| Zess T. | |
|---|---|
 Artwork from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) | |
| Species | Toad |
| First appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004) |
| Latest appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024) |
- “Want me to cook something for you, Clumsy Crush-a-lot?”
- —Zess T., Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Zess T. is a character who first appeared in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. She is a grumpy, 55-year-old Toad who resides in Rogueport. Her name is a pun on the word "zesty", which, in a way, describes her personality, as well as being a reference to her cooking skills. Like Tayce T., she is an expert at cooking and even featured a similar backstory involving cakes and a deceased husband. Unlike Tayce T., however, her personality is the polar opposite; she has a rambunctious attitude, describing her as very mean and grumpy, calling Mario names and keeping a mean expression on her face. Her attitude is similar to Dyllis.
History
At the start of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Zess T. is seen pacing about outside her residence, trying to find her Contact Lens. When Mario approaches Zess T., she orders Mario to freeze and not move a step until she finds her missing contact lens, but when Mario moves anyway, he accidentally steps on the lens. Zess T. accuses Mario for stepping on her missing lens and refuses to allow him into Rogueport's West Side until he buys her a new set of contact lens. After Mario purchases some new lens from the shop and presents them to Zess T., she returns home safely, allowing Mario to have access to the west side of Rogueport. Even so, Zess T. still harbors a bit of a grudge, referring to him by names such as "Stompy" or "Sir Stomps-on-Stuff".
After solving the contact crisis, Mario can visit Zess T. at her residence and she will make recipes for him. Initially, her cooking is limited to one item at a time until Mario finds Maitre Delish's Cookbook hidden in a back room of the Creepy Steeple. After completing this task, she is able to cook two different items into one. Wonky reveals that she ultimately develops a bit of a soft spot for Mario since she rarely bakes Couple's Cake given it reminds her of her deceased husband, but she's willing to bake it for Mario since he won her favor. Zess T. also cooks Omelette Meals for the guests of the Royal Poshley Park Tower, the inn in Poshley Heights, and Space Food for the inn at Fahr Outpost.
Throughout the game, the player receives emails via Mailbox SP, which may have Zess T. mentioned in messages through the Rogueport Direct Mail Service. The RDM Issue 2 shows that Zess T. has been expressing romantic feeling towards Toadsworth, although both parties have elderly ages. In the RDM Final Issue, it is revealed that Zess T. had allegedly punched Flavio in the left jaw by delivering a left hook. The reason for the assault was that Zess T. was seemingly growing impatient about a shipment of gourmet ingredients, which seemingly spoiled, mainly due to Flavio withholding the dock crew just having returned from a two-day voyage with the supplies.
Profiles
- Tattle: "That's Zess T., a super-skilled Toad chef. With the right ingredients, she can make ANYTHING! She's like a kitchen magician! I am like, a TOTAL klutz in the kitchen, so I really respect a chef's touch."
Recipes
- Main article: List of recipes in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Gallery
Sprite from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Zess T. about to give Mario a dish from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Zess T. looking for her missing Contact Lens from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ナンシー[?] Nanshī |
Nancy; shared with Raini | |
| Chinese | 南希[?] Nánxī |
Nancy; shared with Raini | |
| Dutch | Prutelia[?] | Pun on pruttelen ("to simmer") | |
| French | Marie-T.[?] | Play on "Maïté", a well-known TV presenter of culinary shows in France. | |
| German | Racle T.[?] | Pun on "raclette", a type of cheese | |
| Italian | Chef Champignon[?] | Mushroom Chef (champignon is the French word for "mushroom") | |
| Korean | 낸시[?] Naensi |
Nancy; shared with Raini | |
| Spanish | T. Nancy[?] | Nancy Toad |
Trivia
- According to an RDM issue Mario receives via email, Zess T. is 55 years old in the game. Additionally, another RDM issue claims Zess T. and Toadsworth became romantically involved during his stay in Rogueport. However, this is never mentioned outside of the email.
- Wonky implies that she is Tayce T.'s sister, which also makes her The Master's sister.
- When Mario throws Zess Dynamite at enemies in battle, it summons a ghostly image of a fierce-looking Zess T. as it causes a massive explosion, dealing 7 points of damage to all enemies except for Buzzy Beetles and Parabuzzies.
- In both the original game and the remake, Zess T. has an unused entry in the Tattle Log, although there is no text or image to go along with it.