When you think of Mario franchise, what villain first comes to your mind? Do you think of Bowser or his Koopalings? Do you think of the Goombas and the Koopa Troopas? How about the Boos or maybe even Wario and Waluig👍i? No matter who may first pop into your mind, there's no doubt that Mario has faced quite a few interesting enemies.

Let's face it, we all know that Mario wouldn't be much without the villains he's had to take on. From Koopas to Lakitus, Mario has seen it all. He's faced against great enemies like Bowser, tangled with dangerous chain chomps, and avoided being e♑aten by piranha plants, all to save the Mushroom Kingdom and protect the princess he loves.

The Mario franchise has created some of Nintendo's most iconic enemies. Characters like the Goombas, the Hammer Bros, Kamek the Magikoopa, and more have been obstacles for many gamers to overcome as they traveled through the Mushroom Kingdom. Some enemies were easy to defeat, while others took a little more time and dedication. Over the years we've seen the various enemies come and go in the Mario franchise. Some enemies only appeared ꧙for a short time, others are brand new with recent games, and many have been ♐with us since the very beginning.

With all of these villains, we've discovered some rather interesting facts about them that we’d like to ꧃share. These facts range from interesting to funny to just plain bizarre.

Some of these facts you may know, while others may surprise 🅷you. Are there any you think I m🐼issed? Let me know!

15 Bowse𒆙r Was Originally Supposed To Be An Ox

Bowser has become one of Nintendo’s most iconic villains. From his huge size to his bright red hair, the design of Bowser is a familiar one to many gamers. It’s hard to imagine Bowser as anything other than what he is. But d🍰id you know that Bowser was originally going to look very different?

Miyamoto’s original design for Bowser was going to be based on an ox. He was inspired by the film Alakazam the Great. He found that the Great Ox King’s design would be a perfect mold for Bowser. But when Nintendo designer Takashi Tezuka took a look at the character, he told Miyamoto that he thought his ox looked more like a turtle. T♔hus, the drastic re-envisioning began. Their efforts resulted in the Bowser we know and love today.

14 ꧟ The Koopalings Are Not Actually Bowser’s Kids 🥃

If you’ve played many Mario games, you’ve likely run into the Koopalings, several of Bowser’s minions. In Super Mario Bros. 3, you faced each of the Koopalings as bosses before your final showdown with Bowser. For a while, it was thought that these villains𝄹 were Bowser’s children. But it was recently confirmed thatꦦ they are not!

In the release of New Super Mario Bros., the Koopalings are referred to as Bowser’s “minions.” It was then confirmed in 2012, when S🀅higeru Miyamoto stated, “Our current story is that the seven Koopalings are not Bowser’s children. Bowser’s only child is Bowser Jr., and we do not know who the mother is.” So apparently, Bowser only has one child, and the rest simply are along for the villainous ride.

13 The Chain Chomps Were Modelled After A Traum𝔉at💜ic Childhood Event

The chain chomps are another classic villain, a creature that would lunge at you and was only held back by a chain. As long as you kept your distance you w🌱ere fine, but getting closer meant certain doom. They got even more frightening in Super Mario 64 when they were suddenly supersized. Getting hit by one of those chain chomps took a lot out of you.

The inspiration for these enemies actually c😼ome from Miyamoto’s childhood. When Miyamoto was a child, he went through a traumatic eꦇvent where he was chased by the neighbor’s dog. He was saved, fortunately, by the dog being yanked back by a chain attached to its collar. Years later, Miyamoto drew from this memory to create the chain chomp, an enemy restricted by a chain, but still terrifying and dangerous. This also might explain why some versions sound a bit like a dog barking.

12 ⛎ Bowser Had A Terrifying Live-Action Show In The 1980s ꦺ

We all know about the various shows and movies that came about as a result of the popularity of Mario. One famous (or infamous) example is the hilariously bad Super Mario Bros. The Movie, which came out in 1993. But dꦆi🐈d you know that even Bowser had his own live-action TV show? No, we’re serious.

In 1989, a test run of King Koopa's Kool Kartoons was broadcast before the show would become a full series. The show starred a rather creepy-looking live-action Bowser, who s༺tood around and introduced public domain cartoons and held local contests to give out Power Gloves. The show was not received very well and was canceled really fast. In fact, it’s practically impossible to find it; only a few grainy videos can be found online. It’s further proof that trying to successfully translate video games into other forms of media can be a bit tricky and often don’t end well.

11 ꦚ The Koopalings Are Named After Musicians Of Different Genres

The Koopalings are fairly different in many aspects. They’re all different sizes, they have unique personalities, and they all have specialized attacks that they use on Mario. But one thing they do have in common are their names. If you pay attention to the names, you’ll find 🌼that all the Koopalings are named after various musicians. And all these musicians came from different music genres.

This one may be a little obvious since you likely picked up on the names like Ludwig von Koopa (obviꦜous Beethoven reference), but some others you may not have realized. For example, Roy was named after Roy Orbison, Iggy was named after Iggy Pop, and Wendy was named after Wendy O. Williams. All of these people were famous musicians with very different music styles. It’s a fun little fact that many didn’t pick up on.

10 The Goomba Was The Last Enemy Added To Super Mario Bros. 📖

Ah the Goomba, the very first enemy that Mario ever encountered. These guys have also become iconic as Mario enemies and have appeared in nearly every single Mario game. 🉐But did you know that the Goomba almost didn’t🙈 exist?

Yup, the first enemy you encounter in Super Mario Bros. was actually one of the very last things𝓰 added to the game. Miyamoto decided the game needed an easy enemy that could be killed with a single hit. Unfortunately, cartridge space in the game was extremely limited, so they needed to design something as simple as possible. So they basically created a little brown mushroom-like ball with eyes with a two-frame walking animation. It was a simple desig🐎n that required very little extra space and thus the Goomba was created!

9 ♑ Hammer Bros Can Hunt You Down

Ah, the Hammer Bros. These enemies have likely been responsible for many of Mario’s e༺arly demises... many gamers have met their fate to one of those hammers. While jumping up and down and constantly throwing ꦓhammers at you, the Hammer Bros can be a little tricky to fight, especially if you don’t time it right. Of course, their patterns of movement are pretty simple and predictable, so if you stand a distance away, their hammers won’t hit you.

But did you know that if you hesitate long enough, the Hammer Bros will leave their spot and come after you? It’s true. If you wait long enough these enemies will start moving toward you and throw their hammers at you. I guess they aren’t very patient, 🐟so it’s better to defeat them quickly!

8 Koopa Troopas Can Sur📖vive Without Their Shells ♐

Of the many The Koopa Troopas have become rather popular enemies over the years. These adorable guys are both dangerous and 🐠useful. Once you hit them, they retreat into their shell, which you then can use to take out other enemies. Like Bowser, Koopa Troopas are loosely based on turtles. Like turtles, Koopas have a reptilian design with a beak of a turtle and with a shell on their backs.

However, unlike turtles, Koopa Troopas can actually survive without their shells. In fact, Koopas actually wear clothing underneath their shells. In a few games, you see the Koopas turn up without their shells, wearing clothing underneath. So for Koopas, their shells seem to act morღe like armor than anything. Makes me wonder if they wear their shells i𝔍n their down time.

7 The ParaTroopa’s Design Was Created Due To Lack Of Space ♔

The Koopa ParaTroopas are great enemies can create quite a headache for gamers. Their flight patterns sometimes made fighting them difficult, but if you timed it right, you could often jump on one to jump to higher platforms. But did you know the story behind how these guys wer𒁃e created?

The ParaTroopas are practically identical to the Koopa Troopas, except that they have red shells and wings. The reason these two enemies look so alike was due to space issues. Miyamoto wanted to create a flying enemy in Super Mario Bros., but since space on the 🐷cartridge was 𝐆limited, they couldn’t create a whole new enemy. Instead they took the design to the Koopa Troopas and modified it to create the ParaTroopas. That’s a clever way to get around space issues.

6 The Super Mario 64 Boo’s L𝕴augh Is Actually Bowser’s Laugh

The Boos are well-known enemies in the Mario world, infamous for their aggravating habit of following Mario around until he looks at them. It was like the game Red Light Green Light with a dangerous twist. Gamers who played Super Mario 64 likely remember the Boos and their high-pitch♌ed laughs. In fact, that laugh has become pretty iconic and has become infamous. But you might be surprised where that laugh originated from.

It turns out that the Boo’s laugh is actually Bowser’s laugh. It’s true; developers took Bowser’s laugh and pitched it up to create the Boo’s laugh we know and love today. Who would’ve thought these two enemies would have that kind of connection? L🧔ooks like Bowser has more influence on other enemies than we originally thought.