Pauline (Nintendo character)
- See Paul of Tarsus for the author of the Pauline epistles and Society of St. Paul for the Paulines.
Pauline (formerly known as Lady in Japan) is a fictional character in the Nintendo game Donkey Kong, as well as in the Game Boy remake of the same game. In both games, she is held captive by Donkey Kong and it's the player's objective (as Mario) to rescue her. Pauline is held captive at the top of each level, where she remains in place and she shouts "Help!" until Mario reaches the top. On his way to rescue her, Mario can collect various feminine articles Pauline has dropped (her hat, parasol or purse) for either; bonus points or to enter a bonus round where the player can win extra lives.
Her only other appearance besides both Donkey Kong games was in the NES game Pinball. She was essentially replaced by Princess Peach as Mario's love interest from Super Mario Bros. and onward. She is currently set to reappear in the upcoming game Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, nearly twelve years since her previous appearance in the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong.
Contrary to popular belief, Pauline is just a regular woman, not a princess. She is often mistaken to be Princess Peach by players not familiar with the lesser-known Pauline. In recent Game & Watch Gallery Game Boy titles featuring Donkey Kong, Pauline is usually replaced with the Princess. In a sense, one could say that Pauline served as a prototype for Princess Peach, and video game damsels-in-distress as well.
Name
Pauline's original name in Japan was "Lady", but this was changed when the game was brought to North America, where she was renamed Pauline, after Polly James, the wife of Nintendo of America's warehouse manager, Don James. The character remained as Lady in Japan, however, until the release of the Donkey Kong remake for Game Boy, wherein she was officially renamed Pauline in Japan and was reintroduced as a "new heroine". This can be considered a contrast from the name issue with Peach, as in Pauline's case the "Americanized" name was preferred over the Japanese original.
Character design
In the original arcade cabinet of Donkey Kong, Pauline was depicted as a blonde-haired girl with a torn red dress. She is depicted in similar fashion in various related artworks and merchadises of the game (including in the Donkey Kong shorts shown in Saturday Supercade). Her actual in-game appearance though, she is depicted as wearing a long purple dress (with long skirt and sleeves) and having a ponytail. This discrenpancy between the in-game design and cabinet's artwork can be attributed to the graphical limitations of the arcade game's hardware.
In the 1994 Game Boy Donkey Kong game, Pauline is depicted similarly to her design on the original game's arcade cabinet, but with brunette hair and a character design more in-line with recent Mario games. The change in hair color was presumably done to distinguish Pauline from the more popular Princess Peach (also a blonde). This design will also be used in the upcoming Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis.
In other media
- On the Saturday Supercade's Donkey Kong shorts, Pauline was Mario's niece instead of his girlfriend. (To modern fans, this would cause some confusion, as it would indicate that Pauline would be Luigi's daughter, or the daughter of an unknown sibling of Mario.) Her voice was provided by Judy Strangis.
- In the live-action Super Mario Bros. movie, a character named "Daniella" appears as Mario's girlfriend. In that sense, Daniella could be based on Pauline. The character was portrayed by actress Dana Kaminski.
- Pauline appeared in a Japanese Donkey Kong manga by Kazuki Motoyama (who authored several other Super Mario manga series) based on the Game Boy remake. In the manga, she and Donkey Kong Jr. are trapeze artists and the main attractions in a circus owned by Peach. Like in the game, Pauline is taken captive by Donkey Kong, who attempts to get his son back from the circus.
Pauline returns
Pauline is set to return in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. After all these years, Donkey Kong has again fallen in love for Pauline and this time, he tries to win her over with a Mini-DK toy. When he realises that Pauline is more interested in the Mini-Marios, DK throws into a rage and kidnaps her, taking off to the top of the Super Mini-Mario World amusement park and leaving the Mini-Marios to save her. Pauline is seen as a VIP guest at the ribbon cutting ceremony at Super Mini Mario World.
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