What would the characters of the Mario universe listen to? We have the answers.
One late night while playing Mario Tennis Aces, my son Lincoln suggested his character Toad probably listened to "sad girl indie music" and/or smooth jazz. I quickly surmised my character, Peach, was a Swiftie. Dozens of tennis matches followed with random character groupings. It's a diverse roster, but we feel we've nailed each character's musical psyche perfectly. Of course we're open to your suggestions and corrections.
What follows is each character with their favorite musical act or genre, in some cases.
What follows is each character with their favorite musical act or genre, in some cases.
Birdo: Doja Cat
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that this pink creature with a massive bow atop her head loves Doja Cat. They have a lot in common, and it isn't just the fashion sense and the big mouth. People are typically shocked to learn that all the nasally whirring noise Birdo makes is actually just "Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!" in her native language of Birdese.
Blooper: Weather Report
Largely because of their complex invertebrate brain, Blooper likes 70's fusion. The eerie, almost alien quality of Joe Zawinul’s love-it-or-hate-it synth patches keeps the ink in check, and lessens Blooper’s frustration that Japanese fusion bands of the era can only be found on vinyl, which is remarkably difficult to play underwater.
Largely because of their complex invertebrate brain, Blooper likes 70's fusion. The eerie, almost alien quality of Joe Zawinul’s love-it-or-hate-it synth patches keeps the ink in check, and lessens Blooper’s frustration that Japanese fusion bands of the era can only be found on vinyl, which is remarkably difficult to play underwater.
Boo: Evanescence
Although Boo cackles and chirps along with all of their albums, he doesn’t really want anyone to bring him to life. He’ll follow you around when you turn your back, which is another reason Amy Lee has a restraining order against him.
Boom Boom: Deftones
Boom Boom is kind of a dum dum, so he thinks Deftones is the heaviest band in The Kingdom. To be fair, he finds them soothing in a muzak kind of way, which is exactly what this ham-fisted bruiser needs to calm himself. We’d like to point out that Deftones is the only band he listens to, which means they will remain his favorite band until someone eventually plays Wreckx-N-Effect for him.
Boom Boom is kind of a dum dum, so he thinks Deftones is the heaviest band in The Kingdom. To be fair, he finds them soothing in a muzak kind of way, which is exactly what this ham-fisted bruiser needs to calm himself. We’d like to point out that Deftones is the only band he listens to, which means they will remain his favorite band until someone eventually plays Wreckx-N-Effect for him.
Bowser: Ghost
You probably thought Boo would like Ghost more, right? You’d be wrong, as Boo the Ghost sees right through Ghost the band, unlike the so-called King of the Koopas. Bowser certainly looks the part of a tough, fire breathing villain but in reality he shows up for any golf, tennis or karting event put on by his supposed adversary Mario. So it makes sense that Bowser has chosen a scary looking band that sounds like bummed out Beach Boys. He also has a soft spot for Scorpions and Rammstein and has been known to wear a Behemoth shirt on occasion but can’t name any of their songs.
You probably thought Boo would like Ghost more, right? You’d be wrong, as Boo the Ghost sees right through Ghost the band, unlike the so-called King of the Koopas. Bowser certainly looks the part of a tough, fire breathing villain but in reality he shows up for any golf, tennis or karting event put on by his supposed adversary Mario. So it makes sense that Bowser has chosen a scary looking band that sounds like bummed out Beach Boys. He also has a soft spot for Scorpions and Rammstein and has been known to wear a Behemoth shirt on occasion but can’t name any of their songs.
Bowser Jr: Machine Gun Kelly
This is another character that chooses to die on a musical hill based on an image. Taking after his dad, he thought Machine Gun Kelly seemed cool, if by name only, and would help gain some tough guy status points. Unsurprisingly, Jr. prefers the sound of power pop "MGK" over the somehow even less-relevant Machine Gun Kelly rap persona.
This is another character that chooses to die on a musical hill based on an image. Taking after his dad, he thought Machine Gun Kelly seemed cool, if by name only, and would help gain some tough guy status points. Unsurprisingly, Jr. prefers the sound of power pop "MGK" over the somehow even less-relevant Machine Gun Kelly rap persona.
Chain Chomp: Baha Men
As one might guess, Chain Chomp has no brain and only has the primal instincts to bark and chase after perceived enemies. Therefore the only song he has any reaction to is “Who Let the Dogs Out”.
Daisy: New Gwen Stefani
We’re putting "new" Gwen Stefani first because Daisy prefers her music highly produced and packaged as non-threatening pop-country. Along those lines, she also digs early Taylor Swift as well as Elton John, but only because she has mistaken him as a country icon based solely on the sound of his name.
Diddy Kong: Skrillex
When asked to pin down his main music choice, Diddy clapped his hands a bunch, then assaulted us with poo and banana-shaped objects. Diddy Kong, on the other hand, politely told us he liked Skrillex and hyper-pop.
Donkey Kong: Jason Aldean
Nintendo has confirmed Mario Kart 9 will feature TruckNutz on the back of Donkey Kong’s kart.
Dry Bones: Tyler The Creator
We complained to the chair umpire during our match with Dry Bones because he kept singing “Earfquake” during points. He’s a bit like his koopa brethren in some ways but we think his undead status has imparted him with a wisdom and desire for music that pushes boundaries more than his pedestrian relatives can appreciate.
Dry Bowser: Gojira
We’re unsure if he’s another form of Bowser or a separate entity entirely, but two things are certain: Dry Bowser likes his music heavy, and he likes it très français. He was proud of his favorite band when they made it to the national stage as part of the ‘24 Olympics but was furious he wasn’t invited to be part of the show. He would have proven his die-hard fandom by boiling the Seine with his fire breath, killing everyone involved.
Fire Piranha Plant: Travis Scott
FPP was at Astroworld in 2021 and managed to survive the crowd rush due largely to his immense weight and ability to raise his head high above the surge. Rumors have swirled that several people were mysteriously burned to death at the show; to our knowledge Fire Piranha Plant has never been charged with a crime.
Kamek: They Might Be Giants Kamek appreciates the bizarre approach that goes into the making of any TMBG song, and holds the cleverness in high regard. Kamek may in fact be the most informed music lover on this list, but possibly he appears smarter than most because of his glasses and fairly dope outfit. He also loves Ween, and when he smiles and takes off his pointy hat and glasses he has more than a passing resemblance to the Boognish. |
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Koopa Troopa: Drake
It's common knowledge that Koopa Troopa will hide in his shell when confronted with any minimal challenge. As a result, Koopa Troopa somewhat arbitrarily and safely chooses Drake as his main music choice. It’s questionable whether he even enjoys the Champagne Papi but he can be heard humming “Hotline Bling” from time to time. Sources tell us that he might be a Drake fan simply because he liked that dude in the wheelchair from Degrassi.
It's common knowledge that Koopa Troopa will hide in his shell when confronted with any minimal challenge. As a result, Koopa Troopa somewhat arbitrarily and safely chooses Drake as his main music choice. It’s questionable whether he even enjoys the Champagne Papi but he can be heard humming “Hotline Bling” from time to time. Sources tell us that he might be a Drake fan simply because he liked that dude in the wheelchair from Degrassi.
Koopa Para Troopa: Kendrick Lamar
Koopa Para Troopas have but one phrase for their mid, ground-bound brethren: You are not like us.
Koopa Para Troopas have but one phrase for their mid, ground-bound brethren: You are not like us.
Luigi: Nickelback
Luigi pretty much listens to “Hero” on repeat when he's sucking up ghosts, but he’s also attended three Nickelback shows, and repaired a toilet during a fourth. He’s a true fan and wishes he was Canadian. Just don't tell Mario.
Luma: Lofi/Dub
Rosalina’s pet star Luma is but one of many, and as their lives consist of long stretches of hibernation intermixed with bursts of frenetic, explosive action, they prefer their downtime accompanied by down tempo tunes. Rosalina secretly hates Luma for this.
Rosalina’s pet star Luma is but one of many, and as their lives consist of long stretches of hibernation intermixed with bursts of frenetic, explosive action, they prefer their downtime accompanied by down tempo tunes. Rosalina secretly hates Luma for this.
Mario: Michael Bublé
Unfortunately, Mario’s really too busy with his myriad careers to think much about music. However, one day he heard a Michael Bublé song and mistook it for the Rat Pack, which he assumed he should probably be into. He enjoys nothing more than a plate of lasagna, some Bublé on the HiFi and a big ol’ pipe.
Unfortunately, Mario’s really too busy with his myriad careers to think much about music. However, one day he heard a Michael Bublé song and mistook it for the Rat Pack, which he assumed he should probably be into. He enjoys nothing more than a plate of lasagna, some Bublé on the HiFi and a big ol’ pipe.
Pauline: Katy Perry
She even likes 143, but sadly hasn’t been able to get any of her rebuttal pieces published anywhere. Cover your ears when she hits the karaoke bar or they'll bleed when she hits the chorus of "Firework". But when she duets "I Kissed A Girl" with Peach, you'll hear the Mario Bros scream "Mama Mia."
Peach: Taylor Swift
She knows all the songs, and could probably even beat Charlie from Survivor in a knowledge contest. Peach really only gets salty when you bring up Taylor’s considerable carbon footprint. And after she's given you a verbal thrashing in her sing-song voice, she'll ask, "See what you made me do?"
She knows all the songs, and could probably even beat Charlie from Survivor in a knowledge contest. Peach really only gets salty when you bring up Taylor’s considerable carbon footprint. And after she's given you a verbal thrashing in her sing-song voice, she'll ask, "See what you made me do?"
Petey Piranha Plant: Weezer
One look at Petey’s outfit should tell you why he loves Weezer, and his little polka dot undies will have you asking him to put on his sweater, if it hasn't been destroyed. He digs “Hash Pipe” and when cornered he'll admit “Africa” was a travesty the world didn't need. While we admire him for both those reasons, we heard him listening to Minecraft parody music before the match, which should have been an automatic default.
Rosalina: Aurora
This was a close one, with Bjork and Aurora being held in nearly equal regard. In the end, Rosalina’s sensibility meant she was a little more grounded in her music choices, but that doesn’t mean she can’t appreciate Bjork. Legend has it she even has an alternate skin in Mario Kart that’s a swan dress.
Shy Guy: Slipknot A Shy Guy village actually looks eerily like a Slipknot cover band. Oddly enough, new member Eloy Casagrande’s mask looks an awful lot like a Shy Guy mask. Those in the know realized long ago that Shy Guy is shockingly heavy and considers himself a maggot. |
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Spike: Blink-182
Spike adorns his racquet with spikes, rocks a mohawk and is obsessed with Travis Barker. Unsurprisingly, he can also swallow his entire tennis racquet in one gulp. He truly loves the Blink, has an affinity for UFOs and listens to very little other music. Spike even paid for premium reunion concert tickets by successfully hustling koopas on the tennis court.
Spike adorns his racquet with spikes, rocks a mohawk and is obsessed with Travis Barker. Unsurprisingly, he can also swallow his entire tennis racquet in one gulp. He truly loves the Blink, has an affinity for UFOs and listens to very little other music. Spike even paid for premium reunion concert tickets by successfully hustling koopas on the tennis court.
Toad: Mazzy Star
As we previously mentioned, Toad likes his sad girl indie and occasionally “cheers up” by listening to some smooth jazz. We think he actually got into sad girl indie when he hungrily asked Toadette for some Japanese breakfast and she put on Psychopomp.
Toadette: K/J Pop
Toadette’s obsession with both K and J Pop is frankly irritating, leading to her near-banishment from Mario games. She runs X (formerly Twitter) fan accounts for several bands in the genres, and was devastated for months when BTS enlisted. She speaks Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Toadese and, no, she can’t sing in any of these languages. Just ask Pauline.
Toadette’s obsession with both K and J Pop is frankly irritating, leading to her near-banishment from Mario games. She runs X (formerly Twitter) fan accounts for several bands in the genres, and was devastated for months when BTS enlisted. She speaks Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Toadese and, no, she can’t sing in any of these languages. Just ask Pauline.
Waluigi: Al DiMeola
DiMeola’s mastery of Spanish guitar is the perfect soundtrack to Waluigi’s playful, villainous nature. For mysterious reasons, Waluigi puts a rose between his teeth as he’s hitting his special shot, and the strum of Al’s vintage Martin accompanies it. We’d also like to think he loves when Al picks up the Les Paul and lets it rip, especially with the WAAAAH! pedal employed. :)
Wario: The Rat Pack
There was some discussion about Wario choosing The Rat Pack first, with Mario subsequently copying him but mistaking Bublé for a ‘Packer. We can’t confirm this, but we can tell you Wario really does love the Rat Pack and has a surprisingly beautiful singing voice that sounds nearly identical to Sammy Davis Jr's. And of course he slams bourbon and cigarettes just like his heroes did.
Yoshi: Raffi
The boot-wearing dragon (dinosaur?) maintains its childlike innocence by listening to Canadian children’s music icon Raffi. Because Yoshi has no attention span, the short songs are perfect for them, and villages of Yoshis can be heard singing “Down By The Bay” in their trademark high pitched chatter. Occasionally they mix in some Jack Johnson, but of course they prefer his Curious George soundtrack.
The boot-wearing dragon (dinosaur?) maintains its childlike innocence by listening to Canadian children’s music icon Raffi. Because Yoshi has no attention span, the short songs are perfect for them, and villages of Yoshis can be heard singing “Down By The Bay” in their trademark high pitched chatter. Occasionally they mix in some Jack Johnson, but of course they prefer his Curious George soundtrack.
At some point we will update this with characters we haven't mentioned that are on the Mario Kart roster. Until then, thanks for reading!