Dolphin
| Dolphin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Model from Mario Kart 8 | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario World (1990) | ||
| Latest appearance | Mario Kart World (2025) | ||
| |||
| |||
- “Want to ride the Dolphin Shuttle? Travel 20 spaces for 15 coins right now!”
- —Dolphin, Mario Party 8
Dolphins are friendly creatures in the Super Mario franchise, where they wear distinctive swimming goggles. In their debut appearance, Super Mario World, they serve as platforms that leap out of the water, helping Mario and Luigi reach items and avoid enemies. While Dolphins typically serve as background elements in other Super Mario media, they have more prominent roles throughout the Mario Party series, eventually having a playable role in Dr. Mario World and Mario Kart World.
History
Super Mario World / Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
Dolphins first appear in Super Mario World, where they are encountered in Vanilla Secret 3 and in a hidden area near the end of Chocolate Island 1. They are makeshift platforms for crossing bodies of water filled with Porcu-Puffers. Dolphins jump in and out of water, sometimes in an arc formation. Dolphins can be eaten by Yoshi, though not in Western releases of the original Super Mario World.[1] Dolphins are amongst the enemies in the opening of the remake.[2]
Super Mario World television series
The only episode of the Super Mario World television series where Dolphins appear is in "Mama Luigi". Two of them assist Luigi and Yoshi by allowing them to ride their backs as a Torpedo Ted heads their way. The Dolphins drop off the two characters at the beach before returning into the water, cheering happily.
Nintendo Adventure Books
A Dolphin is depicted on the cover and within Dinosaur Dilemma, even though none appear during the story. However, varieties of them named micro-dolphins do appear in Unjust Desserts.
Super Mario-kun
Dolphins appear in the second chapter of the second volume of Super Mario-kun as allies. When the Mekakuppa attacks Mario, Luigi and Yoshi at Vanilla Dome, it creates a hole in the roof, flooding the dome with the water of Vanilla Secret 3. Dolphins come down with the water and offer to help the three heroes to escape by making them ride their backs and swim over the waterfall, reaching the surface. Mario then proceeds to clog the hole, trapping (briefly) the Mekakuppa in the dome and then proceeds to thank the Dolphins, along with saving them from Yoshi (who kept trying to eat them).
Mario Party series
Mario Party 4
Players can ride Dolphins in Koopa's Seaside Soiree in Mario Party 4,[3] to quickly travel between areas of the board.[4]
Mario Party Advance
- “Hello, ladies and germs! Enjoy the show!”
- —Dolphin, Mario Party Advance
A Dolphin is met at the Mario Vaudeville in the Shroom City mode of Mario Party Advance. If the player agrees to listen to the Dolphin's story, he explains that he is a stand-up comedian who cannot get gigs and is considered to be unfunny.[5] As the player hears Dolphin's routine, they are asked to laugh only at the punchlines.[6] Following a successful routine, the Dolphin is joined by several others of his kind. He becomes a self-proclaimed comic genius[7] and rewards the Snow Globe Gaddget to the player. In a different quest, Dolphin is one of three possible suspects of dragging Shroomlock off of Sushi Cliff, but the perpetrator is later revealed to have been Blooper. In the ending, Dolphin is said to have become a very popular TV star.[8]
Mario Party 5
A Dolphin shows up in the Undersea Dream if the player lands on the Green Space on the sunken ship in Mario Party 5.
Mario Party 8
- “Sorry! You need 15 coins to ride this Dolphin Shuttle.”
- —Dolphin, Mario Party 8
Dolphins, also referred to as Dolphin Shuttles, have a role on the board Goomba's Booty Boardwalk in Mario Party 8. By paying them a certain number of coins, a character can ride on a Dolphin's back and advance a number of spaces.
Mario Party 9
Dolphins are depicted on the game cover of Mario Party 9. In gameplay, Dolphins are found on Blooper Beach, where one is the first active aquatic creature when starting the mode. Dolphins begin six spaces away but move two spaces every turn, and if the captain catches up, they receive five Mini Stars from the Dolphin. A trio of Dolphins later appear when activating a Lucky Space toward the end, taking the character to an island with several Mini Stars. Dolphins are used for transportation in the minigame Ring Leader by each character as they jump through hoops along the way.
Dolphins are depicted on the Mario Party 9 cover in the Collection mode of Mario Party: The Top 100 and the Data House in Mario Party Superstars.
Mario Kart series
Mario Kart Wii
Although Dolphins do not appear in Mario Kart Wii, the game features a bike called the Dolphin Dasher, which is based on them.
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX
Dolphins are background elements in the Splash Circuit and Tropical Coast stages of Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, where they jump out of water. A kart based on Dolphins also appears in the game, the Turbo Dolphin.
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Dolphins appear in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe mainly in Dolphin Shoals, where they swim around a small area of the course, jumping out of the water through rings. A sponsor called Super Marine World, depicting Dolphin artwork from Super Mario World, appears several courses in the form of banners and car decals.
Mario Kart Tour
A Dolphin appears on a Super Marine World badge in Mario Kart Tour. Additionally, a Mii Racing Suit based on the Dolphin was added in the Ocean Tour as part of Wave 11 of the Mii suits, with the Dash Ring as its special skill. A kart based on a Dolphin, named Dolphin Drifter, was also added in the Vacation Tour.
Mario Kart World
This section is a stub. Please consider expanding it to include any missing information. Specifics: Detail them as obstacles
Dolphin appears as a playable character for the first time in the Mario Kart series in Mario Kart World. The Dolphin Dasher bike from Mario Kart Wii returns as well.
Dolphin is an unlockable character, unlocked for permanent use when the Kamek item transforms the player into one for the first time. It is a middleweight character, sharing statistics with Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Bowser Jr., Monty Mole, and Coin Coffer.
Mario Playing Cards
A Dolphin appears on the three of clubs in the NAP-06 deck of the Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary release of the Mario Playing Cards.
Minecraft
In the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack of Minecraft, regular dolphins are reskinned as Dolphins from the Super Mario franchise.
Dr. Mario World
Dolphins appear as assistants in Dr. Mario World. Their stage mode effect increases the player's base score for every blue virus that are eliminated. Their versus mode effect grants a chance one of the viruses that appear is transformed into an exploder when all viruses in the player's play area are eliminated. The amount of points gained and the chance of an exploder appearing are increased at higher levels, starting from 50 points and 20% respectively to 200 points and 100% respectively.
A Dolphin named Dr. Dolphin is a playable character, which is the first instance of a Dolphin ever being playable. His skill effect is the same as Dr. Bowser Jr.'s in that in stage mode an amount of bubbles are popped, while in versus mode viruses are covered inside bubbles. The amount of bubbles or viruses targeted are fewer than Dr. Bowser Jr.'s skill, where Dr. Dolphin's skill pops 4 bubbles (3 prior to version 2.2.0) as opposed to Dr. Bowser Jr.'s 10, while in versus mode at maximum level, Dr. Dolphin covers up to 6 viruses inside bubbles as opposed to Dr. Bowser Jr.'s maximum of 10. To compensate, his skill charges faster compared to Dr. Bowser Jr.'s.
LEGO Super Mario
A Dolphin appears in LEGO Super Mario set 71400, Big Urchin Beach Ride.
Profiles and statistics
Super Mario World
- Instruction booklet description:
- English:
Don't worry, these guys aren't enemies; they help Mario cross water. A useful shoal of dolphin look alikes![9]
- English:
Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten
| リフトン (JP) / Dolphin (EN) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Original text (Japanese) | Translation | ||
| アクア |
Tribe | Aqua clan | |
| やさしい、 |
Disposition | Gentle, cheerful | |
| ワールド | Game appearances | World | |
| Cheerful and friendly dolphin Helpful characters that swim in groups. Some jump vertically, while others jump left and right. Since there are many of them, you need to move around them and move on. | |||
Mario Party 9
| Dolphin On Porpoise | |
|---|---|
|
A constellation based on the goggle-wearing Dolphin. Would a sea mammal need goggles? You sure ask a lot of questions. |
Dr. Mario World
Doctor
| Image | Abilities | Attack | Speed | Defense | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
 15% |
 15% |
 10% |
 10% | |||
| Stage Mode | Versus Mode | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Speed | Description | Speed |
| 1 | 24 | Hides viruses (1) in opponent's stage in bubbles. | 32 |
| 2 | 22 | Hides viruses (2) in opponent's stage in bubbles. | 32 |
| 3 | 20 | Hides viruses (3) in opponent's stage in bubbles. | 32 |
| 4 | 19 | Hides viruses (4) in opponent's stage in bubbles. | 32 |
| 5 | 18 | Hides viruses (6) in opponent's stage in bubbles. | 32 |
Assistant
- Stage mode: Increases base score by 50/70/100/150/200 points for every blue virus eliminated.
- Versus mode: If all viruses in your stage are eliminated, grants 20%/40%/60%/80%/100% chance an exploder will appear.
- Dr. Mario World Twitter: Yellow: "The second doctor coming May 28, 2 AM PT is Dr. Dolphin! This kind doctor will let you ride on their back when you're in a pinch. Just be careful not to let your bag get wet...and please don't hurt me."[11]
Gallery
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Dolphin.
Super Mario World television series ("Mama Luigi")
Mario Party Advance
Mario Party 9
Three of Clubs Mario Trump card
Names in other languages
The contemporaneous name for each language is listed first. Subsequent names are listed in chronological order for each language, from oldest to newest, and have the media they are associated with in the "notes" column.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | リフトン[12][13][14] Lifton |
From「リフト」(Rifuto, "lift") and potentially the English "dolphin;" officially romanized as "Lifton" | |
| イルカ[15] Iruka |
Dolphin | Mario Party Advance | |
| Albanian | Dolphin[16] | - | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 蓝海豚[17] Lán Hǎitún |
Blue Dolphin | |
| Chinese (traditional) | 便車海豚[18][17] Biànchē Hǎitún |
Hitchhiking Dolphin | |
| Croatian | Dupin[19] | Dolphin | |
| Dutch | Dolfijn[20]:54 | Dolphin | |
| French | Dauphin[20]:24[21][22] | Dolphin | |
| German | Delfin[23] | Dolphin | |
| Delphin[24][25] | Super Mario World | ||
| Greek | Δελφίνι[26] Thelfini |
Dolphin | |
| Italian | Delfì[27][28][29] | Contraction of delfino ("dolphin") | |
| Delfino[30][31] | Dolphin | Super Mario World | |
| Korean | 리프튼[32] Ripeuteun |
Transliteration of the Japanese name | |
| 돌고래[33] Dolgorae |
Dolphin | Super Mario World (television series) | |
| Polish | Delfin[34] | Dolphin | |
| Portuguese | Golfinho[35][36] | Dolphin | |
| Romanian | Delfin[37] | Dolphin | |
| Spanish | Delfín[38][39] | Dolphin | |
| Delphin[40] | Super Mario World |
Notes
- Blurps, Bubs, Mantas, and Jumbo Rays wear similar goggles to Dolphins. Additionally, in Super Mario 64 DS, Dorrie was redesigned with elements seemingly influenced by the Dolphins. This design is the basis for all of Dorrie's subsequent appearances.
- The developers for Super Mario Galaxy initially envisioned the orca character Guppy with a design comparable to the friendly Dolphins from Super Mario World. However, as his role was finalized as an intimidating bully with wild nature, they shifted his design to that of the aggressive character seen in the final game.[41]
References
- ^ Super Mario World (SNES)/Version Differences § Dolphins!. The Cutting Room Floor.
- ^ VideoGamePhenomHD (October 16, 2019). Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 - Intro (0:49). YouTube.
- ^ "Ahoy there! Hop on my back, and let's ride!" – Dolphin (2002). Mario Party 4. Nintendo.
- ^ NintendoMovies (January 3, 2020). Mario Party 4 - Koopa's Seaside Soiree (3 Players, 50 Turns) (26:07). YouTube.
- ^ "See, I'm a stand-up comedian... Or would it be, but I can't get any gigs." – Dolphin (2005). Mario Party Advance. Nintendo.
- ^ "Press the A Button to laugh at punch lines." – Dolphin (2005). Mario Party Advance. Nintendo.
- ^ "...I'm a genius! I'm a comic genius!" – Dolphin (2005). Mario Party Advance. Nintendo.
- ^ "He's become a massive TV star." – 2005. Epilogue, Mario Party Advance. Nintendo.
- ^ 1991. Super Mario World instruction booklet (PDF). Nintendo of America (English). Page 24. Retrieved November 29, 2022 from nintendo.co.jp.
- ^ November 20, 1994. 「パーフェクト版 マリオキャラクター大事典」 (Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten). Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-259067-9. Page 231. Retrieved September 24, 2022 from Imgur.
- ^ Drmarioworld_EN (May 26, 2020). Post. Twitter (English). Retrieved July 8, 2024. (Archived via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ 1990. 『Super Mario World 取扱説明書』 (PDF). Kyoto: Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japanese). Page 30.
- ^ Kagawa, Ryo (APE/Shigesato Itoi), Koichi Toda (100 Percent), Masaki Kuramochi (100 Percent), Shigeo Tanabe, Naomaru Asao, and Ryuji Osawa, editors (1991). "UNIT 2 CHARACTER" in『任天堂公式ガイドブック スーパーマリオワールド』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-104117-5. Page 27.
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). "Super Mario World" in『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-09-106569-8. Page 54.
- ^ In-game name from the ending of Mario Party Advance (Japanese). (Archived 16 May 2025 via YouTube by にぃ様.)
- ^ Bota e Super Marios - Episoda 13 | Mama Luigji (Dublimi Shqip, Çufo). YouTube.
- ^ Jump up to: a b In-game name from Mario Kart World.
- ^ 「啊！看！有便車海豚唷！」("Ah! Look! There is a Hitchhiking Dolphin!") – Yellow Toad on Blooper Beach (29 Jun. 2012). Mario Party 9 by NDcube. Nintendo (Hong Kong) Ltd.Games (Traditional Chinese). (Archived 6 Jan. 2023 via Bilibili by 不想自闭的土豆.)
- ^ Super Mario Bros ( Kompilacija 5 ) - Crtani Film. YouTube.
- ^ Jump up to: a b 1992. Super Mario World mode d'emploi / Handleiding. Nederland, Brussels: Nintendo (French, Dutch).
- ^ Super Mario World 013 Souviens toi maman. YouTube.
- ^ "Regardez tous ! Un Dauphin !" – Yellow Toad on Blooper Beach (2 Mar. 2012). Mario Party 9 by NDcube. Nintendo of Europe GmbH (French). (Archived 27 Feb. 2012 via YouTube by Supersoluce.)
- ^ "Seht mal! Ein Delfin!" – Yellow Toad on Blooper Beach (2 Mar. 2012). Mario Party 9 by NDcube. Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). (Archived 8 Mar. 2024 via YouTube by [Games & Cheats and Secrets].)
- ^ 1992. Super Mario World Spielanleitung. Großostheim: Nintendo (German). Page 24.
- ^ Menold, Marcus, Claude M. Moyse, and Andreas G. Kämmerer, editors (1993). Der offizielle Nintendo Spieleberater "Super Mario World". Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 20.
- ^ Super Mario World - Episode 13 - Mama Luigi Greek Audio. YouTube.
- ^ "Quello con Delfì e Sushi, e cosi tanto sole da far venir voglia di fare un bagno?" – Bowser before Blooper Beach (2 Mar. 2012). Mario Party 9 by NDcube. Nintendo of Europe GmbH (Italian). (Archived 5 Jan. 2019 via YouTube by SuperMario2005.)
- ^ In-game name from Dr. Mario World.
- ^ In-game name from Mario Kart World.
- ^ 1992. Super Mario World - Libretto di istruzioni (Linea GIG S.p.A.). Osmannoro, Sesto F.no: Nintendo (Italian). Page 24.
- ^ Le avventure di Super Mario - Episodio 13 - Mamma Luigi
- ^ "앗! 또 리프튼이 나타났어요!" ("Oh! Lifton appeared again!") – Yellow Toad on Blooper Beach (11 Apr. 2013). Mario Party 9 by NDcube. Nintendo of Korea Co., Ltd. (Korean). (Archived 27 May 2024 via YouTube by Sendan【The Game Storage】.)
- ^ Super Mario World Cartoon (Mama Luigi) - Korean version. YouTube.
- ^ Kapitan N i nowe przygody braci Mario. Odc. 10 - Nauczka/Mama Luigi. YouTube.
- ^ 1991. Super Mario World Manual de Instruções. Redmond: Nintendo of America (Brazilian Portuguese). Page 24.
- ^ Super Mario World - Mamãe Luigi (Dublado - Alta Qualidade). YouTube.
- ^ May 20, 2015. "Mama Luigi", dubbed in Romanian by KidsCo. Odnoklassniki (OK.ru). Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ NINTENDO ( MAMA LUIGI ). YouTube.
- ^ "¡Mirad, un Delfín!" – Yellow Toad on Blooper Beach (20 Mar. 2012). Mario Party 9 by NDcube. Nintendo of Europe GmbH (European Spanish). (Archived 8 Mar. 2024 via YouTube by novedadeswii com.)
- ^ 1992. Super Mario World Manual de Instrucciones. Madrid: Nintendo (European Spanish). Page 24.
- ^ Black, Fletcher (November 9, 2007). Super Mario Galaxy: PRIMA Official Game Guide (Collector's Edition). Roseville: Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-7615-5713-5. Page 349.
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