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MarioMart
(From left to right:
Bottom row: M.C. Ballyhoo, The Old Psychic Lady*, Beanish Barista*, Mario, Undodog, Vivian, Dr. Waldo Bloom, Stanley, Onnanoko
Middle row: Susanna Ross, Genius Girl*, Mary O., Nina, Yamamura, Edison, Misaki, Soundfrog, Kid, Hösn
Top row: Raccoon*, Jed, Bunsen, Harry, Vic Video, Tiny, White Mage, Dösn)
* I made up names for these characters, which can be found in the Spoiler list.
This piece was done a while ago, but it's only today that I decided to show it off. The reason is that I wanted this to be the first post in a new page, which is why I bided my time to get this ready.
The initial idea is that since WarioWare consists of a well-known character and a bunch of unknowns, a MarioWare equivalent would have a similar idea. So, we have Mario who is the well-known character of the lot, and then his group would be populated with characters who are generally obscure. Thinking about what kind of characters Mario would want to associate with, it occurred to me that since Mario has so many characters, there is a treasure trove of them to pick, and as such it's a matter of handpicking them for Mario's company.
Initially, I wanted Mario to operate a game-producing company like good ol' Wario, and would have named it MarioWare. However, LeftyGreenMario (@Googoogaga Spaghetti) insists that it should have been called MarioMart for the alliteration, and then it kind of stuck because there aren't as many supporters of the MarioWare idea, and so the idea morphed into Mario and crew operating a mall, a highly successful one at that since Mario has experience with managing businesses like his Mario Toy Company. The initial crew also expanded beyond this. To give you an idea, there would have been only four female characters in the planned state, and the crew won't be as diverse as what you see now. Despite the fact that there are 27 characters in the image, I envisioned more than that, but the amount is already too many for me to handle.
Of course, this change would mean that I would tweak or redesign some characters to my liking, so while some are minor like Undodog and Mary O., some with a simple clothing change like Vivian and Soundfrog, and even reimagined ones like Kid, White Mage, and the live action characters. My favourite reimagined characters are Kid because it highlights the idea on a recolour being their own person, though I am partial on Beep-0 because I just like to imagine how a Mario-ised Beep-0 would look like.
The following criteria is ruled out for any character that I pick:
- A commonly-used popular and established Mario character or generic species (e.g.: Peach, Rosalina, Koopa Troopa). Obviously, Mario himself does not count, as otherwise that would be no MarioMart.
- A character of a popular Mario species, even if the character itself is underutilised/obscure (e.g.: Toadsworth, Kylie Koopa, Goombella). Humans don't count, otherwise the pickings will be much slimmer.
- The character is squarely a villain all the way (e.g.: Antasma, Madame Broode). Any foes who are redeemed within the game are OK, such as Vivian who is indeed included.
- The character did not have some form of encounter with Mario himself (e.g.: Most Luigi's Mansion ghosts, Princess Shokora, Count Cannoli).
That still leaves us with quite an ample selection of characters. There is no hard limit on where the character can come from besides the criteria I mentioned above, so like they can be from the popular Super Mario series, from the lesser-known games, or even from other media like the cartoons and the comics. To be frank, some choices were chosen to have equivalents for WarioWare characters, like how Misaki is picked because of a martial artist character (Young Cricket) and how Hösn & Dösn are picked because of an alien character (Orbulon). That said, it may not be obvious until I mentioned it, but Vivian is picked as Ashley's counterpart for being a character who has sorcery as her specialty and being popular amongst fans from within the group.
If you care to read all this descriptions, feel free to check out the spoiler:
Mario: The star of the show, Mario is the founder and the boss of MarioMart, an up-and-coming mall that was a result of his ingenuity and a desire to bring everyone together for a fun time. Mario's the same as he's always been: being adventurous, brave, curious, resourceful, tolerant, and loyal. Deciding on his team was a bit complicated, for he realised that his best friends got their hands full at that time, so he turned to some less-familiar faces. As Mario has travelled to different locations and partook in different activities, he got to meet a huge host of colourful characters in many of his exploits. Being open-minded, Mario picked a group of them as he starts his own company to put the diverse group of individuals and their unique talents together. When not managing and celebrating with his motley crew, Mario is looking for the next idea to keep his company fresh, as well as dealing with some negotiations.
Gondola (Raccoon): The raccoon who is in charge of the boat tours to which customers will be able to tour around the premises of the mall. As a raccoon who is a master of illusion, they can give the rides some excitement. Gondola might be accompanied by a few other raccoons to help out for the right. Sometimes the ride might get too exciting that the passangers might be endangered, but they will be OK in the end, and the passangers will always declare the ride to be the best ever. Troublemakers should beware, because the raccoon(s) might get back on them.
[Note: Gondola is chosen because it is a boat-themed name]
Jed: This car salesman is in charge of selling all manners of cars, from the regular cars to the smaller go-karts. He is as passionate about selling vehicles to customers as he is in racing, and he has a gold wheel belt to prove it. However, he's also a bit of a reckless but surprisingly effective driver, which makes test driving a huge risk when he's involved.
Bunsen: The robot helper of the company, she is a very versatile and effective role filler or assistant. Her robotics allowed her to do an emergency task, but sometimes Dr. Nerdnick would apply an upgrade that she would need for the task in hand.
Vic Video: A derring-do reporter who will never stop to interview with various talents and famous folks until he's done, he's a bit clumsy and reckless in his attempts to get a word from them, yet he always finds himself lucky to survive the attempt. A running joke is that he sometimes forgot that there is no camera to capture his interview because the cameraman is left behind.
Harry & Tiny: Both of them have the muscle, so they are the designated movers of the company. They specialise in different sports, where Tiny is the golfer while Harry is the tennis player, and they would sometimes argue over the superior sport. When deciding on the sport to play, a running gag is that they ended up playing an entirely different sport and their differences are reconciled when they are of equal match.
Whitney (White Mage): A massage specialist who graduated from the arts of the White Mage, she is very skilled with healing and soothing magic. Every day, there would be at least one person who would need her specialty to cure their pain, which are often a challenge to do. She is peppy and undaunted in her work, but can easily get drained for the work she does, which makes energy drinks her favourite. She had a side talent in the arts of the Blue Mage, where she would imitate the arts of a fellow customer to help out in the next shift.
[Note: Whitney is the name because the Japanese name is Shirona, which is a pun relating to her job (Shiro means white), which is why "Whitney" is chosen.]
Susanna Ross: A talented singer and dancer, Susanna Ross is friends with Pauline and was her original working partner where they collaborated quite a few times. Pauline eventually had some life changes that caused her to rise to super stardom, leaving behind Susanna as she had to move elsewhere to pursue her dreams. She usually had to find a certain something that would inspire confidence within her to act on her own.
Genni (Genius Girl) & Beep-0: As the resident inventor, Genni helps to build effective gadgets to showcase them. Moreover, she is able to perform repairs whenever necessary, though sometimes the necessary repairs may prove to be a challenging task. She is assisted by Beep-0 (who is now Mario-like instead of Rabbid-like) and is her assistant in her inventing endeavours. Beep-0 is similarly out-going, sarcastic, and short-tempered.
[Note: Genni is chosen as the name because it's the closest to the word "genius" as I can think of]
Mary O.: An operator that handles calls, she is very professional and calm even in the face of unreasonable calls. Generally helpful, she will do her best to respond, even if she is not the most experienced person and might sometimes cause misdirection. She is one to have a very strong patience, but woe be it to be the person who deliberately set her off the edge.
Nina: Taking the job as a cashier, she is generally good at the job, save for the customer who would either argue or bargain with her to get their way. She is not afraid to speak her mind and would lash out to any unreasonable customer, if it reached that point.
Edison: An electrician with overgrown hair and covered body, Edison seems to prefer dark places and is normally in unexpected places. He's often caught at very inopportune moments, catching other people at the worst moments when he pops up. While not lurking around, Edison is a very skilled electrician, but sometimes he could get overboard with his solutions.
Misaki: A martial artist that masters a lot of martial arts, he always have a specific martial art skill for anybody who want to learn from him, Plumb-fu being one of them. He is also looking for new challengers to further hone his skills, and some characters may show up to challenge him, like Jinx (Super Mario RPG). He is passionate about martial arts and is somewhat prideful, but is also a graceful loser if he is bested.
Soundfrog: A frog with a passion in music and dancing, he loves to break into a dance and perform beatboxing using various sound effects. He is also a DJ so when there's music and a dance party, he is sure to make his appearance. Rumour says that he wears a jacket to hide a somewhat embarrassing secret.
Kid: He is the sports expert in the company, who is in charge of selling sports equipment and is a jack-of-all-trades in different sports. He used to be a backup player during golf games when he was younger, but this Kid and the lighter-skinned Kid went to different paths in their future careers, with the lighter-skinned Kid still continuing to play golf. Despite the drifting career paths, they are still good friends.
Hösn & Dösn: Both from outer space, they are theme park designers that design attractions for their indoor theme park, to provide an otherworldly experience to customers. They have a strong friendship but are prone to bouts of arguments every now and then when they don't agree with each other. However, they eventually would come to a consensus after a brief respite. At times, Klösn would assist the two and sometimes have to step in to set aside their differences. (Occasional appearance from Klösn)
M.C. Ballyhoo: As his name suggests, he is the Master of Ceremonies. He is accompanied by his trusty hat Big Top, who balances out his over-excited personality. Whenever there is a gathering, he is sure to turn up as the the announcer. He is also the de-facto sportscaster whenever there is a live competition held.
Claire (The Old Psychic Lady): As the one known as "The Old Psychic Lady with the Evil Eye Who Reads Fortunes and Knows Everything Before It Happens", she is the fortune teller who can read fortunes. At times she can get in a trance when reading the fortune of a customer, but her fees would usually be quite high after solving some unfinished business (the fortune-telling is not as exorbitant a price).
[Note: Claire is named after the word "clairvoyant" due to her psychic abilities. I considered using the actress's name but I felt that it would have breached the rule against using real life people]
Java (Beanish Barista): Hailing from the Beanbean Kingdom, he is the barista of the company where he is in charge of brewing coffee to customer and employees alike. He might even experiment with some new coffee concoction, with unintended side effects...
[Note: Java is named after the coffee bean, since the barista is unnamed to my knowledge.]
Yamamura: Yamamura may look like a pigeon, but he is also the team's advisor. He would show up to give some helpful advice to any employees who are in need of some guidance. His known favourite food is edamame, and so will show up when there are some lying around offered by someone in need of help. His cooing can also have a somewhat motivating effect.
Undodog: The guard dog of the group, he is very good at what he does. Whenever an intruder or burglar would try to invade the company, Undodog can somehow undo the work prepared by the intruder to cause them to be caught red-handed. He is sometimes accompanied by several animals like the tortoise, rabbit, and cheetah.
Vivian: Unlike most characters where Mario is the one who picked them to be part of the company, this Shadow Siren offered to join Mario's new company when she heard that he's setting up the company. She had taken a job as a secretary, offering to write letters and notes when necessary, and is surprisingly good at her job. She also writes up contracts that are functionally curses, for breaking the contracts that she writes will jinx the one who did not comply with them, even though the curses are generally non-fatal. The curses are not quite fatal, but scorning Vivian is not recommended either way, as many would soon learn when they tried.
Dr. Waldo Bloom: A doctor that once was the acting doctor in the Mushroom Kingdom, he is hired to be a doctor for the mall as doctors became more common in the Mushroom Kingdom. Despite his eccentric and sometimes ditzy personality, his cures and treatment tend to be very effective, though it might come with certain side effects due to conflicting medical interactions. It is not a good idea to bring him for sports despite always expressing interest in them, lest the games end in a disaster in one for or the other.
Stanley: This gardener uses his expertise in botany to beautify the place, and he keeps a plant called Herman the Sapling as company on several occasions. He often had to deal with arboreal issues, like designing a garden or unexpected issues from plants, pest outbreaks, and even his plant being stolen. This plant can grow to a big size by eating plant food, enabling it to make quick work of many situations.
Onnanoko: The lonely (ghost) girl who haunts the mall and is thus not an actual employee, she may surprise or terrify anybody who is looking to shop. This is accompanied by a second-party who would not believe the tales of the witnesses. Her real name is not known, and it's hinted that knowing her real name has some dire consequences to the one who learns it.
Gondola (Raccoon): The raccoon who is in charge of the boat tours to which customers will be able to tour around the premises of the mall. As a raccoon who is a master of illusion, they can give the rides some excitement. Gondola might be accompanied by a few other raccoons to help out for the right. Sometimes the ride might get too exciting that the passangers might be endangered, but they will be OK in the end, and the passangers will always declare the ride to be the best ever. Troublemakers should beware, because the raccoon(s) might get back on them.
[Note: Gondola is chosen because it is a boat-themed name]
Jed: This car salesman is in charge of selling all manners of cars, from the regular cars to the smaller go-karts. He is as passionate about selling vehicles to customers as he is in racing, and he has a gold wheel belt to prove it. However, he's also a bit of a reckless but surprisingly effective driver, which makes test driving a huge risk when he's involved.
Bunsen: The robot helper of the company, she is a very versatile and effective role filler or assistant. Her robotics allowed her to do an emergency task, but sometimes Dr. Nerdnick would apply an upgrade that she would need for the task in hand.
Vic Video: A derring-do reporter who will never stop to interview with various talents and famous folks until he's done, he's a bit clumsy and reckless in his attempts to get a word from them, yet he always finds himself lucky to survive the attempt. A running joke is that he sometimes forgot that there is no camera to capture his interview because the cameraman is left behind.
Harry & Tiny: Both of them have the muscle, so they are the designated movers of the company. They specialise in different sports, where Tiny is the golfer while Harry is the tennis player, and they would sometimes argue over the superior sport. When deciding on the sport to play, a running gag is that they ended up playing an entirely different sport and their differences are reconciled when they are of equal match.
Whitney (White Mage): A massage specialist who graduated from the arts of the White Mage, she is very skilled with healing and soothing magic. Every day, there would be at least one person who would need her specialty to cure their pain, which are often a challenge to do. She is peppy and undaunted in her work, but can easily get drained for the work she does, which makes energy drinks her favourite. She had a side talent in the arts of the Blue Mage, where she would imitate the arts of a fellow customer to help out in the next shift.
[Note: Whitney is the name because the Japanese name is Shirona, which is a pun relating to her job (Shiro means white), which is why "Whitney" is chosen.]
Susanna Ross: A talented singer and dancer, Susanna Ross is friends with Pauline and was her original working partner where they collaborated quite a few times. Pauline eventually had some life changes that caused her to rise to super stardom, leaving behind Susanna as she had to move elsewhere to pursue her dreams. She usually had to find a certain something that would inspire confidence within her to act on her own.
Genni (Genius Girl) & Beep-0: As the resident inventor, Genni helps to build effective gadgets to showcase them. Moreover, she is able to perform repairs whenever necessary, though sometimes the necessary repairs may prove to be a challenging task. She is assisted by Beep-0 (who is now Mario-like instead of Rabbid-like) and is her assistant in her inventing endeavours. Beep-0 is similarly out-going, sarcastic, and short-tempered.
[Note: Genni is chosen as the name because it's the closest to the word "genius" as I can think of]
Mary O.: An operator that handles calls, she is very professional and calm even in the face of unreasonable calls. Generally helpful, she will do her best to respond, even if she is not the most experienced person and might sometimes cause misdirection. She is one to have a very strong patience, but woe be it to be the person who deliberately set her off the edge.
Nina: Taking the job as a cashier, she is generally good at the job, save for the customer who would either argue or bargain with her to get their way. She is not afraid to speak her mind and would lash out to any unreasonable customer, if it reached that point.
Edison: An electrician with overgrown hair and covered body, Edison seems to prefer dark places and is normally in unexpected places. He's often caught at very inopportune moments, catching other people at the worst moments when he pops up. While not lurking around, Edison is a very skilled electrician, but sometimes he could get overboard with his solutions.
Misaki: A martial artist that masters a lot of martial arts, he always have a specific martial art skill for anybody who want to learn from him, Plumb-fu being one of them. He is also looking for new challengers to further hone his skills, and some characters may show up to challenge him, like Jinx (Super Mario RPG). He is passionate about martial arts and is somewhat prideful, but is also a graceful loser if he is bested.
Soundfrog: A frog with a passion in music and dancing, he loves to break into a dance and perform beatboxing using various sound effects. He is also a DJ so when there's music and a dance party, he is sure to make his appearance. Rumour says that he wears a jacket to hide a somewhat embarrassing secret.
Kid: He is the sports expert in the company, who is in charge of selling sports equipment and is a jack-of-all-trades in different sports. He used to be a backup player during golf games when he was younger, but this Kid and the lighter-skinned Kid went to different paths in their future careers, with the lighter-skinned Kid still continuing to play golf. Despite the drifting career paths, they are still good friends.
Hösn & Dösn: Both from outer space, they are theme park designers that design attractions for their indoor theme park, to provide an otherworldly experience to customers. They have a strong friendship but are prone to bouts of arguments every now and then when they don't agree with each other. However, they eventually would come to a consensus after a brief respite. At times, Klösn would assist the two and sometimes have to step in to set aside their differences. (Occasional appearance from Klösn)
M.C. Ballyhoo: As his name suggests, he is the Master of Ceremonies. He is accompanied by his trusty hat Big Top, who balances out his over-excited personality. Whenever there is a gathering, he is sure to turn up as the the announcer. He is also the de-facto sportscaster whenever there is a live competition held.
Claire (The Old Psychic Lady): As the one known as "The Old Psychic Lady with the Evil Eye Who Reads Fortunes and Knows Everything Before It Happens", she is the fortune teller who can read fortunes. At times she can get in a trance when reading the fortune of a customer, but her fees would usually be quite high after solving some unfinished business (the fortune-telling is not as exorbitant a price).
[Note: Claire is named after the word "clairvoyant" due to her psychic abilities. I considered using the actress's name but I felt that it would have breached the rule against using real life people]
Java (Beanish Barista): Hailing from the Beanbean Kingdom, he is the barista of the company where he is in charge of brewing coffee to customer and employees alike. He might even experiment with some new coffee concoction, with unintended side effects...
[Note: Java is named after the coffee bean, since the barista is unnamed to my knowledge.]
Yamamura: Yamamura may look like a pigeon, but he is also the team's advisor. He would show up to give some helpful advice to any employees who are in need of some guidance. His known favourite food is edamame, and so will show up when there are some lying around offered by someone in need of help. His cooing can also have a somewhat motivating effect.
Undodog: The guard dog of the group, he is very good at what he does. Whenever an intruder or burglar would try to invade the company, Undodog can somehow undo the work prepared by the intruder to cause them to be caught red-handed. He is sometimes accompanied by several animals like the tortoise, rabbit, and cheetah.
Vivian: Unlike most characters where Mario is the one who picked them to be part of the company, this Shadow Siren offered to join Mario's new company when she heard that he's setting up the company. She had taken a job as a secretary, offering to write letters and notes when necessary, and is surprisingly good at her job. She also writes up contracts that are functionally curses, for breaking the contracts that she writes will jinx the one who did not comply with them, even though the curses are generally non-fatal. The curses are not quite fatal, but scorning Vivian is not recommended either way, as many would soon learn when they tried.
Dr. Waldo Bloom: A doctor that once was the acting doctor in the Mushroom Kingdom, he is hired to be a doctor for the mall as doctors became more common in the Mushroom Kingdom. Despite his eccentric and sometimes ditzy personality, his cures and treatment tend to be very effective, though it might come with certain side effects due to conflicting medical interactions. It is not a good idea to bring him for sports despite always expressing interest in them, lest the games end in a disaster in one for or the other.
Stanley: This gardener uses his expertise in botany to beautify the place, and he keeps a plant called Herman the Sapling as company on several occasions. He often had to deal with arboreal issues, like designing a garden or unexpected issues from plants, pest outbreaks, and even his plant being stolen. This plant can grow to a big size by eating plant food, enabling it to make quick work of many situations.
Onnanoko: The lonely (ghost) girl who haunts the mall and is thus not an actual employee, she may surprise or terrify anybody who is looking to shop. This is accompanied by a second-party who would not believe the tales of the witnesses. Her real name is not known, and it's hinted that knowing her real name has some dire consequences to the one who learns it.
There are also regular customers, and I have taken the trouble to draw a few of them:
(From left to right: Miss Endless, Oogtar, Norman)
I envisioned that the customers themselves are also an eccentric lot. Unlike the crew members, the criteria for what characters are included are more lax, with only the first criteria, famous established characters and generic species, still being enforced (so there still won't be any Bowser, Bowser Jr., generic Goomba, or Toadette in sight for example), though I did not include any in the image, only because it's something I just thought of now.
It's kind of ambitious I know, but the idea just ballooned to something that I enjoyed a lot, which is why there are a lot to show even though my vision is greater than what's presented here. Hope you enjoyed it!
Thank you for reading.
