Nintendo Just Quietly Revealed a New Mario Character That Fans Have Wanted for Decades

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The upcoming year, 2026, promises to be an exciting time for Nintendo, as their September Direct presentation revealed. Anticipated titles like “Hades 2” and “Pokémon Legends: Z-A” were unveiled, along with unexpected additions such as “Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave” and “Pokémon Pokopia”. Moreover, to commemorate Mario’s 40th anniversary on September 13 (since the debut of Super Mario Bros. in 1985), Nintendo announced a series of new Mario games, including “Mario Tennis Fever”.

For fans who enjoy Mario spin-offs, “Mario Tennis Fever” isn’t merely a tennis game. It offers novel power-ups, unique game modes, and an “Adventure” mode that narrates a tennis-themed tale. However, unlike the mature versions of our familiar Mario characters, you’ll be controlling Baby Mario, Baby Peach, and even Baby Waluigi in this game.

Baby Waluigi Joins Long-Standing Fan Favorites

For several decades, the baby versions of characters from the Mario universe, such as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, Bowser, and Yoshi, have been featured in various Mario games, starting with “Super Mario World: Yoshi’s Island.” Interestingly, while Baby Mario and Baby Luigi exist, there have never been baby versions of their villainous counterparts. However, this is set to change as Baby Waluigi, a counterpart of Waluigi who first appeared in “Mario Tennis” in 2000, is being introduced in the upcoming game “Mario Tennis Fever.

In the game “Mario Tennis Fever,” Baby Wario and Baby Waluigi have joined as playable characters in the Adventure mode. In this mode, players can control any of the Baby characters to learn tennis once again, and then employ these skills to overcome numerous opponents. The ultimate goal seems to be saving the world. Just like the other Babies, Baby Waluigi is a smaller version of his original self, missing his signature mustache but still donning deep eye bags. This baby boy is all set to tackle whatever challenges “Mario Tennis Fever” throws at him.

Year By Year, More and More Mario Stars Become Babies

Since Baby Mario’s debut in 1995, various characters from the broader Mario universe have been included in the Baby roster over time. Baby Bowser made his appearance alongside Baby Mario in the same game, while Baby Peach joined in 2005 with Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. In 2006, both Baby Donkey Kong (DK) and Baby Wario were introduced through Yoshi’s Island DS. Baby Daisy was added to the group in 2008’s Mario Kart Wii, and Baby Rosalina completed the set in 2014’s Mario Kart 8. While opinions on who specifically constitutes the main Mario cast may differ, it is generally agreed that Wario and Waluigi are prominent members of this group.

Starting from 2014, there’s been a decrease in new characters added to the Baby team, leaving out Baby Waluigi. Fans have been eagerly waiting for him to be released, and now, he’s subtly included in Mario Tennis Fever, completing the collection. Although Nintendo hasn’t made a big announcement about his debut, fans are excited to see their beloved purple character finally join the group of Star Children alongside Baby Wario. They may not be brothers, but they make a formidable pair, and now Baby Wario has his partner in crime to cause mischief with.

From Yoshi’s Island to Mario Kart, the Babies Are Iconic Mario Stars

Although not all Mario enthusiasts are fond of the Baby characters, it’s indisputable that they have a long-standing role in the series. Compared to their adult versions, these characters are endowed with a cuter and softer demeanor, which lends a distinct atmosphere to the games they appear in. In team-based games like Mario Kart and Mario Super Sluggers, they provide additional character options for players to choose from, giving you an opportunity to be Baby Mario if your older brother already plays as Mario.

Baby Waluigi marks the final character from the main crew of the Mario series to adopt this transformation, but there’s potential for many more characters to follow suit. Characters like Toad and Toadette would make adorable additions as Babies, and I think it would be fun to see some enemy characters debut in a Baby version too. While Baby characters haven’t enjoyed the same level of cultural recognition as their larger counterparts, the Mario universe and its diverse cast wouldn’t be complete without them. And who knows? Maybe Nintendo will take a chance and introduce us to a Baby Wiggler someday!

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2025-09-12 22:41