Penguin: Difference between revisions

{{about|the typical penguin species|other uses of the term "penguin"|[[Penguin (disambiguation)]]|a list of all penguins|[[:Category:Penguins]]}}

|latest_appearance=''[[Mario & Luigi Brothership]]'' (cameo) ([[List of games by date#2024|2024]])

'''Penguins''' are a species of anthropomorphic, flightless bird found in the ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' franchise. They are good swimmers and often inhabit cold climates, like their real-world {{wp|penguin|counterpart}}s, to which they bear varying degrees of resemblance depending on the game. Many also inhabit tropical areas, as seen in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]''. Most of them do no harm to [[Mario]], though they sometimes act as obstacles or hindrances to his quest. Friendly penguins often speak with Mario, sometimes asking for his help or offering him a service.

Penguins were given a minor role in ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and its remake ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]'', where they could be seen in the level [[Cool, Cool Mountain]] and [[Snowman's Land]]. In Cool, Cool Mountain, a [[Mother Penguin]] had lost her baby [[Tuxie]] and asks [[Mario]] to find her. Mario finds her and is awarded a [[Power Star]]. Later on, Mario has to race down a long, icy slide and get to the finish line before a [[Big Penguin|champion sledder]] does. If Mario wins, he will be awarded with another Power Star. In Snowman's Land, another penguin is present on the bridge leading to the top of the giant snowman. The penguin can be used to sneak around the giant snowman head.

[[File:SMG Beach Bowl Penguins.png|thumb|left|Penguins swimming with Mario]]

In ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'', penguins reappear residing in the [[Loopdeeloop Galaxy]], [[Sea Slide Galaxy]], [[Drip Drop Galaxy]], [[Buoy Base Galaxy]], [[Loopdeeswoop Galaxy]] and [[Beach Bowl Galaxy]]. There is also one lone penguin in [[Freezeflame Galaxy]], and an elderly penguin named [[Penguru]] in the Drip Drop Galaxy, Bigmouth Galaxy, and Sea Slide Galaxy. Usually, the penguins will challenge Mario to a water challenge, such as surfing, collecting shells, or racing them. They are quite friendly, and will give Mario tips on how to swim, or even help him find [[Silver Star]]s. In the Loopdeeloop Galaxy and Loopdeeswoop Galaxy, the penguins spend their time [[ray surfing|surfing on ray]]s. They also have a [[Coach (Super Mario Galaxy)|Coach]] which is a black penguin bigger than normal penguins who teaches Mario (and Luigi) how to use [[shell]]s to swim with. The penguins in this game are shown to live in more tropical areas than the previous games, which had penguins living mainly in cold areas. The penguin race mission of [[Sea Slide Galaxy]] contains a penguin smaller than Mario and any other penguin found in the game. This penguin can be found walking around the lighthouse. The [[Penguin Racers]] found in this same galaxy are the only young penguins that are not all blue.

Penguins reappear in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]''. The penguins appear only in one [[galaxy]]; the [[Cosmic Cove Galaxy]]. They appear with [[Penguru]] (who also appeared in [[Hightail Falls Galaxy]]) and [[Coach (Super Mario Galaxy)|Coach]] in all missions of the galaxy. In the first mission, penguins are all throughout giving Mario hints on how to swim and leading him along.

 

In the second mission of the Cosmic Cove Galaxy, a [[Luma]] has been trapped in a cage and all the penguins have gone searching around the galaxy to find the key. They lead Mario in the correct direction and give him many hints on how to swim. After Mario has completed this second mission, one penguin will appear on [[Starship Mario]] and tell Mario how to swim whenever spoken to.

[[File:SMO_Snow_Brochure_C.png|frame|left]]

Penguins populate the [[Snow Kingdom]] from ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''. They bear a strong resemblance to the penguins of previous games, but do not appear to be sapient and behave like other bird species from the game, flying away if Mario approaches them (despite real penguins' inability to fly). Additionally, unlike the penguins of previous games, their eyes are located closer to the sides of their heads instead of on the front, potentially to make them look less anthropomorphic.

[[File:Penguin MK64.png|thumb|130px|A penguin in ''Mario Kart 64'']]

Penguins appear around [[N64 Sherbet Land|Sherbet Land]] from ''[[Mario Kart 64]]''. They push away and spin any racer that bumps into them. They are found in caverns and simply waddle in pairs around giant columns. In the same course, a larger penguin can be seen walking in circles on an unreachable ice island.

In ''[[Mario Kart: Super Circuit]]'', a few spinning penguins flank the racetrack in [[GBA Snow Land|Snow Land]]. Any racer that collides with them will spin out, losing some [[coin]]s.

Penguins appear in ''[[Mario Kart Wii]]'', with the return of the {{classic-link|N64|Sherbet Land}}, and behave identically to how they did in ''Mario Kart 64''.

In ''[[Mario Kart 7]]'', penguins cause drivers to simply lose some momentum without spinning them out. They are encountered in the underwater portion of [[3DS Rosalina's Ice World|Rosalina's Ice World]] where they are seen swimming around in circles, and are also found waddling on [[Sherbet Rink]].

[[File:MKT RMX Vanilla Lake 1 Penguins.png|thumb|left|Penguins in ''Mario Kart Tour'']]

Penguins first appeared in ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' on the [[Steer Clear of Obstacles]] bonus challenge of [[SNES Vanilla Lake 1]] and later made standard course appearances in [[3DS Rosalina's Ice World]], [[RMX Vanilla Lake 1]], [[GBA Snow Land]] and [[RMX Vanilla Lake 2]]. Like in ''Mario Kart 64'', they cause drivers to spin out when collided with; however, they can be taken out with any attack method, granting points in the process. In the [[Ring Race]] bonus challenge set in 3DS Rosalina's Ice World, a penguin slides on its belly ahead of the player, creating [[Ring (Mario Kart series)|rings]] for them to pass through. The [[Penguin Wingtip]] [[glider]] and the [[Penguin Slider]] [[kart]] are based on penguins. A penguin also appears as a bartender in [[Sky-High Sundae]]. The [[Penguin Tour]] is themed around penguins.{{br}}

[[File:MK8-course-GBA SnowLand.jpg|thumb|A sliding penguin in ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'']]

Penguins appear in {{classic-link|GBA|Snow Land}} in the ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]]'' for ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''. Unlike in the original, they behave identically to how they did in ''Mario Kart 64'', where they are seen running around the course, often sliding along the ice on their bellies. They also appear in {{classic-link|3DS|Rosalina's Ice World}}, in which most stand as spectators while others can be seen swimming underwater.

Penguins appear in ''[[Mario Party 3]]'' in the board [[Chilly Waters]].

A lone normal penguin makes a minor appearance in one of the puzzles in the ''[[Mario Party 4]]'' minigame [[Photo Finish]].

A mob of penguins appear in the minigame [[Pushy Penguins]] as they run across from the right side of the screen and dive into the water to the left. The players must avoid the penguins and find gaps between them to avoid being pushed off. They return in the minigame in ''[[Mario Party: The Top 100]]'' and as spectators in [[Later Skater]].

In ''[[Mario Party Advance]]'', Penguin can be found playing games at the [[Ice Game Room]], and is a big fan of playing the games there. When the Game Room is entered, he introduces himself and the arcade before asking for some help. If his request is accepted, he explains that he wanted to propose to his girlfriend, [[List of implied characters#Pengwen|Pengwen]], and had been trying to win enough money for a ring at the game room. However, after a while of playing, he ended up completely broke. Penguin then asks for the player to win enough money for him, and in exchange, they get the minigame that they play, [[Drop 'Em]]. Once the minigame has been beaten, he happily exclaims that he and Pengwen can finally get married. He then compares the player to the [[Kamek|Game Mage]] before running off to buy a ring.

The game also features a multiplayer game called [[Penguin Race]], which involves two to four players controlling penguins. Player one uses a blue penguin, player two uses a green penguin, player three controls a red penguin, and player four controls a yellow penguin. The penguin's performance in the race is based solely on the player's single-player minigame records, and the player with the best records is the one who wins.

Penguins appear in ''Mario Party 8'' as non-playable characters. One penguin appears as a racer in [[Moped Mayhem]], while another is hiding in [[Specter Inspector]]. A penguin plushie also appears in the introduction of [[Grabbin' Gold]]. A Carnival Figure featuring three miniature dancing baby penguins atop an iceberg may be purchased from the [[Carnival Wagon]] inside the [[Fun Bazaar]].

In ''[[Mario Party 9]]'', penguins appear as obstructions in the minigame [[Polar Extreme]], simply wandering around on random chunks of ice in the water. Running into them results in a player being stunned. Like the other players, they can be stomped and jumped on, and it does flatten them for a second, but this does not affect them very much.

Penguins appear in ''[[Mario Party: Island Tour]]'' in the minigames [[Slip 'n' Slip]], [[Starring Artist]] and [[Go with the Floe]].

Penguins appear in ''[[Super Mario Party]]'' as non-playable characters. Penguins are found in the minigame [[Tall Order]], where they move the bowl that the players must shave ice into.

Normal Penguins, referred to as '''big penguins''' by [[Jordan]] on [[Play Nintendo]],<ref>{{cite|url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fpyxZ4ZCs4|title=5 Minigames in Mario Party Superstars that are REALLY COOL 🧊 @playnintendo|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=May 22, 2024|language=en-us|date=December 10, 2022|author=Play Nintendo}}</ref> alongside baby Penguins, return in the [[Pushy Penguins]] minigame in ''[[Mario Party Superstars]]''. Penguins also have their own page in the [[Data House#Encyclopedia|encyclopedia]].

In ''[[Mario Pinball Land]]'', penguins appear in the [[Frosty Frontier Stage]]; if [[Mario]] hits one of them, the penguin will slip down to the icy floor, waddling while sliding. If Mario hits it one more time while the penguin is down lying on the icy floor, he will earn 2,000 points. While sliding, if a penguin hits another waddling penguin, the other penguin slips down to the icy floor while sliding as the process repeats.

In ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games]]'', penguins appear as spectators in [[Dream Curling]]. Also, one appears as a VIP.

In ''[[Mario Sports Mix]]'', penguins are seen standing on icebergs in the background of the [[Sherbet Sea]] arena in the party game [[Smash Skate]].

====''Mario Tennis Open''====

In ''[[Mario Tennis Open]]'', penguins are line judges in the [[Penguin Iceberg]] court.

In ''[[Mario Tennis Aces]]'', penguins appear in the audience in some of the courts. In the game's adventure mode, a penguin appears in [[Snowfall Mountain]], in the level [[Snowball Fight]], where it tells Mario and Toad that they are unable to board the train to Snowfall Mountain, as [[Shy Guy]]s had taken control of it. After the Shy Guys are defeated, the penguin allows them to use the train.

In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', a penguin makes a cameo appearance on the Starship Mario [[spirit (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)|spirit]].

Penguins make their debut in the [[Dr. Mario (series)|''Dr. Mario'' series]] in ''[[Dr. Mario World]]'' as Assistants. They were added on December 12, along with [[World 10 (Dr. Mario World)|World 10]]. When equipped in stage mode, the doctor's skill gauge will further increase by a percentage if four or more viruses are simultaneously eliminated. For example, with a level 3 Penguin (fills skill by 50% more), if a row of four viruses is eliminated with one half-[[capsule]], there will be five objects (four viruses + one half-capsule) eliminated but the skill gauge will fill by 7.5 points: 5 points from the match and 2.5 extra points (50% of 5 points) through this assistant. In versus mode, each attack by the user has a chance of ignoring the opponent's defense, resulting in the attack landing regardless of how likely the opponent can block the attack. Penguin assistants are each rewarded by clearing the first are in [[World 10 (Dr. Mario World)|World 10]] and [[World 26]].

Penguins appear in ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'' as residents of the [[Snow Kingdom (The Super Mario Bros. Movie)|Snow Kingdom]], ruled by a [[Penguin King|king]], which comes under attack by [[Bowser]] and [[Koopa Troop|his forces]]. They self-assuredly try to defend themselves by throwing snowballs at the enemy, but are easily defeated and their citadel is destroyed. The penguins are held captive in cages suspended over lava along with [[Luigi]], some [[Goomba]]s, and a [[Lumalee]]. They are almost sacrificed during Bowser and [[Princess Peach]]'s wedding before [[Mario]] and [[Donkey Kong]] arrive to rescue them, and DK is able to pull the chain up and save them.

*'''European instruction booklet:''' ''They appear in a group (sometimes called a "waddle" of penguins!) and move around in a circle. Go for a combo!''<ref>''Super Mario Ball'' European instruction booklet. Page 22.</ref>

{{content description

|image=[[File:PenguinTradingCard.png|150px]]

|name=Penguin

|description=''Penguins in ''Super Mario Galaxy'' are blue in color and are happy-go-lucky. Mostly spending their time surfing on Manta Rays, Penguins make their home almost anywhere that water can be found. When Mario arrives on their turf, they invite him to join in their favorite pastime. Find out why this becomes more than just a fun game for Mario!''

|Jap=ペンギン

|JapR=Pengin

|JapM=Penguin

==Trivia==

*Realistic penguins rarely make minor appearances, such as in some versions of ''[[Mario is Missing! (PC)|Mario is Missing!]]'', at the end of [[Arctic Plunge]] in ''[[Donkey Kong Jungle Beat]]'', and in an exhibit in ''[[Wario: Master of Disguise]]''.