Reference

At times, Pikmin will make a reference to another piece of media, normally within the same company, Nintendo. These nods to other franchises can range from subtle to obvious, and their discovery is a small entertainment reward for savvy and attentive fans. The Mario series is the most commonly referenced one.

General

• Olimar's Japanese name, オリマー^?, is an anagram of Mario. To fit in with this reference, Louie was given that name to resemble Luigi.
•  Pokos resemble coins from the Mario series.

Pikmin 2

Treasures

Some treasures contain cameos of other Nintendo series. These include:

Treasure		Cameo		Details
Name	Image	Franchise	Subjects
Flame of Tomorrow		Mario	Bowser	The matchbox exhibits the text "Bowser Breath Brand" and has a picture of Bowser. The choice was made because of Bowser's iconic fire breath.
Master's Instrument		Mario	Mario Paint, Princess Peach	The treasure says "Mario Paints" on it, with a font type and color scheme similar to the one used in most Mario games, and references the game of the almost identical name. The text "Peach Pink" refers to Princess Peach and her characteristic color, pink.
Decorative Goo		Mario	Mario Paint	Like the Master's Instrument, this treasure belongs to the fictional brand "Mario Paints".
Unspeakable Wonder		Mario	Princess Peach	The crown treasure looks identical to the crown used by Princess Peach in the Mario games.
Cosmic Archive	File:Screenshot 2014-04-08 at 6.30.38 PM.png	The Mysterious Murasame Castle	The Mysterious Murasame Castle	The treasure is a Japanese Famicom disk with the game Nazo no Murasame Jō, otherwise known as The Mysterious Murasame Castle.
Dream Architect		Game and Watch	Ball	This treasure is actually a Game and Watch game, Ball, the first one in the series.
Implement of Toil	File:Implement of Toil.png	N/A	Nintendo 64	The pencil belongs to a "brand" named Nintendo 64, after the console.
Remembered Old Buddy		N/A	R.O.B.	The treasure is actually a R.O.B. head, a product released by Nintendo as an accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In addition, the gyro block-related treasures are gyros to be used with R.O.B.
The Key		Mario	Key	The key highly resembles the key used in the secret entrances in Super Mario World, and later, the locked rooms in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

In addition to these, some unused treasures exist in the game's files, and they are based off of game discs for Pikmin, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Luigi's Mansion, and Super Mario Sunshine.

Pikmin 3

Intro

During the introduction cutscene, when the diagram shows the S.S. Drake being gravity assisted by a celestial body (likely Koppai's moon), a faint chiptune-like sound effect plays. This sound is actually the walking sound for Mario on the NES port of Mario Bros.. In addition, when the cutscene shows a diagram of the Drake exploding and the three leaders scattering, a jingle similar in retro nature can also be heard. This one is actually the sound byte that plays when a player lets the ducks fly away in Duck Hunt.

Others

• In the Twilight River, the main pipe that connects the two sections of the map, and the tilted flower pot near the section with the clipboards are quite similar to the Warp Pipes from the Mario franchise. For the latter, one might need to use the KopPad's camera to see it well.

Pikmin Short Movies

Treasure in a Bottle

• When the Red Pikmin notices the size and details of the bottle, a song similar to Also Sprach Zarathustra plays.

Occupational Hazards

• When the Pikmin are exploring some tubes laid down on the ground, several Mario references can be spotted.
  • A Yellow Pikmin pulls out a mushroom similar to the the ones in the Mario series or a Spotcap.
  • One Pikmin comes out of a tube that resembles a Warp Pipe far more than the others do.
  • Coins come out of the previous pipe after it comes into view, accompanied by their sound effect from Super Mario Bros..
  • The "pipe entered" sound from the same game can be heard straight after the coins come out.
  • A Red Pikmin appears with dust on its face, making it resemble Mario.
  • When that Pikmin jumps out, the "jumping" sound effect from Super Mario Bros. plays, along with the main theme from the same game.
• When the Pikmin land safely on top of the unconscious Bulborb after the backhoe's bucket lifts them all up, one Pikmin bumps into another, and the "shell kicked" sound effect from Super Mario Bros. plays.

Pikmin Adventure

• At the start of the 14^th level, "Out of the Darkness", one can see a castle that resembles the ones in Super Mario Bros..

See also

• Pikmin in other media
• Easter eggs
• Treasure Hoard – some treasures are real-world items that use real-world brands.