Mario Bros. Q & A

Here are the answers to your most asked questions through E-mails. If I get asked a qustion a few times in E-mails, a good idea for a new section, or if someone asks a question that I just find interesting, it'll be answered here. PLEASE, before E-mailing me, see if your question has already been answered somewhere on this page. THIS PAGE IS AN ARCHIVE!

Q: Many years ago when I was a young lad I beat SMB. I recently started playing it again and for the life of me I can not figure out where to go in the last level of the game, level 8-4. It's obvious that this level is a maze, but I can't figure it out. Can you help me? Robert
A: For this to work, you need to be counting pipes from the beginning of the level. You want to go down the 3rd pipe you come to. When you come out of that, you'll pass three pipes relatively close to each other. After those comes a pipe on a high platform that seems impossible to reach. Jump around to the left of the platform and a hidden coin block should appear. You can use this as a boost to jump up to that pipe and go in it. After that pipe, pass two more pipes, jump the lava pit, and go in the third pipe. Play through the water area and keep going until you get to Bowser, and save the princess! Good luck.

How do I beat Tatanga in Super Mario Land?
Numerous A: Tatanga is by far the hardest part of Super Mario Land. Basically you just have to stay calm and take your time. In one of the blocks just before Tatanga, there's a mushroom. I'm not sure which block it is, just break them all 'till a mushroom pops out. That should help in the battle. Once you get to Tatanga, stay on the left side of the screen. You should be firing almost continuosly during the battle, just keep jamming the fire button. Don't focus on Tatanga, he'll get hit enough... focus on keeping yourself out of trouble. When he fires a boulder at you, don't panic. A good way to avoid them consistently is to line yourself up with them while they are big, then hit it with a missle to split it into the three smaller rocks. Once they are split, if you were lined up with it before the split, just make a short, quick move up or down to avoid the small ones. The small ones are easier to dodge then the big ones. KEEP FIRING! If you stay alive long enough and KEEP FIRING eventually Tatanga will get hit enough to die. Good Luck.

Q: You have heard of the game Donkey Kong Country right? Well when I was playing Mario party I couldn't believe my eyes! I saw that you could pick DK for a charactar to use how did he get in there?
Elizdan
A: Mario and Donkey Kong go WAY back. You may not know this, but before Donkey Kong country, DK had the title role in 1983's Donkey Kong arcade game (Nintendo's first big coin-op). Anyway, the main character in the game was none other than Mario... in his video game debut. So Mario and DK have been linked since their beginning bascially.

Q: If minus world from super mario bros. one is so hard to get to, how was it ever discovered?
D.J. Nelson
A: Good question. There's no way to know for sure how it was first found, but my best guesses would be that 1) Someone at Nintendo leaked it to a magazine. 2) Some loser who was goofing around found it by accident and told all his friends or sent it to a magazine. 3) The game is 15 years old... everyone's heard about it by now.

Q: OK so this one time I was playing the cheese bridge area and I had the cape and yoshi when I fell off the first platform then jumped off yoshi at the last moment as I was disappearing from the screen and left the level with start and select. When I went back in to the level I was riding in two sticks with a football helmet on the end. How and why?
T. J. Avery
A: Wow, that's weird. SMW was the first game released for the SNES, and thereby probably had some undetected glitches when the player does something weird and unexpected (Like what you described). It could also be caused by the cartridge justb eing old and deteriorating in quality. I've seen other similar glitches before... just save and reset the system and it should be fine.

Q: Do you know exactly how old is yoshi because he's my favorite character.
-The Saint
A: There's no way to know exactly how old Yoshi is because there's no definitive year that any of these games is set in. Some people say Yoshi's Island is set 10 years before SMW, which would make Yoshi at least in his teens, but that's just as good a guess as any.

Q: In SMB3, what are the patterns for the card games?
Donald Miller
A: See this page for help: Secrets of SMB3

Q: Were are the rooms (with those huge question boxs) with the Tanooki suite, the Frog suit, and the Hammer bros. suit? Also, is there such a thing as the Wendy O. Koopa suite? I've herd some rumors about it..
starnik
A: Most of these rooms can be found in various levels mainly of Sky Land and Ice Land. No, there is no Wendy O. Koopa suit. That's a dumb idea for a suit anyway.

Q: I am totally confused in Super Mairo Bros. level 7-4. After you get past the first screan the next two screans keep repeeting it self no matter how fast you go or what you do. It is the last level in this area. if you know the answer please put the answer on the internet.
Barbara Kolpin
A: This level is a maze. Here's the way to go, thanks to Mark Kelly: Bottom route, Middle route, Top route, Top route, Middle route, Top route.

Q: Is it really possible to jump over the flag poles in SMB1?
Kev A: Um, I don't think so. However, I know it is possible to do it in The Lost Levels.

Q: Can I get to the Minus World on Super Mario All-Stars?
Ian Fetters
A: Good question, but I doubt it. It was too much of a glitchy bug thingy to leave in a total overhaul. They took out smaller bugs from SMB2 and 3 also.

Q: Mario and Yoshi know each other and they are best buddies. Do Wario and Boshi know each other ... are they best buddies? And who is Yoshette?
spirits1
A: I doubt Wario and Boshi know each other. One live's on Yos'ters Isle, the others never been there. Yoshette is this weird lady Yoshi made up by Tuxedo Ken (what a weirdo).

Q: After looking through the hint's and tips you have on your page, I failed to find the Cheese bridge cheat, for Super Mario World on the SNES. The level with the red dots (as I understand it) have more than one exit, but I've done this level at least 30 times, but can't find it. I wouldn't be writing to ask, but I have done this before, unfortunately, this was well over 4 years ago since!
Antony Barson
A: The way to the secret exit in this level is to go under the final goal gate. You should have a cape and Yoshi going into the level, and keep them until the end. Then, jump and float so that you go under the whole gate at the end. At the last moment, spin jump off Yoshi, and you'll be past the gate. Keep going and you'll find a second gate, which leads you to the Soda Lake area!

Q: I need the truth about this ... Is Boss Bass the husband of Big Bertha? Is Blurp the brother of Cheep Cheep? Is Cheep Cheep the daughter of Big Bertha? Are the other cheep-cheep's related?
Spirits1
A: OK, heres the way it is as best as I can tell.
1) Boss Bass and big Bertha aren't one fish, but rather the male and female of a species, as far as I can tell. It's like asking is Male the husband of Female.
2)How do you know cheep cheeps a girl. Or that blurp's a boy????
3)Again, I think cheep cheep is to this fish species as kid is to humans. It's a general name.

Q: I'm confused about a couple of things about Wario. Sad to say, when Wario was first introduced I never had a nintendo system, even though i really liked the games(they were more complex than other systems). I had a (gasp) Sega genesis. I read your site, loved it, wrote many times, and got confused. Why is Wario immortal? Is it just in Wario land or what? I also wanted to know if Wario is really evil or a good guy that is scary. On commercials it made him look bad, but Now i wonder after seeing your site if he is just a weirdo.
Jaquar
A: About Wario, when he first appeared in SML2, he was definitely bad. He took Mario's Land without asking!!!!! In SML3, he wasn't really BAD per se, just his old greedy self, trying to get everything. Captain Syrup (The main baddy in that game) was even worse. In WLVB, the same greed obsessed Wario. All three of these games showed that Wario is not immortal, as you can kill him or you can be killed. In WL2, he can not die because he is stronger than all the other enemies. The same held true in SML3, but the enemies' pointy spears and such could still hurt him. The pits in WL2 supposedly link to an earlier part in the level, so Wario can not die, but only in this game.

Q: How much more famous is Mario than Luigi?
A: Mario is much more popular than his brother, sadly. After all Mario's nameis built into the Mario Bros. name. His face gets on all the products, he's always the first player, and he's got the recognition. As unfair as it may be, Mario is much more popular.

Q: Aren't there blue coins are in SMB3? In the 3rd world and the third level after the 3rd slope under the blocks hit your head on both blocks. On one of the blocks there is a switch block. Go on it and a bunch of blue coins appear.
A: Those coins are blue, but they aren't blue coins. See, the SMB3 coins are just colored blue, I guess as a reflection off the water. When you touch them, they still just give you just one coin. A real blue coin is different from a regular coin in that it gives you 5 coins, and is only in SM64. The SMB3 blue coins are not a separate item, just a different colored coin.

Q: I was just wondering with a platform like computers why is there no Mario Bros. for the computer world? After all the voodoo2 is a great platform for it to be on!
A: There would be a specialized computer Mario game, except Mario is a Nintendo owned property. As long as Nintendo has a system, Mario's place will be there first, and on computer and others second.

Q: We live in Salt Lake City and are searching very hard for a copy of Mario 3 to play on our NES system. Where would you begin your search????
A: I get a LOT of mails from people looking for old Mario games, and I give all of them the same answer. The ultimate best place for old Mario games nationwide is FuncoLand . You can look them up in your yellow pages (the have locations all over the US) or order through their web-site and receive your game through the mail.

Q: For some years now I have been hunting for the ever elusive minus world (Legendary secret level to SMB1). Can you help me in my quest?
Frank
A: Glad to help. First off, you need to be near the end of level 1-2 and be Super Mario (The big one). Do not go to the warp zone, but instead stand on top of the pipe at the end of the level (The one that takes you outside to the flag). Here's the hard part, which I'm really not sure exactly how to explain. You have to jump up and bash your head between the 3rd and 4th bricks from the right wall (be facing left when you hit them). If you got the spacing JUST right, you will get caught in the ceiling and start scrolling to the right through the wall. You'll pop out of the wall in the warp zone area. Before the words "Welcome to Warp Zone" appear, jump in the left most pipe. You'll be in the minus world, a never ending ever-repeating water world. You keep going until you die or time runs out. It's pretty hard to get to, so keep trying. And have fun!

Hi, I was hoping you could use your SMB3 knowledge to help me out. In SBM3 isnt there a way in every level to make the "mushroom house" appear?. Also isn't there a way to make a "ship" appear by getting certain amounts of coins on certain levels?
-Joe
Here's how to get the White Mushroom Houses:
World 1-4, get 44 coins
World 2-2, get 30 coins
World 3-8, get 44 coins
World 4-2, get 22 coins
World 5-5, get 28 coins
World 6-7, get 78 coins
World 7-2, get 46 coins
World 8, no mush. house
As for the secret treasure ships, it's a little tricky. First, be on world 1, 3, 5, or 6. Then, get a # of coins that's a multiple of 11 (33, 77, etc.). Then, finish the level when the time has the tens digit (second from right) the same as the multiple of coins (for example 270 seconds left with 77 coins, or 52 seconds and 55 coins). The ship has lots of coins and power ups.

Q: Hey Kyle! Make a list of Mario wedding couples. Like this:
Mario/Peach
Luigi/Daisy
Yoshi/Yoshette
DK/Candy Kong
Cranky Kong/Wrinkly Kong
-Kacyn64
Weird idea, huh. These are just the tip of the iceberg I'm sure. Send in yours! BTW, does anyone know who Yoshette is?

Do you know the year in which the Mario Toys were provided by MacDonald's? Also, do you have any leads as to where to obtain them? Thanks for any information.
-Michael
A: The toys came out when SMB3 did in 1991. They are available now only through secondhand stores and used toy shops. They are worth only about $2.00 each (according to the Mcdonald's Toy Guide, now available in book stores) so don't pay too much!

You have the Q & A, & a special section on game questions... why not having a section on game ideas??? You know, a person could send in an idea & you post it in the game idea sections.
-Frank Conidi
A: Hmmmmmm, I'm intrigued. What do you guys out there think. E-mail me your comments on this idea ASAP!

Q: I was wondering about the Mario comics, were they ever released in Australia? I doubt that you'd know, but if you have any info could you please tell me?
-Ben McMaster
A: You're right. I don't know for sure if the comics were ever released in Australia. The best way to find out would be to call or write the companies that make the comics. These addresses and phone #'s appear with every feature on our comix & books page. They'll be able to hook you up with the comics if they're still in print, for a higher shipping fee of course.

Q: I wanna play Mario on my computer for free. Where can I download it?
A: This is BY FAR the most asked question I get. Everyone wants to play those old Mario's on their computer, and for free. There's a few ways to play. On my links page, there are a few links to legal variations of SMW or the original Mario Bros.. These aren't the real ones, but they do have Mario and they're still fun. If you wanna play the real ones, you have to go the "illegal" emulator way. Emulators are programs that emulate a game system on your computer. There are a WHOLE lot of sites that offer these, along with the games. The best site for Mario emulating is The Mario emulation Homepage . It has all the emulators and games you need for Mario on your computer, along with some homemade variations that are just plain weird. It's a great site. Remember, you're supposed to delete these games from your system after 24 hours unless you own the real ones.

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