Birdo

Birdo
Mario character
Birdo as seen in Mario Party 9
First appearance	Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988)
Voiced by	Jessica Chisum (2000) Jen Taylor (2001) Kazumi Totaka (2003–present) Jeannie Elias (The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!) Jun Donna, Rika, and Akemi (Japanese, BS Super Mario USA)

Birdo, known in Japanese as Catherine (キャサリン, Kyasarin, [kʲa.sa.ɾiɴ]), is a character in the Mario franchise. Her first appearance was as an enemy in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, which was localized for English-language audiences as Super Mario Bros. 2. Since then, Birdo has been a recurring character in various games in the series. Initially, she was depicted as an antagonist, but has since been depicted as an ally. Birdo has also made several cameos and playable appearances, particularly in the Mario Kart series and other Super Mario spin-off games.

The English manual for Super Mario Bros. 2 describes Birdo as a man who "thinks he is a girl" and would prefer to be called Birdetta. This led to Birdo being interpreted as transgender, which would make her the first transgender video game character. Later releases of Super Mario Bros. 2 removed all mentions of her favored nickname. Starting with Mario Tennis, Nintendo has generally avoided her transgender roots; however, some games, such as Captain Rainbow, deal with her gender. She has received mostly positive reception in the Mario series, and she has been regarded as a transgender icon. However, the handling of her gender identity in the Mario series has been met with a mixed response. She has made several appearances in other media, including the Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, as well as in promotional material such as figurines and plush toys.