Yoshi (species)

Yoshi is a species of dinosaurs. Yoshis have very long, sticky tongues, and can swallow almost anything, even things that are much larger than Yoshis themselves are. Almost everything they swallow is transformed into (or encased in) an egg, which they can throw as a weapon. They prefer fruit, although they can and usually will eat other things, including living creatures. Their noses, taking up half of their heads, can detect fruit buried underground and other strange secrets in Yoshi Story. Even though they have teeth, these are rarely seen or used. While Yoshi himself is depicted as green, other Yoshis in general come in a variety of colors.

Yoshis come in many colors, including blue, red, yellow, brown, orange, pink, purple, dark blue, and, more rarely, black and white. (Black and white Yoshis in Yoshi's Story have the distinct ability to digest chili peppers, which others Yoshis cannot). Generally, a Yoshi's shoe color is dependant on its color: red Yoshis wear blue shoes, for example. In earlier games, different colors of Yoshis had different abilities, like fire-breathing or flying. Yoshis also can make a variety of sounds. In Super Mario World, hopping onto a Yoshi's saddle made a "zip-zoo" or "phwe-phwew" sound — the species’ trademark noise until Yoshi's Story, when the Yoshis (voiced by Nintendo musician Kazumi Totaka) began muttering his name and unintelligible words (such as "gong" and "hup").

Yoshis have a limited social structure, shown in multiple RPGs as living in villages with a few wooden constructions. Yoshis inhabit many areas of the world from the Mushroom Kingdom to Isle Delfino.

Yoshis are the originator of the "Ground Pound" — a move in which a creature jumps into the air, flips and then slams into the ground. Yoshis first performed the move in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. The move has been performed by many characters in later games, such as Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and various entries in the Mario Party franchise.

The plural for Yoshi has often come up in debates. Some argue that "Yoshis" is the proper term, while others argue that "Yoshies" is correct. Japanese plurals have no indicative marks, meaning that "Yoshi" is another (unlikely) possibility. Nintendo of America has used both "Yoshies" and "Yoshis" in the Super Nintendo and Game Boy Advance versions of Yoshi's Island, respectively. It could be that both versions are canon.

In the Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance 4 adaptations of Super Mario Bros. 3, the king in the castle of World seven is transformed into a Yoshi by Ludwig Von Koopa (whereas in the original version of the game, predating Yoshi's invention, the king is transformed into a Piranha Plant).

Notable Yoshis

• Yoshi - Super Mario World
• Boshi - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
• Yoshi Kid - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
• Little Yoshi - Tetris Attack