Yoshi's Full Name Revealed!

The gaming world is chock full of myths, legends, and rumors. As such, it sends a tingle up any gamer’s spine when one of these is definitively confirmed or debunked.

Was the soundtrack to Sonic 3 really written by Michael Jackson? Did the government really use Polybius to attempt to modify human behavior? Even the well-known landfill-full-of-ET-cartridges legend was just recently confirmed. But all of these pale in comparison to Yoshi’s real name.

Blake Harris, author of the book Console Wars, has tweeted an excerpt from the Nintendo Character Guide, published in 1993. In it, we finally learn the full name of Mario’s famous sidekick.

Yoshi, properly known as T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas, had been held captive in an egg until Mario (homo nintendonus) bopped along and rescued him. Instantly, the young dinosaur and the plumber became fast friends. Together, they set out to rescue Yoshi's dinosaur pals from the wickedness of Bowser.

Mind. Blown.

Not only do we learn Yoshi’s full name, but we gain a couple of extra factoids as well. First, we can put to rest the argument about whether or not Yoshi is a dinosaur. And second, Mario’s scientific name is Homo Nintendonus, which puts him (and the other humanoids in the Mushroom Kingdom) in a separate taxonomy from modern, non-fictional humans.

What a rush! Take in that feeling. Major revelations like this only happen once in a lifetime.

We’ve had confirmation of Yoshi’s real name and the ET landfill in the same year. Future generations will look back on us with great reverence.