Baby Mario

"Not-a-bad, for a baby!"

- Baby Mario

Baby Mario (originally "baby Mario") is an infant form of Mario. He is a major character in the Yoshi series. Baby Mario, with Yoshi helping him, is often rescuing Baby Luigi, who is carried off by Kamek in several games. Since then, he has appeared in three other games in the Yoshi series and alongside his older self in several sports spin-off games. Despite being a baby, he is capable of playing various sports, driving karts, and even battling enemies.

Adult Mario has been portrayed as an infant in other media, namely in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 cartoon episode, Toddler Terrors of Time Travel‎ and the Family Album "The Early Years" comic, though the Baby Mario character is considered a distinct entity from these forms.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Baby Mario makes his debut in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (and plays the same role in the remake Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3). Here, the Stork is on his way to deliver Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to their parents in the Mushroom Kingdom. Kamek, however, has predicted that the Mario Brothers will cause problems for the Koopas in the future, and he attempts to kidnap the babies. He successfully kidnaps Baby Luigi and the Stork. Baby Mario falls into Yoshi's Island and lands on the back of Yoshi. Yoshi brings Baby Mario to the other Yoshis, and they decide to help Baby Mario rescue Baby Luigi from Kamek and Baby Bowser. After they journey throughout the worlds, they reach Baby Bowser's Castle, where they battle Baby Bowser. After defeating him, Yoshi and Baby Mario rescue Baby Luigi. Then, the brothers are brought back to their parents.

Yoshi Touch & Go
Baby Mario appears in the Nintendo DS game Yoshi Touch & Go. The game starts off with Kamek knocking Baby Mario off the Stork and taking Baby Luigi captive. The player has to guide Baby Mario to the ground using clouds and trapping enemies in bubbles. When he reaches the ground, a Yoshi is at the bottom, saving him when all his balloons pop. Baby Mario and Yoshi then chase after the Toadies, who are carrying Baby Luigi away. Yoshi and Baby Mario eventually save Baby Luigi.

Yoshi's Island DS
In Yoshi's Island DS, Baby Mario is one of the babies kidnapped by Kamek in his search for the star children. The Stork arrives just in time, however, and manages to rescue Baby Mario, who drops onto Yoshi's back as in the original Yoshi's Island game. He is one of the babies who accompany the Yoshis on their quest to rescue the other children that Kamek has kidnapped. As the other babies in this game, Baby Mario possesses special abilities that he can use to assist the Yoshis. His powers enable the Yoshi that is carrying him to dash quickly, as well as causing M Blocks to be visible. Baby Mario, the Yoshis, and the other babies eventually succeed in rescuing all the children from Kamek and Bowser, after which he is revealed to be one of the seven star children.

Yoshi's New Island
Baby Mario appears in Yoshi's New Island for the Nintendo 3DS. In this game, the Stork, after having found out that he delivered Mario and Luigi to the wrong house, is frantically trying to find the correct one. He is soon attacked by Kamek and a group of Toadies, who kidnap Baby Luigi and the Stork, leaving Baby Mario falling onto Egg Island near some Yoshis. Baby Mario begins "crawling with determination" in order to try and locate his brother. The Yoshis decide that Egg Island is too dangerous for a baby, so they take turns giving him a ride as they try to rescue Baby Luigi, and defeat Baby Bowser.

After Baby Bowser and his older self are both defeated, the Stork takes Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to their correct parents.

Super Mario-Kun
Baby Mario appears in the Japanese manga series Super Mario-Kun several times. His first appearance is issue 14, where it is based on Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. The volume starts off with adult Mario and Luigi traveling to the past in order to stop Bowser from helping Kamek kidnap Baby Mario and Baby Luigi. The adult Mario bros. also help Yoshi deliver Baby Mario. Volume 15 also contains story arcs relating to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, where Baby Mario can be seen in Superstar Mario form.

In Volume 25, during the Mario Tennis arc, Mario gets turned into Baby Mario in the middle of a tennis match.

Volume 35, 36, and 37 have story arcs based on Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. The beginning of Volume 36 leaves off when Baby Mario and the others are in Yoshi's Island, shortly after they realize that Baby Mario can store water; this eventually helps the brothers beat Baby Bowser and Kamek. Later, during a fight against Petey Piranha, Baby Mario wears a shell that helps him snatch a Cobalt Star Shard from Petey Piranha. In Chapter 7, Baby Mario teams up with Mario against Luigi and Baby Luigi after a Tanoomba tricks them to turn into each other; eventually, the brothers realize their mistake and team up and beat the Tanoomba.

Baby Mario is seen on the cover of Volume 40, which is based off of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, though he himself does not appear in the story arcs in this volume; the cover for volume 40 is a tribute to the Mario series.

Mario Golf
Baby Mario makes his first spin-off appearance in Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64. He is a basic character, being a default character out of four. Baby Mario has a draw shot with a drive of 215 yards. In result, he is the strongest of all the default characters.

Mario Golf (Game Boy Color)
Baby Mario makes a reappearance in the Game Boy Color version of Mario Golf. However, he is an NPC in this game as opposed to being playable in the console counterpart.

Mario Tennis
Baby Mario is a playable speed character in Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64. He offers more power than the other speed characters but lacks reach. He also shares a stage with Yoshi, simply titled the Baby Mario and Yoshi Court. His tennis racket's insignia in this game is a lowercase letter M.

Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color)
Baby Mario is playable in the Game Boy Color version of Mario Tennis. In this game, he is a speed character, and he is also given his own minigame, titled Baby Mario Target Shot. He has the same signature as the previous game (a lowercase letter M).

Mario Tennis Open
Baby Mario appears as an unlockable playable character in Mario Tennis Open, which happens to be the first time he appears as an unlockable character. He is unlocked by completing Level 3 of the Special Game, Super Mario Tennis. His insignia on his tennis racket is now updated and has an uppercase letter M like his adult self, but with bonnet frills around the letter M. As in all Mario Tennis games that he was previously playable in, he is a speed character, who lacks at reach due to his size, but makes up for increased stroke power. Baby Mario's racket costs 1200 coins in the Clubhouse for Miis to be able to use.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Baby Mario debuts in the Mario Kart series in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! alongside his younger brother Baby Luigi. Both are light-weight characters and both are default. Baby Mario's default kart is the Goo Goo Buggy. The babies' special item is a Chain Chomp, which can lead Baby Mario and Baby Luigi through the course, knocking other karts out of the way. They share their own course, Baby Park, which reappears in Mario Kart DS. Baby Mario and Baby Luigi appear as staff ghosts in Baby Park and Sherbet Land, though Baby Mario is the primary character in Baby Park.

Mario Kart Wii
Baby Mario appears as a starting playable character in Mario Kart Wii. Baby Mario is still a small character, having a weight of +3 and a handling of +2. His weight bonus, with Baby Luigi, is the largest in the game out of all bonuses, and it grants him a significant edge when it comes to that stat. Unlike Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Baby Mario does not have his own vehicles, as the other characters, but the vehicles available to him get a different paint job than other characters. His vehicles are mainly blue and red. In Time Trials, Baby Mario appears as an official staff ghost in N64 Mario Raceway and  SNES Mario Circuit 3.

Mario Kart 8
Baby Mario returns as a playable racer in Mario Kart 8. His insignia is changed from being identical to Mario's in Mario Kart Wii to his insignia from Mario Tennis Open, with the colors reversed from Mario's usual emblem.

Baby Mario is a lightweight racer, potentially getting the best possible acceleration, handling, and traction with his vehicle combos; in fact, he, along with the other baby characters and Lemmy Koopa, are the lightest characters in the game. His speed and weight are rather low, however. In Time Trials, Nin★Rie uses Baby Mario as an official staff ghost in GBA Mario Circuit and Nin★Joost uses him in  GCN Baby Park.

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX
Baby Mario is a playable downloadable character in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX. He is a lightweight character who has low speed and acceleration, but has very high handling.

Mario Superstar Baseball
In Mario Superstar Baseball, Baby Mario is a default character in all the modes. He is on Yoshi's team in the Challenge Mode. Baby Mario is a right handed pitcher and batter by default. He is a speed character and he has the Wall Jump ability. In order for Baby Mario to become a superstar, he must complete his six missions, one which is unique to him.

Mario Super Sluggers
Baby Mario returns in the second Mario Baseball game, Mario Super Sluggers. He is a default character as in the previous game. In Challenge Mode, the player learns that Baby Mario is trapped in the Mario Stadium by Bowser Jr. after Baby Luigi is rescued. After Bowser Jr. is defeated, he is set free. Baby Mario then joins the player's team.

Baby Mario has the same stats as Toadette, with the same ability: Enlarge. The two are also the same in that they bat and field with their right hands. The only gameplay difference they have is their tackle.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Baby Mario and his brother Baby Luigi, star alongside Mario and Luigi in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Baby Mario and Baby Luigi first meet their adult selves in Hollijolli Village after the adult Mario brothers have been defeated by Shroobs. They then team up in order to defend Mushroom Kingdom from the Shroobs. Baby Mario spends much of the adventure riding Mario piggyback. He and Baby Luigi eventually acquire hammers in the Vim Factory. After traveling throughout the past, defeating enemies, and eventually rescuing Princess Peach, Baby Mario and company stop the Shroob invasion. Baby Mario, alongside any other character who has originated from the past, return back to their original time period. Prior to returning to the past, Baby Mario gives Mario his hammer as a good-bye gift.

In battle, Baby Mario battles identically to his brother, Baby Luigi. His default attack is jumping on foes, and, when Baby Mario acquires the hammer, can use a hammer to attack spiked foes. The player can time Baby Mario's attacks in order for him to do more damage. When Baby Mario is riding on Mario's back, he can engage in battle when the player presses the appropriate command button at the appropriate time. In piggyback mode, Mario takes all the damage for Baby Mario; when Mario faints, Baby Mario takes his place. If Baby Mario faints in battle, either Luigi or Baby Luigi holds him to avoid enemy attacks. If Baby Luigi faints, Baby Mario carries him; this hinders Baby Mario's dodging capabilities. Baby Mario has more attack and speed than Baby Luigi, but less HP and defense. Compared to his older self, Baby Mario has more speed, but lacks in all other traits.

Baby Mario acquires several overworld traits as he ventures through the game. When Baby Mario and Baby Luigi acquire hammers, they also learn to use the Baby Drill, which lets them dig underground underneath obstacles; it can also be used to get Beans. Mario and Luigi can Spin Jump into Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, causing the Baby Spin, which allows Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to access areas that previous cannot be accessed with the Spin Jump. Mario and Luigi can also roll a Bros. Ball into Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, turning them into Baby Cakes. This enables them to slip through wafer-thin areas that cannot be accessed using the Baby Drill. Baby Mario can also use the Baby Pump technique to put out fires and activate switches: similar to the form in the past games, Baby Luigi can hit him to make him spit water out.

Other appearances
In Mario Power Tennis, Baby Mario, alongside Baby Luigi, makes a cameo appearance in the opening of the game. They can be seen only in the first match, where Mario and Luigi defeat Wario and Waluigi, and in the first blooper reel of the credits where Mario accidentally hits Luigi with a tennis ball.

Baby Mario and Baby Luigi also make a cameo appearance in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, with several notable characters. Here, they can be seen throughout Yoshi Park 1 and have a sponsor, Baby Land, seen throughout other courses.

Baby Mario appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. He has two Stickers in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

In the WarioWare series, Baby Mario appears riding on Yoshi's back in one of 9-Volt's microgames, Yoshi, in WarioWare: D.I.Y..

Baby Mario makes a cameo in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam as one of Luigi's Battle Cards, along side his brother and their adult counterparts. A parameter file for Costume Marios in Super Mario Maker references Baby Mario, among other characters that do not have Costume Marios, but none of the unused costumes have graphics associated with them.

Despite not appearing as often as other Mario characters, Baby Mario has received considerable merchandising, especially as mini figures and plush toys. Baby Mario has also been featured in several Mario Kart Wii pull-back karts and keychains along with Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, and Baby Daisy. Baby Mario is also featured with Baby Luigi and Baby Peach as official San-ei plushies. Baby Mario is also in a set of mini 2 inch PVC figures. Most of his merchandise are Japan exclusives, but they are available in online retailers and in retailers with Japanese imports. The World of Nintendo line of Nintendo merchandise also contains a Baby Mario plush.

Personality
Baby Mario is described as being mostly brave and courageous just like his adult counterpart, such as when he constantly rescues Baby Luigi. His Super Smash Bros. Brawl trophy information, however describes him as a crybaby. He is also very energetic, as seen as when he wins a race in Mario Kart Wii. Baby Mario is also very playful when he joins his adult counterparts and his baby companions in kart and bike races, tennis games, and baseball games. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time also shows that he is rather impulsive, and Baby Mario's brash use of his hammer has gotten him and the others in trouble multiple times throughout the game.

In the Super Mario-Kun volumes that are adapted from Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Baby Mario is able to speak in full sentences. As in the games, he is shown to be brave and willing to do whatever it takes to overcome the enemy; an example of this is when he deliberately fills himself up with an excess amount of water to stop Kamek's large wildfire. Similarly to his brother, he is naive, and he and his brother undertake some actions that annoy their older selves, such as making food out of sand when their older selves need real food.

Voice
Baby Mario has been portrayed by Charles Martinet ever since his appearance in Mario Golf which has been retained ever since then. He typically sounds upbeat and excited, not too different from his older self, albeit higher pitched. Baby Mario's voice is filtered to sound higher pitched.

Physical description
Baby Mario has beady black eyes and his large trademark nose. Baby Mario has a layer of brown hair always covered by his trademark 'M' hat. Like most of the babies, his outfit eventually changed. Unlike his adult self, he has bare hands.

In earlier appearances, Baby Mario wore nothing but a white diaper and his hat. He wears a yellow cape whenever he acquires a Super Star. Later on, he is given a new outfit in Mario Golf, which he continues to wear in his spin-off appearances, sometimes with minor adjustments. In this design he wears a red shirt covered by blue overalls akin to his older self Mario. Originally, the shirt was short-sleeved during the Nintendo 64 era, but his shirt is currently long sleeved as his adult self as of Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. He also wears a pair of light blue and white sneakers. His facial features in the Nintendo 64 era are noticeably different than his current look; more notably, his sideburns were originally pointed. His modern design's sideburns more closely resembles Mario's sideburns, while Baby Luigi appears to have the sharp sideburns instead. His emblem was originally a lowercase M in Mario Tennis, but Mario Superstar Baseball and subsequent games changed his emblem to an uppercase M as his adult self, until Mario Tennis Open and Mario Kart 8, where the uppercase M is reverse colors in regards to his adult self, surrounded by frills.

Abilities
In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Island, Baby Mario can turn into Superstar Mario when Yoshi comes into contact with a Super Star. In this form, Baby Mario can climb up walls and use his cape to float. In Yoshi's Island DS, Baby Mario grants Yoshi speed and the ability for M blocks to appear.

Baby Mario is also shown to be very speedy because he is a speed or lightweight character in every single Mario series spin-off to date. Baby Mario has a very high Speed stat in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, by default, the highest speed stat out of the other characters. In Mario Superstar Baseball, however, Baby Luigi is faster than Baby Mario, and in Mario Kart Wii, Baby Luigi has a small top speed special attribute. In Mario Super Sluggers, however, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi's speed are equal. In the Mario Tennis series, Baby Mario is usually the most powerful Speed character, and, as his adult self, he is often shown to be stronger than his brother, as evident in the Mario Baseball series and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.

Relationships
Baby Mario and Baby Luigi share a special bond as twin brothers, allowing Baby Mario to seek out his kidnapped brother with the help of the Yoshis during their debut appearance in Yoshi's Island. They are default partners in Mario Kart Double Dash!!, and are often seen together, as evident in Mario Power Tennis and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the brothers fight side-by-side, and if one falls in battle, the other one will carry him and defend him from the enemies. They also partner up and share good chemistry in various sports and spin-off games. Baby Luigi's site bio for Mario Kart Wii, however, heavily implies that Baby Mario has a sibling rivalry with Baby Luigi, which is parallel to Mario's competitive nature with Luigi. In the Super Mario-Kun volumes, particularly the Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time-based ones, if Baby Luigi gets hurt, Baby Mario reacts furiously to the offenders and quickly retaliates by attacking them.

Baby Mario is also good friends with Baby Peach, and protects her from their enemy, Baby Bowser. In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Mario acts as a parental figure for both Baby Mario and Baby Luigi; he also expresses frustration with Luigi when he directs his anger at them, attempts to calm the babies whenever they cry, and playfully tosses Baby Mario, clearly enjoying his company. The feeling is mutual, and Baby Mario even gives Mario his hammer as a gift before they part ways at the end of the game. Additionally, in Yoshi's New Island, adult Mario, disguised as Mr. Pipe, has aided Baby Mario and Yoshi if they are struggling by giving them powerful items such as Flutter Wings, Golden Flutter Wings, and Eggs. Despite their good relationship in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Baby Mario and Mario have a neutral chemistry in both Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers.

Official profiles and statistics
Baby Mario's profiles and statistics typically highlight his diminutive size and power correlation, in which his power varies from game to game. He is always a speedy character in all games he is playable in. Some bios, specifically his Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Mario Superstar Baseball, and Mario Kart 8 bios, lampshade how he and his adult self are playable at the same time.

Quotes

 * "Waaaaaaaaa!!!" - Mario Golf
 * "Goo-goo, ga-ga" - Mario Golf
 * "Goo-goo, ga-ga spagetti" - Mario Tennis
 * "Baby Mario!" - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!/Mario Superstar Baseball/Mario Kart Wii
 * "Woo-hoo!" - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
 * "Not-a-bad, for a baby!" - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
 * "No-no-no-no-no-no. Mama-Mia." - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
 * "Mama-Mia!" - Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
 * "Luigi!" - Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
 * "Peekaboo!" - Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
 * "Goo-goo!" - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!/Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
 * "Thank you very much!" - Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time/Yoshi Touch & Go
 * "Okey-dokey!" - Mario Kart Wii
 * "Baby Time!" - Mario Kart Wii
 * "Let's-a go!" - Mario Kart Wii
 * "So long!" - Mario Kart Wii
 * "It's-a good! Go baby! Oh yeah." -Mario Kart Wii
 * "I win! I win! Nyah nyah! Hee-hee!" - Mario Kart Wii
 * "Yeah, baby mmmmm. Not too bad!" -Mario Kart Wii
 * "Uh-oh, I lose. Mama mia!" -Mario Kart Wii
 * "Yay!" -Mario Super Sluggers
 * "「ねぼうの小学生か!!」 ("Are you a student of sleeping in?!!")" -Super Mario-Kun volume 36, page 102

Trivia

 * In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Baby Mario's trophy states that he does not wear overalls, which contradicts his trophy appearance. The word "overalls" is changed to "mustache" in the European version.