#beanbean kingdom

[muses-of-the-memory]

Happy 22nd Anniversary, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga!

[ym-loreposting]

The ancient Beanbean Kingdom

The Beanbean Kingdom is a kingdom that features in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its remake for the 3DS, being located directly south of the Mushroom Kingdom. In the game, several hints are given as to the ancient past of this kingdom through the mentions of ancient civilizations, which I want to document in this post.

The Hoohoo Civilization

One of the first areas Mario and Luigi visit in the Beanbean Kingdom is Hoohoo Mountain in the kingdom's northwest. Among the waterfalls of this mountain sits Hoohoo Village. One of the people that live there says the following:

"Long ago, on this very mountain, the Hoohooligans developed the great Hoohoo civilization. At the summit, there still remain many mysterious remnants of this once great people."

And another one says:

"We are said to be the descendants of the people who developed the Hoohoo civilization. This land is largely populated by the Beanish peoples, but there are other races, like ours!"

It seems in the past that these Hoohooligans inhabited the entirety of Hoohoo Mountain, but their descendants confined to their village in the present. When one goes up the mountain, they indeed come across many remnants of their culture. The most notable are their Hooroglyphs, ancient letters that spell out the jokes of the civilization.

Another is the weapon Hoohooros, who functions as a boss and guards the path to the mountain summit. He is also surrounded by Hooroglyphs and can use them to fire lasers.

Lastly, there are also fiery statues on the mountain that are not explicitly tied to the civilization, but may have been made by it as they look like the people of Hoohoo Village. When doused, other statues are activated that generate small tornadoes and so may also have been made by this civilization.

Soybean Civilization

The second civilization is given less to work with. They are mentioned by an elderly resident of Beanbean Castle Town, who describes them as an advanced bean civilization from an age of flying spin-beans, tunneling mole-beans, and fast-moving dash-beans. They also had hidden treasures called Beanstones, which are jewels that can be found in modern-day Beanbean Castle Town.

The other mention of the Soybeans comes from a Toad in Little Fungitown, who says the lift that leads into the town (which is located atop tall mushrooms) was made by them:

"They say that lift was made long ago by the people of the ancient Soybean Civilization."

Given that this lift bears a crest of the Mushroom Kingdom that is shown in the Mushroom Castle and the Mushroom Kingdom embassy in Little Fungitown, it is possible that the ancient Mushroom Kingdom and the Soybean civilization used to have contact. Generally, it seems probable that the Soybeans are the predecessors of the modern Beanish people, given they inhabit the same general area.

Guffawha Ruins

At the foot of Hoohoo Mountain but outside the fields around Beanbean Castle, there sits an ancient structure called the Guffawha Ruins. Underground ruins of similar structure also extend in the western portion of Teehee Valley, a desert that sits east of the ruins in general. The Guffawha Ruins seem to have architectural elements of both the Hoohoo civilization and the Soybeans. For the Hoohoo civilization, Hooroglyphs can be found in and outside the ruins. There are also statues inside that bear resemblance to cave entrances near Hoohoo Village.

As for the Soybeans, presuming they are the ancestors of the modern Beanish, we do find some structures that resemble those of the modern Beanish in the Guffawha Ruins. The Beanish have the tendency to mark their presence with the use of smiling faces which can be seen on the rocks and door frames of the Guffawha Ruins. Furthermore, a large smiley face also adorns the outside of the ruins on the map and several statues in front of its entrance.

Given both architectural styles are present and the ruins are found on the border of Hoohoo Mountain and modern-day Beanish territories, it is likely the Guffawha Ruins were a joint effort by both ancient civilizations. It is unclear what the purpose of these ruins was, though in the present day they are the only place where Crabbie Grass, the cure for Bean Fever, grows.

Oho Civilization

The final civilization is only mentioned once and a tad indirectly. On the Oho Oasis island in the Oho Ocean in the east of Beanbean Kingdom, there are several recordings left behind by an expedition team. They were there to research to so-called Oho Civilization:

"It has been a week since our Oho Civilization Research Expedition reached this island."

On the island, two ruins of palaces can be found dedicated to the entities Firebrand and Thunderhand. During Superstar Saga, they bestow the Firebrand and Thunderhand abilities to Mario and Luigi respectively. These palaces were likely built by the Oho Civilization and were last visited 3000 years ago according to Firebrand, giving a general time frame for how long ago the Oho Civilization existed.

In and near these palaces there are also statues present. What is interesting is that smaller versions of those statues can be found underwater in the Oho Ocean and on Gwarhar Lagoon in the far southeast of the Beanbean Kingdom. This indicates the Oho Civilization spanned the entire Oho Ocean at one point and perhaps that they were an aquatic people, given sea levels were higher in the past (as Teehee Valley used to be an ocean).

Conclusion

The ancient Beanbean Kingdom was home to three separate civilization, which date back at least 3000 years ago. Whether or not they all existed at the same time is unclear, especially as the Beanish appear to be rather long-lived (the Beanish Bubbles having been alive for more than 1000 years), but their spheres of influence can be tracked in the modern day at least.

[flipflopsavy]

Hey bleck had you try to apologize to Luigi for brainwashing him and well for everything else to everyone?

Blumiere's apologized thousands of times to Flipside and other towns/people, they just tend to angry mob up whenever he's around. Blumiere's new business is focused on hospitality and giving back to those he hurt.

Even though SPM events definitely affected Luigi, he's a pretty forgiving person. He probably doesn't care much anymore seeing how his Bro & Peach are chiller with Blumiere now as well.

[perch-the-cat]

Another sneek peek of a work of art I'm making. Guess who the lil bean is.

[itsavee4117]

Mind if I drop some Beanbean Kingdom lore on ya? (This is important for the Luaisley pregnancy thing)

Basically, here's my essay on how the beans give birth! (A LOT of these were inspired by @peaches2217. What? I wasn't about to NOT give credit!)

Fasten your seatbelts, @peaches2217 @vulpixfairy1985 @keakruiser @silenzahra

Since Beanfolk isn't a common race in the Mushroom Kingdom, during the last few months, you have to basically live in Beanbean Kingdom to get the care you need. Unlike humans, Beanish pregnancies last much shorter (5-6 months; bean genetics), so, short time.

Beanfolk are very particular about the birth of residents. Whenever there's a birth for your everyday residents, they're assigned an individual garden, which is basically a glorified greenhouse inside a hospital. They believe babies should be given sunlight as soon as their born to ensure they can adapt to the feeling of not being fed from their parent (plant genetics are weird, yo). I should also note that these rooms have fake suns (aka LAMPS) for when the sun isn't out (ie, storms. Oddly enough, the only place the kingdom gets snow is Joke's End. Go figure). As for where they give birth, they have little beds made of soft flowers and leaves!

However... since Peasley's a prince, he gets a space dedicated specifically for royalty (fun fact, Peasley was born here, too!). His is found in the castle and is a lot more lavish than the hospital one (filled with loads of flowers, plants, and glass-pane windows rather than a simple sun-roof). As for his bed? It's this really avant-garde looking gazebo with vines all around the poles and flowers pretty much surrounding the whole thing complete with a ginormous flower thing in the center where he's supposed to chill (the plant nerd in me is emerging, so here's something to give you an idea!)

(Not that anyone really cares, but this is a Monster Flower (no, really. That's what it's called). It smells like rotting flesh, which oddly gives it food in the form of MEAT flies. Thankfully, our beanie boy Peasley will have something that smells MUCH nicer 😅)

Anyways, off-topic. So this all sounds nice, right? Er... there is a downside.

Like I said, Beanfolk are very particular about their birthing process, so when you're about to give birth, you have to stay in that room until you have your baby and you're good to leave. They believe you should spend as much time gathering nutrients for the baby once they arrive via short hibernation (remember one of my posts where I said Peasley sometimes slept in the ground? Yup. They do that here). Oh! And... you're on your own (aside from a few nurses and shit). I mean… at least you’re asleep?

When you give birth, it’s a WHOLE other thing.

Obvi, you can’t hibernate, so once labor hits, you basically go through a normal birthing process. For beans, the most common method is water birth (for obvious reasons), but you can still do it the natural way… which, good luck 😣

Good news! You can have ONE person in the room with ya! (Sucks if you’re poly tho… wait 😳)

When the baby’s born, the parents can assign a gender to their baby should they so choose (intersex), or they can simply leave it up to the kid to decide when they’re older. It doesn’t really matter either way. Gender in the Beanbean Kingdom is basically no big ordeal. ❤️

But you do hafta give em a name!

And dazz it!

[legobiwan]

Would you ever write a story with Peasley in it?

Not necessarily for shipping purposes, ik the fandom at large kind of just views him as Luigi’s Love Interest, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I think he’s a neat character on his own and i don’t see a lot of works with him being expanded upon beyond that. Dude has a flying pillow and a sword and signs his name on roses. He’s ridiculous and I adore him

You know, my initial drafts of solus creatura have a few snippets of Peasley in there. I'm not sure if they'll make it into the final product, but I did want to touch on the Beanbean royal family and their relations with their royal council and the Darklands in the face of another apocalyptic invasion.

I think his character is interesting as he strikes me as someone who is somewhat removed from the foibles of everyday life, in that he is That Extra about everything (including signing his name on roses). Not that I think he's a "bad" character, but I do think he's benefited greatly from his royal station and the general prosperity of the Beanbean Kingdom, at least before Cackletta's attack.

Now, this isn't to say he's not an accomplished fighter and strategist - he is, albeit his style may be a bit too showy and he definitely gains enemies because of his personality and grandiosity.

I think it would be kind of fun to follow Peasley through a series of snippets from his upbringing, training, and then through the events of Superstar saga and maybe even the Chaos Heart, learning about not only his character, but the culture and ways of the Beanbean Kingdom, as well.

(And for the record, I think Luigi was utterly charmed by Peasley and also that Luigi is internally grappling with a lot of issues in terms of his identity that are buried deep, deep in the sand due to the fact - and this is stemming from my personal headcanon here - he grew up in 80s/90s Bensonhurst in a very particular culture that did not approve of certain behaviors. Did not approve as in getting your ass kicked. But I don't see their relationship going any further than that, as Peasley might only be half-aware he has this effect on Luigi and Luigi is only half-aware/in denial of what his reaction really means).

Writer's "Would You Ever?" - Ask Me a Question!

[faffreux]

HAPPY 20TH ANNIVERSARY TO MARIO AND LUIGI: SUPERSTAR SAGA FROM THE STARBEANS DISCORD SERVER!!

THE COLLAB:

Every original character you see pictured here have their origins in the Beanbean Kingdom! As many of us have a deep appreciation for this one-off location in the Super Mario universe, we wanted to pull together a group photo to show just how much it still means to us 20 years later! Long live Beanbean! Click under the cut to learn more!

THE SERVER:

Born in March 2023, Starbeans Cafe is a Discord server created with adult Mario & Luigi fans in mind. Since its conception, it has blossomed into a space that welcomes all interests and hobbies and that allows us to relax, be ourselves, and form lasting friendships in the process.

WHO WE ARE:

A diverse group of creative individuals from all over the globe, we currently range in age from 18 to 35 and come together daily to express ourselves and support one another in our endeavors. We’re made up of artists, writers, programmers, seamsters, cooks, musicians, travelers, and much more!

This is only the first of many collaborations to come between our members! Stay tuned! PARTICIPANTS: @albeolambda @graveyardzhift @birthclod @moondialdoodles @darknadaworld @dreamingzinnia @6clawdy6 @ruckis-vandalizes @butchbarneygumble @telochip @thegroduschronicles @skubulbunt @bowletta @snekydoodle @numberonerated1997 @yveltalthenerd @snawful @seanhicksart @the-baron-of-burgle @battermesh @soulstickerr @fanartandvents @bean-n-shroob @partysol-the-umbrella-wielder @orange-ghost @meetthehelper @/aloe-fish (twitter) @/batteringrham (twitter) @/madzie (bluesky)

[fizzworks]

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga gear design exploration! I wanted to make different designs for each of them!