Papa Mario

Papa Mario
Papa Mario's appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Full name	Papa Pio Mario
Species	Human
First appearance	Super Mario Issun-bōshi (1989)
Latest appearance	The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Latest portrayal	Charles Martinet (English, 2023)

“I think... you're nuts. You don't leave a steady job for some crazy dream! And the worst part? You're bringing your brother down with you.”

—Papa Mario, The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Papa Mario is the father of Mario and Luigi, making only a few appearances throughout a variety of media. Papa Mario lives with the brothers' mother, Mama Mario, in all of his appearances, and The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Fake Bro" reveals that Mama Mario has a maiden name, suggesting that they are married. He later makes an appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, living in Brooklyn along with Mama Mario and other members of Mario's family.

History

Super Mario Issun-bōshi

Papa holding his son Mario in Super Mario Issun-bōshi

Papa Mario first appeared in the short anime video Super Mario Issun-bōshi, a retelling of the Japanese fairy tale Issun-bōshi with Super Mario characters. Though he is not given a name, Mario refers to his father as "Papa". Through the camera angles used, the father's face is obscured at all times, although what can be seen is similar to his son's: pudgy with a large nose and identical mustache. Also like his son, Papa wears his brown hair in the same style and wears blue overalls. However, his undershirt is yellow instead of red, and he does not wear gloves or a hat.

He and his wife lived in a futuristic house on top of a hill. One day, they were magically granted a son, Mario, who was small enough to fit in his father's hand, even after he had reached adulthood. He is shown to be a caring and understanding father figure, cautious for Mario's safety, yet recognizing of his son's need for independence. When Mario grew up, he asked Papa for permission to explore the world on his own. Agreeing that Mario was capable, Papa fashioned his son a motorboat made out of a kitchen bowl, a spoon to row the boat, and a sword made out of a needle. Mario's father saw him off on his first trip, carrying him in the boat to the river's edge.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

Papa Mario is only mentioned once in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! in the episode "Mama Mia Mario", when Mario and Luigi say goodbye to their mother, ensuring her that they are going to be fine by themselves, and to tell that to their father as well.

"Family Album 'The Early Years'"

Mario's father chases after his young son in "Family Album 'The Early Years."'

The character had a small role in the Nintendo Comics System publication "Family Album 'The Early Years.'" In the third photograph, a young, concerned Mario is being chased by his father, who is shaking his fist and holding a smoking pipe with bubbles coming out of it. The caption of the photograph reveals that Mario "fixed" his father's pipe. Mario and Luigi's father appears slightly skinnier than in Super Mario Issun-bōshi and is wearing a light-yellow shirt, blue pants, and dress shoes. The father's face is hidden, cut off by the picture's edge.

Super Mario Kodansha manga

During the final fight against Wario in the Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins arc, Mario is losing hope in beating and besting his rival and saving the Mario Land, until he turns and sees a portrait of his parents, whose faces are blacked-out, depicted as the former king and queen of Mario's castle. Mario regains confidence in order to make them proud and runs towards Wario to finish him.

Super Mario Bros. film

In the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film, Mario and Luigi's parents are said to have passed away before the movie's events. While telling this to Daisy, Luigi tells her that Mario replaced the mother role to him, only to then correct himself after Mario gets upset by it and calling him a father figure.

The father is also mentioned while Mario and Luigi are sabotaging the heating system in Koopa's Tower. After Luigi is burned by touching a scorching valve barehanded, Mario gives him a tool, while quoting, "Treat your tools like a friend. Keep 'em by you. Never let 'em down, and they're always at your side." After Luigi asks him why he always has some sort of aphorism about tools, Mario replies that he got it from their father, who in turn got it from their grandfather.

Yoshi series

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

Mario and Luigi's mother and father discover their recently delivered children in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

At the end of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Mario and Luigi's father made his first video game appearance. He is portrayed as a skinny man in a nightshirt of indeterminate color. Only his lower half and hands are seen. Once Yoshi rescues the stork and Baby Luigi, the stork takes Baby Mario and Baby Luigi and continues on his way to deliver them to their parents. The video game's narration states that the boys' delivery has been "long awaited." Flying to a small, unnamed town surrounded by mountains where "mom and dad live", the stork leaves the bundles on the doorstep of a house that resembles a mushroom. The parents awake, turn on a light, open the door, and are pleasantly surprised to see their twins have arrived. Luigi is picked up by his father and Mario by his mother.

Yoshi's Island DS

The introduction to Yoshi's Island DS features a short retelling of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Baby Mario and Baby Luigi are seen in the hands of one of their parents. Additionally, the introduction shows various children being kidnapped by Kamek and his Toady minions. Mario and Luigi are taken from their parents, who are not shown, during the night. The lights are on and red marks indicating commotion emerge from the house during the kidnapping; it is likely, yet unconfirmed, that Mario and Luigi's father is one of the people making this commotion.

Yoshi's New Island

It is revealed in Yoshi's New Island that the parents seen in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island are not the parents of Mario and Luigi, and the stork made a mistake. By the end of the game, the stork delivers the Mario Bros. to the right parents.

Super Mario 4koma Manga Theater

In the Yoshi's Island 4-koma collection, the Stork has a photo as a reference for the couple to whom it needs to deliver the babies. Both Papa and Mama Mario have a similar appearance and clothing to Mario. The only distinguishing features for Papa Mario are the overalls' buttons, being star-shaped.

Mario Quiz Cards

One of the 1996 Human Body Mario Quiz Cards shows Mario looking at a picture of his dad who has a longer moustache and is almost completely bald.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Mario's father, unnamed in this appearance, appears in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In the film, he attends a family dinner in which he expresses his disapproval of Mario's decision to leave a steady job under Spike to start Super Mario Bros. Plumbing with Luigi, going as far as to say that he is bringing Luigi down with him, which causes Mario to go back to his bedroom, offended and upset by his lack of support. As everyone looks at him in disappointment for hurting Mario's feelings, he asks, "What did I say?" However, at the end of the film, after Mario and Luigi defeat Bowser, the father embraces his sons, telling Mario that he was amazing, to which Mario thanks him. He then proudly shouts, "These are my boys!" to everyone who cheers for the brothers.

He is voiced by Charles Martinet in English, Catalan, European French, German, Italian, and European Spanish.

Mario's father wears a greenish-brown button shirt, dark blue pants, and black sneakers. He is bald, and his mustache extends to his sideburns, making him resemble Talon from the Legend of Zelda franchise and Mario himself. However, this was revealed by Nintendo to be the original design they intended to use for Mario's father.

Family

Mario and Luigi are Papa Mario's only children, and their mother, Mama Mario, is presumed to be his wife. Earlier sources (such as Family Album "The Early Years") implied that Mario was older than Luigi, although they are usually recognized as twins as of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (however, twins are divided into older and younger siblings in Japan, even if they're only minutes apart).

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! introduces many more members of the Mario family, although Papa Mario himself does not make an appearance. Judging from her last name, it is implied that the late Grandma Mario is Papa Mario's mother, as it is revealed that Mama Mario's maiden name is "Rigassi" and she took on her husband's surname when they got married. Papa Mario has a pair of nieces named Marianne and Luigeena, and two nephews called Mario Joe and Luigi Bob. It is not revealed which sides of the family any of the relatives hail from, so it is unknown whether Aunt Luigeena is his sister or sister-in-law. The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 mentions a second sister/sister-in-law named Aunt Maria.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie depicts him living with several other members of his family. In addition to his wife and sons, he lives with Uncle Tony and Uncle Arthur. The directors revealed that they are his brothers, and they resemble Luigi. Also living with them is a grandfather, an aunt named Marie, and a niece. It is unknown which side of the family they are from.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	パパ Papa	Papa
Italian	Papà	Dad