Watch Princess Peach and Bowser run for president

In 1990, Princess Peach ran a successful bid for President as the incumbent of the Mushroom Kingdom, beating rival King Koopa in a democratic election. The victory, documented in the sixth episode of DIC Entertainment’s The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3., raised several questions about Mario lore, governance, and history.

I strongly encourage you, a responsible and civic-minded reader, to watch the episode for yourself and get all of the facts. “Prince Toadstool for President” is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and YouTube. However, for those who have neither the time nor the patience, I will fulfill my journalistic responsibilities, answering the most common and pressing questions that pertain to this historic democratic feat.

Is the Mushroom Kingdom a monarchy or a democracy?

Despite the kingdom housing leaders with monarchal titles like Princess Peach (née Princess Toadstool) and King Bowser (née King Koopa), this animated episode reveals governance is led by a president elected via a traditional democratic process.

How often are elections held in the Mushroom Kingdom?

In the episode, Princess Peach — exhausted by Bowser’s attempted coups — challenges him to run against her in an upcoming election, allowing the Mushroom Kingdom population to make a unified statement either for or against the Koopa agenda. This would suggest that elections are a predetermined and annualized occurrence.

However, I can’t speak with total confidence, because the speed with which Peach gets Bowser onto the ballot, and the political convenience of the election timing, may mean Peach called the election. In this case, the Mushroom Kingdom would have elections similar to the United Kingdom.

Why is Princess Peach going Princess Toadstool in this cartoon?

Princess Peach originally went by the name Princess Toadstool in the U.S. localization of early Mario games. However, the Mushroom Kingdom leader always went by Princess Peach in Japan. You’ll notice that Bowser goes by King Koopa. Koopa was the original name in Japan, though it was later changed to Bowser for American localizations.

What does all of this name stuff have to do with an election?

Getting one’s name on ballots for president in the U.S. is an exceptionally difficult process that needs to be addressed on a state-by-state level, and would be further complicated if one were to change their name on said ballots. Bureaucratic paperwork isn’t limited to the United States, and presumably would exist in the Mushroom Kingdom, too. Should Princess Peach/Toadstool or King Bowser/Koopa run for elected office again, they would need to settle on one name throughout the electoral process.

Is Princess Peach’s presidency official Mario canon?

Mario canon is notoriously loose, with little story connecting the mainline games, let alone spin-offs and adaptations. Therefore, fans have been left to define canon as they see fit. So officially, no. But is it reasonable headcanon? Sure!

Last question: Has Super Mario Bros. overlapped with real United States presidencies and elections?