10 Huge Unresolved Mysteries In Mario Games
9. What Gender Is Birdo?
Birdo is one of the most intriguing and interesting side characters in the Mario universe, appearing first in Super Mario Bros. 2 way back in 1988, and regularly turning out as a fan favourite in the subsequent spin off Kart, Party and Sports games.
With the original Japanese release of the game being deemed too hard for a North America audience, Nintendo simply recoloured their game Doki Doki Panic and kept Birdo in as one of the game's bosses. According to the original manual for the game, Birdo is described as being a character 'who thinks he is a girl'. In Super Mario, the antagonist appears to be a male, however his feminine voice is a big indicator of there being more than what meets the eye, especially when you throw in the spewing out large eggs from the mouth.
Birdo's pink skin, big red bow, Birdette nickname, large pieces of jewellery and relationship with the usually male-represented Yoshi in more recent games seems to lean the character more towards being a straight female, however that hasn't stopped the spawning of theories over Birdo's real identity.
Birdo's transgender status, especially in Super Mario Bros. 2, remains essentially Super Mario canon at this point and she remains arguably one of the gaming world's very first openly LGBTQ+ characters, though her specific identity still remains a mystery to most players.