Birdo
Birdo | |
---|---|
Mario character | |
![]() Birdo as seen in Mario Party 9 | |
First appearance | Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987) |
Voiced by | Jun Donna, Rika, and Akemi (Japanese, BS Super Mario USA) |
Birdo, known in Japanese as Catherine (キャサリン, Kyasarin, [kʲa.sa.ɾiɴ]) is a character in Nintendo's Mario franchise. Her first appearance was as an enemy in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987), which was localized for English-language audiences as Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988). Since then, Birdo has been a recurring character in various games in the series. Initially, she was depicted as a boss character, and has since made several cameos and playable appearances, including in the Mario Kart series and other Mario franchise spin-off games.
The English manual for Super Mario Bros. 2 describes Birdo as a character who "thinks he is a girl" and would prefer to be called Birdetta. This has led to Birdo being interpreted as transgender by many, such as with LGBTQ+ groups and several video game publications, which would make her the first transgender video game character. Nintendo has generally avoided commenting on Birdo's gender in games released after her debut, though some games, such as Captain Rainbow (2007), do discuss her gender. She has been regarded as a transgender icon, though the handling of her gender identity in the Mario series has been met with a mixed response. She has made several appearances in other media as well as in promotional material for the series.
Concept and creation
[edit]Birdo is a pink, anthropomorphic dinosaur creature who wears a red hairbow and has a round mouth that can fire eggs as projectiles.[1][2] Birdo's name was mistakenly switched with another Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988) enemy, Ostro, in the game's end credits[3] and its instruction manual.[2]
The Japanese manual for Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987) states her name to be Catherine and is a male who thinks of himself as female.[4][5] Text in the first edition manual for the North American release of Super Mario Bros. 2 stated that Birdo would "rather be called 'Birdetta'" and "he thinks he is a girl".[6][7] Due to this, she is widely considered to be the first transgender character in video games.[8] In later printings, mention of Birdo being male was omitted. Mention of this fact is further not included in most later games featuring the character.[9] Birdo appears in the Wii video game Captain Rainbow, (2008) which delves into Birdo's gender identity.[10] Birdo has been variously referred to as male,[2][11] female,[12][13] and of indeterminate gender[2][14] in her various re-appearances. Birdo has additionally been voiced with both feminine and masculine voices in different mediums.[13][15]
In the cut-scenes for the Japan-only, Satellaview pseudo-sequel of Super Mario USA (Japanese title for the Western version of Super Mario Bros. 2), known as BS Super Mario US, (1996) three "Super Catherines" were voice-acted by Jun Donna, Rika, and Akemi.[16]
Appearances
[edit]Birdo is a character in the Mario video game franchise. She made her first appearance in the Family Computer Disk System video game Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987) as a boss opponent. The game was later translated and remade for Western audiences in the form of Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988).[17] Birdo went on to become a recurring character in the series following this appearance.[17]
Birdo has made frequent appearances in later Mario games, appearing as a boss opponent in games such as Super Mario RPG (1996),[18] and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003).[12] She appears as a playable character in Mario sports games, including games such as Mario Tennis (2000)[19] Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, (2003)[20] Mario Tennis Aces, (2018)[21] and Mario Strikers: Battle League (2022).[22] Birdo additionally has appeared as a playable character several times in the Mario Kart series of racing games.[2][23][24] She has had roles in other Mario franchise games, such as the puzzle video game Wario's Woods (1994), where Birdo assists the game's protagonist and playable characters, Toad, by giving Toad the bombs he needs to defeat enemies.[25] She also appears as an unlockable costume for Mario in the video game Super Mario Maker (2015),[26] and appears in the RPG game Paper Mario: The Origami King (2020) as part of an in-universe stage play.[12] Birdo was featured in scrapped concept art for The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), indicating that she was planned to appear at some point in development.[27]
Birdo additionally appears in Captain Rainbow (2008), where she is one of the many "B-List" Nintendo characters who inhabit the game's main location, the Rainbow Islands. In the game, Birdo is imprisoned for using the women's bathroom, and needs Captain Rainbow to retrieve her vibrator in order to prove that she is a woman. This is the last time Birdo's gender history was mentioned in a video game.[13]
Reception
[edit]Birdo has been used in merchandising for the series, including as figurines, plush toys, and other collectibles such as a chess set.[28][29] In a poll by Official Nintendo Magazine on its users, Birdo tied for eighth-best female character on a Nintendo platform.[30]
Though the manual excerpt from Super Mario Bros. 2 about Birdo's gender did not receive attention until some time after the game's release,[2] Birdo has been the subject of discussion relating to her gender identity, being credited as an example of transgender character in video games,[2] and as an example of an early transgender character in videogames.[2][31] She has become a transgender icon due to her perceived gender identity.[13][32] Numerous petitions from fans have called for Nintendo to recognize the transgender status of the character.[32] Jake Hall of TechRadar described Birdo's ongoing popularity in online communities, noting how Birdo's status as a transgender icon stemmed from the fact that Birdo served as a comforting character sought out by transgender communities in order to have a visible icon, stating that it helped to celebrate how transgender communities have always existed.[32] Stacey Henley of TheGamer stated that Birdo was a highly important character for transgender representation, as she represented the struggles and stereotypes of transgender people in real life. She described how Nintendo seemed "ashamed of Birdo's past" and that despite her complicated history, she served as an example positive transgender representation in video games.[13] The book 100 Greatest Video Game Characters analyzed Birdo's storyline in Captain Rainbow and how it represented the struggles of transgender people in real life for proper representation. They stated that by showing how Birdo was accepted as female by the characters of the Mario universe, it emphasized hope for proper inclusion and representation in the real world. However, it criticized how, by proving Birdo was female in Captain Rainbow's story, and via how Birdo had to partake in stereotypically feminine actions in order to be accepted as female, it reinforced the concept of gender being a forced binary choice on transgender people, instead of transgender people being allowed to make the choice of who they were for themselves.[33]
Sam Greer, writing for GamesRadar+, was critical of Birdo's portrayal, stating that her gender had become a "running joke" and was the "subject of much derision and stereotyping."[34] Paste's Jennifer Unkle criticized Birdo as a caricatured trans person and as an example of Nintendo's poor handling of gender identity in general.[35] Zackari Greif of Game Rant also criticized Nintendo's handling of the character, citing multiple occasions where Birdo was referred to with male pronouns instead of female ones, as well as how Birdo is constantly referred to as "Birdo" and not "Birdetta", which is stated to be Birdo's preferred name in the Super Mario Bros. 2 manual. He felt that Birdo needed consistent and proper respectful treatment as a trans woman in the games as a result.[12] The book Queerness in Play analyzed how Birdo remained an important and iconic transgender character in video gaming, stating that the ignorance towards Birdo's gender in games served as a degree of transphobia. It compared Birdo to androgynous character Kirby, comparing how Kirby's lack of gender-related signifiers made him a comforting character who was "superior to humanity", while Birdo's embracement of them led to Birdo being viewed as "threatening mystery" due to being more human-like in how she expressed her gender.[36] Lorenzo Fantoni, writing for Vice, compared the Captain Rainbow scene to the later bathroom debates regarding transgender people. Fantoni also suggested that Nintendo does not know what to do with Birdo, believing that changes to Birdo's character were made in order to match present-day morals.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Top 10 Worst Mario Characters". GameDaily. 2007-11-30. Archived from the original on December 3, 2007. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Fantoni, Lorenzo (October 11, 2018). "La strana storia di Birdo, il dinosauro transgender di Super Mario". Vice. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ "Is Mario's Birdo a boy or a girl? Years after her first appearance, the debate rages on". SoraNews24 -Japan News-. 2015-01-07. Archived from the original on 2024-06-17. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ Doki Doki Panic manual (PDF). p. 35. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 October 2019.
キャサリン
自ヲトをメスと思いこんでロか
らタマゴなどをはくヤツ。キ
ヤシーと呼ぶときげんがいい - ^ Kawai, Ritsuko (September 1, 2016). "ゲーム史におけるLGBTキャラクターの描かれ方、時代の変遷に多様性を反映してきた同性愛と性自認の軌跡". Automaton. Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ Super Mario Bros. 2 manual. Nintendo. 1988. p. 27.
He thinks he's a girl and he spits eggs from his mouth. He'd rather be called Birdetta
- ^ Kay, Gary (2023-08-30). "8 Oldest Games With Queer Representation". TheGamer. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ Poteet, Britt (2024-07-06). "Best Trans Characters In Video Games". TheGamer. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
- ^ Kohler, Chris (2008-08-28). "Captain Rainbow: Birdo's Gender Crisis". Wired. Archived from the original on 2009-10-02. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ "Captain Rainbow Preview". IGN Entertainment. IGN. 29 August 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
- ^ Greif, Zackari (2024-05-27). "Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door's Vivian Sets the Bar for Birdo and Others". Game Rant. Archived from the original on 2024-05-27. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ a b c d Greif, Zackari (2022-03-09). "Nintendo Needs to Treat Birdo With More Respect". Game Rant. Archived from the original on 2023-09-20. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ a b c d e Henley, Stacey (2023-06-07). "Birdo Is The Perfect Metaphor For Trans Representation". TheGamer. Archived from the original on 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ "Pocket Tactics has thoughts on Birdo's gender in Mario". Pocket Tactics. 2022-12-20. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ "First Impressions: Super Mario Advance". IGN. 2001-03-22. Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ "BS Super Mario USA Ending". Archived from the original on 2013-07-24. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
- ^ a b Cole, Joshua (2021-11-08). "How Doki Doki Panic First Spawned Iconic Mario Characters". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ Raynor, Kelsey (2023-06-21). "Super Mario RPG remake is real, and it arrives in November". VG247. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ Barnes, Jeff (2021-10-17). "Why the Original Mario Tennis Still Stands Out from All the Rest". Game Rant. Archived from the original on 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ "Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ Fogel, Stefanie (2018-09-28). "New 'Mario Tennis Aces' Character Birdo Gets Glamorous Trailer". Variety. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ Diaz, Ana (2022-12-12). "Mario Strikers: Battle League DLC shows us a cheeky little Birdo". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2024-06-17. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ "Mario Kart 8 Gets New Track And A Fashionably Late Birdo". Kotaku. 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ "Mario Kart Tour's Holiday event will add Birdo and a festive Yoshi skin". VGC. 2019-12-16. Archived from the original on 2024-06-17. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ Sleeper, Morgan (2013-11-14). "Review: Wario's Woods (Wii U eShop / NES)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2024-06-17. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ Osborn, Alex (2015-12-29). "Super Mario Maker: Birdo and Excitebike Costume Trailers Revealed". IGN. Archived from the original on 2024-06-17. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ Ankers-Range, Adele (2024-03-12). "The Super Mario Bros. Movie Concept Art Features Princess Daisy, Birdo, and More". IGN. Archived from the original on 2024-06-17. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ "Furuta Choco Party Super Mario Puzzle Figure Birdo". Hottest New Toys. 2009-11-01. Archived from the original on 2015-02-23. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
- ^ "Super Mario Chess Collector's Edition in April – Page 1". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
- ^ "Feature: Leading Ladies". Official Nintendo Magazine. 2009-09-12. Archived from the original on 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
- ^ Loguidice, Bill; Matt Barton (2009). Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time. p. 280. ISBN 9780080880136.
- ^ a b c Hall, Jake (2023-06-29). "Long Live Birdo, Trans Icon". TechRadar. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ Banks, Jaime; Mejia, Robert; Adams, Aubrie (2017-06-23). 100 Greatest Video Game Characters. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-7813-4.
- ^ Greer, Sam (May 15, 2018). "Queer representation in games isn't good enough, but it is getting better". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ Unkle, Jennifer (March 9, 2017). "How Breath of the Wild Failed Us When It Comes To Trans Identity". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ Harper, Todd; Adams, Meghan Blythe; Taylor, Nicholas (2018-10-19). Queerness in Play. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-90542-6. Archived from the original on 2024-08-03. Retrieved 2024-06-23.