Pauline

Pauline in Donkey Kong GB.
Pauline
Species	Human
Hair color	Brunette
Eye color	Blue
Voiced by	Unknown (2010-2015) Kate Higgins (2017)
Debut	Donkey Kong

Pauline initially appeared as Mario's girlfriend in the original Donkey Kong game, and she was the first damsel-in-distress whom Mario had to rescue . She was notably absent from any appearances outside of remakes for years, until she started making regular appearances again in the 2000s as a supporting character (and often damsel in distress) within the the Mario vs. Donkey Kong subseries and then received a more fleshed out supporting role in Super Mario Odyssey.

Background

Pauline appeared in Donkey Kong, where she had been kidnapped by Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong held her at the top of each level, but Mario constantly chased Donkey Kong down. They first fought in a construction site that would later be established to be part of New Donk City. In the Game Boy remake, Donkey Kong carried Pauline across a variety of other locales before Mario finally defeated him for good. Mario was reunited with Pauline in what seemed to be the Mushroom Kingdom. There, Pauline tossed Mario what may have been his first Super Mushroom.

After a long absence, Pauline reappeared in Mario Vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. She was described as "Mario's glamorous friend" and appeared as the guest of honor in the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Super Mini Mario World. However, Donkey Kong (the grandson of the original) instantly became infatuated with her and kidnapped her just as his ancestor had done before. This time, Pauline was saved by the Mini Mario toys. Donkey Kong kept her safely held in a room atop the tower with presents, and after the Mini Marios rescued her, Donkey Kong felt remorse which led Pauline to kiss the Mini Donkey Kong toy in order to make him feel better.

She also appeared in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, which followed an altered version of Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2's storyline; when Mario and the Mini Marios reached the top of the tower, Donkey Kong turned the lights off and ran off with Pauline again. The chase then continued, until the Mini Marios reached Donkey Kong and Pauline at the end. It was revealed that Pauline and Donkey Kong had only staged the whole kidnapping in order to test the Mini Mario toys. In Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!, Mario and Pauline began giving away a hundred of the new Mini-Pauline toys for free. Donkey Kong arrived just in time to miss the last one and out of frustration, kidnapped Pauline once more while Mario pursued in a toy train. Eventually, Mario was able to placate Donkey Kong with a Mini-Pauline toy, at which point she and Mario rode the Ferris wheel together.

In Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move, Pauline appeared in a supporting role, where she acted as a host for Mini-Land along with Donkey Kong. For once, she was not kidnapped at all. She then proceeded to be kidnapped by Donkey Kong again in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars, but this instance ultimately turned out to be another ruse, staged in order to ultimately lure Mario into a surprise party.

Super Mario Odyssey

At some point, Pauline became the mayor of New Donk City, which essentially made her the rule of the Metro Kingdom. She has a passion for taking care of her city and was beloved by the populace. She was also known for her singing ability and performed at festivals.

In Super Mario Odyssey, her city was attacked by Bowser and his minions, who drained power from the city hall during a downpour. Pauline was found surveying the scene from a distant rooftop, disgusted with Bowser's actions. Mario soon arrived and drove Bowser away. She then worked on getting the city back in working order and prepared for the coming festival. Pauline wanted to thank Mario for his help and tasked him with finding band members to accompany her when she sang. Mario managed to find four people, who became known as The Super Mario Players. The only problem left to resolve at that point was clearing Bowser's minions out from the underground power plant so that the festival could have power. Pauline went there to see the threat for herself and witnessed Mario defeating Bowser's lingering monsters. Afterwards, the festival was held, and Pauline sang a song about Mario that was called, "Jump Up, Superstar!".

At the end of the main story, Pauline was among those who were forced to attend Bowser and Peach's planned wedding in a chapel on the Moon. She was relieved when Mario showed up, and his intervention brought the attempted wedding to an end. Afterwards, she returned to New Donk City. When Mario returned, she would quiz him with several questions about herself and then revealed that it was her birthday. Mario had to bring her a purse as a present, replacing her old one that she had lost, and she rewarded him with a Power Moon. She also appeared at the Darker Side of the Moon where she sang again with the Super Mario Players to cheer Mario on before he took on the area's difficult challenges.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• Mario and Pauline also make a cameo appearance together in the Bonus Stage of the NES game Pinball.
• In NES Remix, Pauline appears in challenges and remixes based on Donkey Kong and Pinball.
• Within the Super Smash Bros. series, Pauline has appeared as a sticker (of her being captured by Donkey Kong) in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and a trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U before making a physical appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In Ultimate Pauline appears in the background of the New Donk City stage, where she sings with the Super Mario Players. She also appears as a Support Spirit within the game. Her Spirit's effect allows a player to recover health when shielding from an attack. In her Spirit battle, she possesses Princess Peach and is protected by Mario and a giant Donkey Kong in a timed battle.
  • In the American localization of the 3DS/Wii U Smash, her trophy description highlights the change in her look and suggests that she may have wanted to look less like Peach.

Other Media

• Pauline appeared in the Donkey Kong segments of the Saturday Supercade cartoon. The cartoon version eliminated Mario and Donkey Kong's love triangle with Pauline by making Pauline Mario's niece. Pauline accompanied Mario in his hunt for Donkey Kong, but she wound up being saved by him several times. She was played by Judy Strangis.

Trivia

• In the original version of Donkey Kong, she had blonde hair. The Game Boy remake changed her hair color to brown, presumably to avoid confusion with the blonde Princess Peach. Graffiti art of Pauline's original appearance can be seen on a wall in New Donk City in Odyssey.
• The Japanese version simply calls her "Lady". She was named Pauline by Nintendo of America after Polly James, the wife of Don James, who was Nintendo of America's warehouse manager when the game came out. Some Japanese sources erroneously treated "Lady" and "Pauline" as separate characters.
• In Donkey Kong, she had three items that she dropped which Mario could collect for bonus points: her parasol, hat and purse. This is referenced in Super Mario Odyssey, where Pauline is said to have lost her purse at some point, and Mario can give her a new one as a birthday present for a Power Moon. An umbrella and hat also appear nearby at this time, neither of which Pauline wants.