The (also known as in Japan and Europe or in Japan) are a fictional group of seven childlike characters in the ''Mario''

video game franchise This is a list of video game franchises, organized alphabetically. All entries include multiple video games, not counting ports or altered re-releases. 0–9 *''1080° Snowboarding'' *''1942'' *''3D Ultra Minigolf'' *'' 3-D Ultra Pinball'' *'' ...

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

. Their individual names are Larry Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr., Wendy O. Koopa, Iggy Koopa, Roy Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, and Ludwig von Koopa. Originally depicted as the children of the series antagonist

Bowser , or King Koopa, is a fictional character, the primary antagonist in Nintendo's Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise, and the arch-nemesis of Mario. In Japan, the character bears the title of . Bowser is the leader of the turtle-like Koopa ...

, they first appeared in 1988 game ''

Super Mario Bros. 3 ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was released for home consoles in Japan on October 23, 1988, in North America on February 12, 1990 and in Europe on ...

''. They have since appeared in subsequent ''

Super Mario (also known as and ) is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise. At least one ''Super Mario'' game has been released for every m ...

'' games and

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...

games. They have made several appearances in other media, most notably in the animated series ''

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 ''The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3'' is an animated television series. It premiered on September 8, 1990, on NBC. It is the second animated series to be based on Nintendo's ''Mario'' video game series and is loosely based on the video game ' ...

'', which features entirely different names for the Koopalings (referred to as Koopa Kids) due to them not having had official names at the time of its production phase.

Concept and creation

The Koopalings first appeared on a sketch by

Yoichi Kotabe Yoichi may refer to: *Yōichi, Japanese given name *, district in Shiribeshi, Hokkaidō Prefecture, Japan *, town in Yoichi District *, a Japanese whisky distillery in the town *, train station in Yoichi District * also Yoichi is a masculine Japane ...

and

Takashi Tezuka is a Japanese video game designer, director, and video game producer, producer. He is a senior officer of Nintendo EPD and executive at Nintendo. Career Upon graduating the Design Department of Osaka University of Arts, he joined Nintendo in A ...

whose aim was finding a definitive redesign of Bowser for the

Family Computer Disk System The commonly shortened to the Famicom Disk System or just Disk System, is a peripheral for Nintendo's Family Computer home video game console, released only in Japan on February 21, 1986. It uses proprietary floppy disks called "Disk Cards" f ...

version of '' Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''. Most of the Koopalings are distinguished by their wild

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

hairstyles. The first names of the Koopalings would later be adapted for the Japanese version of ''

Super Mario World ''Super Mario World,'' known in Japan as is a platform game, platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was released in Japan in 1990, North America in 1991 and Europe and A ...

'', which was released a few months after the North American release of ''Super Mario Bros. 3''. However, the Koopalings received a set of different names in the DiC-produced ''

'' animated series, as they were still unnamed when the show was in production. The Koopalings were originally intended to be Bowser's children, as was mentioned in Japanese ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' instruction books as well as early materials. Subsequent official sources also confirmed that they were his offspring. This portrayal was generally accepted by both Japanese and western gamers and media for a long time. After

Bowser Jr. in Japan) is a fictional character who appears in Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise as an antagonist. He is the son of the series' main antagonist, Bowser. Since his debut in ''Super Mario Sunshine'' in 2002, Bowser Jr. has been a recurring chara ...

was introduced, the Koopalings went on a six-year hiatus after '' Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'', only to return in ''

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a platform game, platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. A follow-up to ''New Super Mario Bros.'', it was first released in Australia, North America, and Europe in November 2009, followed by Japan a month later. ...

''. Contrary to early commentary, Shigeru Miyamoto later stated in 2012 that "our current story is that the seven Koopalings are not Bowser's children. Bowser's only child is Bowser Jr., and we do not know who the mother is." According to the North American website for ''

New Super Mario Bros. U is a 2D computer graphics, 2D side-scrolling video game, side-scrolling platform video game developed and published in 2012 by Nintendo as a launch game for the Wii U. It is the fourth entry in the New Super Mario Bros. (series), ''New Super Mar ...

'', the Koopalings are also siblings. Most of the Koopalings were named by Dayvv Brooks, then-translator at Nintendo of America, after celebrities, mainly musicians, save for Larry who was so named because, according to Brooks, "He just looked like a Larry... There's no real-world equivalent—he's not

Larry Mullen Jr. Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. (; born 31 October 1961) is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2. Mullen was born in Dublin, where he attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School. In 1976, he co-founded U2 ...

from U2 or

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American television and radio host, whose awards included 2 Peabodys The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program ...

", contrary to popular belief.

Appearances

''Super Mario'' series

The Koopalings appear in the ''Super Mario'' series. In each game, the Koopalings each serve as the main

boss character In video games, a boss is a significant computer-controlled opponent. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Bosses are generally far stronger than other opponents the player (game), player has fa ...

fought by Mario or Luigi at the end of each individual world. Their first appearance was in ''

'', released in 1988 for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...

, where they each conquer one of seven kingdoms by stealing its king's magical

wand A wand is a thin, light-weight rod that is held with one hand, and is traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal or plastic. Long versions of wands are often styled in forms of staves or sceptres, which c ...

and using it to transform him into an animal or plant. The Koopalings then appeared in the 1990

Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...

game ''

'' holding

Yoshi Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Yoshi debuted in ''Super Mario World'' (1990) on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi's sidekick. Yoshi is the title character of the List of Y ...

s captive in eggs at each of their respective castles in Dinosaur Land. The Koopalings were absent from subsequent ''Super Mario'' games until the release of ''

'' for the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...

in 2009, which marks their 3D debut, and most of them having slight design changes from their original appearances. They appear again in ''

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a 2D side-scrolling platform video game in the Super Mario#New Super Mario Bros. games, ''New Super Mario Bros.'' series developed by Nintendo EAD Group No. 4 and published by Nintendo for its Nintendo 3DS handheld video game console, being r ...

'' for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

and ''

'' for the

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...

, along with its DLC ''

New Super Luigi U is a 2013 platform game developed by Nintendo for the Wii U. It is an expansion pack for ''New Super Mario Bros. U'' (2012), part of the ''Super Mario'' series. The plot and game mechanics remain identical to ''New Super Mario Bros. U'', but L ...

'', both released in 2012. The Koopalings returned in the combined remake of ''New Super Mario Bros. U'' and ''New Super Luigi U'', titled ''

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is a 2D side-scrolling platform video game developed and published in 2012 by Nintendo as a launch game for the Wii U. It is the fourth entry in the ''New Super Mario Bros.'' series, and is the first mainline ''Mario'' game to be released in ...

'' for the

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

. All seven appear in the version 3.0 update of ''

Super Mario Maker 2 is a 2019 side-scrolling platform game and level creation system developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the sequel to ''Super Mario Maker'' and was released worldwide on June 28, 2019. The gameplay is largely ret ...

'', each with their own attack style. They can be used in all game styles except for ''

Super Mario 3D World is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U in 2013. It is the sixth original 3D platform game in the ''Super Mario'' series and the sequel to ''Super Mario 3D Land'' (2011) for the Nintendo 3DS. Players control Mar ...

''.

Spin-off games

The Koopalings have appeared as

boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, a ...

characters in the

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...

'' games ''

Yoshi's Safari ''Yoshi's Safari'' is a 1993 light gun shooter developed and published by Nintendo for its Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is the only ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise game to feature first-person shooter gameplay and require ...

'', ''

Mario Is Missing! ''Mario Is Missing!'' is a 1993 educational game developed and published by The Software Toolworks for MS-DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, later released on Macintosh in 1994. The player controls Luig ...

'', and ''

Hotel Mario ''Hotel Mario'' is a puzzle video game developed by Fantasy Factory and published by Philips Interactive Media for the Philips CD-i in 1994. Players control Mario, who must find Princess Peach, Princess Toadstool by going through seven hotels in ...

'', released from 1992 to 1994 on various platforms. In the 2003

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...

video game '' Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'' and its 3DS remake, the Koopalings serve as bosses in

Bowser's Castle (also known as and ) is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise. At least one ''Super Mario'' game has been released for every m ...

, the last area of the game. In ''

Mario Kart 8 is a 2014 kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. It features the '' Mario Kart'' series' game mechanics, in which players drive go-karts using ''Mario'' franchise characters in various race formats. Items placed ...

'' for the

in 2014, the Koopalings made their debut as

playable characters A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not contr ...

for the first time, continuing their playable appearances in ''

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a 2014 kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. It features the ''Mario Kart'' series' game mechanics, in which players drive go-karts using ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise characters in various kart racing ...

'' for the

and in ''

Mario Kart Tour is a 2019 kart racing mobile game, the fourteenth in the franchise in the '' Mario Kart'' series, developed by Nintendo EPD and published by Nintendo for iOS and Android devices. The game was announced in January 2018 and was released on S ...

'' on mobile. In ''

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and (colloquially and collectively referred to as ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' or ''Smash 4'') is a group of two 2014 crossover fighting video games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS a ...

'' and ''

Super Smash Bros Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...

'', each of

's seven alternate costumes replace him with one of the Koopalings, with each one fighting from atop the Junior Clown Car. They appear once again in '' Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam'', released in 2015 for the

, in which they all once again carry out roles as bosses. In '' Paper Mario: Color Splash'', the Koopalings appear for the first time in a ''

Paper Mario ''Paper Mario'' is a video game series and part of the Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise, developed by Intelligent Systems and produced by Nintendo. It combines elements from the role-playing video game, role-playing, action-adventure, a ...

'' game; each one must be defeated at the end of a world, while Roy is fought early in the game's final level. The Koopalings also appeared in '' Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey'' as playable characters in Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode.

Koopa Kid

A separate character also called "Koopa Kid", but not part of the "Koopalings", appeared in the first seven ''

Mario Party is a party video game series featuring characters from the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise in which up to four local players or computer-controlled characters (called "CPU (gaming), CPUs") compete in a board game interspersed with mi ...

'' games, and was playable in ''Mario Party 4'', ''5'' and ''6''. This character was previously known as "Baby Bowser" in earlier ''Mario Party'' games, and as "Mini Bowser" in

PAL Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a colour encoding system for analogue television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...

regions. In ''Mario Party 5'', there were a trio of Koopa Kids.

In other media

The Koopalings made their first animated appearance in the '' Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros.''

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

series, released in 1989. In the animated cartoon series ''

'' produced by

DIC Entertainment DIC Entertainment Corporation (; also known as DIC Audiovisuel, DIC Enterprises, DIC Animation City, DIC Entertainment, L.P., and DIC Productions), branded as The Incredible World of DIC, was an international film and television production comp ...

, the Koopa Kids were given different names based on their given personalities. From oldest to youngest, they are Bully Koopa (Roy), Big Mouth Koopa (Morton), Kooky von Koopa (Ludwig), Cheatsy Koopa (Larry), Kootie Pie Koopa (Wendy), and Hip and Hop Koopa (Lemmy and Iggy respectively). After this, they appear in another animated cartoon series ''

'' with the same names, though they more closely resemble their portrayals in the video games. Aside from their names and personalities, they look slightly different and serve their father King Koopa (as Bowser was called in the series) differently compared to their video game counterparts. Instead of their subordinate role, they act directly as his children, as they refer to him as "King Dad", and do things such as seek his attention, and even plot against him. They would also appear in the

Nintendo Adventure Books is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing cards. ...

and comic books, wherein they use their official names and designs closer to the games. In the ''Super Mario Bros.'' film (1993), a character named after Iggy Koopa appears as one of King Koopa's henchman and cousins.

Reception

Since their appearance in ''

'', the Koopalings have had mixed reception. Their popularity amongst fans led to them being reused for the

Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in E ...

sequel, ''

''.

Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninten ...

listed each Koopaling as one of the reasons to love Nintendo, describing them as some of Nintendo's most beloved villains. They cited their eccentric designs for the quality of their personalities. The Koopalings were named the 19th best Mario villains by

GameDaily GameDaily (GD) was a video game journalism website based in the United States. It was launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads. The site changed its business model from a flat fee ...

GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...

editor Henry Gilbert described the battle at the end of each world in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' as a "special affair"; he also praised them for adding variety to the series compared to ''

Super Mario Bros. is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series, it was first released in 1985 for th ...

'', which featured Bowser as the last boss of each castle.

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

editor Lucas M. Thomas echoed these sentiments, stating that the Koopalings brought their own looks, mannerisms, and methods of attack. Specifically, he described the battle with Lemmy Koopa in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' as unique and memorable, while also describing Ludwig von Koopa's battle in ''

'' as distinct from the others. In another article he listed the Koopalings as one of the characters he wants in ''

Mario Kart 7 ''Mario Kart 7'' is a kart racing video game developed by Nintendo EAD in cooperation with Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS in 2011. As with the previous games in the ''Mario Kart'' series, players participate ...

'', especially Wendy O. Koopa. Fellow IGN editor Jesse Schedeen featured the Koopalings in the "Big Boss of the Day" feature, describing them as popular bosses in video games.

Joystiq ''Joystiq'' was a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 as part of the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs, now owned by AOL. It was AOL's primary video game blog, with sister blogs dealing with MMORPG gaming in general and the popular MMORPG ''W ...

editor James Ransom-Wiley called their reappearance in ''

'' a welcome addition, stating that it should boost the quality of the bosses. Fellow Joystiq editor JC Fletcher described them as a draw for ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' for some fans, also praising the three-dimensional designs of the Koopalings. During an interview with ''

Super Mario Galaxy is a 2007 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the third 3D game in the '' Super Mario'' series. As Mario, the player embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Peach, save the universe from Bowser, and collect 120 ...

'' director

Yoshiaki Koizumi is a Japanese video game designer, director, and producer, and business executive. He is a senior executive officer at Nintendo, where he is known for his work within their ''Mario'' and ''The Legend of Zelda'' series. Since 2013, Koizumi is a ...

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...

noted that they were hoping for the Koopalings to return in it.

Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. History ' ...

editor Conrad Zimmerman stated that the Koopalings were his favorite characters from ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', and added that with regard to the musical references in the Koopalings' names, he doubted that anything similar would be seen in this day and age.

GameSpy GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...

editor Ryan Scott listed the Koopalings as one of the reasons why ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' and ''Super Mario World'' were quality video games. He also praised ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' for the inclusion of the Koopalings. The GameSpy staff listed the Koopalings as some of their favorite bosses, stating that they have much more charm than their "dopey successor", Bowser Jr.

References

{{Super Smash Bros. series Anthropomorphic video game characters Child characters in video games Fictional criminals in video games Fictional kidnappers Fictional turtles Mario (franchise) enemies Super Smash Bros. fighters Mario (franchise) characters Nintendo antagonists Fictional monsters Fictional septets Video game bosses Video game characters introduced in 1988 Nobility characters in video games Fictional henchmen in video games Video game characters who use magic Video game characters with fire or heat abilities