Yoshi's Island Residents

Six hatched Yoshis unite to restore joy by reclaiming the Super Happy Tree from Baby Bowser.

On this island, harmony is maintained through the fruit-bearing Super Happy Tree until Kamek casts a spell to transform the entire region into a pop-up storybook. This event weakens the Yoshis, causing them to fall into gloom. Six eggs are already present and hatch, leaving confused baby Yoshis to decide they must fight the darkness with cheer. These protagonists set out specifically to retrieve the stolen Super Happy Tree, traversing six pages of the storybook that represent different areas of the island to restore happiness.

Quick Facts

First appearance: Super Mario World (1990)

Lore & Background

The narrative center is the sudden disruption of peace on Yoshi Island. Baby Bowser, envious of the perpetual joy provided by the Super Happy Tree, steals the tree and Kamek transforms the island into a pop-up storybook. This magic strips the Yoshis of their happiness, leaving them in a dismal state. The lore clarifies that if a Yoshi is knocked out during the journey, Kamek's minions capture the baby Mario riding them, but the Yoshi is not permanently removed. The remaining baby Yoshis must navigate through six pages, each containing four courses, though only one path per page leads directly to Baby Bowser's castle.

Reader's Guide

Players choose between Story Mode and Trial Mode, selecting a course, identifying the Lucky Fruit, and picking a Yoshi color. The primary goal on each course is filling the Fruit Frame by eating 30 pieces of fruit, including hidden melons which yield the most points. Strategy is key: eating one kind of fruit in a row scores more points, especially if it is a Favorite or Lucky Fruit. The game features six pages with four courses each; initially, only the first course on subsequent pages is available. Players must collect Special Hearts to unlock remaining courses, with each course holding three hearts. Defeating Baby Bowser completes the story, but losing a life results in that Yoshi being kidnapped by Kamek's minions.

Did You Know?

Kamek transforms the island into a pop-up storybook after Baby Bowzer steals the Super Happy Tree, weakening the Yoshis.
The number of melons hidden in each level varies and is not always exactly 30.