Maker record
Yoshi
Yoshi is a character created for Nintendo’s Super Mario games and later represented in licensed toys and figures. He debuted in Super Mario World, released with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and became the main character of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island four years later. Nintendo merchandise includes interactive figures, while licensed products are also made by other toy companies. Yoshi’s familiar design includes a shell on his back, a long tongue and the ability to produce eggs.
- Founded
- 1990
- Countries
- Japan
- Locations
- Japan
- Founders
- Shigeru Miyamoto
The story of Yoshi
Yoshi debuted in Super Mario World, released alongside the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Nintendo’s 2017 interview with developers Takashi Tezuka, Shigefumi Hino and Hisashi Nogami recounts the character’s creation: Shigeru Miyamoto wanted Mario to ride an animal, and Tezuka asked Hino to design a reptile for the game’s dinosaur setting. Yoshi appeared as a companion in that game, with a shell on his back instead of a saddle.
Four years later, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island made Yoshi its main character. Nintendo’s character guide describes Yoshi’s long tongue, egg-producing ability and color variations. Yoshi merchandise includes figures as well as other licensed products. Nintendo’s current store listing for an interactive figure describes sound and motion triggers, articulation and posing features, and names Jakks as the manufacturer.