Yoshi (species)

Yoshi (alternatively spelled Yoshis or Yoshies) are an intelligent species of dinosaur that first appeared in Super Mario World. They later starred in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Yoshi's Story, Yoshi Touch & Go, and Yoshi's Island DS.

Yoshi are mainly found on Yoshi's Island in Dinosaur Land, but have been known to inhabit other areas, most notably the Yoshi's Village of Lavalava Island.

''Super Mario World
Yoshis were first introduced in Super Mario World. Some Yoshis had been kidnapped by Bowser and his children during their invasion of Dinosaur Land. They had to be rescued by Mario and his brother Luigi, with help from their friend Yoshi.

Other green Yoshis, as well as red, yellow, blue Yoshis can be found in the Star World. Eating Koopa shells gives Yoshis different abilities: after eating a red shell, the Yoshi would spit out a fireball, while yellow shells would make it heavy enough to shake the ground each time it lands a jump, and blue shells cause the Yoshi to grow wings and fly. Red, yellow and blue Yoshis experience the effect of the corresponding shell colour regardless of the colour of the shell they themselves were holding in their mouth. The rainbow shells of a Kamikaze Koopa grant all three special effects, while green shells yield no extra abilities, and could merely be spat out as a ricocheting projectile. If the Yoshi holds the shell in its mouth for too long, it swallows it. Yoshis can also eat other enemies as well as berries that grow on bushes in certain areas; eating enough berries causes the Yoshi to lay an egg that hatches into a 1-Up Mushroom.

If the Yoshi gets hurt by an enemy, it drops Mario and runs around in a panic until Mario jumps back on its saddle.

Super Mario 64 / ''Super Mario 64 DS
The character Yoshi had a brief appearance in Super Mario 64 and played a pivotal role in the remake.

''Super Mario Sunshine
Yoshis play a major role in Super Mario Sunshine, acting as transportation for Mario proving themselves to be the key to obtaining several Shine Sprites. Yoshis normally appear in three different colors depending on what they eat: orange, pink, and purple. To get a Yoshi, Mario must first find a Yoshi Egg and give it the specific fruit it wants. Then the Yoshi will hatch and Mario can ride him. Each color of a Yoshi is also given the ability to spit different colored juice (the "Juice" ability replaces the function of F.L.U.D.D.) that affect enemies in different ways. The orange juice can turn enemies into orange hovering blocks that disappear after a short amount of time, while the purple and pink juices make a similar block of the corresponding color but move vertically or horizontally depending on the color. Unlike F.L.U.D.D., Yoshi can also destroy the orange oozy graffiti.

If a Yoshi falls into water or runs out of juice (which depletes as time goes on and as the Yoshi sprays it), it will turn green and spit water instead of juice for a few seconds, before vanishing altogether.

''New Super Mario Bros.
Yoshi, along with a red, a yellow and a blue Yoshi, appeared in some of the minigames in New Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Galaxy / ''Super Mario Galaxy 2
Yoshis were referenced in Super Mario Galaxy by a planet shaped like a Yoshi Egg in the Good Egg Galaxy and by a planet shaped like a Yoshi head in the Space Junk Galaxy. Yoshi later appeared in the flesh in the sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, where he helped Mario fight Bowser.

''New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Yellow, light blue, and pink Yoshis appear alongside the green Yoshi in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, where they aided Mario, Luigi and a pair of Toads save Princess Peach from Bowser.

In this game, the Yoshis can flutter jump and stomp enemies that Mario and the others couldn't normally defeat with jumps. Like in Super Mario World, the Yoshis main ability is how they can eat enemies, but they can't swallow shelled enemies at all, and the shells yield no special powers when held in the Yoshis' mouths. Instead, eating Venus Fire Trap allows the Yoshi to spit a fireball afterwards, and they can also fire ice balls and hammers right back at the enemies that threw them. Eating five berries and leaf-covered Pokeys causes Yoshis to lay eggs that hatch into useful items for the Mario Bros. and the Toads. When injured, the Yoshi throws off its ruder and runs around in a panic until someone jumps back on its saddle.

''Super Mario Adventures
In Nintendo Power's Super Mario Adventures comics, which is losely based on the Super Mario World video game, Bowser kidnaps various Yoshis from the Yoshi Village and their leader, Yoshi himself, has to team up with Mario and Luigi to save them and Princess Peach. Eventually they are able to free the Yoshis and have them stampede the wedding between Bowser and the brainwashed Peach, thus rescuing the princess. Bowser tries to hide in the giant wedding cake, but Mario has the Yoshis eat it, thus uncovering him and forcing him to accept defeat and leave Dinosaur Land.

Incidentally, in this depiction of Yoshi and his species, their language was shown to consist of nothing but the word "Yoshi", making it unintelligible to Mario and Luigi.

''N-Gang
Yoshi made several appearances in the German comic N-Gang.

''Club Nintendo
Yoshi also appeared in various issues of the other series of Nintendo-based German comics, Club Nintendo. Other Yoshis also appeared in a few issues:


 * Super Mario: Mario im Wunderland: In this comic, Mario meets a Yoshi who wants darker skin, and is eventually turned into a Black Yoshi by the Crab wizard.
 * Auf der Suche nach dem Glück!: In this comic, Kamek sucks all of the color out of Yoshi's Island. But out of six gray Yoshi eggs hatches six colorful Baby Yoshis. The Yoshis soon see that something is wrong with the world around them when a colorful Lakitu flies over to them and tells them the predicament that they're in. The Yoshis then go to town and start eating all of the fruit in the market. After their feast, the color starts returning. They are soon on a talk show that Baby Bowser is watching which makes Baby Bowser furious. So he and Kamek go out to find the Yoshis. Meanwhile the Yoshi finish the talk show and start a band concert about fruit. Baby Bowser and Kamek soon interrupt their concert and trap them in a force field. The people in the stands then start throwing fruit at the Yoshis, which the Yoshis eat and use to break out of the force field. Baby Bowser and Kamek attempt to fly away, but Baby Bowser falls off and lands in a cannon. A clown then blasts the cannon and shoots Baby Bowser into the sky, ending the comic.
 * Die Nacht der leuchtenden Yoshis!: This comic is part 2 of the comic above. The Yoshis are at the beach and having a great time when a shark appears in the water. Everyone flees for their lives except a Green and Yellow Yoshi who are still swimming. When they notice the shark they panic and try to swim away, but end up needing to be saved by a lifeguard. After they are all out of the water, it turns out to be a Black Yoshi. When the Yoshis see him they think he has dirt all over him because they have never seen a Black Yoshi before. So thinking they're cleaning him, they wash him. He turns out still black when he tells them this is his skin. They all reject and leave him and he stands in the same spot until night falls. the Yoshis then camp out as soon as night falls. Meanwhile, hiding in a bush, Baby Bowser and Kamek plan the Yoshis' capture, waiting until their prey are asleep before raisding the campsite with an army of Shy Guys. Then, out of nowhere, both Kamek and Baby Bowser are struck by Yoshi Eggs. They then get angry and ask who did that, only to have dozens and dozens of eggs rain down and chase them away. It turns out that Black Yoshi is the one who threw the eggs. He then unties the Yoshis and tells them his story. It turns out that he is the same Yoshi from Super Mario: Mario im Wunderland who was turned black by the wizard. It turns out that after he was turned black life got harder: he wasn't allowed into movies, he was yelled at, and he was chased by a chef who wanted to make a meatball out of him. The Yoshis finally accept the Black Yoshi as a friend, and they all have a good rest of the night.
 * Das Lied der Yoshi's!: This short 1-page comic is part 3 of the comics above. It pictures the Yoshis continuing their life and doing many different things. The last part of the comic shows all of the Yoshis singing together.

Mario Discovery series
Yoshi aided Luigi in rescuing Mario from Bowser in the edutainment game, Mario is Missing! He was also present in the NES version of the sequel, Mario's Time Machine, in which he is captured by Bowser and has to be rescued by Mario.

''Yoshi
In the eponymous first game of the Yoshi series, Mario has to arrange egg halves and enemies to produce Small, Tall, Winged, and Star Yoshis. To get a Small Yoshi, Mario must combine two halves of a Yoshi egg. To get a Tall Yoshi, Mario must have one to four enemies in between the two halves of an egg. To get a Winged Yoshi, Mario must have five or six enemies in between the two halves of an egg. To get a Star Yoshi, Mario must have seven enemies in between the two halves of an egg. If a Small Yoshi hatches, 50 points are awarded. If a Tall Yoshi hatches, 100-250 points are awarded. If a Winged Yoshi hatches, 300-350 points are awarded. If a Star Yoshi hatches, 500 points are awarded.

''Yoshi's Cookie
In Yoshi's Cookie, Mario and Yoshi make cookies and confront Bowser.

''Yoshi's Safari
Mario rides atop Yoshi to save the kingdom of Jewelry Land from Bowser during the events of Yoshi's Safari.

''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is set long before Super Mario World and tells the story of Mario and Luigi's first days of life. Baby Bowser's caretaker Kamek had predicted that the two babies born that morning spelled disaster for the Koopas and attempted to kidnap them before the Stork could deliver them to their parents. However, he only manages to snag Baby Luigi, while Baby Mario falls to Yoshi's Island and lands unscathed on Yoshi's back.

The infant causes some brief panic amongst the Yoshi community, until Yoshi takes charge and decides to help reunite Mario and Luigi and send them to their parents. The other Yoshis agree to help him transport Baby Mario across Yoshi's Island to Bowser's Castle through use of a relay system. Each Yoshi carries the baby for one level in each world, before passing him on to the next Yoshi in line. To defend him against Kamek's forces and the hostile wildlife of the island, the Yoshis eat enemies, turning them into eggs which they can then throw at other enemies and obstacles. The Yoshis can also transform themselves into various vehicles through the use of Morph Bubbles, which helps them progress through the island. Eventually, Yoshi defeats Baby Bowser and forced Kamek to retreat, allowing him to rescue Baby Luigi and the Stork. The Yoshis then send them on their way to Mario and Luigi's parents.

''Tetris Attack
In Tetris Attack, Bowser curses Yoshi's friends, including a Baby Yoshi,forcing the green dinosaur to set things right once more. Yoshis of various colours also appear in the title screen.

''Yoshi's Story
Baby Bowser was not happy with the loss he suffered during Yoshi's Island and takes his revenge during the events of Yoshi's Story. Baby Bowser and his forces return to Yoshi's Island and steal the Super Happy Tree, the source of the island's happiness. The young Koopa then casts a spell on the island, transforming the vacation paradise into a storybook. He then incapacitates the Yoshis with a curse, so that they cannot stop him.

Fortunately, Baby Bowser's spell did not affect six baby Yoshis who still in their eggs. When they hatch, the six newborns sense that the island was in disarray. Taking the lead, a new Green Yoshi decides the babies must find the Super Happy Tree to refill the island with happiness. The five other baby Yoshis agree and together they set out to find the tree and restore peace to the island.

The Yoshis travel across the island, eating fruits to boost their own happiness levels. Green Yoshi personally enjoys watermelons the most. As their collective happiness increases, more and more worlds become available to the Yoshis. Eventually, Green Yoshi and his companions reach Baby Bowser's Castle. Together they defeat the young king and reclaim the Super Happy Tree, restoring the island to its natural, peaceful and joyful state.

''Yoshi's Universal Gravitation
In Yoshi's Universal Gravitation (also known as Yoshi Topsy-Turvy) Yoshi's Island has once again been turned into a storybook, but this time, a spirit named Hongo is responsible. He did this to contain Bowser's trouble-making, but agrees that if Yoshi can subdue Bowser, he will restore the island.

''Yoshi Touch & Go
In Yoshi Touch & Go, the Yoshis have to transport Baby Mario to the Stork after Kamek kidnapped Baby Luigi and caused the bird to drop Mario. The colour of the Yoshi varies depending on how many coins the player collected while guiding baby Mario down to the ground. No further plot or background story is revealed.

''Yoshi's Island DS
In Yoshi's Island DS, Bowser and Kamek travel back in time to kidnap seven Star Children in order to use the energy within their bodies to let Bowser take over the world. Since they don't know the identity of the children, they endeavor to kidnap every single infant in the Mushroom World, but one way or another, their quarry escapes their clutches. Only one child, a baby Yoshi, is not involved at all (although it is possible that the baby is Yoshi himself, who is now grown up); Baby Luigi is successfully captured, but manages to avoid detection for the duration of his imprisonment, and all the other children escape or are cast out by the villains, and help the Yoshis save the rest of the babies.

The gameplay is similar to the original Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, although different babies have skills that help the Yoshis. With Baby Mario, Yoshis can dash around quickly and their eggs bounce off walls. With Baby Peach, they can flutter higher and catch winds with her parasol. Baby Donkey Kong can climb vines, carrying his Yoshi steed with him, and eggs thrown while he is present create small explosions when they hit. Baby Wario can collect coins and move metal objects with his magnet and Yoshis' eggs bounce. Finally, while Baby Bowser's weight means the Yoshi carrying him cannot eat enemies and make eggs, his fireballs can be used to defeat enemies and clear obstacles. A Yoshi can exchange the baby it is carrying for a different baby by visiting a Stork Stop, where the bird will bring in the new child and depart with the original one. Not all babies are available in all areas, however.

In the final battle, Yoshi and three others fight Bowser, carrying babies Mario, Peach, DK and Wario (Baby Bowser turned traitor when they reached Bowser's Castle). After their defeat, the Koopas return to the future and the babies are brought home by the Storks.

Mario Kart series
Yoshi appears as a playable racing character in every Mario Kart game, and many Yoshi-themed areas have appeared: Mario Kart 64 has Yoshi Valley, Mario Kart: Super Circuit has Yoshi Desert, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! has Yoshi Circuit, Mario Kart DS has Yoshi Falls and reuses Yoshi Circuit, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 has a two-course Yoshi stage, and while it doesn't introduce a new course, Mario Kart Wii reuses Yoshi Falls from the DS title.

Mario sports games
Yoshi is included as a playable character in various Mario Tennis and Mario Golf games, as well as both Mario Baseball and both Mario Football titles, Mario Hoops 3-on-3, and Mario Sports Mix. In Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Yoshis serve as the main objective in Dream Equestrian, where players must race to the finish line, carrying a wagon full of seven color Yoshi eggs. The eggs will hatch into Yoshis upon reaching the goal.

''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Mario and his partners visit Yo'ster Island, where Yoshis race each other for sport in a competition known as the Mushroom Derby. Unfortunately, the last winner of the derby was an arrogant Yoshi named Boshi who proceeded to name himself leader of Yo'ster Island and suspend the races. Instead, only one-on-one races between himself and slower Yoshis were allowed, with Yoshi Cookies as the prize. When Mario arrives, he helps Yoshi defeat Boshi in a race, prompting the people to try and appoint Yoshi as their new leader. Yoshi declines the offer, however, and instead has the Mushroom Derby re-opened to everyone, with no one Yoshi in charge.

During the game, Yoshi also serves as a translator between Mario and the Yoshis, who speak their own language.

Mario Party series
Yoshi appears as a playable character in all the Mario Party games.

Super Smash Bros. series
Yoshi appears as a playable character in all the Super Smash Bros. series titles, in which he has various alternate colors, in addition to the basic green: red, blue, yellow, pink, and light blue. Some stages and events involve fighting multiple Yoshis.

In Super Smash Bros., four of the six Yoshi colors were playable; green, red, light blue, and yellow. All six Yoshi colors became playable in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

''Paper Mario
Mario and his partners visit a Yoshi Village on Lavalava Island during the events of Paper Mario. They were there looking for a Star Spirit that Bowser had trapped in a playing card and given to a minion to guard within the island's volcano, but they find they can't get into the mountain on their own. The Yoshi Village Leader says he'll help Mario and the others if they help round up five missing Yoshi Kids. With the help of their Cheep-Cheep babysitter, Sushie, Mario and co. soon find the young Yoshis and can continue on with their quest.

''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
When Mario and his current set of partners visit Glitzville in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, they soon find themselves with custody of a Yoshi egg, after its initial owner, a hotdog vendor, decided against cooking and serving it once he realized it could move on its own accord. For a while, the egg follows Mario and his partners. Then, after the match with the Armored Harriers, Mario returns to find that the egg had hatched into a Baby Yoshi, the colour of whom varies depending on how much time had passed between Mario's acquisition of the egg and its hatching. Mario names the Yoshi, who then travels with him and the other partners for the remainder if the game, before becoming a fighter at the Glitz Pit after the quest is over.

One of the Yoshi's attacks involves summoning a stampede of green Yoshis to trample the enemy, and another green Yoshi businessman can be found on the Excess Express.

''Super Paper Mario
Although Yoshis don't appear as a character in this game, a stone statue of one appears in Chapter 5: Land of the Cragnons. There is also a Sammer Guy called "Belly of the Yoshi".

''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
This game shows that Yoshis also live in the Beanbean Kingdom. They are found at Yoshi Theater and Mario and Luigi must find Bean Fruit for hungry Yoshis to earn a Beanstar piece. They can be seen in the credits in Yoshi Theater watching the events of this game as well.

''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the invading aliens known as the Shroobs deposit what appears to be a giant Yoshi Egg on Yoshi's Island. It swiftly becomes a tourist attraction, but eventually hatches into a monster known as Yoob, which proceeds to eat every Yoshi it can catch. A factory in its belly then encases the eaten Yoshis in Yoob Eggs, so that they will also hatch as monsters and help wreak havoc on the world. Fortunately, the plan is foiled by Yoshi, aided by Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and the adult Mario and Luigi, who had both traveled back in time to save Peach and stop the aliens. Yoshi discovers a way to escape through Yoob's digestive tract and the four Mario Bros. liberate the captured and imprisoned Yoshis to help him. They also defeat the guardian of the factory, Sunnycide, and once the Yoshis escape and the factory is destroyed, Yoob falls asleep.

''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
During one of the Fawful Guys' attacks, a roar very similar to Yoob's can heard. In the attack, a long tongue (presumably belonging to a Fawfulized Yoshi) turns them into an egg and spits them out. This is a reference to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Yoshi noises were seen in the code of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story but unused. It is unknown if Yoshis themselves were going to appear in the game or it was left over from Partners in Time (as the game's engine was based off this game's).

Biology
A Yoshi's dominating feature is the snout, which takes up a large portion of the overall head. The nose is very sensitive and is often used for smelling out fruit or other secrets that could be buried underground.

Yoshi are especially known for their long, adhesive tongues that cling to most enemies, allowing a Yoshi to swallow it whole. They can either swallow whatever they eat, or encase it in an egg. The eggs can then be used as projectile weapons to defeat other enemies and bosses. Yoshi also presumably have a strong and efficient digestive system, which digests live enemies very quickly.

Though Yoshi have teeth, they don't usually use them and prefer to swallow food whole. The teeth usually aren't even seen, but are clearly visible in Yoshi's Island DS death and Flutter Jump animation.

Physical Appearance
Yoshi come in a variety of colors, including black and white. In Super Mario Sunshine they can even change skin color by eating different fruit, while their colors are determined by hatching time in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

In Super Mario World, Yoshi had abilities depending on their color and Koopa Shells. If a Blue Yoshi eats a Koopa Shell, it could grow wings. If a Red Yoshi eats a Koopa Shell, it could spit Fireballs.

Shoes color is also usually in conjunction with skin color: a green Yoshi has red shoes, a red Yoshi has blue shoes, etc. This shoe color denomination was not set up until Yoshi's Story.

This is all the (known) colors for a Yoshi and the first appearance of said color of Yoshi.
 * Green Yoshi – ''Super Mario World
 * Red Yoshi – ''Super Mario World
 * Yellow Yoshi – ''Super Mario World
 * Blue Yoshi – ''Super Mario World
 * Pink Yoshi – ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
 * Light Blue Yoshi – ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
 * Purple Yoshi – ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
 * Brown Yoshi – ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
 * Black Yoshi – ''Yoshi's Story
 * White Yoshi – ''Yoshi's Story
 * Orange Yoshi – ''Super Mario Sunshine

Apart from Skin color, a Yoshi's physical appearance may also differ depending how old they are. For example, in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the Yoshi appears much smaller compared to other Yoshi. He also has hair, while most other Yoshis do not, though this is most likely to differentiate the character as playable.

Speech
Yoshi are capable of speaking human language, as proven by Yoshi in Super Mario World and Super Mario 64, as well as various other Yoshi in games like Yoshi's Story, Paper Mario, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Super Mario Galaxy 2 (featuring the main Yoshi) and others. However, it has been suggested that Yoshi speaking human language is rare, as the main Yoshi must translate for Mario in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.

In older games (and in more recent ones, such as New Super Mario Bros. Wii), the voice of different Yoshi were a sound created by a backwards record scratching (in Super Mario World there was only one green Yoshi who spoke a text bubble - after that, Yoshi only made the sounds). In Yoshi's Story, the Yoshi are voiced by Nintendo musician Kazumi Totaka, who mutters the word "Yoshi" and unintelligible words (such as "gong" and "hup"); it is also worth noting that his voice was sped up to create the squeaky, childish voice of the Yoshi in this game.

Oddly, in the Mario & Luigi series, Yoshi still speak with Super Mario RPG-style translation parenthesis.

As a final note on language, the Super Mario Adventures comic joked that, much as would be repeated years later with Yoshi's Story, Yoshi could only speak the word "Yoshi" with various marks of punctuation.

Gender
Little is known about the gender-differences of Yoshi. The Japanese version of Super Smash Bros. Melee states in Yoshi's trophy that Yoshi reproduce asexually, meaning that they reproduce without a mate, and are neither male nor female.

All Yoshi are shown to lay eggs, though not all are used for reproduction. Most are actually used as weapons, as first shown in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. However Game & Watch Gallery 2 and Game and Watch Gallery 4 feature the Chef minigame, in which the main Yoshi is actually seen laying eggs that do hatch.

At least one of the Yoshi in Paper Mario refers to his "son," and in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the Yoshi who sometimes appears on-board the Excess Express expresses his hatred of business trips due to them keeping him away from his "lovely wife." Additionally, in the original Mario Party, two Yoshi, one specifically male and the other specifically female, hoped to be reunited, and eventually were, though the two did not appear to have a romantic relationship.

Finally, in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Otacon states that Yoshi is a male, contrary to Solid Snake's belief. Male pronouns are often applied to Yoshi in his other appearances, though male pronouns can sometimes be given to someone of unknown sex. It should also be noted that the Japanese rarely use gender-specific pronouns at all.

Diet
Though omnivorous, Yoshi eat mostly fruit, and in Yoshi's Story, they become happy when eating fruit of their own skin color. Melons are their favorite fruit regardless of skin color. Very few Yoshis, such as Black and White Yoshi, could digest Peppers without hurting themselves. However, in Super Mario Galaxy 2, the playable green Yoshi can eat the Dash Pepper, turning him red-orange, and causing him to run very fast for a short amount of time. All Yoshis can eat enemies of various kinds, from large Koopas to plants. Also, if they eat a Bean Fruit, then they will lay a rare Neon Egg, the color of which depends on the Yoshi's own skin color.

Other Notes

 * Yoshis are the originator of the "Ground Pound", a move in which a creature jumps into the air, flips and then slams into the ground. Yoshis first performed the move in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Yoshi uses "Ground Pound" in the Super Smash Bros. series as a special attack. The move has been performed by many characters in later games, such as Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and various entries in the Mario Party franchise.
 * The plural for Yoshi has often come up in debates. Some argue that "Yoshis" is the proper term, while others argue that "Yoshies" is correct. Japanese plurals have no indicative marks, meaning that "Yoshi" is another possibility. Nintendo of America has used both "Yoshies" and "Yoshis" in the Super Nintendo and Game Boy Advance versions of Yoshi's Island, respectively. It could be that both versions are valid.
 * In the Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance 4 adaptations of Super Mario Bros. 3, the king in the castle of World seven is transformed into a Green Yoshi by Ludwig Von Koopa (whereas in the NES version of the game, predating Yoshis, the king was transformed into a Piranha Plant).
 * In Super Smash Bros. Melee and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, it's confirmed that Yoshis tend to travel in very large herds; consisting of thousands. They can also create stampedes that are similar to that of the real world animal, the Wildebeest.
 * Yoshis have apparently existed since Stone Age, as seen in the Club Nintendo comic "Super Mario: Verloren in der Zeit".
 * Certain Yoshis have the ability to swim, but some can't dive underwater. Also, Yoshis that live on or around Isle Delfino are unable to come into contact with any body of water, which makes them turn green and disappear.

Online Collectible Card Bio
''While not the strongest pitcher, Yoshi's Egg Swing and Tongue Catch help round him out as a team captain. And it may sound strange, but he plays best when surrounded by a lineup of babies.''

Notable Yoshis

 * Yoshi (a.k.a. Green Yoshi) – ''Super Mario World
 * Yoshi (a.k.a. Yoshi Kid) – ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Boshi – ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
 * Little Yoshi – ''Tetris Attack
 * Village Leader – ''Paper Mario
 * Yoob – ''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Groups

 * Fearsome 5 – ''Paper Mario

Trivia

 * Yoshis seem to resemble Koopa Troopas, for they have tall eyes, big noses, and a saddle that bears a resemblance to a Koopa Troopa's shell. A Yellow Yoshi also has the same skin color and color of shoes that resembles a Koopa Troopa more than the other Yoshis do.
 * In fact, Yoshis were originally supposed to be a type of Koopa; the saddles on their backs were actually supposed to be their shell.