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Character fact sheet
Name: Larry Koopa aka “Cheatsy Koopa” First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) Home: Castle of Koopa Voiced by: Lani Minella Associates: King Koopa (Dad), the other Koopalings (siblings) |
General Profile
Larry Koopa, also known as Cheatsy Koopa is one of Bowser’s eight children, and he is the youngest of the seven Kooplings. We haven’t yet seen much of Larry’s personality, however He seems to have an interest in sports, as he uses bombs as bowling balls in Hotel Mario, and he uses a tennis racket to counter his fireballs in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Ironically though he has never appeared in any of the sports games.
Larry Koopa is usually shown as the weakest of his siblings due to him being
faced in battle before the others in most games.His wand gives him less magical abilities than his siblings as well. In The Adventures of the Super Mario Bros. 3 and the Super Mario World animated series, Larry was known as Cheatsy Koopa and he was given a personality to match his name as he was very devious.
Appearance wise Larry’s skin tone is the same as most of the other Koopaling’s, having 
the same yellow and tan skin complexion, as well as a green head like most other Koopalings. Larry can easily be recognized by his spiky blue hair. He wears the same metal, spiked cuffs the others do, but he also has his own shell design. His shell is light blue, lined with a white encasing; however his shell was originally green in Super Mario Bros 3. and Super Mario World.
The adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 wrote about Larry Koopa’s personality and mannerisms as below:-
He loves to tie people up and then challenge them to a foot race. In reform school, he copied so many test papers, he got writer’s claw. His hobby is counterfeiting Gold Coins, and he does such a great job of it, that Koopa has put him in charge of the Kastle Koopa treasury, where he happily spends every day cheating his brother and sister Koopalings on their allowances. When Koopa wants to be sneaky and devious, he calls on Cheatsy.
Quotes
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“I hate it when people sneak…unless I’m doing the sneaking!” – Do the Koopa
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“At last,… my time has come!!!” – Gopher Bash
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“I like your Big Bang Theory, King Dad!” – Never Koop a Koopa
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“Don’t just help him, stand there!” – Gopher Bash
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“I was only doing bad, like you taught me!” – Never Koop a Koopa
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“I’m not rushing, I’m helping.” – Princess Toadstool for President
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“Guards! Take the prisoner away to my room.” – Never Koop a Koopa
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“Listen to me, you pathetic pea-brained problem-producing plumbers! You’ll never see your crops again!” – Gopher Bash
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“The only way you guys are gonna eat is by shopping at the Koopa Mart. So long, suckers!” – Gopher Bash
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“I am the emperor of eavesdropping.” – The Yoshi Shuffle
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“Hi Luigi, we figured you would be comin by. Pity you’re never gunna see your brother again, hahah! I don’t even know which show leads to Mario.” – Mario is Missing
“Wait! Let’s make a deal!”
— Larry Koopa (as Cheatsy Koopa), The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990) — the classic Cheatsy gambit: always trying to cut a deal
“Thumbs up, K-man, here’s to you!”
— Larry Koopa, Super Mario Adventures (Nintendo Power, 1992)
“Give it up, mother dearest!”
— Larry (as Cheatsy Koopa), The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990) — in characteristic sarcastic mode
Enemies
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The Mario Brothers – Like all the kooplings Larry sees the brothers as his main enemies. In Larry’s first appearance Super Mario Bros.3, he was the very first Koopling to be battled. He had stolen the magic wand from the king of Grass Land and turned him into a dog. After Mario had gone through all of the airship’s cannons, he battled Larry in his cabin.
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Princess Toadstool – probably not seen as a direct enemy to him, however as she is an enemy to King Koopa, and as a loyal Koopling she is therefore an enemy to him.
Friends
Again like all of the Koopa Kids Larry doesn’t have many friends and just stays within his own family.
Appearances
Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
This was Larry’s first appearance where he ended up in battle with Mario, Larry would need to be jumped on 3 times to be defeated. The reason for this was because he had stolen the magic wand from the King of Grass Land and turned him into a dog! Larry would need to be jumped on 3 times to be defeated. Luckily Mario got the wand back and turned the King back to normal.
Super Mario World (1990)
This was Larry’s second appearance in the Valley of Bowser. He would sit on top of a tilting platform on top of lava and was immune to all of Mario’s attacks. Larry would need to be jumped on to be made to fall off his platform. Again Mario defeated him and gained access into Bowser Castle.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009)
This is where Larry makes his return and is also in 3D. Larry is boss of World 1, which is similar to Super Mario Bros.3. Larry’s abilities are to cast magic spells, jump and once hit will start spinning in his shell to try and cause damage to Mario. Again after 3 jumps to the head Larry will be defeated. The next battle is in his castle with him using the same tactics, however because of the moving room this makes it more difficult.
Mario is Missing (1992)
In the PC version Larry is the first boss however, it takes just one blast from a fire flower to defeat him. Larry needs to be jumped on 5 times in the NES version to be defeated. 
Yoshi’s Safari (1993)
Larry is the boss of Crescent coast in this game. Larry rides round hidden in a submarine that has a purple face and blue nose, and Mario must shoot aiming for the nose to open it up and reveal Larry.
Hotel Mario (1994)
Larry ran Larry’s Chillton Hotel in the Phillips CD-i’s Hotel Mario — each Koopaling had their own themed hotel that Mario had to clear out. Famous (or infamous) for its bizarre animated cutscenes.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 (2012) & New Super Mario Bros. U (2012)
Larry continued his boss role across both NSMB sequels. His fights typically feature quick agility, wand-based magic projectiles, and an obstinate refusal to stay put.
Mario Kart 8 & Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2014 / 2017)
Mario Kart 8 marked Larry’s first appearance as a fully playable racer. Voice actress Michelle Hippe was reportedly told to “talk gibberish like a 13-year-old boy” to capture his youthful Koopaling energy. Returns playable in Mario Kart World (2025) on Switch 2.
Paper Mario: Color Splash (2016)
Larry appears as one of the Koopaling bosses in Color Splash, with his distinctive blue-haired personality and his cheeky cheating tendencies on full display.
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS / Wii U (2014) & Ultimate (2018)
Larry appears as an alternate costume / palette swap for Bowser Jr. across both Smash titles, putting him on the legendary roster (alongside the other Koopalings).
Super Mario Maker 2 (2019)
Larry joined the rest of the Koopalings as selectable boss enemies in the Super Mario Maker 2 course creator, letting players drop him into custom levels.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (2025)
Larry makes his Switch 2 debut in the Bellabel Park meetup expansion to Super Mario Bros. Wonder, with new dialogue and Wonder-themed magic powers.
Other & Cameo Appearances
Larry has also appeared in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003), Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (2015), Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey (2018), Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (2015), Minecraft Mario Mash-Up Pack, and LEGO Super Mario sets — he is the only Koopaling to appear in more than one LEGO set.
Trivia & Official Sources
- Larry is named after Larry King, the famous American CNN talk show host — part of the original tradition of naming the Koopalings after late-1980s American TV personalities and musicians.
- Larry is the youngest of the seven Koopalings (with Ludwig the eldest). His blue-mohawk hair and small stature make him one of the most visually distinctive Koopalings.
- According to MarioWiki, Larry is the only Koopaling not to have Warp Pipes in any of his boss battles — every other Koopaling uses pipes as part of their fight mechanics.
- An official German Nintendo guide for Super Mario World claimed Iggy Koopa is Larry’s role model, “hence why Larry spits fire and makes Mario’s life difficult.”
- Larry’s Mario Kart 8 voice actress Michelle Hippe was reportedly given the direction to “talk gibberish like a 13-year-old boy” — capturing the bratty, chaotic energy of the youngest Koopaling.
- In The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 cartoon, Larry was renamed “Cheatsy Koopa” — his trademark trait was being a sneaky, conniving schemer who tried to cheat his way out of any situation.
- In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, the name “Larry” can appear on the leaderboard — a quiet Easter egg referencing the Koopaling.
- Larry is one of only two Koopalings (along with Ludwig) whose placement in the seven Koopalings’ birth order has been officially confirmed by Nintendo.