Super Mario Sunshine left an everlasting impression on gamers everywhere when it first released back in 2002. Mario’s adventures on Isle Delfino were filled with vibrant, dynamic environments that made it one of the franchises’ most memorable and recognizable settings. Without a doubt, the most noteworthy aspect of the game came in the form of Mario’s companion FLUDD.
An artificially intelligent water pump, FLUDD served as the perfect companion during Mario’s adventures around the island. FLUDD might not be the most well known of Mario’s companions, but it’s still fairly recognizable. Even so, there are plenty of interesting things about FLUDD that most fans aren’t aware of.
10 A Scrapped Feature
There are some pretty interesting things to note about Super Mario Sunshine’s development, namely in what didn’t actually make it into the game. FLUDD was included with tons of interesting features, though one thing of note was excluded from the final product.
The development team had originally planned for FLUDD to have an additional water gun nozzle to use in combat. The idea was eventually scrapped from the game entirely, due to ongoing controversies in the United States at the time.
9 Chatterbox
The Mario games have included a variety of power-ups over the years, each of them bringing something unique and interesting to the table. But there’s something that sets FLUDD apart from all the others in a big way.
FLUDD is one of only two – the other being Giga Bell – power-ups in the entire series capable of talking. Ironic given the fact that FLUDD mostly keeps to itself, save for some helpful tips every now and then.
8 Property of Gadd Science
Professor Elvin Gadd’s inventions can be found all over the Mario universe, with his Poltergust 3000 being one of the most iconic devices in the franchise. It shouldn’t cove as much of a surprise to learn that FLUDD is also a creation of Gladd Science, Incorporated.
The cutscene in Pina Park reveals the Glass Science logo below FLUDD’s nozzle. This happens quickly, and is easy to miss should you not be looking for it. That particular scene is the only time you see the logo anywhere near FLUDD in the game.
7 So Many Cameos
FLUDD might be well known among fans because of its role in Sunshine, but that’s hardly the only time it’s appeared in the series. In fact, FLUDD has appeared in numerous Mario titles over the last two decades since its introduction.
FLUDD has made small cameos in games like Mario Power Tennis, the Super Mario Galaxy series, the WarioWare series, Smash games and more. It even appeared in the Super Mario Sunshine arc of Yukio Sawada’s Super Mario-kun manga series.
6 Behind The Voice
Kit Harris is the voice behind FLUDD, and isn’t really mentioned all that much in conversations about the character. FLUDD was Harris’ most well known voice acting role, though not the only Nintendo character she’s voiced.
Aside from FLUDD, Harris also voiced the Nokis who inhabit Isle Delphino. She hasn’t done much work outside of the Mario franchise and is mostly credited with voicing those two characters in various portrayals.
5 All Those Nozzles
FLUDD’s most distinctive feature is its use of various nozzles. Each has a different function which serves Mario in various situations, making his job around Isle Delphino much easier to do.
FLUDD is equipped with four nozzles, with the squirt nozzle being the default attachment. The other three, the hover, rocket and turbo nozzles, can be found in various areas and can only be used alongside the default nozzle. The aforementioned Super Mario-kun manga introduced the racket nozzle, though it’s only a manga exclusive.
4 Water Shooters
Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 feature some interesting FLUDD lookalikes called Water Shooters. These devices appear throughout the games and function in a similar manner to FLUDD with some essential differences.
Water Shooters look similar to the squirt nozzle though take on a blue color instead of a yellow one. They also shoot out bubbles instead of streams of water, though the worst they really do is hinder Mario & Luigi’s progress.
3 So Many Names
The various localizations of Sunshine give FLUDD all kinds of monikers, each one unique to the respective language and version. Some of these names are pretty interesting.
Though the English language translation went with a fairly unique play on words, other localizations had fun with it as well. The Japanese, Korean and Chinese versions of the game all use their word for “pump”. The Spanish version calls it the, “Fuente de Líquido Ultra-Dispersante Direccionable (Operable Ultra-Dispersant Liquid Fountain)” while the Italian version calls it the, “Sistema Propulsivo di Lancio Idrico Combinato 3000 (Combined Water Launch Propulsive Device 3000).”
2 Super Mario-kun
As mentioned earlier, FLUDD appears briefly in the Super Mario-kun manga’s Super Mario Sunshine arc. FLUDD appeared in volumes 28-31, serialized between January 25th, 2003 and June 19th, 2004.
Yukio Sawada’s monthly serialization has been running since 1991 and adapts various Mario titles while including unique narrative content as well. The 56th volume released late last October ans the series shows no signs of stooping.
1 Scanning For Clues
FLUDD’s introduction contains tons of fun easter eggs in the form of various boss battle clips from previous Mario titles. The final battles from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, and Super Mario 64 all appear, as do various bits of personal information about Mario. It’s a lot of information to take in at once, but screenshots have revealed all there is to see.