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Penny MenAuthor: Penny Men
Penny Men is the podcast starring Ben, Tom, and Gregory: three experts on cartooning, storytelling, and having a good time! We give a penny for our thoughts, and throw in our two cents, as we tackle new topics and writing pitches every week! Language: en Genres: Comedy Fiction, Fiction Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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#113 - 'The Life and Times of The Super Mario Bros.' Pitch (Part 5)
Episode 113
Sunday, 26 April, 2026
Hour five of "The Life and Times" is where the Penny Men stop politely theorizing and just start building a Mario cosmology with power tools! Ben, Greg, and Tom lock in the multi-era, master timeline, stretch it all the way to 1996, and finally explain why Mario ends up living in a house instead of a castle!This is the episode where everything snaps into place!ERA THREE: The Rebellion Era:Everybody is a young adult. Everybody hates their destiny.Mario → wants to be a plumber, not a princeLuigi → anxious, snarky, accidentally heroicPeach → adopted alien princess, burdened with responsibilityBowser → rejects marriage politics, wants total conquestPauline → Mario’s emotional foilDonkey Kong → circus gorilla prince in exileWaluigi, Stanley, Spike → lurking in the background, waiting to become problems!It all ends when:Bowser starts torching citiesTurtles invade EarthMario and Luigi fall down the drainEveryone forgets the Mushroom Kingdom like it’s Oz! ERA FOUR: The Mushroom SagaThe classic quest eraMario Bros.Super Mario Bros.The Lost LevelsSuper Mario Bros. 2 (the war + dreams)Super Mario Land 1 (Sarasaland + Tatanga)The Super Mario Bros. Super ShowSuper Mario Bros. 3 (game + cartoon)This is the full “save the Mushroom Kingdom” arc — kings turned into animals, wands, warp pipes, and Koopalings everywhere!Ends when:The Mushroom Kingdom is finally safeThe heroes are sent to defend Dinosaur Land!ERA FIVE: Dinosaur WorldYoshi’s time to shineSuper Mario World (game + cartoon)Yoshi's CookieYoshi's SafariStar Road loreYoshi PrimeEgg cursesDino Kingdom politicsThis is the “sprites have no dialogue” era, where we fill in all the emotional blanks!Ends when:Mario goes homeHis castle is goneWario has moved in!ERA SIX: The Wario WarsThis is where it gets petty, pirate-y, and deeply sadThe Castle SagaSuper Mario Land 2: Six Golden CoinsWario takes Mario’s castleTatanga becomes his henchmanMario Land 3 / Wario Land 1Captain Syrup steals Peach’s golden statueWario steals it from herMario steals it backA genie gives Wario a castleWario Land 2Captain Syrup steals all Wario’s moneyWario’s WoodsWario builds a castle in fairy landToad, Birdo, and a fairy blow it upWario finally becomes a king……and loses it to Toad!🕰️ Why It All Ends in 1996 - Because 1996 is when:Mario goes 3D (Mario 64)Donkey Kong goes 3DMario lives in a house, not a castle (Mario RPG)The royal wars are overThe lineage drama is doneEveryone loses the throne!The Star Frame - All of this is being told by Rosalina to the Seven Star Children — a cosmic Scheherazade story that admits:Nintendo canon is messyMemory is unreliableProphecy is flexibleThe truth is always a little warpedSeven childrenSeven destiniesRoyal bloodlinesAdopted heirsForgotten worldsLost castlesEggsStarsPlumbers!This is Mario as dynastic tragedy, cartoon epic, and generational trauma — and it somehow still makes sense!Welcome to Hour Five! 🍄✨
