Warp Pipe

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Warp Pipe
A Piranha Plant sticking out of a Warp Pipe in Dream Ice Hockey in the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
First appearance	Mario Bros. (1983, overall) Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009, Sega-related)
Latest appearance	Mario Strikers: Battle League (2022, overall) Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Nintendo 3DS) (2016, Sega-related)
Effect	Transports players to other areas

A Warp Pipe (also spelled warp pipe), also known as simply a Pipe (also formatted pipe), is the most common mode of transportation in the Mario franchise. Generally speaking, a Warp Pipe is a pipe that does not always appear to be connected to a second pipe physically, although traveling through it will transport the traveler to the other end. In many cases, Warp Pipes can be used to cross great distances (and even worlds) instantly, while some are just part of the scenery and are incapable of transporting anything. Warp Pipes can vary from very small to very large in size, although the average Warp Pipe is only slightly wider than a human. Green is the standard color for Warp Pipes, which are also featured in other colors such as red or yellow.

In the Mario franchise, Warp Pipes make their first appearance in Mario Bros.. Their next appearance, Super Mario Bros., was the first to allow Mario and Luigi to utilize Warp Pipes, which standardized their purpose in subsequent Super Mario titles, let alone the Mario franchise in general. Several Warp Pipes are inhabited by carnivorous plant enemies known as Piranha Plants, which debut in Super Mario Bros.. The first Sega-related appearance of Warp Pipes is in both the Wii and Nintendo DS versions of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. The role of Warp Pipes in the Mario & Sonic series is based on that of the Super Mario series and Mario spinoff titles in general.

History

Mario & Sonic series

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

In the Wii version, Warp Pipes appear in both the individual and team versions of Dream Ski Cross, where players can ski through them to be transported to the next part of the course, with the pipe entered determining which route the player ends up on. Piranha Plants in Warp Pipes also appear along the course, as well as appearing as obstacles in Dream Ice Hockey. Several Warp Pipes also appear as props in the first segment of the Mario World routine in Dream Figure Skating.

In the Nintendo DS version, a few green Warp Pipes are featured in most of the worlds in Adventure Tours mode. They are only usable by Mario, and have the general purpose of quickly transporting him from one area to another, especially if the destination is not reachable otherwise. Springs are the Sonic the Hedgehog equivalent to Warp Pipes, and can only be used by Sonic.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

Warp Pipes appear in Groove Pipe Snowboard in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, where they transport characters to the next section of the course. A Warp Pipe is also used to travel to Bowser's Castle segment in Mario's Figure Skating Spectacular.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Warp Pipes appear in Golf Plus in the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In this event, the player can hit their ball into a Warp Pipe, which transports it to another part of the course. The red pipe gives the opportunity for the player to score a hole in one if they are able to hit their ball into it. They also appear as basic obstacles that block the ball, as well as containing Piranha Plants. Warp Pipes containing Piranha Plants also appear in BMX Plus, where they once again function as a regular obstacle.

Other appearances

The Warp Pipes leading from Tokyo to Rio

The Warp Pipe at the Rio 2016 Olympics closing ceremony

Besides appearing in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the Warp Pipe had a prominent appearance at the Rio 2016 Olympics handover ceremony in the real world. Fearing he would not be on time for the Olympics' closing ceremony on the opposite side of the planet, Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe disguised himself as Mario and jumped into a Warp Pipe (which Doraemon had conveniently pulled out of his pocket) amidst commuting businesspeople on the Shibuya crossing. Abe then came out of a Warp Pipe in the center of the Maracanã Stadium. It was then used as a stage prop for the dance act that followed.