'Super Mario' by Definitions Trivia Quiz

Answer: Luigi

Lieu + Wee + Gee

'Super Mario Bros' was released in 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, it was based on the video arcade game 'Mario Bros' from 1983 - Mario himself had first appeared in 'Donkey Kong' two years earlier.

It was the best selling video game of all time for 28 years until 'Wii Sports' finally surpassed it in 2013. Estimates place the number of games sold at over 40 million copies.

Mario, of course, is the main player, with Luigi only being included as the character for a two player game. They are twins and are both plumbers. Their abilities in this game are identical, the only difference is the colour of their costumes, Mario being red and Luigi green. All statements made about Mario in the information given can also be applied to Luigi.

Answer: Princess Toadstool

Prince + S AND Toad + Stool

Princess Toadstool (known later as Peach) is the daughter of the Mushroom King and princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. She lives in the castle with the toads who are her loyal subjects. Then one day her kingdom is invaded and all her people are turned into inanimate objects and she is taken captive by the evil Koopa tribe. Then it's Mario to the rescue...

The game has eight different worlds with four levels in each. Mario must navigate his way past all the traps and enemies to reach the castle at the end of each world and defeat the guard to only be told "Thank you, Mario! But our princess is in another castle!"

Answer: Bowser

Bow + Sir

Bowser, aka King Koopa, is the leader of the evil turtle tribe that has used their dark magic to invade the kingdom and he is the captor of Princess Toadstool. She is the only one who has the powers to undo his spell and thus regain her kingdom and save her subjects.

In castles 1 - 7 Mario faces a Fake Bowser that he has to defeat to move on to the next world - these become just common enemies once they have been hit with 5 fireballs. Finally in castle 8 he meets the real Bowser guarding the real Princess.

Answer: Koopa Troopa

Coop + Pa AND Troop + A

Koopa Troopas are Bowser's footsoldiers, they are referred to as turtles but are actually more similar to the land dwelling tortoise. There are two different types, the green who only walk in one direction and will fall into the pits and the red who patrol back and forth without falling.

If Mario gets hit by one he will lose a life (or become small if he is large) but if he jumps on top of it it will stop and retreat inside its shell and he can then use it as a missile against other enemies.

There are also flying Koopas called Koopa Paratroopas which will lose their wings and become normal Koopas if Mario jumps on them.

The Fake Bowser in castle 2 is a Koopa Troopa.

Answer: Bullet Bill

Bull + Let AND Bill

Bullet Bills are projectiles that are shot out of Bill Blasters which are under Bowser's control. The Blaster itself is a black cannon that can shoot from either side, they are placed throughout the grounds of world 5 and up. They are immobile and indestructible, however they can not fire if Mario is standing right next to them.

The Bullet Bills can sometimes be shot from off screen but they always fly in a straight line. They are immune to fireballs, Mario needs to be invincible or use a Koopa shell to defeat them.

Answer: Buzzy Beetle

Buzz + Y AND Beet + Le

Buzzy Beetles are another turtle race, they have blue hard outer shells and are similar to Koopas in that they can be stopped and used as a missile if jumped on but their shell is much stronger and they are resistant to fireballs.

Their first appearance is as the False Bowser in the world 3 castle but they don't appear in the game itself until world 4-2.

When Mario finally rescues the Princess at the end of World 8 he has the option to play a new quest where he can replay different worlds but they are all made harder than the original.

The first enemy Mario ever meets is the Goomba - a slow moving mushroom that is easily killed, in the new quest levels all Goombas become Buzzy Beetles.

Answer: Mushroom

Mush + Room

Mushrooms make a few appearances throughout the game. The land is the Mushroom Kingdom, the Goombas are mushrooms that used to live in the kingdom until they betrayed them and joined the Koopas.

The subjects of the Kingdom are toads, aka mushroom people, who have all been changed into objects by Bowser. The only ones left are in their own form are Princess Toadstools advisors who have become the 'Mushroom Retainers' who Mario rescues in castles 1 - 7.

Then there are the two mushrooms that Mario can catch. The first is called Super Mushroom, if Mario is small when he finds him he will become Super Mario who has more powers and if he is hit by something he becomes small again instead of dying. If he is already Super Mario when he gets to it the mushroom becomes a Fire Flower and he can then throw fireballs.

The other mushroom is the 1-Up Mushroom which will give Mario an extra life if he can catch it but they are hidden and harder to catch.

Answer: Hammer Brother

Ham + Err AND Broth + er

The Hammer Brothers are Bowser's elite troop being Koopas that have bigger shells and wear helmets. They also have the ability to stand up and jump - while simultaneously throwing hammers at Mario. They nearly always appear in pairs and will often run between rows of bricks.

They can be killed by jumping on their heads, breaking bricks underneath them or hitting them with fireballs. Alternatively they can be avoided by running beneath them when they are jumping or through them while invincible. However if Mario takes too long they will start to chase him.

He is the last Bowser imposter appearing in Castle 7.

Answer: Cheep Cheep

Cheap AND Cheep

Cheep Cheeps are fish that are found in the underwater worlds of the game, they come in a gray variety that moves quite slow and red ones who are quicker. They have no weapons but kill by touching Mario.

These worlds also have Bloopers which are squid like creatures that follow Mario around and will also damage him on contact. They are the Fake Bowsers in level 6.

To kill both of these creatures Mario needs to be either invincible or have fire power.

Answer: Super Star

Soup + Per AND Star

Super Stars, aka Starmen, are much rarer items. If Mario can catch one he will become invincible for a short period of time meaning he can run through enemies and hazards without getting hurt. Most of these are either destroyed or knocked off screen. Mario can also run much faster while he is invisible.

It will not protect him from dying if he falls off a cliff, into a pit or runs out of time.


Most, if not all, of these characters were continued throughout the Mario enterprise that sprung up after it's huge success. Their individual characters are given much more depth and their unique characteristics become more apparent. There are even games where Bowser and Mario will join forces against a common foe.