Yoshi is an iconic Nintendo character known throughout the world, yet his name has caused some confusion in the past – sometimes it’s instead written as “Yossy” on Japanese products and games. This article explains why. The gallery below showcases several examples of this “Yossy” spelling in use.
The box art for the Japanese version of Yoshi's Island
Another old trading card from Japan
The Japanese version of Yoshi's Island had different level design here
An old trading card from Japan
Yossy in the bootleg NES game - Kart Fighter
From an official manga
Checking out the voice files inside Mario 64 DS
Source unknown
From the official Japanese site for Yoshi's Cookie
Check out that sweet URL
Super Mario World Barcode Battler II card
Super Mario World Barcode Battler II card
Yossy Island sheet music book
Yossy Island Helicopter Cards
Yossy Card (front)
Yossy Card (back)
Yossy the Perfect
Yossy's Pizza
Yossy Island Baby Shorts
From an official Japanese Super Mario World guide
Back cover of an official manga
From an official manga
From a 1990 volume of Super Mario-kun by Yukio Sawada
From a 1995 volume of Super Mario-kun by Yukio Sawada
Have you seen any other examples of “Yossy”? Send your Yossy pics to tips@legendsoflocalization.com!
His name being localized as Yoshi even changed a particular segment in SMW2 Yoshi’s Island:
https://tcrf.net/Super_Mario_World_2:_Yoshi%27s_Island/Version_Differences#World_6-Extra
Yep, that’s pic #2 in the gallery 😛
At the time, the images wouldn’t load for me, so I hadn’t realized that. XD
The one that you don’t know where it’s from appears to be from a jigsaw puzzle based on SMW2: Yoshi’s Island.
https://www.mariowiki.com/Gallery:Toys#Crafts
http://www.suppermariobroth.com/post/144908922860/various-yoshis-island-jigsaw-puzzles
Yossy huh? Sounds kinda neat. Now, here’s something totally awesome that I think you would appreciate as well. Back in the old days, games and such didn’t support kanji properly and thus were forced to only use Kana. You can see this in many 8-bit games of the era. English versions of course didn’t have this problem. Now, why I’m telling you this you ask? Certain modern games, when referencing past games of this era in dialogue and such would only use kana as well, painting the medium in other words. One of the Colonel’s crazy codec calls in MGS2 quotes the opening of the very first Metal Gear game in the MSX and the Japanese version uses only kana in that particular call. Neat, huh? Something similar happens in the King Whomp’s dialogue in Super Mario Galaxy 2. While his game of origin (Super Mario 64) isn’t a 8-bit game by any means, it happened to use only kana as well and therefore has dialogue to match in a game that otherwise uses kanji properly. Got any other examples to add to this list?
I’m sure I’m not the first to say this, but the new hidden text is looking neat 🙂
Ever since the original Yossy article went up, I’ve taken to pronouncing it “Yossy,” which, yes, I realise isn’t correct. It’s just funny. And then the wife makes a face. 😉
Next should be all the times where strategy guides have Mario using English swear words.
I have a slightly different explanation for why it would be spelled “Yossy.” I think his name may partially be a reference to the Loch Ness Monster, known in Japan almost exclusively as Nessy (ネッシー). In Japan, there are a few other famous legendary lake monsters, Lake Kussharo’s Kussy and Lake Ikeda’s Issy. Yossy could be from よいい。additionally, there is a character in a more recent game named Plessy so there’s that too!
Not really “Yossy” as his name is in Katakana, but…
In the game Adventure Quiz: Capcom World 2, one question (apparently) asks which of the options is a Super Mario World character (Yoshi), the other options being Lucky, Nessy, and Happy. As their translations all end with “y”, it’s implied that Yoshi is also written like that.
It can be seen in the YouTube video ‘”Hunchback Wily” – Adventure Quiz: Capcom World 2’ , at 2:50.
In addition, the July 2020 Nintendo leaks also revealed files for an early Yoshi’s Island title screen, in which the was originally named Super Yossy.