Mario Was Actually Punching Yoshi In Super Mario World, Creators Confess

In Super Mario World, players were introduced to the ridable dinosaur Yoshi, which would later become the mustachioed protagonist’s iconic sidekick. At the time, fans thought that Mario was directing Yoshi to stick its tongue out by pointing his finger. The truth, however, was that Mario was actually punching Yoshi in the head repeatedly.

This revelation is a huge blow to fans who have grown fond of the adorable dinosaur, especially those who were dedicated enough to play subsequent spin-offs featuring the cartoonish reptile. There is no doubt to this fact either since Shigefumi Hino, the creator of Yoshi himself confirms it, Kotaku reports.

Hino gave his confession during a recent interview alongside Takashi Tezuka. The interview was originally posted on Nintendo’s website, but it was subsequently translated. This confession also served to end the debate that some fans have been having, with one side saying that Mario was smacking Yoshi in the head and the other saying that he was not.

“Lots of people think that while Mario is pointing his finger forward, he’s saying ‘Go,’ and Yoshi’s tongue comes out,” Hino said during the interview. “However, the set up that I drew was that when Mario punches Yoshi in the head, the character’s tongue shoots out in surprise.”

That’s right. Every time Yoshi made that cute squeak when its tongue shot out, it was actually a cry of surprise brought about by an act of cruelty. This begs the question in the minds of anyone who has played the game: “How many times did I punch Yoshi in the head?”

In the games that followed, the designers and developers made the relationship between Mario and Yoshi more like a partnership, rather than a master beating his pet. Even so, now that the original idea regarding the duo has been revealed, it can never be unknown.