Name: Shy Guy
Debut: Trident Trouble
We all know Shy Guys! They're the funny little dudes with cute masks and red robes, they're easily one of the most iconic Mario Enemies of all time!
But as you may know, the Shy Guys did not debut in Super Mario Bros. 2... in fact, they didn't debut in a Mario game at all! We all know the story of how The Lost Levels were too hard and terrible and they had to reskin a game to act as the American SMB2, so let's take a closer look at Shy Guy's true debut!
Shy Guys made their debut in Trident Trouble, which as you can tell from this title screen, had very advanced graphics for a game released in the late '80s! As we all may know, this game had some cutscenes that had to be cut due to the NES's inferior hardware compared to the Famicom Disk System, which was a pity, because throughout the game, the Shy Guys would offer Witty Commentary!
But they weren't offering witty comentary to our good and beloved friend Mario! After all, this wasn't a Mario game yet! They had never heard of Mario once in their lives! They don't even know what a "fetuccine" is! No, instead they had to commentate a different internationally recognized pop culture icon...
That's right, the Shy Guys got their start narrating SpongeBob's life! It's amazing how much things can change! What happens when you give one sponge a trident and a little too much power? Trident Trouble, that's what! The Shy Guys would sit in the background, warning SpongeBob about the dangers that await him with their biting commentary, but they could never get too close. After all! They're Shy!
It's honestly a pity that the Shy Guys' origin is so rarely acknowledged. Since then, they've been redesigned and integrated into Mainline Mario, while so much else from Trident Trouble was left in the dust... sure, Shy Guys could be mainstay enemies, but Sentient Kelp? Forget about it bub!
Nonetheless, as connoisseurs of Weird Mario History, we are glad we can continue to share the truth with the world...
