Yamamura

Yamamura is a rock dove with Mario's emblem on the breast who appears in Super Mario Maker. He is named after veteran Nintendo level designer Yasuhisa Yamamura. He is a companion of Mary O. and Undo Dog, frequently appearing alongside them. According to Mary O, Yamamura is a skilled level creator, and Yamamura has a section that includes ten design tips for making better levels. His way of communication is simple coos, but with words in parentheses translating them. According to official bios, Yamamura likes eating edamame, soybeans in the pod, and taking long walks in the park. Yamamura has also created levels that are part of an officially released set of levels, most of them being edited versions of Mary O.'s courses.

As part of the New Year's contest for 2016, Yamamura challenged Mary O. to a level creation contest and won, with his 13% Stars per Play compared to Mary O.'s 7% Stars per Play. As his gift, on January 12, 2016, Yamamura is released as a Mystery Mushroom costume, which can be unlocked by clearing the Cooooo! (Feat. Yamamura) Event Course.

Super Mario Maker bio

 * "He's a pigeon. That much is clear. For reasons beyond our understanding, he's also a master of Mario course creation. He loves edamame and long walks in the park."

Comic 1

 * Mary O.: "Wow! Everyone's having so much fun uploading the Super Mario Maker courses they've created!"
 * Yamamura: "Coo." "(Your words ring true. Over two million courses have been uploaded to date.)"
 * Mary O.: "Make that over two million AND ONE. I made one too! Can you try it out for me, Yamamura?"
 * Yamamura: "Coo..." "(As you wish, my apprentice. Here goes nothing...)"
 * Yamamura: "..."
 * Yamamura: "COO?!" "(What is this monstrosity?!)"
 * Mary O.: "OH DEAR!! Is it really that bad?!"
 * Yamamura: "Coo." "(Yes. It really is. I'd rather bunk with a Bob-omb than ever look at that disgrace again. Now I'm filled with a burning need to show you the error of your ways.)"
 * Mary O.: "You're quite...honest, aren't you? OK, so what didn't you like about it?"
 * Yamamura: "Coo." "(To start, everything. It's full of awful ambushes. Thwomps placed above the screen where the player can't see them. Lava Bubbles leaping out of nowhere. That's not coo.)"
 * Mary O.: "What do you mean? Surprises are fun!"
 * Yamamura: "Coo." "(Fun for who? For players, the fun comes when they notice an ambush in the nick of time and evade it. If there's no warning whatsoever, that's no fun at all.)"
 * Mary O.: "Oh, I hadn't thought of it like that..."
 * Yamamura: "Coo." "(Clearly. You also used too many enemies. With so many foes attacking from all sides, the player is in a constant state of tension and confusion. Courses are more enjoyable when there's a balance of calm and chaos.)"
 * Mary O.: "Hmm, that makes sense! I'd really like to get better at making courses... Do you have any tips?"
 * Yamamura: "Coo. Coo!" "(Only if you buy me some edamame. My massive pigeon brain needs fuel! Now then, let's start by making a course with the player in mind. In fact, that's your homework for this lesson. Make me proud!)"
 * Mary O.: "I'm on it! I CAN DO THIS!!"

Comic 2

 * Mary O.: "Yamamura! I finished my homework!!"
 * Yamamura: "Coo?"
 * Mary O.: "Don't you "coo" me! Have you forgotten already? Honestly, you're such a birdbrain! You promised to teach me how to make better courses!"
 * Yamamura: "Coo... Coo? (I'll assume you meant birdbrain as a compliment... But aren't YOU forgetting something?)"
 * Mary O.: "Me? I don't believe so..."
 * Yamamura: "COO!! (My tasty reward!!)"
 * Mary O.: "Oh my, you need to calm down. They're right here, you silly pigeon. A big bag of edamame!"
 * Yamamura: "Coo! Coo. (So coo! All right then, I'll take a look at your course as I snack.)"
 * Yamamura: "Coo... Coo. Coo? (Let's see... There. I've marked the parts that caught my eye with numbers. By the way, did you enjoy making this one?)"
 * Mary O.: "I did! With my first course, there were so many different elements, I wasn't sure where to start. Since I was limited to only a few this time, it was a lot easier to get going!"
 * Yamamura: "Coo. (I see, I see.) *munch munch* (Mmm... Delicious...)"
 * Mary O.: "(I wonder if he's really listening...) Oh! I noticed something else too. With so few elements to work with, if I placed them just anywhere, the course got pretty repetitive . I had to be creative with how I used the different objects to come up with fun layouts."
 * Yamamura: "Coo! Coo. (Brilliant! That's exactly why I gave you those limitations. With fewer elements to work with, it's easier to notice the importance of placement . Instead of focusing on the objects or enemies themselves, you start to think about how you want Mario to interact with them . That's what counts! Now then, let's take a closer look at your course.)"
 * Mary O.: "Ooh! This is a much better course now!"
 * Yamamura: "Coo! Coo... Coo? (Agreed! But back to that last area... Have you tried jumping on the Big Goomba in between those pipes?)"
 * Mary O.: "The Big Goomba? Hoo! Hah! Waaahoooo!! Wow, that was great! What a rush!!"
 * Yamamura: "C-coo... Coo? Coo. (R-right... I've never seen your speech sparkle like that. Weird. At any rate, it's quite satisfying, isn't it? Creating that feeling is the focus of your next lesson. Here's your new homework!)"
 * Mary O.: "A satisfying course... That sounds difficult! May I have a hint?"
 * Yamamura: "Coo. (Give the player exciting jumps to make, that kind of thing. You'll do great.)"
 * Mary O.: "Exciting jumps, got it! I suppose jumps are the core of any Mario game, after all. I'll see what I can do!"