Super Mario World is a game that has aged very well, thanks to the wonderful 16-bit graphics and the addicting gameplay. However, one thing that has gained notoriety among fans is the way Mario treats Yoshi in the game. Aside from the infamous jump that has Mario throw his ally to a bottomless pit, many thought he punched the cute dinosaur to have his tongue come out.
It turns out he did. Past tense. Because that has since been retconned to Mario pointing.
During an interview with Nintendo (translated by Kotaku), longtime developers Takashi Tezuka and Shigefumi Hino revealed that the original idea was to have Mario punch Yoshi to get his tongue out. That is what was drawn in the original concept art for the SNES game and there is even a "bop" sound effect when using the move in the game.
The developers soon realized that fans would sympathize with Yoshi's mistreatment, which is why future art changed the punch to pointing. Granted, the punch sound effect is still in the game, so the proof of dinosaur violence is still there. Not to mention the fact that players still have to throw Yoshi in a pit to make a big jump later in the game.
The new canon. (Nintendo)
While it has been retconned to pointing, it looks like game theorists everywhere can take solace in the fact that Mario was supposed to punch Yoshi. Nintendo has since made sure the two look like friends in future installments, but fans now know the truth.
Gamers that want to see the Yoshi punching can get Super Mario World now on the 3DS or Wii U eShop. The game is also one of the many titles in the SNES Classic. Fans that don't want that have Super Mario Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch to look forward to.
Read:7 Minutes of New Gameplay Footage From Super Mario Odyssey
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