Listen up, Yoshi fans! After years of speculation about why Mario’s companion can throw eggs to defeat enemies, we just got definitive confirmation from the company that Yoshi’s ability is meant to be a pro-choice political statement.
Longtime Nintendo producer Takashi Tezuka, who was one of the original minds behind Yoshi, dropped the information about Yoshi’s stand for a woman’s right to choose during an interview published this morning.
“At this time, more than any time since the start of Yoshi’s adventures, it’s important to make this crystal clear: Yoshi is pro-choice. Every time he throws an egg, he is terminating a pregnancy, and he is not ashamed to do it,” said the Yoshi’s Crafted World co-creator in a wide-ranging interview. “We wanted to show that a character engaging in abortion who is not only functional but thriving. Abortion gives Yoshi the power to go his own way and make his own choices. In fact, by throwing these eggs, Yoshi also has the power to defeat social ills like Shy Guys, who represent the men seeking to restrict women’s reproductive rights.”
“Ultimately, Yoshi isn’t just Mario’s dinosaur companion—he’s also meant to be a positive symbol for pro-choice women everywhere,” he added.
Tezuka went on to explain that Nintendo felt it had to take a stand because positive depictions of abortion were so rare in the media when Yoshi first became a playable character in the 1990s. He stressed that their stance has proven to be the right one, noting that anyone who has thrown an egg in a Yoshi game over the past two decades has participated in an act of pro-choice protest.
It’s definitely pretty exciting to have this huge piece of Yoshi lore finally revealed to gamers everywhere. Yoshi and his wide-range of multicolored friends have always been seen as an advocate of inclusion and diversity, but to hear he’s also a champion of women’s rights is sure to make many Nintendo fans love him even more!
