Nintendo Character Profile | Birdo

Birdo
Pink, spits eggs, wears a bow...hmm...

Profile by Adam Riley < jesusraz :: Senior Editor >

Introduction
Now if there is one character from the Nintendo roster that you would want to be, it most likely would not be Birdo, the cross-dressing pink dinosaur that spits out eggs at people and enjoys having Shy Guys ride him. Yes, Birdo is indeed none other than a male transportation devise that originates in the world of dreams. He also has an affinity for donning pink bows and make-up, thus labelling him as a transvestite…But in the past few years Birdo has been referred to as female, so perhaps that means that he went that extra step and had a little operation? Hmm, something that should possibly not be thought about in too much detail!

Statistics

Age: Not known, although his (her?) appearance is quite youthful. Then again, just what does a young or old pink dinosaur really look like? How do you determine a dinosaur’s age, count its rings?

Species: A dinosaur, however Turok Birdo definitely is not! In fact, I do not ever recall seeing a Tyrannosaurus Rex looking anything at all similar to this pink creature…

Location: Generally in front of a hawk-mask that hides the entrance to a new area, shooting eggs at anyone that dares to approach.

Birth: Well, maybe his/her (‘it’ from now on) mother spat an egg out of her ‘nose’ after being impregnated in a way that oooh, *shudders*, I do not even want to imagine…Then it is assumed it hatched from said egg. To this day highly-educated scientists have only been able to produce this theory!

Facial Features: Unusual, to say the least. As mentioned above, Birdo is not your normal dinosaur, instead sporting a strange growth from its face that I suppose would be classed as a nose…except that this nose sticks straight out, perpendicular to the ground, and has just one large nostril from where eggs are projected. Probably more of a snout than a nose, actually…Also, its face is pink with some additional make-up present in order to highlights Birdo’s, ahem, attractive facial features. Hehe…

Clothing: Naked. Yes, you did read that perfectly correct, naked as a Jay bird(o). Oh, apart from the ‘adorable’ pink bow that sits atop Birdo’s head and the ‘lovely’ make-up plastered on its face!

Concept
Originally called an ‘Ostro’, the task enforced by Wart, the wicked ruler of the Dream World, was to essentially be a gate-keeper, preventing the progression of anyone wishing to travel through to a new area and protecting crystal balls or keys. This was done by shooting eggs or balls of fire at the oncoming folk. Nowadays Birdo no longer works on the side of evil and is more a source of light Nintendo comic-relief and also proves to be a decent choice of character in the recent slew of sports-style titles due to its speed.

Appearances
Seen as a character that Nintendo seemingly overlooked after the initial appearance on the NES, Birdo has managed to find its way into many a title over the past five or so years. Here is a, by no means definitive, list of its gaming highlights:

• Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
• Mario Golf series
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
• Mario Party 1-5
• Mario Tennis series
• Smash Bros series
• Super Mario Advance series
• Super Mario Allstars
• Super Mario Bros USA / SMB2
• Super Mario RPG
• Wario’s Woods
• Yume Koojoo: Dokidoki Panic

Don't Mention...
Many would say the Mario Party series, but far too many people love the series so it surely cannot count. Therefore the one point of contention is the strange relationship that has been struck-up between Birdo and Yoshi, two so-called dinosaurs that are partnered in many games nowadays. Could Yoshi be completely unaware of Birdo’s true nature? Oo-er…

In closing...
Originally named Catherine in Japan, thus being female, thanks to Nintendo of America in the 1980s Birdo (or Ostro back then) was morphed into a male dinosaur that preferred the lifestyle of women. Why? Nobody will ever know, except the people (or person) that wrote the manual for the release of Super Mario Bros 2 in the USA. Will Birdo and Yoshi become ever closer? Stay tuned to the crazy world of the Nintendo Soap Opera to find out…