Warp Pipe

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 don't even work. 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.

''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, although 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.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
Warp Pipes in Super Mario 64 and its remake are usually found at the end of the Bowser levels and are mainly used as a means of transporting Mario from the main level to the battle arena where he fights Bowser. They are also used in Tiny-Huge Island where jumping into them will make Mario enter the tiny or huge version of the island. Additionally, Mario appears out of a Warp Pipe at the beginning of the game.

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 a large grassy area where the player must collect eight red coins, and a large slide with holes in it. 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 a secret toxic river level. Another green Warp Pipe is found in Episode 4 of Sirena Beach, behind a flipping tile wall.

Red Warp Pipes are only found 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 top of 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.

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 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 large Piranha Plants.

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 Luma Shops which sells 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 as if it was a Warp Pipe. The chimney leads to the processing room.

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" seemed 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 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 used it switched places with another player on the board via roulette. This made it successor of the Warp Block.

''Mario Party 5
In Mario Party 5, it became a Capsule, where it could be thrown to a space on the board, or used on the player for ten coins. Its effect was still the same as from Mario Party 4.

''Mario Party 6
In Mario Party 6, it became an Orb that players could only use on themselves, but for free (it costs ten coins at the Orb Shop, though). Again, effect was still the same.

''Mario Party 7
In Mario Party 7, the effect was changed to a roadblock form, where opponents who passed by the space containing the orb were caught by the Warp Pipe, and were sent back to the space they were at when their turn started.

''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.

Paper Mario series
In the Paper Mario series, Blue Pipes can also take Mario to different places and locations. In Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, pipes to different locations that Mario previously visited can be unlocked in the Toad Town Tunnels and Rogueport Sewers respectively. In both games the pipes are blue instead of the general green pipes. Super Paper Mario also features smaller warp pipes, 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, 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.

''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.

''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. However, these pipes were one use only and disappeared as soon as the brothers jumped through them.

''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.

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

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.

''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.

Trivia

 * 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.
 * 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 off other video games: in multiple parts of that level, the player has to jump into a Warp Pipe to advance further into the level.