warp Pipes can be used to cross great distances (and even worlds) instantly, while some pipes can't even transport anything. The size of Warp Pipes can vary greatly. While some are too narrow for a human to enter, others are large enough for Bowser's airship to travel through. They are traditionally green, but have appeared in many colors in lesser numbers over the years. Red pipes usually lead to secret zones.

Mario Bros.
Warp Pipes first appeared in the arcade game Mario Bros.. Enemies would emerge from these pipes and attack Mario and Luigi.

Super Mario series
Warp Pipes have appeared in nearly every Mario game since, and some of them can be entered by pressing down on the. However, Super Mario Bros. 2 temporarily replaced them with Vases. These pipes were first used for transportation in Super Mario Bros. Some even led to underground levels and mini-levels. Piranha Plants also infest many pipes and are potentially hazardous.

In Super Mario World, some warp pipes acted as mini-cannons, shooting Mario or Luigi high in the air. This feature was also kept in New Super Mario Bros. Also, if Mario or Luigi use the Mega Mushroom, they can kick a pipe, move it in if it is horizontal, or Ground Pound it to make a raised pipe lower to ground level. If Mega Mario or Luigi destroys a pipe, then they cannot go down the pipe anymore, but it will fill up the meter at the top of the screen a lot, resulting in some 1-Up Mushrooms. Mini Warp Pipes were introduced here in New Super Mario Bros.: they are tiny Warp Pipes half the size of a regular Warp Pipe that required Mario or Luigi to use a Mini Mushroom to get tiny so they could enter. Inside these Mini Warp Pipes, Star Coins could usually be found. There are also red and yellow pipes, and some of them expel air when they are underwater to push Mario. The pipes also re-appeared in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. There were green, red, yellow, and blue pipes. In one level Mario and Co. had to go into an underground pipe level.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
Warp Pipes appear in Super Mario 64, though their role is considerably reduced in comparison to the earlier 2-D platformers. Mario (and, in Super Mario 64 DS, Luigi and Wario) arrive at Princess Peach's Castle via Warp Pipe at the beginning of the game. Warp Pipes are also used to transport the player to the arena where Bowser is fought in Bowser in the Dark World and Bowser in the Sky, with Bowser in the Fire Sea instead using a funnel-looking warp with the same effect. Identical looking objects called Shrinker Pipes appear in Tiny-Huge Island.

Super Mario Sunshine
Warp Pipes appear more abundantly in Super Mario Sunshine. They appear in two colors: green and red. The green warp pipes are typically longer, and more usually covered with a strange orange oozy substance which the player must use Yoshi to remove, while the red ones are typically shorter.

Green warp pipes are typically found in Delfino Plaza, where they lead to many secret areas, including the Red Coin Field and the Super Slide. One green Warp Pipe is found on a small island, and is covered with a strange oozy substance, which, after Yoshi sprays it, will take the player to Lily Pad Ride. Another green Warp Pipe is found in Episode 4 of Sirena Beach, behind a flipping tile wall.

Red Warp Pipes are found solely in Delfino Plaza, and are only used to transport Mario to Sirena Beach and Pianta Village respectively, in place of the "M" shaped Graffiti entrances for Bianco Hills, Ricco Harbor, and Gelato Beach. The warp pipe for Sirena Beach is located on the rooftop of a building directly behind the Grand Pianta Statue, and is originally blocked by a large Pineapple, which Yoshi must eat for the player to continue. The Warp Pipe for Pianta Village is located on top of the Shine Gate.

Green Warp Pipes usually have black interiors while red Warp Pipes usually have multicolored interiors.

Super Mario Galaxy
Warp Pipes appear in almost every galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy, and are usually used to transport the player between a planet's outside and inside. They only appear in two colors: orange and green. Some Warp Pipes remain stationary both before and after use, while others appear only for the second that Mario is actually coming out of it.

Some Warp Pipes in the game are covered, and they require either a Key or defeating every enemy on the planet to gain access to it.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Warp Pipes in Super Mario Galaxy 2 serve basically the same purpose as they did in the predecessor. Some Warp Pipes tend to appear far more frequently on the ceiling of the inside sections of many planets and galaxies, mainly in the Rightside Down Galaxy as well as the Upside Dizzy Galaxy.

Warp Pipes also appear in World 3 and World 5 on the Grand World Map. When Starship Mario enters one, it gets transported to another part of the World Map that is otherwise inaccessible.

In the Supermassive Galaxy, several large-sized Warp Pipes appear near the beginning of the level. Though they cannot be entered and therefore do not transport Mario to any special areas, they do serve a purpose. One of the first two Warp Pipes that are encountered is home to a Piranhacus Giganticus, which Mario must be careful to avoid. The third continually goes up and down, and acts as an elevator to the next area of the level. Later on in the level, the player will fly through a large Warp Pipe tunnel leading to the next area. Two more Warp Pipes near the end of the level house two more Piranhacus Gigantici.

In the Battle Belt Galaxy, Warp Pipes play a major role in progressing through the level, as they transport the player to the inside of several planets, where they must defeat every enemy to continue. The Warp Pipes in this galaxy are all covered, and the player must therefore defeat all enemies on the surface of the planet before the Warp Pipe can be accessed.

In addition, a Warp Pipe in the left ear of Starship Mario leads to a secret area where the player encounters two Lumalees who sell Chance Cubes for coins and Star Bits. Additionally, on Starship Mario, if Mario manages to get on top of the chimney near the helm, he goes down it as if it were a Warp Pipe. The chimney leads to the engine room of Starship Mario. Mario also comes out of a Warp Pipe on the way to Princess Peach's Castle at the very beginning of the game. At this point in the game, several other Warp Pipes are encountered which do not warp the player to anywhere at all, and so act merely as platforms.

Super Mario 3D Land
Warp Pipes later appear in Super Mario 3D Land. When Mario (or Luigi) finds one the player has to hit or  to make Mario (or Luigi) go down it.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
In the 3DS game New Super Mario Bros. 2, Warp Pipes do appear some with Piranha Plants some that let Mario (or Luigi) warp. If the player destroys the Piranha Plant with a Koopa Shell effected by a Gold Ring lots of coins will come out. Mario (or Luigi) can go down pipes by pressing or sliding /.

New Super Mario Bros. U
In the Wii U game New Super Mario Bros. U, Warp Pipes appear and work the same way as in other games, but Mini Mario can run up walls as well, similar to the Triangular Block from Super Mario World. The player can go down or up pipes by, or.

Mario cartoons
Warp Pipes appear in all three of the Mario TV shows (The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World), where they function the same way as in the games the shows were based on. Warp Pipes are also present on Earth, and can be used to travel between it and the Mushroom World. For unknown reasons, in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "Reign Storm", Princess Toadstool asks "Where's the nearest drain pipe?" instead of "Warp Pipe".

Nintendo Comics System
The Nintendo Comics System comic, "A Mouser in the Houser" seems to imply that the Mousers constructed the Warp Pipe system.

Super Mario Adventures
In Super Mario Adventures, they appeared as the mode of transport between the Mushroom Kingdom and the lands surrounding Yoshi's Village. On their first trip through the Warp Pipe Bowser had traveled through, Princess Peach and her followers ended up at a different location from where Mario and Luigi emerged. The narration stated that Mario and Luigi "hooked up with the wrong connection somewhere," implying that not all Warp Pipes lead solely to one other location.

Mario Kart series
In the Mario Kart series, Warp Pipes (usually referred to as simply Pipes) appear as simple obstacles on the courses, especially on the Mario Circuits. On some occasions, mostly in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the player can enter a pipe and get warped to another area, mainly used for collecting Item Boxes.

Mario Party series
Warp Pipes are also items that appear throughout the Mario Party series.

Mario Party 4
Starting with Mario Party 4, Warp Pipes became an item used for transportation on the board. Whoever uses it switches places with another player on the board via roulette. This made it successor of the Warp Block.

Mario Party 5
In Mario Party 5, the Warp Pipe exists as the Warp Pipe Capsule. A player possessing a Warp Pipe Capsule can either throw it onto a space on the board, or use it on themselves for ten coins. Its effect was still the same as from Mario Party 4.

Mario Party 6
The Warp Pipe Orb reappears in Mario Party 6. They cost ten coins at the Orb Shop, and the player may use it on him or herself. When used, a roulette activates that allows the player to switch spaces with the player the roulette stops on.

Mario Party 7
In Mario Party 7, the Warp Pipe Orb once again returns. However, it is given a different effect; opponents who pass by the space containing the orb are caught by a Warp Pipe and sent back to the space they began their turn on.

Mario Party DS
In Mario Party DS, they appear when a player reaches a shop space and decides to go in. Warp Pipes are also used as a item but it is named a Star Pipe and allows the owner of the item to go to the Star. This pipe also differentiates from normal Warp Pipes in that it has a star pattern on the front of it.

Mario Party 9
Warp Pipes generally appear next to Lucky and Unlucky Spaces in Mario Party 9. The pipes next to a Lucky Space take the player to a six-space route with Mini Star Spaces, and Unlucky Space pipes take the player to a path with only Mini Ztar Spaces. Warp Pipes near a Lucky Space are colored blue, and the ones next to Unlucky Spaces are red, which match the colors of their respective spaces. Players willingly go down the Lucky Space pipe, while a Piranha Plant eats the player and takes them to the unlucky route.

Mario Golf series
Warp Pipes make an appearance in Peach's Castle Grounds in Mario Golf Toadstool Tour. When the player hits the ball into one, it will be transported to another of the same color, allowing them to skip part of the hole.

Paper Mario series
In the Paper Mario series, pipes take Mario to different places and locations. In Paper Mario and its sequel, Blue Pipes exist which can take Mario to locations that have been previously visited. They can be unlocked in the Toad Town Tunnels and Rogueport Sewers respectively by hitting certain switches. A smaller type of Warp Pipe appears in Super Paper Mario similar to those found in New Super Mario Bros.. The player has to use Dottie to shrink Mario so he can enter them. Generally, warp pipes will have some sort of special appearance to fit in with their locations; for example, the pipe in the picture at left is pixelated to fit in with its location in the Bitlands. Likewise, the warp pipes in Boggly Woods seem to be made of wood, and usually have a hole in the side so that Punies can use them more easily. Additionally, when a Warp Pipe is used in Super Paper Mario, instead of normally going straight down, the player's character will split into several small squares which will then go down the pipe and re-assemble at the other end, most likely due to how Princess Peach and Bowser are too big for the Warp Pipes. Warp Pipes also appear in Paper Mario: Sticker Star.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
In Superstar Saga, nine green Warp Pipes allowed Mario and Luigi to travel the Beanbean Kingdom faster. In order to warp to one of these pipes, Mario and Luigi had to have entered it before. Yellow warp pipes also appeared, which could transport Mario and Luigi to underwater or underground areas. Finally, there are also a few small green warp pipes, which could warp either Mario or Luigi to a 2-D bonus dungeon.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
During the events of Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, special blue Warp Pipes required Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi to stand on them in order to activate them. Also, when Mario and Luigi were separated from Baby Mario and Luigi, one of the brothers could jump up and hit a warp pipe box, out of which a miniature pipe came and planted itself in the ground. It would then grow to the size of a normal pipe allowing whichever pair of bros. to jump in and be reunited with the babies. If used while both bros are near each other, the pipe would jump up and back into the block.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Bowser inhaled several warp pipes. In this game, they are used as a link between Bowser's Body and the Mushroom Kingdom. They are the only way to get the Mario brothers out of Bowser's body, and they can be found in the Pipe Yard. Bowser cannot jump into these.

A Special Attack called Spin Pipe is used in this game as well.

Super Smash Bros. series
At the beginnings of matches in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario and Luigi enter the stage via a Warp Pipe, similar to how Mario does so at the beginning of Super Mario 64. Also, in some Mario stages such as Mushroomy Kingdom, Warp Pipes appear, though they cannot be entered, especially since they are closed with gates.

Wario Land series
Warp Pipes are also present in four games of the Wario Land series, namely Virtual Boy Wario Land, Wario Land 3, Wario Land 4, and Wario Land: Shake It! They work exactly like their counterparts from the Mushroom Kingdom, with the distinction that they don't contain enemies.

The Golf mini-game in Wario Land 3 must be accessed through a Warp Pipe. In addition, the slots in the "load file" screen of Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 bear a resemblance to Warp Pipes. In Wario Land 4, the pipes are purple and warps the player to a Puzzle Room. In Wario Land: Shake It!, if Wario goes into a green pipe, the sound effect is similar to the Mario series, but slightly altered.

Captain Rainbow
In the game Captain Rainbow, Warp Pipes appear and are used the same way. They can be green, yellow or pink and produce the original Super Mario Bros. sound effect when used.

Nintendo Monopoly
A Warp Pipe appears as a utility in Nintendo Monopoly, taking the place of the Water Works. It costs $150. There is also an "Advance to Go" ? Block card that mentions jumping into a pipe. In the 2010 version of the game, the Brick Block "Advance to Go" card also refers to a pipe.

Trivia

 * Warp Pipes are often referenced in other media, whether it's just characters sliding down pipes, or pipes that actively warp them to different areas, such as in The Simpsons Game, where there is a whole level based on other video games: in multiple parts of that level, the player has to jump into a Warp Pipe to advance further into the level.
 * A green pipe is an exclusive item in two games in the Animal Crossing series. In the original Animal Crossing, the item makes the Warp Pipe sound when touched. In Animal Crossing: City Folk, it has a Piranha Plant inside that moves up and down. The Piranha Plant will stop moving if the player taps it once again after activating it.
 * In Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, the player will need to position Mario exactly over a Warp Pipe to get him to enter it. However, in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, the player must only have Mario jump onto the top of a Warp Pipe, after which he will automatically be pulled to the center of the Warp Pipe and enter it.
 * In Super Mario 3D Land, crouching on the edge of a pipe will suck Mario/Luigi the center and make them enter it in a similar way.
 * In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, New Super Mario Bros. 2 and New Super Mario Bros. U when Mini Mario enters a small Warp Pipe, he will exit out of a normal-sized one. This is done to prevent glitching in multiplayer modes, since only one player needs to be mini to get all of the players into the pipe, and the game may glitch if normal-sized players exited through a mini pipe.
 * In the main sidescrolling games, Larry Koopa is the only Koopaling to never have a boss fight that uses a pipe in any form.