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Boo [[Super Mario Bros. 3]] - 1990

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

Boo
Super Mario series character
graffitti mural featuring a cartoon-style ghost with its tongue sticking out
Mural of a Boo in the Lo Espejo district of Santiago, Chile
GameSuper Mario Bros. 3 - 1990
Created byShigeru Miyamoto[1][2]

Search Boo (Mario franchise) on Amazon.

A Boo (Japanese: テレサ, Hepburn: Teresa[3]) is a fictional ghost race that appears in the Super Mario series of video games by Nintendo. They are round and have pronounced jagged teeth. They have a distinctive giggle.[3][4] Originally referred to as "Boo Diddlys" (a pun on the name of American musician Bo Diddley),[5] they are, in most incarnations, minor antagonists. In universe, when the playable character looks at a boo, it is shy, covering its face with its little arms,[6] but when the character faces away, the boo moves faster towards the character, with the fangs exposed, and long tongue hanging out.[7] It is not clear if Boos were a separate species, pre-death.[8][9] Boos are generally white, but other Boos can come in hues of blue,[10][11][12][unreliable source?] pink,[13] and black.[14] Specific Boos include King Boo and Lady Bow,[15] while variations in size include Big Boo,[16][17] Boohemoth,[18] Boolossus.[19] Some are naturally large, while others are the combinations of a number of Boos. One of the more popular Mario enemies, their image has been used in official Nintendo merchandise, such as plush dolls,[20] as well as cookie cutters.[21]

Appearances

Boos first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3, and since then it is one of the most common enemies in Mario games.[22]

Mario series

Boos first appeared as "Boo Diddlys" (a pun on the name of American musician Bo Diddley) in 1988's Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES,[23] appearing in the more difficult fortress levels in which they pester Mario or Luigi by sneaking up on them. Since their first appearance, apart from their names being shortened simply to "Boos", their design or habits have not changed significantly, despite their appearances in most games since Super Mario Bros. 3. They have, however, spawned a number of subspecies over the years, with the first being the "Stretch" that also debuted Super Mario Bros. 3. Stretches are essentially Boos that are attached to platforms that will pop up to Mario or Luigi should they attempt to step on it.

Boos play a more prominent role in Super Mario World,[24] in which they were the starring enemies in the game's many Ghost House levels. In these levels, Boos attack in groups and in a number of creative attack patterns, such as flying in wide circles in order to create obstacles for the player, or swarming in order to increase their attack radius. Super Mario World also introduced the "Fishin' Boo", a ghostly version of a Lakitu, as well as the secret boss "Big Boo", a larger and stronger Boo who would return as a boss throughout the series and even gain a subspecies of the same name. Super Mario World was also the first game to reveal that some Boos were able to transform into blocks, which, if lured into a suitable position, can be used to reach otherwise unreachable platforms. This trait later reappeared in Yoshi's Story of the Yoshi series and Super Mario Sunshine.

In Super Mario 64,[25] an entire course was designed around the Boo character, titled "Big Boo's Haunt". In this game—unlike most preceding it—Boos could actually be killed by attacking them, by using moves such as a punch or ground pound. Staying true to the gameplay mechanic of previous games featuring Boo, if Mario looks away from Boo, it will attempt to move closer and attack Mario. However, if Mario retains eye contact with Boo, it will become translucent and impervious to attack.

In the 2001 GameCube launch title, Luigi's Mansion, the Boos were given the role of primary villains, alongside other miscellaneous ghosts of the mansion. The game's primary antagonist is King Boo, their king who leads the Boos of the mansion and who is responsible for trapping Mario inside a portrait. Luigi is tasked with capturing boos with his poltergust 3000.[26] It was this game that established Luigi's fear of ghosts—particularly Boos—which would become a defining aspect of his timid and somewhat cowardly personality. To continue this theme, Boos began to target Luigi in future games, with King Boo in particular becoming Luigi's archenemy. For instance, they locked Luigi away in Super Mario 64 DS and trapped Luigi in a haunted mansion in Super Mario Galaxy. King Boo and his minions once again play a prominent role in its sequels.

In Super Mario Galaxy[27] and Super Mario Galaxy 2,[28] Mario and Luigi are able to transform into Boos themselves, where players steal each other's coins and stars. through the use of the "Boo Mushroom" (a version of the series' famous Super Mushroom). In this form, the player is able to levitate and pass through certain walls, and being able to understand the Boos' language, "Booish".[6]

The common Boos frequent the Mario Party series. Starting with Mario Party 5, it became a playable character, and returns in later games. Boo has also appeared in various sports games as a player, along with King Boo.[29][30]

Boos also make frequent appearances in the Mario spin-off games, sometimes as enemies or as part of the scenery, but sometimes as playable characters, the first instance of this being a playable Boo in Mario Tennis[31] for the Nintendo 64. Starting in Mario Kart 64, Boos have appeared as items in some of the Mario Kart games,[27] in which their purpose is to steal items from other racers and turn its user invisible for a short time. King Boo appeared as a playable racer in Mario Kart: Double Dash, Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Mario Kart Tour. Boos reappear in Super Mario 3D Land and New Super Mario Bros. 2, the latter of which introduces a new subspecies called the "Boohemoth".

The first appearance of a friendly Paper Boo who fought on Paper Mario's side was Lady Bow from the first Paper Mario game. Since then, later games, particularly the Paper Mario series (especially Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam), have presented other Paper Boos in a friendly and more positive light.[32]

Since the release of Mario Party: Star Rush, a Boo amiibo figure (which glows in the dark) was released.[33]

Yoshi series

Being the sister series of the Mario games, Boos also appear in similar roles throughout the Yoshi series, making their first appearance in the 1991 puzzle game, Yoshi (known as Yoshi's Egg in Japan and as Mario & Yoshi in Europe and Australia), in which they appeared alongside Goombas, Piranha Plants and Bloopers as "blocks" which must be stacked in order to hatch a sizable Yoshi. They also appear as opponents in 1992's Yoshi's Cookie, as well as appearing as enemies in the 1993 first-person shooter Yoshi's Safari.

Boos have also appeared in a number of forms in all of Yoshi's main platform games, starting with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island in 1995, in which they appear as common enemies, as well as having a boss in the form of 'Bigger Boo'. In the Yoshi games, Boos mainly act in the same way as they do in the Mario games.

Other appearances

Outside of the games, Boos also appear in the Super Mario-kun comics. They also make an appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, along with several other Mario characters. Boo also appeared in the compilation video game Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition.[34]

Lady Bow, a Boo with a hair bow, and her butler, Bootler feature in Paper Mario.[35]

King Boo became a playable character in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.[36]

Origins

Mario franchise creator Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that while working on Super Mario Bros. 3, co-designer Takashi Tezuka had the idea to include his wife in the game.[37][22] According to Miyamoto, "Tezuka's wife is normally very calm, but one day she snapped... In the game, there is now a character who shrinks when Mario looks at her, but when Mario walks away, she will grow large and menacing."[1][38] The Japanese name, Teresa (テレサ), comes from the verb tereru (照れる), which means "to be timid."[39] The international name, is due to the onomatopoeia of when someone tries to scare someone ("boo!").[40]

Reception

Boo is considered one of the best enemies in the Mario series.[41][42][39][43][44]

With Boo being one of the more popular Mario enemies, their image has been used in official Nintendo merchandise, such as plush dolls,[45] as well as cookie cutters.[46] IGN's Audrey Drake listed Boo as one of the best enemies in the Mario series[47] while GameDaily ranked Boo seventh in a similar list, saying it is "unique" due to the fact that "Mario cannot kill with a Fire Flower or using one of his special suits."[42] They also placed Boo fifth in a list of Nintendo characters that deserve their own games, calling it "Nintendo's favorite ghost".[48] Boo was listed as the second best ghost in video game history by Joystick Division.[49] In a reader-based poll, it placed on top of best ghost characters in a Nintendo game, receiving four times as many votes as the Pac-Man ghosts;[50] King Boo also featured on the same list, placing eighth.[50] Boo was also incorporated into a winning Comic-Con costume in 2019, when a cel-shaded cosplay of Mario took on a Borderlands 3 style, with the figure of Boo with glowing eyes locked in a cage on the cosplayer's back.[51]

The British Official Nintendo Magazine included the Boo Mushroom in their "Top 20 Mario Power-ups", ranking it at fourteenth, stating that it's "ruddy mint".[52] Geekosystem also included the Boo Mushroom in their list of the "10 Greatest Mario Power-Ups", rating it 3rd in usefulness and 5th in whimsy, and 7th overall.[53] Game Informer editor Tim Turi listed Big Boo among the top 10 ghosts, calling all Boos "timid, invulnerable nuisances", but calling out the "huge, screen filling" Big Boo in particular because of the need to trampoline over it in Super Mario World.[54] In 2013, ScrewAttack placed King Boo at number 2 in top ten Ghosts in video game history.[55]

Appearances in other media

"Boo" Diddlies" appeared in episodes of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, with "big teeth and short tempers".[56] Boos featured in episodes of Super Mario World.[57]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Stuart, Keith (September 13, 2010). "Super Mario Bros: 25 Mario facts for the 25th anniversary". The Guardian. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  2. ↑ Tilden, Gail; et al. (staff writers) (January 1996). "The Game Guys". Nintendo Power. No. 80. Nintendo of America. p. 25. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jannuzzi, John (October 30, 2015). "The Probably-Unheard Story of Boo, the Shy Nintendo Ghost". GQ.com. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  4. ↑ Linde, Andrew (April 3, 2025). "Super Mario Bros: Top 7 Enemies of All-Time". Yardbarker. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  5. ↑ "Feature: The Most Memorable Ghosts In Nintendo Games". Nintendolife.com. October 30, 2019. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wegmann, Jess (2022-01-17). "Ten of the Most Adorable Characters in Video Games". TheGameCrater.com. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  7. ↑ "40 Mario Ghost Tattoo Ideas for Men". Next Luxury. July 18, 2018. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  8. ↑ Schuhart, Jonah (April 26, 2021). "Mario Characters Who Have Canonically Died". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  9. ↑ Ashmore, Nicholas (2021-05-24). The Nintendo 64: Nintendo's Adult Platform? The Dichotomy Of Nintendo And Children's Video Games (Thesis). Ryerson University. doi:10.32920/ryerson.14662242. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  10. ↑ Mario Mania Player's Guide. Nintendo of America. August 1991. p. 51. Search this book on
  11. ↑ Nintendo Super NES Player's Guide. Nintendo of America. 1992. p. 15. Search this book on
  12. ↑ Stephenson, Cassidy (August 6, 2022). "Every Paper Mario Partner, Ranked By Usefulness". CBR.com. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  13. ↑ Hodgson, David S J; Stratton, Bryan; Stratton, Stephen (September 3, 2002). Super Mario Sunshine Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games. p. 20. ISBN 0-7615-3961-1. Search this book on
  14. ↑ Super Mario Bros. Deluxe instruction booklet. Nintendo of America. 1999. p. 20. Search this book on
  15. ↑ "The Great King Boo Conspiracy". vocal.media. Retrieved 2025-10-05.
  16. ↑ Jenkins, Dwayne (January 16, 2025). "'Mario Kart 9' Had Its Big Reveal, Yet Some Players Are Upset About Donkey Kong: "What the Hell Did They Do to Him?"". VICE. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  17. ↑ Frank, Allegra (January 10, 2017). "There was an easy way to beat this Super Mario World enemy all along". Polygon. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  18. ↑ Kurland, Daniel (October 5, 2022). "Mario's 10 Creepiest Foes". CBR. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  19. ↑ Dillon, Jessica Clark (January 15, 2020). "Every Enemy in Luigi's Mansion 3". TheGamer. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  20. ↑ "Super Mario World Boo". Video Game Memorabilia Museum. VideoGameMM.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2012-09-15. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  21. ↑ Flynn, Conner (12 September 2012). "Super Mario Bros. Cookie Cutters Make Some Sugary 1-up Mushrooms". Technabob. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Los fantasmas Boo de Super Mario: no te creerás en quién están basados" [Super Mario's Boo Ghosts: You Won't Believe Who They're Based On]. JuegosADN.es (in español). 4 February 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  23. ↑ "Feature: The Most Memorable Ghosts In Nintendo Games". Nintendo Life. October 30, 2019.
  24. ↑ "10 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do In Super Mario World". Game Rant. July 31, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Luigi Is The Mushroom Kingdom's Most Prolific Serial Killer". Kotaku Australia. November 28, 2019. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2025. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  26. ↑ Welsh, Oli (2013-03-22). "Luigi's Mansion 2 review: Good Manors". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2022-03-21. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
    McElroy, Griffin (2013-03-21). "Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon Review: Lost Souls". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2022-03-21. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
    Turi, Tim (2013-03-21). "Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon Review: Bustin' Makes Me Feel Good". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2022-03-21. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Luigi's Mansion and King Boo coming to Mario Kart Tour". Metro.co.uk. October 21, 2019.
  28. ↑ "Dr. Rosalina, Dr. Luma, new Super Mario Galaxy assistants added to Dr. Mario World". Nintendo Wire. October 4, 2019.
  29. ↑ Tanaka, John (June 13, 2008). "Mario Super Sluggers Roster Revealed". IGN.com. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  30. ↑ Gulinello, Zack (May 8, 2024). "Best Baseball Video Games: Our Favorite (and Least Favorite) Hits". The Punished Backlog. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  31. ↑ EDT, Phillip Martinez On 6/26/18 at 2:14 PM (June 26, 2018). "Here's a step-by-step guide to solving the Reflection Room in 'Mario Tennis Aces'". Newsweek.
  32. ↑ Johnson, Alexandra (October 6, 2024). "Mario: 8 Best King Boo Appearances, Ranked". TheGamer.
  33. ↑ Rosalie Newcombe (October 3, 2025). "Sorry Prime Day, these $6 Nintendo amiibo deals at GameStop are the best Switch savings around". GamesRadar+.
  34. ↑ "'Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition' struggles to make free-to-play games worth a higher price of admission". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  35. ↑ Averill, Alan; Leung, Jason; Villarreal, Jennifer (2001). Paper Mario The Official Nintendo Player's Guide. Nintendo of America. p. 14. ISBN 1-930206-07-0. Search this book on
  36. ↑ "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe update adds 5 more extra character slots beyond Birdo". Shacknews.com. March 9, 2023. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  37. ↑ Iriarte, W. J. (2022). "The Story of Super Mario Bros. 3, The Gaming Historian". American Journalism. 39 (2): 235–237. doi:10.1080/08821127.2022.2064166.
  38. ↑ Thorpe, Nick; Milne, Rory; Jones, Darran (2023). "The Magic Of Mario: Divine Design". Retro Gamer. No. 252. p. 22. ISSN 1742-3155 – via EBSCOHOST.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 "Mario isn't number one? Nintendo plumber doesn't win Super Mario series character popularity poll". SoraNews24 -Japan News. June 25, 2021. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  40. ↑ "The more you know Mario: The unusual Japanese names of Nintendo's Super Mario characters". SoraNews24 -Japan News-. July 15, 2015. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
  41. ↑ Drake, Audrey (27 October 2011). "Mario's Best Enemies". IGN. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2016. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 "Top 25 Mario Enemies". GameDaily. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  43. ↑ Rodriguez, Elias (October 13, 2022). "Best Boo Levels In The Super Mario Series". DualShockers.com. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  44. ↑ Fingas, Roger (June 4, 2021). "Mario: Why Boo Ghosts Are So Shy". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  45. ↑ "Video Game Memorabilia Museum". Videogamemm.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2012-09-15. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  46. ↑ Flynn, Conner (12 September 2012). "Super Mario Bros. Cookie Cutters Make Some Sugary 1-up Mushrooms". Technabob. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  47. ↑ Drake, Audrey (27 October 2011). "Mario's Best Enemies". IGN. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Top 25 Mario Enemies". GameDaily. Archived from the original on March 10, 2008. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  49. ↑ Hawkins, James (September 8, 2011). "The Top Ten Video Game Ghosts". Joystick Division. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 East, Tom (October 31, 2009). "Best Nintendo Ghosts: Your Say". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  51. ↑ "Cel-shaded Super Mario cosplay takes on a Borderlands 3 twist". Dexerto. 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  52. ↑ "Nintendo Feature: Top 20 Mario Power-Ups". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved 2012-09-15. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  53. ↑ Boo Suit (Super Mario Galaxy) (2010-02-02). "Boo Suit (Super Mario Galaxy) | 10 Greatest Mario Power-Ups | Power Grid". Geekosystem. Archived from the original on 2013-04-13. Retrieved 2012-09-15. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help)
  54. ↑ Turi, Tim (October 2013). "Game Informer". 246. GameStop. p. 26.
  55. ↑ "Top 10 Ghosts in Video Games". ScrewAttack's Top 10. ScrewAttack. October 31, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  56. ↑ Shelly, Reed; Shelly, Bruce (1990-03-30). Super Mario Bothers 3 Writer's Bible. p. 4 – via TheUltimateMarioFan. Search this book on
  57. ↑ Super Mario World: Ghosts 'R' Us. TVMaze.com. Retrieved 2025-10-02.

External links

Boo on Play Nintendo


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