Glydon
| Glydon | |
|---|---|
 Artwork of Glydon from Super Mario Odyssey. | |
| First appearance | Super Mario Odyssey (2017) |
Glydon is a creature similar to a flying lizard[1] who is enthusiastic about flying and gliding. Mario meets Glydon in several Kingdoms throughout Super Mario Odyssey. He states that he is traveling to various kingdoms to glide from the highest places, and the world atlas and his bandana have similar motifs to the ones on the ponchos of Tostarenans, indicating that his homeland is in the Sand Kingdom,[2] which is the first kingdom where he can be found in the game.
Mario can take control of Glydon to glide and dive. His dive is much faster and harder to steer than his glide. While gliding, shaking the Joy-Con or Pro Controller makes the captured Glydon stay airborne longer. However, when captured, Glydon cannot swim and simply disappears as soon as he touches water. On the other hand, Glydon cannot sink into quicksand; instead, he starts stomping whenever he stands on it whether Mario is capturing him or not. A Power Moon in the Seaside Kingdom, Lighthouse Leaper, specifically requires the player to glide with Glydon from the top of the Lighthouse toward the Glass Palace and then talk to a Bubblainian near said palace.
His name is a portmanteau of "glide" and "-odon", a typical suffix used for animals (often reptiles, such as Iguanodon and Pteranodon) distinguished or recognized through their teeth (despite Glydon lacking any visible teeth).
While Glydon has been stated to be a character by the official Super Mario UK Twitter account,[3] both the official Prima Games guide of Super Mario Odyssey and the official Super Mario Italian Twitter account indicate that Glydon is a species.[4][dead link][5]
Gallery
Artwork
Postcard obtained as reward in Super Mario Odyssey
Concept art
- SMO Concept Art Glydon (Superhero Design).png
Preliminary sketch of Glydon visually similar to Superman
- SMO Concept Art Glydon (Waddlewing Design).png
Preliminary sketch of a proceeding Waddlewing character design
Screenshots
Glydon in the Sand Kingdom
Glydon meeting Mario in the Sand Kingdom
Glydon captured by Mario diving in the Wooded Kingdom
Glydon in the Seaside Kingdom
Glydon with Mario in the Lost Kingdom
Glydon in the Darker Side
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | カックー[?] Kakkū |
From「滑空」(kakkū, gliding) 「カックー」is also a nickname for names beginning with Kaku-.1 Both meanings have different accents (Kakkū for gliding and Kakkū for the nickname). |
|
| Chinese | 滑翔小子[?] Huáxiáng xiǎozi |
Glide Boy | |
| Dutch | Glydon[?] | - | |
| German | Segelmander[?] | Portmanteau of segeln (to glide) and Salamander. | |
| Italian | Planosauro[?] | From planata (glide) and -sauro (lizard). | |
| Korean | 날돈[?] Naldon |
From 날개 (nalkae, wing) or 날다 (nalda, to fly) and -don (a suffix used for dinosaurs) | |
| Russian | Птеродон[?] Pterodon |
From Птер-, the Russian transcription of the Greek πτερ- (wing), and -одон, the Russian transcription of the Greek -όδων (tooth). | |
| Spanish | Planeosaurio[?] | From planeo (glide) and -saurio (lizard). |
1 - For example, Katsuya Kakunaka, a professional baseball player for the Chiba Lotte Marines, Japan, as of 2022, is occasionally called Kakkū by his fans, although his official nickname is Kaku. Also, Hollow Dogū, a clay figure found in Hakodate, Hokkaido, and a mascot character based on it have the same nickname, Kakkū, named after Minamikayabe (the place where it was discovered) and kūdō (hollow).
See also
References
- ^ Nintendō Kōshiki Gaidobukku Sūpā Mario Odessei (Nintendo Official Guidebook Super Mario Odyssey,「任天堂公式ガイドブック スーパーマリオ オデッセイ」), page 20. Shogakukan. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ Template:Media link
- ^ Post about Glydon from the official Super Mario UK Twitter account.
- ^ Super Mario Odyssey eGuide
- ^ Post about Glydon's increased reach when shaking the Joy-Cons. The text says If you shake the Joy-Cons while sailing the skies as a Glydon, you will be able to fly a little farther!.
