Pauline doesn’t get as much attention as the other Super Mario gals. There might even be some Mario fans who either don’t know who she is or think she debuted in Super Mario Odyssey. In fact, Pauline is as old as Mario himself, so let’s dive into the history of this overlooked gal.

The Damsel Before Peach

Alongside Mario and Donkey Kong, Pauline made her debut in 1981 in the highly popular Donkey Kong arcade game. She was kidnapped by Donkey Kong and carried up a tall building, where Mario had to rescue her. Initially, she was only called “Lady.” Her name first appeared in a Donkey Kong coloring book, where Pauline is a singer and an actress at the amusement park where Donkey Kong is an exhibit. While Pauline and Mario were depicted as a couple in Donkey Kong, Peach would replace Pauline as Mario’s love interest in Super Mario Bros.

Pauline’s New Look

In 1994, the Donkey Kong reimagining on the Game Boy reintroduced gamers to Pauline. At the same time, she made appearances in comics, but her game appearances after the original Donkey Kong were few. However, Donkey Kong on the Game Boy revamped both the gameplay and the appearance of the leading lady. While she was depicted as blonde in the arcade game, the Game Boy version made her a brunette and gave her a sharp-looking red dress. Just like in the arcade version, she played the damsel in distress role in the Game Boy version as Donkey Kong carried her through nine distinct worlds.

Pauline’s Return

After Donkey Kong on the Game Boy, she took an extended leave of absence from appearing in games except for Donkey Kong ports and references. However, when the sequel to Mario vs. Donkey Kong, March of the Minis, arrived on the Nintendo DS in 2006, the big ape kidnapped Pauline once again. Pauline would go on to be a recurring character in the series, and she and Donkey Kong actually became friends.

“Jump Up, Super Star!”

While the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series brought Pauline back to appearing in games, it was 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey that brought her into the mainstream. In Super Mario Odyssey, she is now the mayor of New Donk City. In one of the game’s most memorable moments, Mario plays through an upgraded version of Donkey Kong while Pauline sings the catchy number “Jump Up, Super Star.” It’s interesting to note that Pauline hadn’t been portrayed as a singer since her coloring book appearances, but she beautifully morphs back into that role.

Other Appearances

After Super Mario Odyssey, she started to show up as a playable character in various Mario spin-off series, such as Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, and Mario Party. She also made a brief appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie as the mayor of New York City. So, will this lovely lady become a Mario staple like Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina? She is confirmed as a playable character in the upcoming Mario Kart World, and perhaps she will appear in the next mainline Mario game as well. She definitely deserves the spotlight after all these years.