Birdo

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Horse the Band song, see The Mechanical Hand.
Birdo
Mario character
Birdo as seen in Mario Party 9
First appearanceSuper Mario Bros. 2 (1988)
Voiced byJessica Chisum (2000)
Jen Taylor (2001)
Kazumi Totaka (2003–present)
Jeannie Elias (The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!)
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 the Mario franchise. Her first appearance was as an enemy in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, which was localized for English-language audiences as Super Mario Bros. 2. Since then, Birdo has been a recurring character in various franchise spin-offs. Initially, she was depicted as an antagonist, but has since been depicted as an ally. Birdo has also made several cameos and playable appearances, particularly in the Mario Kart series and other Super Mario spin-off games.

The English manual for Super Mario Bros. 2 describes Birdo as a man who "thinks he is a girl" and would prefer to be called Birdetta. This led to Birdo being interpreted as transgender, which would make her the first transgender video game character. Later releases of Super Mario Bros. 2 removed all mentions of her favored nickname. Starting with

Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
, as well as promotional material such as figurines and plush toys.

Concept and creation

Birdo is a pink,

anthropomorphic dinosaur creature who wears a red hairbow and has a round mouth that can fire eggs as projectiles.[1] Birdo also wears a large diamond ring. In the early version of Birdo, the character had an orange tone.[citation needed] Birdo's name was mistakenly switched with another Super Mario Bros. 2 enemy, Ostro, both in the manual and in the end credits.[2] The mistake persisted in the version of Super Mario Bros. 2 included in the Super Mario All-Stars compilation, but was corrected in the Game Boy Advance re-release titled Super Mario Advance.[citation needed
]

Since the character's North American introduction, Birdo's gender identity has been a target of controversy and speculation. The Japanese manual for

Doki Doki Panic, when translated into English, states her name to be Catherine and is a male who thinks of himself as female, adding that she likes to wear a bow and would rather be called "Cathy."[3] In the first edition manual for the English North American release of Super Mario Bros. 2, Birdo is referred to by a text block that states "he thinks he is a girl" and would "rather be called 'Birdetta.'"[4][2] She is considered the first transgender video game character.[5]

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 and seems to have been retconned to Birdo being a cisgender woman.[citation needed] In the Japanese version of Super Smash Bros. Melee, Birdo, called Catherine, is described similarly to the original manual, though wanting to be called "Cathy."[6]

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it is said that Birdo is of "indeterminate gender."[7] Birdo appears in the Wii Japan-only video game Captain Rainbow, which delves into Birdo's gender identity.[8] It specifically depicts her being imprisoned for entering the women's bathroom, and the player is asked to locate proof of her femininity (her vibrator) to get her out.[9] The character was given a female voice actor in Super Mario Advance, a remake of Super Mario Bros. 2.[10] The Spanish language website for Mario Smash Football while describing Birdo suggests that the character's gender is indeterminate.[11] The European website for Mario Strikers Charged Football refers to Birdo as a male character.[12] In the British English versions of Mario Tennis Aces and Super Mario Party, Birdo is referred to with male pronouns.

In Mario Tennis and Super Mario Advance (a remake of Super Mario Bros. 2), the character was given a high pitched female voice provided by Jessica Chisum and Jen Taylor, respectively. However, in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Birdo uses muttering noises that has been used in subsequent games provided by Kazumi Totaka.

Appearances

In video games

Birdo first appeared in the

Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic and its Western Nintendo Entertainment System conversion Super Mario Bros. 2 as a boss. The Super Mario Advance remake of Super Mario Bros. 2 features a large robotic version of Birdo called "Robirdo."[13] Birdo/Catherine was prominently featured 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 USA. In this version, three "Super Catherines" were voice-acted by Jun Donna (Pink, described as "slightly mischievous"), Rika (Red, "whose finances are always in the red"), and Akemi (Green, described as "cultured and affluent"). The voices were those of gay men or transgender women.[14]
A Japanese advertisement for Super Mario USA also showed a Catherine puppet lounging on a bed, with a low masculine voice.

Since the character's appearance in Super Mario Bros. 2, Birdo has made several cameo appearances, including an early one teaching players the rules of the video game

Mushroom Kingdom
from Wario's clutches. Aside from this brief appearance in Wario's Woods, Birdo has not entered any other Mario mainstream game since Super Mario Bros. 2.

Birdo has made frequent appearances in later Mario spin-off games, including

Diddy Kong and Rosalina. Birdo also appears in Super Mario Maker as a mystery mushroom costume for Mario to wear in the Super Mario Bros.
art style.

Other appearances

Birdo has appeared several times in promotional items, including figurines, plush toys, and other collectibles such as a chess set.[16][17] A mother Birdo was featured in the episode "The Bird! The Bird!" of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, kidnapping Toad due to being nearsighted, and believing Toad to be her lost son Cheepy.[citation needed] "Birdo", the first track of Horse the Band's album The Mechanical Hand, heavily references the character.[18]

Reception

Birdo has received mostly positive reception.

boss battles as an example of something that, while complex, sustains the sense of a reassuring, rule-based world.[28] GameDaily editor Chris Buffa listed her as one of the most unappreciated Nintendo characters, commenting that Birdo had appeared across web sites "in less-than-flattering articles."[29]

However,

Wart and Mouser do not.[34]

crossdressing and toilet humour.[8]

Gender identity

Birdo has been the subject of discussion relating to her

Paste Magazine's Jennifer Unkle criticized Birdo as a caricatured trans person and as an example of Nintendo's poor handling of gender identity in general.[42]

It is speculated by

retconned to make her a cisgender female, while video game developer Jennifer Diane Reitz suggests that she may have undergone gender reassignment surgery.[43][44] Writer Andrew Webster of The Escapist used the history of Birdo in the lead-in to his article, commenting on the changes Nintendo has made to hide Birdo's gender status.[45]

References

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  2. ^ a b "Top 10 Underrated Games". Crave Online. 2007-09-27. Archived from the original on 2009-07-21. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ Villagomez, Andrew (November 3, 2013). "7 Trans-Friendly Video Game Characters". Out. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  6. ^ "Super Mario USA manual" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-10-14. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  7. ^ Birdo trophy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Description text listed at https://www.ssbwiki.com/Birdo#In_Super_Smash_Bros._Brawl Archived 2021-04-01 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ a b "Captain Rainbow Preview". IGN Entertainment. IGN. 29 August 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
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