Hisstocrat
- This article is about the species introduced in Super Mario 3D World. For the boss that initially shared the name, see King Hisstocrat. For the musical theme of said boss, see Hisstocrat (theme).
| Hisstocrat | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Screenshot from Mario Tennis Fever | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario 3D World (2013) | ||
| Latest appearance | Mario Tennis Fever (2026) | ||
| |||
| |||
Hisstocrats, originally also called Hisstocrat's underlings or smaller snakes[1], are giant snakes that first appeared in Super Mario 3D World, serving King Hisstocrat and his pink variant. The Hisstocrats resemble enormous, circular snakes. The males are greenish-blue colored with a tan underbelly and they carry red plates, while the females are pink and have blue plates.
History[edit]
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]
In Super Mario 3D World and its Nintendo Switch port, Hisstocrats accompany their rulers in their boss fights: A Banquet with Hisstocrat, with the King and the male subjects, Hisstocrat Returns with the queen and her female subjects, and in the Boss Blitz with both groups at the same time.
During the fight, the Hisstocrats appear around their ruler following a whistle call from him or her. Some carry plates that allow the characters to stand on them in order to jump off and stomp on the king and/or queen. Several plates are cracked, indicating that they will break shortly after stepping on them. This event triggers the Hisstocrat below to surge upward, ready to snap its jaws at the character. Some plates will have Super Bells on them. Plates also break if the King's falling rocks, the Queen's volcanic debris, or their fire breaths land on them. If the Hisstocrat is without a plate, their arrival is telegraphed by the snake's eyes emerging from the ground first before coming up. Plate-less snakes can be climbed in Cat form, but standing on them will result in the character getting hurt. After a while, the snakes will go back under the ground. When the ruler is hit, the surfacing Hisstocrats will cry of pain along side the King and Queen.
Statues based on Hisstocrats carrying plates appear in courses throughout the game, such as Pretty Plaza Panic. Gray rising pillars with the same design can be moved upwards and climbed in the same fashion.
Mario Tennis Fever[edit]
This section is referring to a subject in an upcoming or recently released game. When the game is released, or more information about this subject is found, this section may need major rewriting.
This notice should be removed after a month has passed since the game was first released.
In the Adventure mode of Mario Tennis Fever, fire-breathing male Hisstocrats and Stone Spikes are the main obstacles of the Foggy Swamp in Adventure. While avoiding the fire, the player has to send back the Stone Spikes' Spike Balls to hurt the snakes while materials for a raft are gathered. In the last section of Foggy Swamp, the King will also appear as the stage's boss during the raft cruise.[2]
Gallery[edit]
Artwork of the male Hisstocrats surrounding their king from Super Mario 3D World
Artwork of the female Hisstocrats surrounding Hisstocrat (pink) from Super Mario 3D World
Two male Hisstocrat in Super Mario 3D World
A male Hisstocrat with a broken plate in Super Mario 3D World
A male Hisstocrat biting in Super Mario 3D World
Naming[edit]
Their names are a portmanteau of the words "hiss", a sound usually associated with snakes, and "aristocrat", referring to their regal attire. Prior to Mario Tennis Fever, the King and Queen shared the name of the species, before the King obtained a royal title to distinguish him from the subjects.[3]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario 3D World | content/ObjectData/TentackHead.szs, content/ObjectData/TentackHeadLv2.szs, content/ObjectData/TentackTentacle.szs, content/ObjectData/TentackTentacleLv2.szs, content/ObjectData/TentackPillar.szs, content/ObjectData/TentackPillarWhite.szs | Tentack | A pun on "tentacle" and "attack" |
Names in other languages[edit]
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 with which they are associated in the "Notes" column. Names exclusive to localizations of the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia are not prioritized due to concerns about circular reporting, and are only listed first for their respective languages if they are the only ones available.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ヘビースネーク[4] Hebī Sunēku |
Heavy Snake; 「ヘビー」 is a derivation of 「蛇」 (hebi, "snake") | |
| 小さなヘビースネーク[5] Chiisana Hebī Sunēku |
Small Hisstocrat;「 |
Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia | |
| French (European) | Mambaristo[6][7] | From "mamba" and aristocrate ("aristocrat") | |
| German | Von Zischel[8] | Von ("of") with a surname-like derivation of zischen ("to hiss"); inherited from König von Zischel ("King Hisstocrat") | |
| Kleiner Artgenosse[9] | Small conspecific | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia | |
| Italian | Sua Sibilanza[10] | Portmanteau between Sua Altezza ("Your Highness") and sibilare ("to hiss"); inherited from Re Sibilanze ("King Hisstocrat") | |
| Piccolo serpente[11] | Small snake | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia (first edition) | |
| Serpente più piccolo[12] | Smaller snake | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia (second edition) | |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | Serpenteza[13] | From Alteza ("Highness") and serpente ("serpent") | |
| Spanish (Latin American) | Su Serpenteza[13] | Play on Su Alteza ("His Highness") and serpiente ("serpent"); inherited from Su Serpestad ("King Hisstocrat") | |
| Spanish (European) | Su Serpenteza[14] | Play on Su Alteza ("His Highness") and serpiente ("serpent"); inherited from Su Serpestad ("King Hisstocrat") | |
| Pequeña Serpenteza[15] | Little Hisstocrat | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia |
Notes[edit]
- The Hisstocrats are likely inspired by the eight-headed snake of Japanese folklore, Yamata no Orochi, additionally suggested by fact that their helpers are internally referred to as "Tentacles". Their appearance as fat snakes also resembles another Japanese mythical creature, the tsuchinoko.
References[edit]
- ^ Roberts, Rachel, and Cardner Clark, editors (2018). "Super Mario 3D World" in Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia: The Official Guide to the First 30 Years (First English Edition). Translated by William Flanagan and Zack Davisson. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books. ISBN 978-1-50670-897-3. Page 226.
- ^ Nintendo of America (January 8, 2026). Mario Tennis Fever – Overview Trailer – Nintendo Switch 2. YouTube. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
- ^ 2025. Super Mario 3D World. Mario Portal. Retrieved 2 Feb. 2026. (Archived October 3, 2024, 06:42:46 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ 「気をつけて！火をはくヘビースネークや岩をなげてくる ロックガボンがいるまたい」– Daisy (12 Feb. 2026). Mario Tennis Fever by Camelot. Nintendo (Japanese). (Archived 13 Feb. 2026 via YouTube by POE DIA / ポエディア ゲームズ.)
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). "Super Mario 3D 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 227.
- ^ « Attention, des Mambaristos cracheurs de feu et des Spikarocs lanceurs de rochers ! » – Daisy (12 Feb. 2026). Mario Tennis Fever by Camelot. Nintendo (French). (Archived 12 Feb. 2026 via YouTube by Galax.)
- ^ Derived from L'aéro-chapiteau des Mambaristo (literally "Hisstocrats' flying tent"), the in-game name for A Banquet with Hisstocrat from Super Mario 3D World. In that level's name, Mambaristo is used as a plural word, which suggests that this term refers to both the boss and its minions.
- ^ „Vorsicht! Es gibt hier feuerspuckende von Zischels und Stein-Spikes, die mit Felsbrocken werfen.“ – Daisy (12 Feb. 2026). Mario Tennis Fever by Camelot. Nintendo (German). (Archived 15 Feb. 2026 via YouTube by Domtendo.)
- ^ Scholz, Sabine, and Benjamin Spinrath, editors (2017). "Super Mario 3D World" in Super Mario Encyclopedia - Die ersten 30 Jahre : 1985-2015. Translated by Yamada Hirofumi. Hamburg: Tokyopop (German). ISBN 978-3-8420-3653-6. Page 227.
- ^ «Attenzione! Ci sono Sue Sibilanze sputafuoco e Spunzomassi che lanciano pietre!» – Daisy (12 Feb. 2026). Mario Tennis Fever by Camelot. Nintendo (Italian). (Archived 12 Feb. 2026 via YouTube by Tuberanza ✌.)
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2018). "Super Mario 3D World" in Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Translated by Marco Amerighi. Milan: Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 889367436X. Page 227.
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2025). "Super Mario 3D World" in Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia (2nd ed.). Translated by Alessandro Apreda. Milan: Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 979-1259575760. Page 227.
- ^ a b In-game name displayed during battle from Mario Tennis Fever.
- ^ «¡Mucho cuidado con Sus Serpentezas y los Spikes Pétreos!» – Daisy (12 Feb. 2026). Mario Tennis Fever by Camelot. Nintendo (European Spanish). (Archived 12 Feb. 2026 via YouTube by L0k0hGaming.)
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2017). "Super Mario 3D World" in Enciclopedia Super Mario Bros. 30ª Aniversario. Translated by Gemma Tarrés. Barcelona: Editorial Planeta, S.A. (European Spanish). ISBN 978-84-9146-223-1. Page 227.
