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50 free Bowser trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Bowser has been kidnapping the same princess since 1985 and has somehow become more beloved for it. Shigeru Miyamoto drew him as an ox, Takashi Tezuka said he looked more like a turtle, and the King of the Koopas was born. He has since been a Dennis Hopper in a business suit, a playable Smash fighter, the hero of his own RPG and, thanks to Jack Black, a singer. These 50 questions cover all of it. The easy tier covers his species, his goal, his son, his English voice in the 2023 film and the castles he guards. The middle asks about the working name Boss Creeper, the Korean dish behind Kuppa, the Alakazam the Great connection, the Koopalings and their musician namesakes, Bowser's Inside Story, Super Mario Odyssey's wedding and the Wreck-It Ralph support group. The hard end goes to the Chinese softshell turtle, Tetris Attack, Hammer Slam Bowser, the Gamera Attack, Guinness's villain ranking, the decoy Bowsers of the first game and what Mario really says when he throws him. Every answer is cited to a page we checked and comes with a short explanation. Play it solo or print it for a Nintendo night.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Bowser is the king of which turtle-like species?
Koopas
He differs from his mostly bipedal-tortoise subjects with horns, a spiked shell, red hair and fire breath.
Q 02Who created Bowser?
Shigeru Miyamoto
Miyamoto drew the first Super Mario Bros. box art himself because there was no time to hire an illustrator.
Q 03What animal did Miyamoto originally envision Bowser as?
An ox
He was based on the Ox-King from the Toei film Alakazam the Great until Tezuka said he looked more like a turtle.
Q 04Which Nintendo designer pointed out that the early Bowser looked more like a turtle than an ox?
Takashi Tezuka
Miyamoto and Tezuka then redesigned him as the leader of the turtle-like Koopa Troopas.
Q 05Alakazam the Great, which inspired Bowser's look, was an anime version of which Chinese novel?
Journey to the West
The film was renamed for its American release; Miyamoto borrowed its ox king.
Q 06Yoichi Kotabe based Bowser's final design on which aggressive animal?
Chinese softshell turtle
Kotabe saw the species as highly aggressive, reflecting Bowser's short temper.
Q 07What was Bowser's original working name?
Boss Creeper
It came from the Shellcreepers, the turtle enemies in the earlier arcade game Mario Bros.
Q 08Bowser's Japanese name, Kuppa, comes from the Japanese word for which Korean dish?
Gukbap
Miyamoto also considered Yukke and Bibinba, the Japanese names for yukhoe and bibimbap.
Q 09What is Bowser's title in Japan, Daimao, usually translated as?
Great Demon King
His English names include King Koopa, Lord Bowser and King of the Koopas.
Q 10Bowser's fire-breathing, shell-spinning flight has been compared to which turtle kaiju?
Gamera
His spinning-shell move is literally called the Gamera Attack.
Q 11How did Bowser differ in Miyamoto's original box art compared to later designs?
Gray-blue skin and no horns
Miyamoto had considered hiring a manga artist but painted it himself for lack of time.
Q 12Who took over as Bowser's voice actor in the games in 2005?
Kenny James
Scott Burns handled the role from 2002 to 2009 and again in 2012 to 2013.
Q 13Who voiced Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)?
Jack Black
He returned for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and wrote and performed Peaches in character.
Q 21Which Nintendo employee named the Koopalings after celebrities during localisation?
Dayvv Brooks
He later said Larry was not named after anyone in particular and just looked like a Larry.
Q 22Which Koopaling is named after a composer?
Ludwig von Koopa
His long blue hair is styled like Beethoven's; he sometimes claims to be the group's leader.
Q 23Roy Koopa's sunglasses and name were inspired by which musician?
Roy Orbison
Orbison was known for his dark glasses; Roy is the second-largest Koopaling after Morton.
Q 14Which actor played King Koopa in the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. film?
Dennis Hopper
His Koopa ruled Dinohattan, wore a business suit and devolved into a T. rex in the climax.
Q 15In the 1993 film, what does King Koopa devolve into during the climax?
A Tyrannosaurus rex
The Mario Bros. then devolve him further into primordial ooze.
Q 16Who voiced Bowser in the three DIC Entertainment cartoon series?
Harvey Atkin
The cartoons used their own names for the Koopalings, such as Bully Koopa and Big Mouth Koopa.
Q 17What is the name of the Koopa King's son, introduced in Super Mario Sunshine (2002)?
Bowser Jr.
He kidnaps Peach believing she is his mother, using a magic paintbrush invented by Professor E. Gadd.
Q 18According to Miyamoto in 2012, who are the seven Koopalings to Bowser?
Minions, not his children
He said Bowser's only child is Bowser Jr., and we do not know who the mother is.
Q 19When asked in 2015 who Bowser Jr.'s mother is, whom did Miyamoto jokingly name?
Himself
The official line remains that Junior's mother is unknown.
Q 20Who voices Bowser Jr. in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie?
Benny Safdie
He plays a spoiled, angry child obsessed with his father, on a mission to rescue him.
Q 24The only female Koopaling takes her name from which punk singer?
Wendy O. Williams
She is characterised by her jewellery and pink accessories.
Q 25Lemmy Koopa, the smallest Koopaling, is named after the frontman of which band?
Motorhead
Brooks said the Lemmy Kilmister name simply fit the character's appearance.
Q 26The largest Koopaling's name pays homage to which loud-mouthed TV host?
Morton Downey Jr.
Morton is the largest Koopaling, with a star-shaped marking around one eye.
Q 27What were the Koopalings collectively called in Japan before they got individual names?
Kokuppa
It means Little Bowsers; their modern Japanese group name is the Team of 7 Bowsers.
Q 28In which 2009 DS game are Mario and Luigi inhaled into the Koopa King's body?
Bowser's Inside Story
Fawful tricks Bowser into eating a Vacuum Shroom; it is the best-selling Mario RPG ever.
Q 29Who tricks Bowser into eating the Vacuum Shroom in the 2009 DS RPG?
Fawful
Fawful has taken over the Mushroom Kingdom while the Toads suffer from the Blorbs.
Q 30How many copies had the 2009 DS RPG starring Bowser sold by 2020, a Mario RPG record?
4.56 million
A 3DS remake added a side story, Bowser Jr.'s Journey, in 2018 and 2019.