Transsexual Superstar
| This page is dedicated to Birdo, the first (and, as far as I know, only) transsexual video game character. |
| This is a quote from the Super Mario Bros. 2 manual: "He thinks he is a girl and he spits eggs from his mouth. He'd rather be called 'Birdetta.'" A later printing of the manual does not have the last sentence. |
| Now I can imagine Nintendo of Japan creating a character like this, but it seems odd that ultra-conservative-at-the-time NoA would allow it. |
| I don't know if anyone noticed this before I put this page up, but I find it interesting. |
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Birdo could pave the way for other video game stars to come out... |
| such as Megaman... |
| or the Contra guys; Lance and Bill... |
| or Donkey Kong. |
| Due to a typo some people think Birdo's name is Ostro. Their names are mixed up in both the manual and the end credits. |
| They didn't even fix it for Super Mario All Stars. |
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Birdo's appearances:
1987 Birdo first appeared on the Famicom Disc System in Yume Koujou Doki Doki Panic*, an Arabian-themed platform game that had nothing to do with the Mario series. Birdo was a (usually pink) dinosaur-looking creature that shot eggs (and sometimes fireballs) at the heroes. He/she was the boss of many stages and the subboss of some of the later ones. Beating him/her usually involves throwing his/her eggs back at him/her. * Yume=Dream, Koujou=Workshop, Doki Doki=Throb/Beat  
1988 Doki Doki Panic was modified and released on the NES as Super Mario Bros. 2. In addition to changing the characters and a couple of the items, the ability to run was added. 1989 Birdo also made a few appearances on the Mario cartoon on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, which mainly featured the characters from SMB2 along with some from SMB1. There's a DVD of the show available, and Birdo appears in at least one of those episodes. 1992 SMB2 was then rereleased onto the Famicom as Super Mario USA, with a pink cart! 1993 SMB2 was later rereleased as part of Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES (called Super Mario Collection in Japan). Birdo (along with everything else in the game) got a makeover. He/she also appears on the title screen and other places, such as when warping. In Japan, users of the Bandai Satelliview were able to play a work-in-progress version of the updated Super Mario USA, which occasionally had characters' pictures pop up on the screen as if to tell you something. Birdo was one of those characters.  1994 In Wario's Woods for the NES and SNES, you played as toad lining up objects of the same color so they'd be destroyed by bombs that are dropped by... Birdo! 1996 Birdo could also be found in Super Mario RPG on the SNES. 2000 After a long absence from the public life, Birdo made his/her comeback in Mario Tennis for the N64, now as a playable character. 2001 SMB2 was again rereleased for the Game Boy Advance as Super Mario Advance, this time with voices and other tweaks. One of the many trophies you can obtain in Super Smash Bros. Melee for GameCube is of Birdo. Birdo also periodically comes onto the screen on the stage based on SMB2. 2003 Birdo once again appears as a playable character in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour for the GameCube. Birdo also appears in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for the Game Boy Advance. Birdo is a playable character in Mario Kart Double Dash for the GameCube. You can also unlock a Birdo kart to drive. |
