He’s a cartoon version of myself in black and brown overalls, originally a Mario recolor from my Super Mario 64 video days. Initially, his overalls were light blue and his shoes were white, inspired by sneakers I wore in my teenage years due to peer pressure from schoolmates. At the time, altering Mario’s colors with hacks was the only way to represent myself.

I didn’t initially plan to give him a backstory, but in 2022, Sallie, also known as Wario-Girl, had a Mario phase. I approached her to discuss this character and revived him to interact with her characters, Queen Moon and Wario-Girl Sallie—her Wario-like humanoid persona— in private sketches.

I made him an electrician in the Mario world to distinguish him from a plumber. He’s shy, socially awkward, and secretly a horndog when comfortable with a girl he likes. If someone upsets him in public, he retreats to a secret cave. When meeting him for the first time, don’t tease him by acting like a jerk—he might not realize you’re joking.”

Skipy © Me