Mario's Cap

Mario's Cap is a recurring object in the , let alone appearances with Mario in general. It first appears in Donkey Kong, but it debuted as a gameplay element in Super Mario 64.
==Description==
Mario's Cap is a red cap with a red "M" printed on a white circle. It belongs to Mario, which the "M" is short for, and the red "M" would go on to appear as an emblem representing Mario in various appearances, such as the or even the . and Mario wears his cap in nearly every Mario game. In many appearances, Mario's Cap is just a clothing item worn by Mario, but in some games, Mario's Cap serves a purpose during gameplay.
When Mario collects a power-up item, his cap either disappears or its appearance or color changes with the rest of his outfit. Mario does not wear his cap while under the effects of any "Suit" power-up, including the Frog Suit, Tanooki Suit, and the Penguin Suit. The Fire Mario and Ice forms change the color of Mario's outfit. For Mario's Rock and Cloud forms, his cap changes its design along with him. In the case of Mario's Builder form, his cap is replaced with a builder's helmet.
Some other characters wear caps based to Mario's, such as Luigi and Wario, who wear their own green and yellow caps respectively. Aside from having a different cap color and letter emblem, the caps are otherwise the same as Mario's.
A design based on the Mario Cap is used in the logo of Nintendo's rewards program, My Nintendo, as well as in the previous one, Club Nintendo.
==In ==
===Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS===
This is the first game where it is possible for Mario to lose his cap, which can occur if it is either taken by a Ukkiki or Klepto or blown off by a gust of wind from the snowman in Snowman's Land. Without his cap, Mario is vulnerable to taking more damage upon being attacked. To retrieve his cap, Mario has to return to the course where he lost his cap in order to retrieve it.
If Mario leaves a course after collecting a Power Star without his cap, Mario pats his head before realizing his cap is gone, looks around him, and shrugs in disappointment as if he has no idea where his cap has gone, instead of taking it off to scratch his head before putting it back on.
Mario also makes use of three different types of caps in addition to his regular cap: the Wing Cap, giving him the ability to fly; the Metal Cap, allowing Mario to walk underwater, through fire, and is invulnerable to nearly everything; the Vanish Cap, which allows Mario to walk through certain walls.
===Super Mario Sunshine===
Mario's cap functions similarly as in Super Mario 64, but Swipin' Stus are the only enemies that can steal it. A difference is that if Mario loses his cap, his Health Meter gradually decreases due to the hot weather.
===Super Mario 64 DS===
The purpose of Mario's cap has been expanded upon, and both Luigi's cap and Wario's cap now appear alongside Mario's cap. The three caps often appear somewhere in a course, shown on the Touch Screen's map, and are sometimes worn by a Goomba. Mario's cap gains a new ability: when worn by either Luigi, Yoshi, or Wario, he transforms into Mario, replacing their abilities with Mario's. Even while wearing Mario's cap, either of the three characters still retain their own voices. If a character is wearing Mario's cap, they can lose it by either taking damage from an enemy or hazard or by completing a course's mission. In the former case, Mario's cap slides off of the character, who has only a few seconds to collect Mario's cap before it disappears and respawns back to its original location. If a character wearing Mario's cap gets another cap, they receive an extra life.
There is a Toad who reveals that Mario's cap is special, and if it were to get blown off, Mario would have nothing but bad luck. If Mario is not wearing his cap, besides the disadvantages from the original Super Mario 64, he can neither use the Wing Cap, wear Luigi's cap or Wario's cap, nor use a Power Flower.
Mario's cap still appears in certain courses and missions if Mario is not yet unlocked: Bob-omb Battlefield's Footrace with Koopa the Quick and Big Bob-omb's Revenge missions, Whomp's Fortress's Chip Off Whomp's Block and To the Top of the Fortress missions, Jolly Roger Bay in general, and Cool, Cool Mountain's Li'l Penguin Lost mission. In Footrace with Koopa the Quick, if playing as Yoshi, Luigi, or Wario, they have to defeat a Goomba wearing Mario's cap near the start to become Mario, as he is the only character whom Koopa the Quick wants to race.
If Mario completes a mission without his cap, he can now retrieve it by going into the Mushroom Castle's lobby, where Toad is wearing Mario's lost cap, and talk to Toad to get it back from him.
===Super Mario Galaxy===
After joining Mario, Luma hides in Mario's Cap throughout his journey. Whenever Mario does a spin, there is a small waiting time before Luma returns into the cap to perform the move again.
===New Super Mario Bros. Wii===
If Mario begins a level with the maximum number of 99 lives, he does not wear his cap, but his animation when completing a level remains unchanged, so he still makes the movements of tipping his cap. If Mario goes below the maximum number of lives, he wears his cap again.
===Super Mario Galaxy 2===
Mario's Cap retains its role from Super Mario Galaxy. However, in the ending, Baby Luma takes Mario's Cap (or Luigi's Cap, if playing as Luigi) with him as a souvenir before returning to the Comet Observatory with Rosalina. Following this, Mario does not wear his cap throughout the credits, but he wears his cap when he can be played again.
===Super Mario 3D Land===
Mario no longer wears his cap while in his Small form, which is also the case for Luigi. If Mario or Luigi has 1,110 lives, their Super forms are without a cap instead.
===New Super Mario Bros. 2===
Mario does not wear his cap if he starts a level with 1,110 lives, similarly to New Super Mario Bros. Wii but retaining the number from Super Mario 3D Land.
===New Super Luigi U===
Even though Mario does not make an appearance, his cap appears in the opening cutscene, in the exact spot where Mario sat in New Super Mario Bros. U.
===Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury===
Like in Super Mario 3D Land, Mario and Luigi do not wear their respective caps while in their Small form.
===Super Mario Odyssey===
Mario's Cap plays a notable role during the game's story. During the initial battle on Bowser's Airship, Bowser's final attack knocks the cap off Mario's head and sends Mario flying off. With Mario gone, Bowser stomps on the cap and leaves it to drift into his airship's propellers, which shred Mario's Cap entirely. However, Cappy takes the role of Mario's Cap for the remainder of Mario's journey, after Cappy uses a remnant of Mario's shredded cap to transform into a replica of the cap before its destruction.
Cappy has a lot of enhancements over Mario's regular cap, most notably the capture ability, which gives Mario the ability to take control of certain enemies and species, having the appearance of wearing Mario's Cap while in a captured state.
In the group photo, after obtaining a 100% completion rating, a restored or spare version of the Mario Cap is shown.
Pauline is seen wearing a replica of the Mario Cap after Mario obtains the Multi Moon in the mission Long Journey's End on the Darker Side of the Moon Kingdom.
===""Super Mario Bros Wonder===
The badge Parachute Cap allows Mario and all other playable characters to use their cap to glide, making it puff up like a parachute.
==In ==
===Mario Kart 64===
In Mario Raceway, a giant version of the Mario Cap appears atop the grandstand.
===Mario Kart Wii===
Like in Mario Kart 64, retains the giant Mario Cap atop the grandstand.
===Mario Kart Tour===
A glider based on Mario's cap, Mario's Hat Balloon was introduced during the 2022 Mario vs. Luigi Tour. In the 2023 tour of the same name, with the reintroduction of , the giant Mario Cap returns atop the grandstand.
==In Luigi's Mansion==
Mario's Hat is one of Mario's five missing items, the other four being Mario's Glove, Mario's Star, Mario's Letter, and Mario's Shoe. Like with the other items, Mario's Hat must be brought to Madame Clairvoya so that she can give Luigi some clues as to where Mario is located. Mario's Hat is located in the washing machine of the Laundry Room.
It appears Mario owns multiple caps, as Mario is also seen wearing one when he is trapped in his painting in the Secret Altar. Mario is similarly seen wearing both gloves as well.
In the Nintendo 3DS version's Hidden Mansion, Mario's Cap is instead located inside of the dishwasher in the Kitchen.
==In Mario Golf: World Tour==
Mario's Cap can be seen on top of the Luma in Rosalina's Hole in One, Albatross, or Eagle animations.
==In Mario Sports Superstars==
During the Golf mode, Mario's Cap makes the same appearance in Rosalina's Hole in One, Albatross, and Eagle animations, all of which were reused from Mario Golf: World Tour.
==In WarioWare Gold==
The Mario Cap makes a cameo as one of the possible drawings on the whiteboard in Chalk Full, which it did not appear in for the original WarioWare: Touched! iteration.
==Crossover appearances==
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In one of his idle animations, Mario is shown adjusting his cap. The color of Mario's cap differs between Mario's different alternate costumes.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, for his side taunt, Mario spins and takes his cap off, revealing his hair. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario instead wears Cappy, who is disguised as Mario's Cap, and throws Cappy during his side taunt.
Mario's Cap is one of the accessories that can be worn by a Mii Fighter in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
===Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix===
If the player is playing as Mario, his house has a huge Mario Cap as a roof.
===Nintendogs===
The Red Hat, a replica of the Mario Cap, is an item that can be worn by the player's dog. The item itself is found on walks.
===Animal Crossing series===
As of Animal Crossing: Wild World onward, the Mario Cap is one of the headgear items. In its earlier appearances, it was named big bro's hat, referencing the fact that Mario is the older brother of Luigi. In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it is simply named Mario hat. When the player's character puts on the cap, an arrangement of the first six notes of the Ground Theme from Super Mario Bros. plays.
===Wii Party U===
The minigame Mad Hatters involves the characters choosing different hats from each other's, and one of these hats is the Mario Cap.
===Pikmin Bloom===
If the player links the app to a Nintendo Account, they obtain a Huge Seedling that grows into a Blue Pikmin wearing a Mario Cap.
==Behind the scenes==
The reason why Mario was given a cap to begin with in Donkey Kong is because of the hardware limitations that video game graphics had at the time. This decision circumvented both the issue of drawing Mario's hairstyle, forehead, and eyebrows, as well as animating Mario's hair as he jumps.
==Trivia==
*In Super Mario 64 DS, there are some circumstances where it is possible to end up with more than one of Mario's caps, such as in the Bob-omb Battlefield mission, Footrace with Koopa the Quick.
==Gallery==
Mario's_Cap.png|A wearable cosplay hat designed to look like Cappy taking the form of Mario's cap in Super Mario Odyssey
==References==
==Navigation==
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es:Gorra de Mario
fi:Mario's Cap
it:Cappello di Mario
fr:Casquette de Mario
ja:マリオのぼうし
Category:Clothing
Category:Caps and hats
Category:Items in Luigi's Mansion
Category:Items in Super Mario 64
Category:Items in Super Mario Sunshine
Category:Items in Super Mario Odyssey