Comic Book / Super Mario Adventures

Super Mario Adventures is a serialized comic which ran in Nintendo Power magazine from January to December of 1992. The story (written by Kentaro Takekuma) features most of the enemies and characters of Super Mario World, but quickly spirals into an original, quite whimsical storyline. The comic itself was illustrated by Charlie Nozawa. Despite the involvement of Japanese talent, it was produced for a North American audience, and is not considered to be a manga.

It is notable for using plot elements that would later arise in future Mario games; for instance, traits such as Luigi's fear of ghosts, Bowser's amorous feelings towards the Princess (although The Great Mission to Save Princess Peach! did it first), and the Princess' role reversal with Mario (in which she storms Wendy O. Koopa's tower to rescue him).

When the comic originally ran, it ran alongside another animesque serial based on The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Both serials were later reprinted in Graphic Novel format to celebrate the magazine's fiftieth issue. The Super Mario Adventures trade paperback was also bundled with the first Mario vs. Wario comic that Nintendo Power had published back in 1993, which told the tale of Wario's backstory in a loose adaptation of Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins. A second Mario vs. Wario comic was run in a later issue of Nintendo Power, but was not included in the graphic novel.

In 2016, the comic was reprinted by Viz Media.

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Tropes:

A-G

• Action Girl: Princess Toadstool starts the comic by refusing to bow down to Bowser, and when she's kidnapped the first time, she's able to escape on her own, then rescue Mario when he's kidnapped.
• Adaptational Badass: Princess Toadstool is a hot-blooded heroine on par with Mario himself, capable of escaping on her own instead of waiting for a rescue and defeating the Koopalings. There is even a section where Mario gets kidnapped, and Toadstool has to rescue him.
• Adapted Out: Every boss appears in the Mario vs. Wario comic except Tatanga.
• Added Alliterative Appeal: Hole-y Rigatoni! Here's just a small sampling:
  "Let the pros at the palace pipes."
  "And I have a persnickety, party-planning princess expecting plumbing—by tonight!"
  "Totally Tubular, man. Popping pillars of pipe? Preposterous!"
  "Help! I'm being devoured by vile vegetation!"
  "That dippy dinosaur!"
  "That creepy Koopa!"
  "Go! Have some fun with those bungling brothers!"
  [on seeing the Ghost House] "Mama mia, what a peculiar pad!"
  "Hah! Well, now that I've muffled those meddlesome Marios..."
  "Ackk! Bum-biting Boo-buddies!"
  "Don't turn around! We'll be an apparition appetizer!"
• All Your Base Are Belong to Us: The Koopas descend on the Mushroom Kingdom while the heroes are away.
• And Now You Must Marry Me: Bowser asks Toadstool to marry him, and threatens to turn her subjects into stone if she doesn't. This echoes the backstory of Super Mario Bros.
• Animesque: Well, the illustrator is Japanese.
• Anything but That!: Toadstool threatening to rip up Wendy's favorite sweater. This keeps Wendy at bay.
• Art Evolution: The artwork gets more detailed and on-model as the series goes on. Yoshi and Luigi are the most obvious examples.
• Art Shift: For one panel in the first episode, Mario's face goes realistic.
• Ass Kicking Pose: Toadstool does one when she is about to threaten to blow up Wendy's tower, as seen here◊.
• Badass Adorable: Toadstool is much more of an Action Girl, while still remaining as cute as she is in the games (if not cuter, due to the animesque art style).
• Badass Armfold: Wendy surprising the escaped Princess with her personal army.
• Badass Boast: "Even chains can't hold mighty Mario!"
• Badass in Distress:
  • Poor Mario keeps alternating with the Princess as a hostage. In fact, he starts out the adventure as a statue, having been caught in the radius of Bowser's Magic Wand blast.
  • Lampshaded with the good guys rejoicing in Wendy's tower blowing up. On a sour note, Mario grumbles, "I can't believe they pulled it off without my direction."
• Be Careful What You Wish For: In the desert, Toad tries to tell the princess that this expedition is hopeless, they're out of water, and there's not a cloud in the sky — prompting a cloud to miraculously appear. The troops rejoice by performing a rain dance, but the clouds are soon revealed to be Lakitus.
  "Help! We must have done the wrong dance! It's raining Spinys!"
• Big Ball of Violence: The Princess creates one in this panel.◊
• Big Bad: Bowser.
• Big Damn Heroes: Bowser's more or less won: he's got Princess Toadstool under a spell and Mario cornered by his entire army, with no means of escape. Cue Luigi and Yoshi riding in at the head of a big damn army of Yoshis, who proceed to remind the Koopa clan why they should avoid starting a war with a race of hungry dinosaurs.
• Big Eater: Luigi is always hungry and always talking about food. At one point in the comic he is lured into a spooky ghost house by the smell of delicious Provolone cheese.
• Big "NO!": Mario's butt accidentally squashing Luigi's lunchbox. You'd think Luigi had just lost his firstborn child.
  "Nooo! I've been having pipe dreams about that canneloni!"
  • The Princess losing her balance and plummeting off Wendy's windowsill.
  • Bowser screams this when his clown car propeller gets snagged, sending him crashing into his own wedding cake.
• Big Red Button: Release the cheese!
• Big "SHUT UP!": The Koopa kids try to console Bowser over losing his bride ("She would've been a lousy mom anyway, Pop.") "SILENCE!!!" roars Bowser, blowing his top. His anger is so great, it creates fissures throughout the room.
• Big "WHAT?!": Bowser upon learning that his kids let their stepmom fall out a window.
• Blow Gun: Luigi kicks a Galoomba into a piece of green pipe Mario's holding, and Mario blows through the other end to fire the Galoomba as a projectile into a crowd of enemies, KO-ing at least ten of them at once.
• Boastful Rap: Bowser's "K-Man Koopa" rap.
• Bond One-Liner:
  • Luigi: "Now that's what I call spit fire!"
  • After Bowser is crushed beneath his wedding cake: "He got his just desserts!"
• Bound and Gagged: Mario, and later a cross-dressing Luigi.
• Brainwashed Bride: After Bowser captures Princess Peach and sends Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi into a haunted house he makes preparations to marry her. Back at Bowser's palace, Princess Peach is adamant that she will not marry him, which cause Bowser to bring in a magikoopa hypnotist, who after casting a spell on Princess Peach, causes her to fall madly in love with Bowser and agrees to marry him. The spell is only broken when Luigi, Yoshi, and an army recently liberated Yoshis crash the wedding and trample on the magikoopa.
• Bratty Teenage Daughter: Wendy O. Koopa, of course.
• Bridal Carry: Seeing that Princess Toadstool is hypnotized by Bowser ("HAHAHAHA! You see—she has grown to love me!"), Mario scoops her up and starts hopping his way over the cake.
• Buffy Speak: The Bros. running away from Yoshi in terror. "IT'S A SOMETHING ASAURUS!"
• Bullfight Boss: Roy's baseline strategy, always ending with him careening into a wall. Toadstool lampshades this by grabbing a yellow cape and impersonating a matador.
  • It Runs in the Family: Bowser charges at Mario in a blind rage, but misses and goes "KER-SPLAT!" into cake icing.
• Burning with Anger: The Princess, after Bowser petrifies Mario.
• Canon Foreigner: Friendly Floyd, as well as several minor characters like Toadster, the Minister of Massage, and the Magikoopa hypnotist.
• Canon Immigrant: Several ideas returned in the game series, such as the Side Step, Yoshi's speech, Toadstool/Peach using bombs, Koopa Troopas with spiked helmets, Mechakoopas breathing fire, and Luigi disguised as the princess.
• Captain Oblivious: Mario in the Mario vs. Wario comic seems completely unable to comprehend that the monsters that Wario had sent after him and even Wario himself are trying to destroy him. It goes deeper, too: Mario's obliviousness led to Wario suffering a lot of physical and mental abuse when they were kids.
• Cartoon Bomb: Ironically, Floyd's bombs are more similar to the ones from Zelda than the previous comic's.
• The Cavalry: The Yoshis.
• Cavalry Betrayal: Sometime after Toad flies back up the sky pipe, a rope ladder falls from on high, revealing a squadron of Toad paratroopers! (Hmmm, they all seem to have pointed beaks and off-color skin... What could that mean?)
• Ceiling Cling: Lemmy proclaiming that Toadstool's "safely behind bars!" — Or is she? When Lemmy peeps in, she's gone. They all pile in, wondering how she could have possibly pulled it off. Meanwhile, dangling overhead...
• Celebrity Paradox: Toadstool is introduced in the first episode kicking ass at the NES Super Mario Bros. ("You're a real power player, Princess!")
  • Likewise, the Koopalings first appear in the fourth episode playing a parody of the game with Bowser as the hero and Mario as the goombas.
• Chekhov's Boomerang: The Princess' cape. Toad uses it to mount a solo mission back to the Mushroom Kingdom, promising he'll send back a rescue party.
• Chekhov's Gun: The cake.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: Friendly Floyd's sales pitch for cosmetics and, erm... bombs. Luigi and Toadstool later make use of his services.... though it might surprise you that Luigi springs for the makeup while Toadstool gets tooled up with explosives. In the ending, Mario marvels to himself that the irritating salesman ended up saving them all.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: After the Koopas kidnap him during the eighth episode, Toad is suddenly forgotten about.
• Clothing Switch: Luigi switches clothes with Toadstool (while she is unconscious!) and poses as her to rescue Mario from the Koopalings. Luigi in Toadstool's gown wears a mask to cover his mustache, while Toadstool in Luigi's outfit is...just plain hilarious.
  "Whoaa! Overalls aren't my style!"
• Cool Shades: Toad and his troops wear army fatigues and aviator sunglasses.
• Crossing the Desert: In the desert, Toadstool and company are hot-footing it to Bowser's Castle. Unfortunately, their supply of water is gone.
• Damsel in Distress: Toadstool actually gets a double subversion here. She is kidnapped and then escaped on her own during the first half of the series, only to be kidnapped again in the second half, being hypnotized for good measure.
• Damsel out of Distress: Toadstool gets abducted on her way to confront Bowser during the first half. It doesn't take long for her to outwit and escape from the Koopalings without waiting for rescue.
• Delicious Distraction:
  • When Wendy catches Luigi (as Toadstool) snooping around the jail, Luigi quickly changes the subject, suggesting ordering pizza! The Koopalings are very enthusiastic about this (they even begin calling him "Mom").
  • Luigi's weakness for provolone in the Ghost House.
• Delivery Guy Infiltration: Toad and Yoshi delivering pizza to Wendy's tower. Yoshi sports a pair of glasses and a cap, while Toad bizarrely chose an afro.
• Department of Redundancy Department: During the wedding ceremony, the Koopa minister recites, "Do you take this princess to be your queen, for rich or...well, richer...?? Well, do you?"
• Didnt Thinkthis Through: Toadstool attempts to get Mario's release by threatening to set off bombs. Wendy points out that this is a really dumb idea since she is attempting to light a bomb while standing next to a big pile of them, which Peach clearly didn't consider.
• Disguised in Drag: Luigi wears Peach's dress when Mario gets himself captured to trick the Koopalings. He even believes it looks great on him.
• Do You Want to Haggle?: Friendly Floyd hastily marks down his Acme's Yoshi Language Learner from its original inflated price ("3,000! What a rip off!") to 10, since they're friends of Yoshi.
• Don't Look Down: In the basement of Bowser's lair, Luigi cries out this to Mario...who realizes he's actually standing on a Blargg.
• The Drag-Along: Friendly Floyd accompanies Princess Toadstool inside her suicide truck. Needless to say, he's sweating ice.
• Dynamic Entry: Mario dropping from above to bust up Bowser's wedding.
• Easing into the Adventure: Mario and Luigi are summoned to Toadstool's palace to fix the basement pipes, which are a jumbled mess.
• "Eureka!" Moment: Just as the Mechakoopas deliver their ultimatum, who should burst on the scene but Friendly Floyd, advertising his new makeup line. Luigi snaps, "Do I look like I need a makeover?!" Moments later, Luigi wanders out in drag.
• Evil Tower of Ominousness: Wendy's tower. The steeple sports a big pink ribbon.
• Explosive Stupidity: Toadstool uses a bomb to bluff the Koopa Kids into freeing Mario. She never counted on a stray fireball from Reznors to light the fuse. Possibly an in-joke at Mario using a Plunger Detonator on each of the Koopalings' castles in Super Mario World.
• Facial Profiling: The "Minister of Massage" Toad and the Magikoopa hypnotist, both of which sport a Fu Manchu-looking mustache.
• Family-Values Villain: Part of Bowser's motive for marrying the Princess is his concern over his kids lacking a mother figure.
• Fanservice Pack: The animesque art style is quite flattering on Princess Toadstool, giving her especially pretty Big Anime Eyes and a surprisingly big bust (which we get a good look at later on, see below) certainly helps.
• Faux Horrific: Yoshi nuzzling the Princess awake. Surprised and not realizing who Yoshi is, Toadstool runs for her life, only to crash headlong into Friendly Floyd. She gets one look at his face and runs away again, screaming.
  Floyd: Wait! You haven't seen my new line of makeup!
• Fed to the Beast: In one issue, Wendy gloats over her plans to feed Mario to the piranhas. She later drops the heroes into a Reznor dungeon via a Trap Door.
• Forced to Watch: Toadstool's wedding. Bowser taunts a captured and tied-to-a-pillar Mario, saying that he may stay to "witness this blessed event." Doubles as Bond Villain Stupidity, as we soon see.
• Forgot Flanders Could Do That: The comic depicts a rare instance of the Mario Bros. doing actual plumbing work.
• Forgot I Couldn't Swim: Luigi.
• Freudian Excuse: As the Big Boo lies down on the couch, "Doctor" Mario counsels the ghost, asking to be told about its childhood. Smash Cut to the Boo crying his eyes out about bullies stealing his lunch and stuffing him into lockers.
  Luigi: The same thing happened to me! It was awful! Let me tell you my story!
  Mario: Counseling you won't get us out of this mess!
• Fun with Subtitles: When "Princess" Luigi comes to rescue his brother, Mario's chortling ("Hmf m hefhuh! Himf if fu fee!*") is translated as, "What a getup! Pink is you, Weege!"
  Luigi: I do think it flatters my complexion.
• The Full Name Adventures
• Gamer Chick: Princess Toadstool. She's shown to be playing the original Super Mario Bros. in the first episode. And if the reactions from the Toads are any indication, she's really good at it.
• Gravity Is a Harsh Mistress:
  • The Mario Bros. emerging out of a pipe whose exit is in a cloud.
  Luigi: Yikes! Where's the bottom?
  Mario: Every pipe has its fitting!
  • In true Super Mario World style, when Yoshi gobbles a blue shell, he sprouts wings. The Bros. hop aboard, but in the fray, they lose track of Bowser's rocket. Mario and Luigi start arguing, and Mario asks Yoshi for his opinion. Bad idea.
• Growling Gut:
  • On cue, when Mario barks at Luigi that this is no time for lunch.
  • Luigi notices the fan beside the giant block of cheese and starts to realize something's up... As usual, his stomach overrides his good sense.
• The Guards Must Be Crazy: The Koopalings getting locked in their own prison.

H-Z

• Hand in the Hole: While inspecting the first of the green pipes, Mario sticks his big schnoz into it — only for a Jumping Piranha Plant to jump up and bite it.
• Harmless Lady Disguise: Luigi, disguised as the Princess
• Heel–Face Turn: "Doctor" Mario treating the social anxiety of a Big Boo. You can't make this stuff up.
• High-Dive Escape: When the Koopalings have her cornered, the Princess uses a cape Super Mario World style and soars harmlessly across the moat.
• Hilariously Abusive Childhood: In the Mario vs. Wario featurette, it's revealed that Wario's hate for Mario stems from all the comical abuse he (albeit unintentionally) put Wario through when they were kids. Highlights include gardening (Mario pulled all the turnips and left the Piranha Flowers to nip Wario), flattening coins (Wario got flattened by a Thwomp instead of his coin), and playing cowboys (Mario was always the sheriff who picked on rustler Wario, save for only one time when Wario became sheriff and Mario made fun of him). At the end of the story, Mario realizes how insensitive he was and apologizes to Wario... before inviting him to play cowboys, which gets Wario angry again.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Bowser continually ordering bigger and bigger cakes for his wedding. He falls off of his wedding cake when it collapses. An even sweeter irony happens when the enslaved Yoshis, who had been tugging the cake along on a giant trolley, turn against him.
• Hold the Unsolicited Ingredient: The Koopalings' competing requests for pizzas toppings.
• Honest John's Dealership: Friendly Floyd. In addition, the Yoshi translation book he sells to the Mario Bros. (which proves to be useless) is an Acme Product.
• Hypnotize the Captive: Bowser has a Magikoopa do this to Toadstool during the latter half of the series, as it was the only way to keep her compliant enough to wed him before Mario intervenes.
• "I Am" Song: The Mario Bros. sing one at the very start. Also, Bowser's Villain Song has a bit of this.
• I Have Your Wife: While Luigi, Toad, and Yoshi try to revive the Princess, two Mechakoopas sidle up in a canoe. They announce that Mario is being held a prisoner and that if they fail to put the Princess into their boat, Mario will be killed. The Mechakoopas give them all a demonstration by symbolically burning a Mario effigy with the flamethrowers in their mouths.
• I Know Karate:
  • The Minister of Massage learned his art at "the ancient Mount Fuji karate school."
  • During her jailbreak, the Princess belts out a "HIEEE-YAH!", performing a surprise spin kick on the awestruck Koopa Kids.
• Improvised Weapon: Toadstool pelting the Koopas with cosmetics.
  • Mario lassos the Koopa Clown Car with the same rope the Koopas tied him up with.
• Implausible Deniability: Bowser notices that the "Princess'" voice sounds funny, and wonders why she's wearing a surgical mask. Luigi claims to have a cold, but this just makes Bowser want to kiss her to make her feel better.
• Industrialized Evil: The process for trapping Yoshis in eggs is detailed in this comic, with a conveyor belt leading them into an egg-o-matic.
• It Has Been an Honor: Luigi opines, "You've been a good brother, Mario," after the pair are cornered by Yoshi and a Wiggler. Thankfully, Yoshi gobbles the Wiggler instead of the Bros.
• Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: Princess Toadstool can do flying kicks even in her Pimped-Out Dress and heels.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Once the Yoshis are de-hypnotized, Bowser flees inside his wedding cake. As if on cue, the Yoshis start eating the cake until it topples.
• Leeroy Jenkins: Mario has moments of rushing in without thinking, particularly when it comes to saving the Princess.
• MacGuffin Melee:
  • Yoshi and Luigi leading the Koopalings on a merry chase for the jail cell keys.
  • In the second Mario vs. Wario comic, Mario and Wario fighting each other trying to get Princess Toadstool's Samus doll, not knowing that Luigi has it.
• Medium Awareness:
  • When Bowser zaps the Toads, their speech bubble gets turned to stone, too; the letters "WAAA!" lie scattered on the lawn.
  • As the Princess tumbles from the tower, Mario and Luigi peek out from beneath the "Tune in next month" bubble to comment that she's stealing the spotlight.
• Merchandise-Driven: The comic closely depicts a variety of gameplay mechanics from then-recent Killer App Super Mario World. The comic is still done well, but still made people also want to play the game. Not that anyone minded.
• Missed Him by That Much: On his Bullet Bill ride to Wendy's tower, Mario passes the Princess rocketing toward the ground with the cape. D'oh.
• Mistaken Identity: Luigi switches clothes with Toadstool to infiltrate the tower and rescue Mario. The Koopa Kids and Bowser think he's the princess thanks to the dress, as well as a wig and mask. Once he calls for backup, he finally reveals himself.
  • The second Mario vs. Wario comic (though not in the graphic novel) has Mario and Wario fighting to buy Princess Toadstool a Samus doll for her birthday. When Wario goes to the store and learns that a man with a mustache already bought it, he assumes that Mario has it and tries to swap the gift with an identically-wrapped jack-in-the-box... except Mario's gift is also a jack-in-the-box and both men are utterly confused. Turns out, Luigi was the one who bought the doll.
• Mythology Gag:
  • The arc about Boos features a shout out to Dr. Mario.
  • In reference to her Japanese (later unified) name, Princess Peach, Princess Toadstool is often represented by peaches.
• Nerd Glasses: One of the Toad courtiers has spiral glasses, as does Bowser's head Magikoopa.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Wendy gets the drop on the heroes by plunging them into a Reznor pit. However, the fire-spitting Reznors accidentally ignite a bomb Toadstool is still carrying, blowing the tower sky-high.
• Nightmare Sequence: Toadstool dreams that the Koopas crash her and Mario's wedding at the beginning of the sixth episode.
• No Indoor Voice: Toadster.
• No One Could Survive That!: Spoiler alert - the Koopas survive the tower blast.
• Not as You Know Them: Yoshi is said to be the "Chairman of the Dino Chamber of Commerce" (D.C.) and the species speaks a language that was (at the time) not as players knew them.
• OEL Manga: While drawn by manga artists, the comic was written by Americans, including the Princess' future voice actress Leslie Swan.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Toadstool's bomb bluff being called out, and a stray fireball lighting it later.
  • The heroes realizing they're stranded with no way of reaching the pipe in the sky.
  • Bowser's reaction when his Magikoopa is flattened by the Yoshi slaves.
• Oh, My Gods!: "Hole-y Rigatoni!"
• Paper-Thin Disguise: The bros. inexplicably turn one of the rooms in the ghost house into a makeshift waiting room, donning a lab coat and nurse outfit in the process. The Big Boo isn't too bright, since this is enough to fool him.
• Patrick Stewart Speech: "Doctor" Mario proceeds to comfort the Big Boo, telling him that his frustrations are nothing in the vast universe. Mario then requests that the Big Boo tell them how to reach Bowser's Castle, claiming "I want to tell the Koopa King about this wonderful universe, too."
  Luigi: (He's taking this psychology stuff a little too far...)
• Pokémon Speak: All the Yoshis, which makes it hard to communicate with them. Friendly Floyd sells a book, Yoshi Language Series, Level One, to Mario and Luigi for 10 coins (marked down from 3,000). While purporting to be something of a Fictionary to help them understand the Yoshi language, it becomes clear that the translation of every phrase is "Yoshi," leading Mario and Luigi to realize they've been swindled.
• Prisoner Exchange: An accidental one.
• Pun:
  • The Minster of Massage, apropos a petrified Mario: "Hmmm, this stiff is seriously stiff!"
  • Luigi greedily cooking an egg, only for Yoshi to pop out. "This is not what I eggspected!"
• Reaching Between the Lines: Bowser somehow sticking his head, in classic cartoon form, through the Koopalings' television screen. "Do you hear me?!!!?"
• Reality Bleed: Princess Toadstool's nightmare (where she and Mario are about to be wed before Koopa Troopas suddenly invade) ends with her turning around to find Bowser leaning toward her, lips puckered. She awakens with a fright to find herself staring at Yoshi's snout.
• Riding into the Sunset: Parodied and played for laughs in Chapter 8. It only lasts for a panel before Mario cuts in on the sudden end.
• Riding the Bomb: An exhausted Luigi sits down on what he thinks is a log, but is really a Bill Blaster. Mario shoves him away, but too late! The cannon shoots a Bullet Bill toward the tower, with Mario holding onto it.
• Right Behind Me: In the bridal chamber, Toadstool keeps fending off the Koopas attending to her, insisting that she will not marry a "maniacal fiend" like Bowser. The Koopa King is standing in the doorway, looking genuinely pained at the accusation.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Rather than sit idly by and wait for Mario to recover from petrification, the Princess does a high dive out her window and chases Bowser back into his own pipe!
• Running Gag: Bowser roaring so loudly he inadvertently topples the wedding cake. Once when he finds out Toadstool is gone, and again when he believed she's back under the Koopalings' captivity. The third time, Bowser happens to be standing on top of it. Whoops.
• Save the Princess: Mario and Luigi's goal.
• Schmuck Bait: Luigi deludes himself into thinking the ghost house is somebody's vacation retreat.
• Shark Pool: Toad says he saw the Princess being carried into Wendy's tower, but they need to raft across the moat. Mario says to hell with a boat and tries swimming, but soon finds — much to his discomfort — the water is swarming with Fish Bones, Porcupuffers, and Urchins.
  Mario: [soaking wet] On to Plan B...
  Luigi: Code Name: Survival.
• Shout-Out:
  • Princess Toadstool on the pipe infestation in the first episode: "Leaping Lugnuts, Toadman!" Princess Toadstool capturing the Koopalings in the fourth episode: "Hasta la vista, babies!" Roy on Princess Toadstool's daring escape in the fifth episode: "The Hulkster himself couldn't have stopped her!" Then, when Luigi frees Mario in the seventh episode: "Even Houdini... ...couldn't break out of all these locks!" And Mario on Luigi getting them in the ghost house in the ninth episode: "This is a fine mess—"
  • In the second Mario vs. Wario comic, the titular characters fight to get Princess Toadstool's ideal birthday present — a Samus doll.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Toadstool's nightmare starts off as a dream of her marrying Mario.
• Sinister Surveillance: Bowser and the Koopalings watch Mario and Luigi entering Big Boo's Haunt on their TV. ("GONNGGGG!")
• Sissy Villain: After trapping the Mario Bros. in Big Boo's Haunt, Bowser gloats by saying he can get back to planning his wedding... and then skips off like a little girl.
• Slapstick: Abundant.
• Slave Race: Bowser's "best hypnotist" tames the entire Yoshi population into dragging along his Isengard-sized cake.
• Sliding Scale of Robot Intelligence: The Mechakoopas can't tell the difference between Toadstool and Luigi wearing a gown and wig. Either one will do.
• Smooch of Victory: Princess Toadstool gives one to both Mario and Luigi (in Super Mario Adventures and Mario vs. Wario, respectively).
• Speak in Unison:
  • Mario and Luigi's customer review of Acme's Yoshi Language Learner.
  "Wait 'til I get my hands on that Friendly Floyd!!"
  • The realization dawning that they still need to get home through that huge Warp Pipe... hanging high in the sky.
    "Oh nooo! We're stuck here FOREVER!"
  • The Koopalings veto the cheese idea, thinking nobody is stupid enough to fall for it. Clearly, they haven't met Luigi. Bowser, oh-so-happy and gloating, skips off to plan "his perfect wedding" as the Koopalings sourly grumble, "I hate it when he's right!"
• Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: Mario jumps down and kicks Bowser in the face before the Princess can say her "I do." And yes, he does object.
• Staring Contest: To keep all the ghosts away from them, Mario and Luigi decide to stand back-to-back with each other, staring them down. Unfortunately, the brothers are way out of their league on this one.
• Stay in the Kitchen: Bowser offers this to the Princess through singing as though it were a selling point.
  "Come on, sweetcakes, we'll make a great pair! I can do the ruling while you style your hair'"
• Taken for Granite: Bowser announces he'll be back in two weeks to see if the Princess accepts his proposal. And to make the deal go a little more his way, he proclaims that if the answer is "no," all her people will be turned to stone, giving her a demo on the Toads nearest him!
• Taking You with Me: Toadstool threatens the Koopalings with a bomb and a match, telling them to stay back. Wendy, though, calls her bluff, reminding her that she'll blow up, too. "My sacrifice will be worth it," Toadstool chirps, with smiling stars and sunshine in the background. "And, as always, good will triumph over cruel Koopa-dom!"
  Wendy: "You're off your royal rocker!"
• Talking the Monster to Death: In the tenth episode, Mario and Luigi escape from the Big Boo by subjecting him to psychiatric therapy.
  "Your symptoms indicate that you're suffering from anthrophobia! Your fear of humans must stem from some bad childhood experience."
• There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Friendly Floyd's high-grade ordnance. ("They're cheaper by the dozen!") Toadstool apparently took him up on that promotion...
• Took a Level in Badass: See Action Girl above.
• Traveling Snake Oil Salesman: Friendly Floyd.
• Trojan Horse: Yoshi's pizza wagon opens to reveals Toadstool and Floyd, standing among a mountain of bombs.
• Trojan Prisoner: Luigi in Toadstool's gown.
• Truer to the Text: While it does deviate from it a bit in some areas, out of the adaptations made for the plumber, this is largely one of the most faithful to the games and the artwork is largely on-model for what the cast looked like at the time of it's release.
• Two Scenes, One Dialogue:
  Bowser: "Mark my words! They're tired, hungry and, best of all, lost. This cozy little bungalow is just too tempting for a snoopy pair like the Mario Bros. And it's unlocked, which makes it irresistible!"
  Mario: "Wait, Luigi. We may be tired, lost, and, worst of all, hungry, but we must keep our wits about us. There's something strange about this place...My gut feeling is that it's a trap!"
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Bowser attempts to escape in the Clown Car, but Mario snags the propeller blades with the rope, causing it to crash into the cake.
• Villain Song: Bowser, after sound-testing the mic in his hand (and getting a gong bang from his kids), begins freestyle rapping.
• Wedding Smashers: Mario, and then Luigi and the Yoshis, do this to Bowser at the end. This also applies to Toadstool's nightmare.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Toad's three troops vanish from the story after Lakitus pelt them with Spinys in the third episode, and Toad himself disappears entirely after being tied up by Koopas in the eighth episode.
• Wham Line: Princess Toadstool: "FREE MARIO-- or get BLOWN TO BITS!"
• Wholesome Crossdresser:
  • Bowser's holding Mario hostage and demanding Toadstool in exchange, but she's out cold. So Luigi swipes her dress and poses as her, and she wakes up to find herself wearing his green shirt and overalls.
  • And Toadstool actually manages to look very good in Luigi's outfit. Also, when she plays Big Damn Heroes to save Mario with style, everything she does reeks of awesomeness. Wendy O. Koopa even lampshades it.
  • Also Luigi mentions after it's all over he was starting to like wearing Toadstool's dress. He also ends up in a nurse outfit later.
• Wizard Beard: The head Magikoopa has a long mustache.
• You Don't Look Like You: In Super Mario Adventures, Toad, as the princess' guard, looks very different from the usual design. He and his three troops are depicted with a reversed mushroom cap color scheme, darker vest and pants, black shirt and belt, and Cool Shades. He's also differentiated from his men by having the thickest mustache (which disappears after they're written out of the story).
• "You!" Exclamation: Bowser shaking his head loose from the cake, only to be greeted by Mario standing over him. "What?! You again!"
• You Have to Believe Me!: The Toad courtiers are dubious about Toadster's claims of pipes surrounding the palace, but he shrieks that it's worse than they think — the pipes have even ruined the flower garden.
• Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: After Wendy's tower is (accidentally) blown up, the heroes celebrate their victory and they head off into the sunset... and it's only two pages into Episode 8 of 12. Suddenly, the credits freeze (they are fake), the sunset clears, and everyone realizes that they're still stuck away from the Mushroom Kingdom. As Mario soon points out, the return trip won't be simple.

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