The iconic Shy Guys from theMariofranchise have been in a ton of games over the years. They are up there with Goombas,Chain Chomps, Boos, and Koopa Troopas in terms of always being around in the games. However, what makes Shy Guys special is that they originally did not appear in aMariogame. Instead, they actually came from a Japanese-only video game calledDoki Doki Panic.
Doki Doki Panicwas developed by Nintendo and released in 1987 for the Japan-exclusiveFamicom Disk System. The story of the game involves a family being pulled into a storybook world where dreams determine the weather. The villain is called Mamu, and uses what was originally a dream machine to make nightmares. It was in this game that Shy Guys were introduced. The game was actually later released outside Japan with a ton of change and was retitledSuper Mario Bros. 2,which misled a lot of international fans to believe Shy Guys were a Mario product from the very beginning.
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How Doki Doki Panic Impacted Mario
Shy Guys were not the only enemies thatDoki Doki Panicgave totheMariofranchise. It also the origin game for Birdos, Pokeys, and Bob-Ombs. When it becameSuper Mario Bros. 2outside of Japan,Mariocharacters replaced the main cast. Imajin became Mario, Mama became Luigi, Lina became Princess Toadstool, and Papa was replaced by Toad. These replacements are notable, because the abilities of these characters they replaced shaped the abilities theseMariocharacters became known for.
A lot of other changes happened in makingDoki Doki PanicintoSuper Mario Bros. 2, such as renaming Mamu to Wart and turning hearts into mushrooms. The Shy Guys, however, were untouched and thus became a common villain theMarioseries despite originally belonging to an entirely different game. In the world ofDoki Doki Panic, they worked as Mamu’s henchmen and that did not change when Mamu became Wart.
Fuji TV’s Yume Koujou And Why Shy Guys Wear Masks
These masks are why Shy Guys are designed the way they are. They are just little people who wear masks, and that is because of Yume Koujou and the connectionDoki Doki Panichas with Fuji TV. Shy Guys were just one of many enemies that wore masks, but it was them who would remain iconic as part of theMariofranchise. WhenDoki Doki Panicchanged toSuper Mario Bros. 2, there were a lot less masks in the game as well.
As for why masks were a major part of Yume Koujou in the first place, it was because the event was meant to have a very international feel to it. While Italian masks were big, they also made their mascot family Arabian, kept theevent in Japan, and Fuji TV executives were inspired to create the event in 1984 when they traveled to Brazil and experienced a carnival. A lot of international vibes were mixed in as a way to show how technology globalizes the world.
Doki Doki Panicwas only released in Japan on the FamiCon Disk System.
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