Bubbles
Sprite of Bubbles from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
Bubbles, as he appears in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions.
Species Beanish
First appearance Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003)
Latest appearance Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions (2017)
This article is about the Beanish character from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. For other uses of "bubble", see Bubble (disambiguation).
“What do idiots drink? So-duhhhh! What do sodas call their dads? Pop! A hippie's favorite soda? Granola cola!”
Bubbles, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Bubbles statue
A statue of Bubbles showing him in different clothing

Bubbles is an old Beanish man who appears in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its remake, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions. Bubbles is the founder of Chuckola Cola, Inc., the distributor of the world-famous Chuckola Cola, and statues of him can be seen throughout the Chateau de Chucklehuck. Bubbles himself appears rather eccentric; he wears an old bean costume with a prominently visible zipper on the back, is seen pirouetting often, and claims to have spent the past millennium in seclusion trying to perfect his soda.

Bubbles' best soda is his rare Chuckola Reserve; according to him, the key to creating great Chuckola Cola is telling jokes to the brew, allowing the beverage to laugh and carbonate. Mario and Luigi eventually meet him during their quest to acquire some Chuckola Reserve to save Queen Bean from a Belly Blech-based disease.

In the English versions, Bubbles' speech patterns are based on American comedian Jerry Lewis, with his French background referencing Lewis' popularity in France.

HistoryEdit

When Mario and Luigi finally arrive at Bubbles' shrine in Mother Chuckalola, they discover the old man himself telling jokes to the Chuckola Reserve, which reacts by bubbling and "laughing." Bubbles introduces himself as the "ultimate comedian," and confirms that the barrel of soda he was telling jokes to is indeed the Chuckola Reserve they seek, and that it is their to enjoy. When the Mario Bros. respond with silence, he explains that he has spent the past millennium telling jokes so that the Chuckola Reserve could mature and become the greatest soda of all.

Bubbles mentions that because of the soda's reputation, it tends to attract "rude guests." He then shows the Bros. the fate that awaits such thieves: the captured Popple and Rookie drop down from the ceiling, tied up and stuck in barrels. Popple then yells that the Chuckola Reserve is no ordinary beverage before the soda itself comes to life as the Chuckolator, and sends both him and Rookie flying while Bubbles marvels over its magnificence. Bubbles then reveals that his jokes have bred more "hidden soda power" over the millennium, and proceeds to send the Chuckolator after the Mario Bros., insisting that they "fully experience the texture, taste, and aroma" of his famous Reserve.

 
Bubbles telling a joke to the Chuckolator in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.

As the Mario Bros. fight the Chuckolator and eventually lower its HP, it takes on a smaller, weakened form. Before each of its turns in this stage, Bubbles may dance in and tell the Chuckolator a joke, causing it to laugh and restoring a random amount of health. The Chuckolator will resume its previous form if it regains enough HP this way.

When the Mario Bros. defeat the Chuckolator, it returns to its normal form, and Bubbles is so outraged at the defeat of his masterpiece that he jumps around the area, stomping the floor hard enough to collapse it and drop both the Reserve and the Mario Bros. into an underground cave. After this, Bubbles does not appear for the rest of the game, though Mario and Luigi briefly mistake Boddle for Bubbles; Boddle reveals that he is Bubbles's younger brother.

Bubbles plays an additional role in the 3DS remake's Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser mode, where he sends the Goomba Squad down into a cave. In addition, defeating the Chuckolator rewards the Bros. with the Bubbles Badge, an item named after him that restores Bros. Points automatically.

Names in other languagesEdit

Language Name Meaning
Japanese バッカーラ
Bakkāra
Derived from "Bacchus" and possibly「からから」(karakara, an onomatopoeia for louder laughter)

Chinese 玻玻
Bōbō
From「玻璃」(bōlí, glass)

French Baramkar
Anagram of "Carambar"
German Invino Veritas
Pun on the Latin phrase "In vino veritas" (In wine lies the truth)
Italian Frizzo
Masculine form of "frizzante" (fizzy)
Korean 박칼라
Bak'kalla
From the Japanese name

Spanish Riseñor
Portmanteau of "risa" (laugh) and "Señor" (Mister); also a pun on "ruiseñor" (mockingbird)