An old Nintendo character guide lets us know all sorts of things about Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom friends. Like the fact that Bowser invaded Princess Peach's sovereignity because he can't stand the thought of 'happy fungi.'
Over the last 24 hours, writer Blake Harris—who penned the excellent Console Wars book—has been sharing tidbits from a 1993 character guide published by Nintendo to help licensors and other companies use their characters correctly. It's full of weird tidbits about characters we've been playing as for two decades.
Like the fact that Peach's magic powers keep her clothes clean, for example.
Bowser ain't got no friends. The other Koopas apparently hate their ruler.
Mario might not even be human, guys. He's categorized as 'Homo Nintendonus' on this Yoshi page. Maybe he's a mutant?
Mario is tolerant and open-minded, though. And the explanation why is great.
And if you've ever wondered what the exact Pantone colors are for the iconic plumber, the guide covered that, too.