Nintendo has offered up disturbing factoids about its many game series in the past, including the truth behind Mario’s treatment of Yoshi, but there are none that prepared us for the company’s latest revelation. In a special developer video, Super Mario Odyssey producer Yoshiaki Koizumi revealed that the mushroom “hat” sitting on Toad’s head isn’t a hat at all — it’s part of the creature’s head.
“So that, as it turns out, is actually Toad’s head,” Koizumi said when asked by fans. “I’m going to have to leave it to all of you to figure out exactly how that works out. Maybe there’s something inside.”
Given the size of the growth and Toad’s lack of extraordinary intelligence, we can only assume he uses it to store the maps and other goodies he prepares for Mario during his adventures.
The debate on whether or not Toad is wearing a hat has gone back for years, particularly because of an episode of an old Super Mario Bros. cartoon where he can be seen taking it off, revealing a few strands of hair underneath. This is hardly considered canonical material, and Super Mario Odyssey often shows Toad wearing a hat on top of the mushroom. Were it actually a hat, this would be a little bizarre.
During the same developer video, Koizumi also addressed another point of contention: Mario’s lack of belly button. Ever since Mario’s nipples were revealed leading up to Odyssey‘s release, fans were left wondering why he didn’t have a belly button, as well. Was he human? Did he have a mother?
As it turns out, Koizumi and the team hadn’t really considered giving Mario a belly button until they heard the outcry from passionate fans demanding answers, so we shouldn’t expect the truth to come out anytime soon. Koizumi also refused to answer questions regarding Peach, Pauline, and Mario.
“I would appreciate it if we could respect the privacy of those three at this time,” he said with a laugh.
Perhaps we will learn the truth in the animated Mario movie being produced by Illumination — or at least the true last name of Mario and Luigi.
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