Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The Koopa Kids Are Alright Part 1: "The Loud Mouths"


Whatever your opinion is on the New Super Mario Bros. series, I think we can all agree on one thing: the Koopalings are infinitely better than Bowser Jr. I hope Nintendo will stop shoving that loathsome child down our throats. The Koopalings  have lots more character, perhaps because they’re all based on real people. The following is part one of the inspiration behind the members of everyone’s favorite (and only) koopa clan. First, the “Loud Mouths.”



Ludwig von Koopa/Ludwig van Beethoven

Perhaps the most obvious; if the name doesn’t give it away, certainly the haircut will. Von Koopa, much like his real life counterpart, dabbles in musical composition. According to his Nintendo profile, he’s composed a number of “Koopa Symphonies,” but I’m certain none of them come close to “Ode to Joy.” Being the eldest, smartest, and most mature of the bunch, he’s usually the last Koopaling you face before Bowser. My only question is why he has the “van” before his last name. I’d rather not dig deep into possible joint custody cases over fictitious video game characters.



Lemmy Koopa/Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister

Lemmy is older than all of his siblings save for Ludwig, but he remains one of the most immature. He’s named after bassist and frontman for heavy metal band Motorhead Lemmy Kilmister, but retains almost none of his traits. I’m fairly positive never in any game manuals is Lemmy referred to as a sexaholic Rock God. Heck, they don’t even share a haircut. I would adore seeing this change soon in upcoming games. Nintendo, please give Lemmy a voice like gravel. I’ll settle for the muttonchops.



Morton Koopa Jr./Morton Downey Jr.

This is a pretty deep cut. I’m only 22, so I actually had to do a little digging for just who this Morton Downey fellow was. Downey was a controversial, anger-prone talk radio host in the ‘80s, whose heyday was around the time Super Mario Bros. 3 was released in 1989. Nintendo Power has referred to Morton Koopa as “a grouch with a cantankerous personality,” otherwise known as the perfect AM Radio DJ. I’m willing to bet Morton Koopa could give Rush Limbaugh a run for his money.

Up next: The Koopa Kids Are Alright Part Two: The Punks.

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