Brooch

File:AnimeVisionaryJewel.jpg

Mario looking upon the Brooch in awe.

The Brooch is a circular crest worn over Princess Peach's chest. It originally appeared in Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!, although it appeared in subsequent artwork. Starting with Super Mario World, Peach is almost never seen without it.

Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!

In this interpretation of the storyline of Super Mario Bros., the Brooch plays a rather large role.

After Peach briefly escapes from the Koopa via Mario's television, she seemingly dropped her Brooch during his unsuccessful battle with King Koopa. After coming downstairs to investigate the racket, Luigi jadedly dismissed the Mario's claims as a result of his brother playing too many video games. Alone, Mario soon afterward spots it on the floor of their home, confirming to himself that the experience was not a mere dream. Its existence and power to remind Mario of Princess Peach also seemed to mesmerize him, as he was too focused on it to successfully fulfill Miss Endless's shopping orders the following day. During this escapade at the Grocery, Luigi (who was depicted in the anime as particularly greedy) first noticed Mario's possession of the Brooch, hastily and eagerly identifying it as "takara no kuni ni aru maboroshino hōseki" (宝の国にある幻の宝石, lit. visionary gem from the land of treasure), an emerald believed to be very valuable.

Much to both the brothers' dismay, a strange dog-like creature named "Kibidango" soon showed up, engaging in a scuffle with Mario and running out of the store with the Brooch in tow. The Mario Bros. gave chase to the dog, eventually retrieving the Brooch and stumbling upon the Mushroom Kingdom. By the end of the film, the Brooch was returned to Princess Peach, and it also lifted the last of King Koopa's spell over her kingdom. Shortly after Peach put it back on, a beam of light from it turned Kibidango (who had previously been cursed by the Koopa and turned into a dog) back into Haru-ōji, prince of Flower-koku and Peach's fiancé.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

During the events of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, the Brooch is acknowledged during the attempted marriage of Princess Toadstool and Booster. When Bowser and Mario burst through the Marrymore wedding chapel, Booster's three Snifits are knocked into Toadstool, who slowly realizes she has dropped her Shoes, Ring, Brooch and Crown. Upset, she then cries hysterically and does not respond to anyone. Three of the items (including the Brooch) are recovered by each of the Snifits, but the Crown is still missing. Mario must take each accessory from them and find the Crown to stop her tears and make her come to her senses; doing so in a speedy time results in the best outcome of the princess kissing her hero.

Trivia

• In the anime it first appeared in, the Brooch was notably more of a necklace and was less rounded like it would be in later appearances.
• In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, unused sprites show that the princess was supposed cease weeping on the ground for a moment and peak out with one eye, as if sneakingly wondering if Booster is buying her act. However, there is no indication in the final game that she was pretending to be distraught over the loss of her belongings.
• In a contrast to the anime, Princess Toadstool remarks that she would like to be married someday after Booster walks off, slyly hinting at Mario. Ironically, Peach would later become married to Bowser in Super Paper Mario, although she refuses to recognize it.
• The only time Peach doesn't seem to wear her Brooch is when she is not in her royal dress, such as the invisible woman sequence in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door or her sporty outfits in more modern titles.