Mario vs. Wario: The Birthday Bash

Mario vs. Wario: The Birthday Bash is a follow-up to the original Mario vs. Wario comic, published in Nintendo Power a year later, in issue #56 (January 1994). It is a completely original work independent of any game, and has not been reprinted since its original release.

Story
Both Mario and Wario receive an invitation to Princess Toadstool's birthday party on the next Sunday. Thinking about the perfect present to get her, the two recall a recent trip to the park, when the princess noticed a Samus Doll in a store window and expressed it was cute. Both of them decide to get her the doll for her birthday. At the toy store, however, Wario is enraged to learn that the doll is sold out, the clerk telling him that the last one was bought by a man with a big, black mustache. Positive it was Mario, he instead buys a jack-in-the-box and has it wrapped identically.

The next Sunday, Mario and Wario are at the birthday party. Wario tries to get Mario away from his own present so he can switch them, but Toadstool asks Wario to help her by hanging up a sign. The doorbell rings, and the princess asks Mario to let the guests in, during which Wario swaps the gifts. Wario then gives Mario's present to Toadstool, but when she opens it the jack-in-the-box springs out and scares her. Mario presents his gift, which Wario tries to insist is his actual gift, but she opens the present to find another jack-in-the-box. Mario and Wario start fighting, but quickly realize that neither of them bought the doll. When the princess starts crying, Luigi cheers her up by giving her his gift, which turns out to be the Samus Doll. Toadstool gives Luigi a kiss, which Mario and Wario brood over.

Trivia

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