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Many musical tracks in the New Super Mario Bros. series incorporate sound effects that enemies and objects on-screen may briefly react to. These sounds are usually vocal samples that punctuate the background music at the end of a melodic phrase.
The first sample that was used for this purpose is "Paah", created by sample library vendor Best Service and found in Best Service Voice Spectral Volume 1. The same CD also contains "Taaa", which was used for a similar but alternate sound effect.[1] An additional bell sample from the Series 4000 Hollywood Sound Effects Library was used in underwater stages for the same purpose.[2] This has become somewhat of a meme in the general online community.
As it could otherwise be assumed that the in-game characters do not hear the background music, their reaction to these sound effects may be considered to break the fourth wall.
History
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
The jingle that plays immediately after entering a painting in Super Mario 64 uses the "Paah" sample to play the first six notes of the Ground Theme from Super Mario Bros. Unlike later uses of the sample, it has no gameplay effect. New Super Mario Bros. may have repurposed the sample due to its presence in the Nintendo DS remake, Super Mario 64 DS.
 Game Start | File info 0:03 |
New Super Mario Bros.
New Super Mario Bros. is the first game to give the "Paah" sound a gameplay function. In the main, underground, athletic, desert, beach and lava themes, some enemies and objects will react to certain sounds. A table summarizing entities' responses across different New Super Mario Bros. games can be found below.
In certain level themes, the "Paah" vocals are replaced with other sounds that have the same function. The main and athletic themes use the "Paah" sample, while the underground, desert, beach, and lava themes use the "Taaa" sample. The underwater theme uses the bell sound effect.
Pre-release versions of New Super Mario Bros. used an orchestral hit in place of the final game's vocal samples.
| Main Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Athletic Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Underground Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Underwater Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Desert Overworld Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Beach Overworld Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Lava Overworld Theme | File info 0:30 |
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
While New Super Mario Bros. Wii uses new overworld, underground, and athletic themes, the "Paah" sound reappears in these new versions, serving the same purpose. It also appears in the new desert, beach, forest, snow, and lava overworld music, as well as the lava underground music.
There are two points in the tower theme that act as "bah"s; each is at the start of a slow trill that plays on bass marimba and strings near the beginning of the loop. In the castle theme, the sound of orchestral cymbals is used in place of "bah"s.
| Overworld Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Underground Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Tower Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Underwater Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Athletic Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Castle Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Desert Overworld Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Snow Overworld Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Beach Overworld Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Jungle Overworld Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Lava Overworld Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Lava Underground Theme | File info 0:30 |
New Super Mario Bros. 2
In New Super Mario Bros. 2, the "Paah" sound reappears in the new ground theme and athletic theme, as well as the desert, beach, forest, snow, lava overworld, and lava underground music reused from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The xylophone glissando also reappears in the underwater theme. Additionally, this game is the only game in the series to incorporate "Paah" vocals in the music of Ghost House, tower and castle levels. The latter two also feature the sound effects that were previously used in their New Super Mario Bros. Wii renditions in place of the "bah" vocals, but stage elements now only respond to the vocals.
The vocals with the "bah" effect are distinct from the new "yah" or "lah" samples accompanying the ground and athletic themes, which play alongside the melody in the overworld theme and instead of it in the athletic theme. As the melody in these themes is otherwise the same as in their New Super Mario Bros. Wii counterparts, enemies and objects only react to the bahs that were present originally.
| Overworld Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Athletic Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Ghost House Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Tower Theme | File info 0:30 |
| Castle Theme | File info 0:30 |
New Super Mario Bros. U
In New Super Mario Bros. U and its port, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, the "bah" sounds reappear in the underground, desert and forest overworld music from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Additionally, they are present in the new ground, athletic and snow themes. The xylophone glissando sound appears again in the underwater theme. New Super Luigi U, an expansion to this game, simply reuses the music from New Super Mario Bros. U, so the same actions occur when the "bah" sound is played.
Super Mario Maker series
The Super Mario Maker games reuse the underground, underwater, desert, forest and snow overworld music from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and the overworld and athletic music from New Super Mario Bros. U. However, enemies in these games do not react to the music, so the "bah" sounds serve no functional purpose.
Table of reactions
The table below lists the reactions of various elements in the New Super Mario Bros. games to these sounds. Many of these reactions are aesthetic, but some can have a small effect on gameplay, such as enemies making adjustments to their position instead of walking at a constant rate.
| Enemy/character/object | Reaction | Game(s) where this applies | ||||
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| New Super Mario Bros. | New Super Mario Bros. Wii | New Super Mario Bros. 2 | New Super Mario Bros. U | New Super Luigi U | ||
| Blockhopper | Performs a short hop if the player is far away. If the player is nearby, the Blockhopper will bounce wildly in their direction; if they are standing on top of it, it will bounce in the direction that they are facing. | 
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| Blooper | Twirls. |
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| Blooper Baby | Twirls (only when following a Blooper Nanny). |
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| Blooper Nanny | Twirls. |
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| Blue Shell | Performs a short hop. |
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| Bob-omb | Performs a short hop. |
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| Bone Goomba | Performs a short hop. |
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| Bone Yogan Lift | Eyes glow. |
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| Bramball | Turns its head into an orange-like fruit. When hit from underneath in this state, Bramball will drop several coins instead of just one. |
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| Bulber | Briefly opens its mouth. |
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| Bullet Bill | Twirls. |
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| Buzzy Beetle | Performs a short hop. |
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| Big Buzzy Beetle |
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| Cheep Cheepa | Twirls. |
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| Big Cheep Cheep |
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| Cooligan | Performs a small hop while flapping their wings. If their sunglasses are knocked off, their hop is even shorter. |
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| Deep Cheep | Twirls (unless chasing). |
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| Big Deep Cheep | ||||||
| Dragoneel | Twirls. |
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| Dry Bones | Rotates its head. |
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| Stops and does a short dance. When there are two bahs in short succession, it puts its hands together and swings its arms to both sides. |
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| Big Dry Bones | Rotates its head. |
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| Stops and does a short dance. When there are two bahs in short succession, it puts its hands together and swings its arms to both sides. |
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| Eep Cheep | Twirls. |
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| Big Eep Cheep |
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| Fish Bone | Twirls. |
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| Flowerb | Pulsates. |
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| Flower items (Fire Flower/Ice Flower/Gold Flower) |
Performs a short hop. |
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| Goomba | Performs a short hop. |
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| Hefty Goomba |
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| Big Goomba | ||||||
| Goombrat | Flaps its leaves. |
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| Jellybeam | Glows a little brighter. |
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| Koopa Paratroopa | Does a short dance. When there are two bahs in short succession, it swings its opposing limbs on the second bah. |
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| Koopa Troopa | Turns towards the camera. |
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| Stops and does a short dance while facing the camera. When there are two bahs in short succession, it swings its arms to both sides and lifts its foot lower. |
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| Big Koopa Troopa | Like with the regular Koopa Troopa, it stops and does a short dance, albeit without facing the camera; when there are two bahs in short succession, it swings its arms to both sides and lifts its foot lower. |
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| Lakitu's Cloud | Swells up. |
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| Mouths to the "bah" vocals. |
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| Mushroom items (Super Mushroom/1-Up Mushroom/Mini Mushroom/Gold Mushroom) |
Performs a short hop. |
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| Penguin Suit | Performs a short hop. |
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| Pokey | Turns its segments into orange-like fruit, enabling a Yoshi or Baby Yoshi to eat the Pokey in its entirety, with the former laying an egg with items inside after doing so. |
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| Spiny | Hops and changes direction. |
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| Performs a short hop. |
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| Spiny Cheep Cheep | Twirls (unless chasing). |
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| Super Acorn/P-Acorn | Performs a short hop. |
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| Torpedo Ted | Twirls. |
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| Urchin | Blows bubbles out of its mouth. |
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| Big Urchin | ||||||
| Waddlewing | Rolls (when on the ground) or flips forward (when flying). |
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| Yoshi | Mouths to the "bah" vocals and turns its head towards the camera (only when unmounted). |
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| Baby Yoshi | Mouths to the "bah" vocals and, like with the regular Koopa Troopa, stops and does a short dance (only when not held). |
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Notes
a - Excluding the jumping variety
b - Plants that can bear coins in Super Mario 3D World also dance to the background music.
See also
References
- ^ Best Service (1993). "Best Service Voice Spectral Volume 1". Tracks 50 and 52.
- ^ SourceAudio. "CartoonBell 4001_58_2". Series 4000 Hollywood Sound Effects Library.