Yoshi Has a Full Name, and It’s T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas

Yoshi has a name that sounds as though it should come with a museum plaque: T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas. That’s how a 1993 Nintendo character guide introduces Mario’s green friend. Suddenly, keeping it to “Yoshi” seems like a favor he was doing everyone.

In Super Mario World, you don’t need much of an introduction. An egg cracks open, out pops your new ride, and before long he’s swallowing enemies and making an awkward jump much easier. It’s a wonderfully quick friendship. The paperwork, apparently, was more elaborate.

There it is, underneath the dinosaur

The guide page itself is almost comically straightforward. A big illustration of Yoshi fills most of the space. Underneath, a short paragraph starts by calling him “properly known as” T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas, then describes Mario rescuing him from an egg and the pair setting off to save his dinosaur friends from Bowser.

The page also slips in homo nintendonus for Mario. Nintendo’s little character biography had room for two mock-scientific names before it even got through the introductions. Munchakoopas is the better gag, though. You can practically hear the shell disappearing.

An old page finds a new audience

The name drew fresh attention in August 2014 when Console Wars author Blake J. Harris shared material from the guide. GameSpot’s coverage at the time pointed readers to his discovery. Plenty of players had spent years riding Yoshi around Dinosaur Land without encountering that mouthful.

There’s one useful distinction here: this is a name printed in an old Nintendo character guide. It isn’t a dramatic reveal tucked into a Super Mario World ending. The passage doesn’t spell out what the initial stands for, either, so we’ll leave the T. alone.

Yoshi still fits just fine

By Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, he was the one doing the carrying while Baby Mario made his displeasure very audible whenever they got separated. Yoshi’s Story later put the little dinosaurs in a storybook full of fruit. Both games gave that short name plenty of space on the box.

But next time Yoshi bolts off after taking a hit in Super Mario World, you do have the option of calling after him by his full name. Whether you can finish saying it before he reaches the nearest pit is another matter.

Sources

• Nintendo character guide: Yoshi page, the original page reproduced by Super Mario Wiki, showing the name and accompanying biography.
• GameSpot: Yoshi’s Full Name Is Not Yoshi, According to 1993 Nintendo Character Guide (August 6, 2014), for Blake J. Harris sharing the guide and its renewed attention.
• Super Mario Wiki: guide-page image record, documenting the reproduced page and its provenance.

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