Luigi's Cap has been a key symbol for the Super Mario Bros. franchise. Luigi has had his hat in hand for his every appearance with no exceptions. Luigi has worn the hat since he was a baby.
History
Luigi's hat was meant to contradict Mario's red hat since green is the Negative Color of Red. The hat was made green with a green "L" emblem.
During the events of Super Mario Bros. 2, the tip of the cap had been changed to Black instead of his usual green, this happened for Mario as well. However, after this game, Luigi's cap went back to having a green tip.
In the Mario and Luigi Series, the "L" on Luigi's cap is black. Mario's cap was changed in the same way, but outside of the Mario and Luigi Series, the "L" on his cap is never black.
In the game Super Paper Mario, when Luigi is reverted to 'Mr. L', his hat takes a slight change with the white on his hat being turned to black and the L in the middle being turned backward.
Importance
In Super Mario 64 DS Luigi's hat was used to shape-shift into Luigi if the player was either Mario, Wario, or Yoshi. In the same game, Luigi is affected the same way as Mario and Wario if their hats are lost. Luigi's defense and attack sharply decline, while his hat is absent from his head. If the player gets the hat back, Luigi's attack and defense revert back to normal.
Hat-less Luigi
Sometimes, Luigi will be seen without his cap on.
- In Luigi's Mansion when Luigi gets hit by a bomb or fire, he will take off his hat and shake it because it's on fire, thus, he is seen hat-less.
- Another time where he has no hat on is in New Super Mario Bros. when playing as Luigi, after a non-castle level is completed, he takes off his hat. The same goes for Mario.
- In Super Mario 64 DS, Luigi's cap can be stolen by a bird or a monkey and Luigi will be seen without his cap. He can complete the whole game without his cap, but he will be much weaker. Luigi can not get back his cap without snatching it away from the enemy that stole it or get it from a Toad.
- Upon leveling up in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, after the bonus upgrade is added, Luigi will hop and his hat will fall off.
Trivia
- Luigi's Cap is an item in Nintendogs that the player's dog can wear.
- In Animal Crossing: City Folk there´s also a Luigi Cap which the player can wear.