Koopalings

Koopalings
'Mario' character
File:Koopalings.jpg The Koopalings, as depicted in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. From left to right: Roy, Larry, Iggy, Ludwig, Lemmy, Wendy O., and Morton.
First game	Super Mario Bros. 3
Created by	Various

The "Koopalings" (コクッパ, Ko Kuppa), also called the Koopa Kids, are a group of seven fictional characters in Nintendo's Mario series of video games. Their names are Roy Koopa, Larry Koopa, Iggy Koopa, Ludwig Von Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, Wendy O. Koopa, and Morton Koopa, Jr. They first appeared in the NES game Super Mario Bros. 3, and again in the Super NES game Super Mario World. Following these appearances, however, they were not seen in any major roles until 18 years after Super Mario World in the Wii game New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They were originally conceived as a replacement for recurring appearances of series villain Bowser; series creator Shigeru Miyamoto tasked the designers of Super Mario Bros. 3 with creating Koopalings, and the seven best designs were chosen as the basis for the characters. Their names and appearances are based on music, particularly rock and roll; for example, Morton Koopa, Jr.'s name comes from Morton Downey, Jr., and he features a star on his eye, taken from KISS guitarist Paul Stanley.

They have made several appearances in other media, most notably in the cartoon The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, which featured entirely different names for the Koopalings due to them not having official names by the time of its airing. Since Super Mario Bros. 3, they have received positive reception, with critics citing them for adding variety to the series' villains compared to when the series merely featured Bowser multiple times. Critics bemoaned the lack of the Koopalings in many games, commenting on how it has taken more than 15 years for them to get another major appearance, as well as criticizing Bowser Jr. for replacing them.

Birth order

Larry Koopa

Larry Koopa has been portrayed to be the youngest of the Koopalings. He seems to have an love of interest in sports as seen in many games; oddly enough, he hasn't appeared in any sports game. Additionally, he doesn't possess a lot of stamina despite his liking of sports. Though he does play tennis with a fireball in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, he has also shown to be bad-tempered or bratty in New Super Mario Bros Wii. His main color representation is sky blue. Larry was known as Cheatsy Koopa in the cartoons, since if he can't win, he will try to cheat by any means to win.

Morton Koopa Jr.

Morton Koopa Jr. is the second youngest of the Koopalings, despite being the biggest of the Koopalings; he seems to possess a cantankerous personality. Also, he is also the only Koopaling to have a different skin tone rather than the yellow tone the others have, this could be because he normally rules a hot and dry area (Desert Land in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Donut Plains in Super Mario World). He has a black and gray tone. The Jr. following his name has sparked some controversy; this is due to the specific connection not being confirmed. The actual reason for the "Jr" is because he was named after Morton Downey Jr.. His main color representation is black. Morton was known as Big Mouth Koopa Jr. in the cartoons.

Wendy O. Koopa

Wendy O. Koopa is stated to be the third youngest of Koopalings, as well as the only female. She is portrayed a spoiled and naughty brat with a quick temper, often going into a rage over little things. Though instead of the spiked bands the other Koopalings have on their wrists and neck, she has a necklace and very large bracelets. Regardless of her feminine traits, as a female villain she is stated to be a tomboy. Even though she is female, she is one of the two Koopalings with no hair (the other being Roy).Her main color representation is pink. Wendy was known as Kootie Pie Koopa in the cartoons without the "O." part.

Iggy Koopa

Iggy Koopa is the middle child of the Koopalings, as well as the fourth youngest. He is depicted as a demented, mechanical brainiac. His two perfect characteristics are his glasses and his height; he is shown to be the tallest and skinniest of the 7 Koopalings. The Mario cartoons have also portrayed that he is the twin brother of Lemmy Koopa (Hip Koopa), but this is not followed in the game canon. His main color representation is yellow-green. Iggy was known as Hop Koopa in the cartoons.

Roy Koopa

Roy Koopa is considered to be the third oldest of the Koopalings. Roy is sometimes depicted as a typical and immature bully who likes beating up others (mostly Iggy and maybe Lemmy) for his own amusement and fun, though he seems quite fond of the color pink. He has a pink head, pink sunglasses, and a purple shell. This is most likely a reference to the joke, "Real men wear pink." His main color representation is purple. In Japanese materals, Roy is shown to speak in a calm and collected manner, so he may have more of a laidback personality. Roy was known as Bully Koopa in the cartoons.

Lemmy Koopa

Lemmy Koopa is stated to be the second oldest of the Koopalings, despite being the smallest of the 7 Koopalings; he retains a childlike innocence about him. Because of his traits, Lemmy is exceedingly immature and mean; he prefers fooling around rather than conquering or taking over. Already being the clownish from his love of balancing on his rubber star ball, it is stated he would rather join the circus than try to destroy Mario. His main color representation is yellow. Lemmy was known as Hip Koopa in the cartoons.

Ludwig von Koopa

Ludwig von Koopa has been depicted to be the oldest Koopaling and was Bowser's second-in-command until Bowser Jr. came alongside. He possesses a magnificent brain, most likely superior to that of his siblings and his father king. He is presumptuous, arrogant, and the cruelest and meanest of his siblings, but is still very much into culture; he likes listening to classical music and he is a composer himself, as he apparently composes "Koopa Symphonies" (which are said to be terrible). His main color representation is deep blue. Ludwig was known as Kooky von Koopa in the cartoons.

Concept and creation

The Koopalings were conceived by various game designers who were challenged to come up with new bosses for Super Mario Bros. 3; the favourite designs were chosen for the seven Koopalings. Most of the Koopalings have wild punk hairstyles and are named after musicians. Iggy Koopa's name comes from Iggy Pop; Morton Koopa, Jr.'s name comes from Morton Downey, Jr., while the star on his eye is based on KISS guitarist Paul Stanley's makeup; Lemmy Koopa's name comes from Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead; Ludwig Von Koopa's name comes from Ludwig van Beethoven; Roy Koopa's name comes from Roy Orbison, as do his horn-rimmed glasses; Wendy O. Koopa's name comes from Wendy O. Williams; and Larry Koopa's name comes from Larry King. The names of the Koopalings in the DiC-made The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 show were made due to the fact that at the time, none of the Koopalings had names yet, requiring them to name them themselves.

Appearances

The Koopalings first appeared in the NES video game, Super Mario Bros. 3, where they each conquer one of seven kingdoms in the Mushroom World, transform their kings into various creatures, and steal their wands. After being defeated, they would again appear in the Super NES video game Super Mario World, where each Koopaling captured a Yoshi egg and lay in wait in a castle in each of the game's seven worlds. They have also made appearances in other Mario titles, including Hotel Mario, Yoshi's Safari, and Mario is Missing!. Since Hotel Mario, they had not made an appearance in a video game for nine years, until the 2003 Game Boy Advance video game Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Though they were intended to have appeared in Super Princess Peach in some fashion, they were ultimately removed from the game. When Electronic Gaming Monthly brought up the Koopa Kids and why they weren't in the Wii game Super Mario Galaxy, director Yoshiaki Koizumi commented that he didn't feel that they fit in it well. Aside from brief mentions and a cameo appearance of one of the Koopalings in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, they again were never seen in a video game, until six years later with the 2009 release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, acting in a similar capacity to their roles in their first two games. File:Website

A fan of the Koopalings created a website based on the Koopalings. If you can create an account, you can create stories, games, and more activities. Characters with such little role in the Mario games have a higher role than the Koopalings' younger brother, Bowser Jr., probably the creator profers the seven other Koopalings.

In other media

File:SMB3-TV-Koopalings.jpg

The Koopalings in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.

In the animated cartoon series The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 by DiC, the original seven Koopalings are given different names based on their given personalities. They are Hop Koopa, Hip Koopa, Kootie Pie Koopa, Cheatsy Koopa, Kooky von Koopa, Big Mouth Koopa Jr., and Bully Koopa, from youngest to oldest. After this, they appear in the animated cartoon series Super Mario World with the same names, though they more closely resemble their portrayals in the video games. Aside from their names and personalities, they look slightly different and serve their father King Koopa (as Bowser was called in the series) differently compared to their video game counterparts. Instead of acting as minions, they act directly as his children, and do things such as seek his attention, and even plot against him. They also appear in a 1989 Mario anime OVA, the Nintendo Adventure Books, and comic books.

Reception

Since their appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3, the Koopalings have had mostly positive reception, being referred to by Nintendo as common knowledge of the Mario series due to their appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3. Their popularity amongst fans led to them being reused for the Super NES sequel, Super Mario World. Nintendo Power listed each Koopaling as one of the reasons to love Nintendo, describing them as some of Nintendo's most beloved villains. They cited their eccentric designs for the quality of their personalities. The Koopalings were named the 19th best Mario villains by GameDaily. GamesRadar editor Henry Gilbert described the battle at the end of each world in Super Mario Bros. 3 as a "special affair"; he also praised them for adding variety to the series compared to Super Mario Bros., which featured Bowser as the last boss of each castle. IGN editor Lucas M. Thomas echoed these sentiments, stating that the Koopalings brought their own looks, mannerisms, and methods of attack. Specifically, he described the battle with Lemmy Koopa in Super Mario Bros. 3 as unique and memorable, while also describing Ludwig Von Koopa's battle in Super Mario World as distinct from the others. Fellow IGN editor Jesse Schedeen featured the Koopalings in the "Big Boss of the Day" feature, describing them as popular bosses in video games.

Joystiq editor James Ransom-Wiley called their reappearance in New Super Mario Bros. Wii a welcome addition, stating that it should boost the quality of the bosses. Fellow Joystiq editor JC Fletcher described them as a draw for New Super Mario Bros. Wii for some fans, also praising the three dimensional designs of the Koopalings. During an interview with Super Mario Galaxy director Yoshiaki Koizumi, Electronic Gaming Monthly noted that they were hoping for the Koopalings to return in it. Destructoid editor Conrad Zimmerman stated that the Koopalings were his favourite characters from Super Mario Bros. 3, and added that with regard to the musical references in the Koopalings' names, he doubted that anything similar would be seen in this day and age. GameSpy editor Ryan Scott listed the Koopalings as one of the reasons why Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World were quality video games. He also praised New Super Mario Bros. Wii for the inclusion of the Koopalings. The GameSpy staff listed the Koopalings as some of their favourite bosses, stating that they have much more charm than their "dopey successor", Bowser Jr.