Pauline

Pauline (initially known as Lady or the Lady in Japan) was the damsel-in-distress in the game Donkey Kong. She was, at the time, Mario's girlfriend; however, she is not a princess, she is just a regular woman. In the game, Pauline was kidnapped by the original Donkey Kong (who may currently be the elderly Cranky Kong) and taken to a construction site. Of course, Mario, who was then a construction worker, had to rescue her. As he climbed to the top of the construction site, Mario could collect various articles Pauline had dropped, such as her purse or hat, for bonus points. Pauline also made a cameo along with Mario in the game Pinball.

Pauline has not been seen much since, as she has been replaced by Princess Peach (and, to a lesser extent, Princess Daisy) as Mario's love interest. She did however, reappear in Donkey Kong '94 (where she played the same role she did in her first appearance), and she has returned in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, fifteen years after Donkey Kong. In this game, she was once again kidnapped by Donkey Kong. Mario, of course, had to rescue the damsel, but this time he had the help of the Mini Mario Toys. The relationship status of Mario and Pauline is not mentioned in this game; however, the manual says that they are just good friends.

Trivia

 * Pauline was named after the movie serial The Perils of Pauline. Much like her video game counterpart, the movie character Pauline constantly gets kidnapped.
 * In the Super Mario Bros. movie, there is a character named Daniella. Like Pauline, she is a regular woman and Mario's girlfriend.
 * Pauline appeared in the CBS series Saturday Supercade in 1983. She was voiced by Judy Strangis.
 * Pauline made a cameo in Tetris DS.