Mini
- This article is about the toys from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. For the form a character takes upon collecting a Mini Mushroom, see Mini Mario. For the status effect in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, see Tiny (status effect).
| Mini | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 A few different types of Minis as they appear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars | |||
| First appearance | Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2004) | ||
| Latest appearance | Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) (2024) | ||
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Minis, or Mini Toys,[1][2] are a line of character-based robotic toys that appear in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. The manual for Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! sometimes generically refers to the group as toys.[3][4] Produced and sold by the Mario Toy Company, these figures are capable of walking, jumping, and performing other contextual actions depending on the game they appear in. The player has to protect the Minis as they are maneuvered to the goal. Each Mini, with the exception of Mini Spek, is based on a pre-existing character of the Super Mario franchise. In most games, different types of Minis do not move in different ways. The recurring exception is Key Mini Mario, who uniquely responds to locks on the goal by opening them.
History[edit]
Mario vs. Donkey Kong[edit]
- Main article: Mini-Mario § Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Mini-Mario's first appearance is in Mario vs. Donkey Kong, and also appears in its Nintendo Switch remake. The Mini-Marios form the crux of the storyline: When commercials for Mini-Marios entice Donkey Kong to buy some, and the toy's extreme popularity means that he arrives at toy store only to find they have no Mini-Marios left, he breaks into Mario Toy Company and steals all of the Mini-Marios.[5] Mario goes after him to retrieve the stolen toys.
Each Mini Mario is packaged in a crystal ball, and collecting them is the main goal in normal levels. When Mario picks it up, the Mini Mario is freed and the course ends. In the remake, any rescued Mini-Marios also follow behind Mario, incrementing by one (up to a maximum of six) for each level completed.
In each world's seventh level, which is always a Mini-Mario level, Mario's goal is to guide the six Mini-Marios he rescued from the other levels in the world to the toy box. The toy box must be opened by having the Mini-Marios collect the three Letter Blocks across the level itself. Once the Mini-Marios jump inside the toy box, picking it up completes the level. Mario only has to save one Mini-Mario in said level to proceed, but the number of Mini-Marios he saves is the number of hits he can take when fighting Donkey Kong in his respective world's boss fight. In the remake, all the Mini-Marios must be rescued to attain a "Perfect!" rating (and a gold star) for the level.
Mini-Marios (and Mini-Marios with keys in Plus worlds) try to follow Mario based on his horizontal position. They can perform small jumps to climb stairs or jump across pits, can Spring Jump on any springs they find, walk through very small passages that Mario cannot enter, interact with various objects (including the Flower Fans and Warp Boxes in the remake), and can call for Mario if he gets too far away. However, enemies and hazards can destroy Mini-Marios on contact, while all of the remaining Mini-Marios get mercy invincibility when this occurs.
By the end of the main levels, Donkey Kong falls from the arena he was fought in Vs. Donkey Kong, and crashlands into a delivery truck carrying Mini-Mario toys. He decides to sack these Mini-Marios, giving Mario chase into the Plus worlds. In these worlds, there are no dedicated Mini-Mario (-mm) levels, and the goal of every non-boss level is to lead a Mini-Mario with a key to the locked door. In vs. Donkey Kong Plus, the last six Mini-Marios are captured by Donkey Kong using his mech suit, but Mario frees them one by one by attacking the mech suit in the boss fight. In the true ending cutscene, Mario celebrates his victory with the rescued Mini-Marios, and eventually gives Donkey Kong his very own Mini-Mario toy.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis[edit]
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis increases the role of the Minis, The story of the game is that the success of Mini Mario allows the Mini Mario Toy Company to create Super Mini Mario World. a theme park based on the Minis. Mini Toad, Mini Peach, and Mini Donkey Kong are introduced and noted as new toys in the opening cutscene. The opening ceremony includes pyramids of Mini Marios in their crystal balls on tables. At that ceremony, Pauline accepts Mario's Mini Mario gift over Donkey Kong's Mini Donkey Kong gift. This makes Donkey Kong throw a tantrum, with his angry stomps causing some of the crystal balls to roll off the tables. Donkey Kong incidentally stomps at least one of them, and multiple balls are shattered by some means by the end. Donkey Kong kidnaps Pauline and runs into Super Mini Mario World before Mario can catch up, but the Mini Marios volunteer to help him. At the end of the game, while Mario finds Pauline safe and sound at the rooftop, a Mini Mario runs across to meet a Mini Donkey Kong, which Pauline also picks up and kisses (which makes Donkey Kong happy).
In this game, Mini Marios are the main characters, as Mario uses them to chase Donkey Kong through the park and does not take an active role in standard gameplay. Most of Mini Marios behaviors are introduced in this game: They start inactive and immobile and the player tapping them makes them activate and start moving. Once a Mini Mario is activated, it keeps moving unless the player stops it again with a second tap. Mini Marios that collide with walls or each other turn around, and if the second Mini Mario is not moving the collision makes it start moving. Colliding with one block tall walls simply has a Mini Mario jump over it. A Mini Mario with no terrain beneath it stops and falls straight downward. The player can direct Mini Mario's movements with further use of the Touch Screen, such as having them turn around and jump arbitrarily by swiping in the corresponding direction.
Some objects require the player's intervention to use, like jumping on Yellow Springs. Other objects are used automatically when collected, such as how Mini Marios can wield Hammers to attack enemies. Mini Marios collect items like coins and Mini Mario Cards. Mini Marios that take damage, either by touching obstacles like spikes, enemies like Fireballs, or by hitting the ground after falling too far, are destroyed. The other Mini Marios do not get mercy invincibility if this happens. Mini Marios who are about to walk off a cliff that would make them fall from a height that would break them hesitate for a short moment. Mini Marios can stand on the heads of certain enemies, such as Shy Guy and Snifit. Mini Mario can collect a Fire Flower to temporarily transform into Fire Mini Mario, who automatically throws fireballs forward to attack until the transformation ends.
Mini Marios must be led to the Goal Door to complete levels, with each Mini being worth points and more points being earned for having the Minis enter in quick succession. Levels end in a Game Over if all Minis are broken. Gold Mini Mario only appears in some levels. It moves just like the others but it is worth more points if it is the final Mini through the Goal Door in a chain.
In Boss Game levels, the player takes control of a cannon that uses Mini Marios as ammunition, which can be launched to attack Donkey Kong. The cannon can be moved or aimed by 
tapping and holding the steering wheel at the bottom. By tapping the "SHOOT" button, the Mini Mario will be launched, and will damage Donkey Kong if it hits him. However, a Mini Mario will be destroyed if it comes in contact with an enemy or projectile. If it misses Donkey Kong without getting destroyed, the Mini Mario will run across the red girder above the boss on the top screen to return to the cannon.
Mini Toad, Mini Peach, and Mini Donkey Kong only appear in gameplay in levels created in the Construction Zone. They can also use Fire Flowers just as Mini Mario can.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again![edit]
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, the toys are less involved in the story. Donkey Kong goes to the opening of a new expansion of Super Mini Mario World, but there are no tickets left when he arrives. Angered, he kidnaps Pauline and escapes before Mario can stop him. The Mini Marios again volunteer to help Mario stop Donkey Kong. By the very end of the game, two Mini Marios can also be seen with Donkey Kong and Pauline, with the latter showing Mario a clipboard that shows the Mini Mario model has passed the test run.
This game removes most of the player's control over the toys: they cannot be stopped and cannot be directed arbitrarily to turn around or jump, and all objects are interacted with automatically. Mini Marios and other toys can no longer stand on the heads of some enemies and no longer hesitate at potentially deadly falls from cliffs. Levels only end when all of the Mini Marios use the Goal Door, thus failing if any toy breaks. Further, all Mini Marios must reach the Goal Door in a chain. If any toy takes too long to enter after another toy does, the Goal Door closes and ends the level in failure. While Gold Mini Mario and Fire Mini Mario are not present, Key Mini Mario is reintroduced. It appears in the final regular level of each floor, all levels with a locked Goal Door that other Minis treat as a wall. Key Mini Mario has to unlock the door so that the Mini Marios can use it.
Similar to the previous entry, there are boss battles where the player takes control of a cannon that uses Mini Marios as ammunition to attack Donkey Kong. Like before, the player can spin the wheel using the stylus to move or aim the cannon and shoot Mini Marios at the boss.
Mini Toad, Mini Peach, and Mini Donkey Kong are used instead of Mini Mario in certain levels of the Rooftop, and the last three levels of the Rooftop have the player use all four of Mini Mario, Mini Toad, Mini Peach, and Mini Donkey Kong in the same level. After beating each grouping of Rooftop levels, the Showroom section of the Options menu allows the player to set the Minis that appear in each level to the kind of Mini that was in the grouping of Rooftop levels. This option does not affect the Rooftop's levels, the levels with Key Mini Mario, or levels with boss fights.
In Plus Mode, instead of being able to activate Mini Mario and other toys one at a time, all toys are activated at the same time through tapping a singular "START" button. A 3-2-1 countdown is done before the toys actually start, and until then the player also cannot manipulate the environment.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem![edit]
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!, Mario creates Mini-Land, a theme park about Mini Mario. At the grand opening, Mario hands out Mini Paulines to the first 100 customers at its grand opening. Donkey Kong is the 101st customer and Mario is sold out by then. Because Donkey Kong could not get a Mini Pauline, he kidnaps the real Pauline and runs away. Mario and the Mini Marios ride the Super Mini Mario Express to chase after them, This game introduces capsules as the packaging for toys, as seen in the opening cutscene for the Mini Paulines.
The gameplay follows from Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, and even includes Key Mini Mario again in the final level of each world. The game introduces Multi Door levels: levels with multiple exit doors that involve toys aside from Mini Mario. In the main campaign, these are always the fourth level of each world. Each exit door in a Multi Door level has a picture of the head of one of the toys in the level, and only the toy that matches each door is able to enter it. All other toys walk past these doors. These exit doors do not close, in part because in every level there is only one toy for each exit door. At first only Mini Toad appears, but as the game progresses Mini Peach, Mini Donkey Kong, and Mini Pauline appear in these levels.
All of the toys aside from Mini Mario in Multi Door levels are capsule toys,[4] that is, toys trapped inside a capsule. Capsule toys cannot be activated by tapping them. Instead, another toy must bump into the capsule of a capsule toy to free the toy, at which point the second toy automatically activates. The toy who freed the capsule toy does not turn around due to the collision. Exit doors and capsules in Multi Door levels are color coded such that the toy in the capsule of one color is the toy that goes through the exit door of that color. These usually match the color scheme of the toy, but this is tenuous for Mini Donkey Kong and does not hold for Mini Pauline.
In Plus Mode, the set of Mini Mario, Mini Toad, Mini Peach, Mini Donkey Kong, and Mini Pauline are used in every level, though the game again introduces the non-Mini Mario ones over the course of the main campaign. In each normal level, the toys have to reach the exit door in a order specified for each level. In each Multi Door level, the toys have to enter their exit doors in a order specified for each level. Failure to follow the order results in a Game Over.
In the minigame levels that appear with each attraction, the player must use objects like red girders and conveyor belts to guide Minis to the toy boxes. Multiple types of Mini can appear in later minigame levels, where they either give more points, or are needed to match with their corresponding toy box. In their Plus versions, spikes may also appear, which will result in an instant Game Over if a Mini collides with one.
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move[edit]
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move focuses on the Mini Toy Carnival, an event featuring Minis in a variety of playable attractions and minigames.
Unlike previous entries in the series, the gameplay focuses on guiding Minis in a three-dimensional environment to a star-shaped goal tile, requiring the player to use the 
stylus to drag and drop tiles that form paths for the Minis to reach. The Minis move slowly on their own, but can be tapped on the minimap to gain a short burst of speed. When entering a Bonus Game, the Mini's walking direction can be controlled freely by simply using the Touch Screen.
Mini Mario is unlocked from the start, while Mini Toad, Mini Peach, and Mini Donkey Kong require playing Many Mini Mayhem, Puzzle Palace and Giant Jungle respectively, at least once. Mini Pauline is unlocked by playing each minigame at least once then entering the Main Game.
Mini Marios are prominently featured in the minigames Mini Target Smash, Cube Crash, and Elevation Station. The latter involves raising and lowering a Mini Mario on a lift to collect coins and dodging Bullet Bills, while the former two involve launching Mini Marios using a slingshot to take down targets and destroy formations of cubes, respectively.
By collecting Stars, the playable Minis can also be unlocked for viewing in the Toy Collection, in addition to a Gold Mini Mario that can be obtained by collecting all 230 Stars in the game. They can be interacted with by using the stylus (whether to clean them or to simply tap to make a noise).
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars[edit]
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars, Donkey Kong kidnaps Pauline and Mario uses the Mini Marios to chase him. At the end of the game, it is revealed that Pauline, Donkey Kong, two Toads and all the Minis have invited Mario to a surprise party.
This game goes back to the gameplay from Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!. Levels can contain Minis aside from Mini Mario without being Multi Door levels, but every level in the main campaign has at least one Mini Mario. The set of standard Minis from Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! appear, but Mini Peach is introduced before Mini Toad and Mini Pauline is introduced before Mini Donkey Kong. The fourth level of each world in the main campaign is always a Multi Door level. Key Mini Mario returns, and the seventh level of each world in the main campaign always has a Key Mini Mario.
Cursed Mini Mario, a Mini Mario under the control of a robotic monkey that turns it into an enemy, is introduced. Cursed Mini Mario activates automatically when levels start, and is immune to enemies, hazards, and falling, but it cannot collect items. It must be attacked to break the monkey and restore the Mini Mario to normal, then brought to the Goal Door like other Mini Marios. The eighth level of each world in the main campaign always has a Cursed Mini Mario, and it is possible for a level's required Mini Mario to be the Cursed Mini Mario.
Gold Mini Mario is reintroduced, but has no mechanical distinctions from the other Minis. He does not appear in the main campaign, instead being exclusive to the Bonus Levels Level B-23 and Level B-24. Mini Luigi is new to the series, but is also not in the main campaign outside of the game's ending. He first appears in the Bonus Level Level B-18. Gold Mini Mario and Mini Luigi can also be used in user made levels from the Workshop.
Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge[edit]
In Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge, all levels only have one Mini Toy in them. This further removes Key Mini Mario, Cursed Mini Mario, Multi Door levels, and capsule toys. The player selects a Mini Toy to use by scanning an amiibo figure, with the Mini Toy corresponding to the character of the figure. Every amiibo depicting a Super Mario character released at the the launch of this game, excluding Wario, is compatible with Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge, and because of this the game introduces five Mini Toys to correspond to characters who do not fit with the existing Mini Toys: Mini Bowser, Mini Bowser Jr., Mini Yoshi, Mini Diddy Kong, and Mini Rosalina. There was no Pauline amiibo at the time of the game's release, and therefore Mini Pauline is not in the game.
Each Mini Toy tied to an amiibo depicting a Super Mario character has a unique ability that allows it to reach areas and collect amiibo Tokens that the other Mini Toys cannot. For example, Mini Toad has Small Crawl, so it can fit into passages whose ceilings are too low for other Mini Toys to enter. These abilities are also necessary to reach amiibo Doors, which are alternate Goal Doors in most cases but open access to a world for the Mini Toy who used it in the game's main levels. The levels of worlds accessed through amiibo Doors in this way are built around the ability of the Mini Toy that unlocked it, and they cannot be entered using any other Mini Toy. Mini Spek, an additional character associated with any amiibo that does not have a specific Mini Toy in the game, does not have a special ability.
The player can tap an active Mini Toy to make it move faster for a short time,[6] a mechanic introduced in Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move.
Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge is the first game of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series to have a world map, and on that map the player directs their current Mini Toy to move between levels and enter levels. The player can use directional input or taps on the destination level to so. As such, the game can be considered the first game since Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis to allow the player full horizontal control over the movement of Mini Toys.
List of Minis[edit]
It has been requested that more images be uploaded for this section. Remove this notice only after the additional images have been added. Specifics: Given the premise, gathering images of each character's packaging makes sense
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian | Mini[?] | - |
References[edit]
- ^ How to Play - Mini Mario & Friends amiibo Challenge. minimario.nintendo.com. Archived August 2, 2016, 07:43:05 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ "Score boxes are marked with a number indicating how many points you will earn for guiding a Mini Toy into that toy box." – 2010. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! instruction booklet. Nintendo of America. Page 23. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
- ^ "In a minigame, you score points by guiding the toys that appear from the pipes into the toy boxes at the bottom of the screen." – 2010. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! instruction booklet. Nintendo of America. Page 23. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
- ^ a b "In areas with toys other than Mini Marios (capsule toys), you must lead each toy to the corresponding exit door with their face on it." – 2010. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! instruction booklet. Nintendo of America. Page 15. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
- ^ "Donkey Kong has stolen all the Mini-Mario toys from the factory, and it’s up to Mario to get them back!" – 2024. [[Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch)|] product page]. Nintendo of America (American English). Retrieved 27 July 2025. (Archived March 8, 2025, 09:31:13 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge Tips and Tricks. Play Nintendo. Retrieved 26 July 2025. (Archived August 24, 2020, 00:12:06 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
