Good trans representation is hard to come by, even in 2026. But back in the '80s, a popular video game introduced a character that quickly became a transgender icon.
The egg-shooting dinosaur Birdo was first introduced in a Mario Bros. game in 1988, and she was quickly adopted by the LGBTQ+ community after her description in a manual led fans to believe that the character identifies as transgender.
Now, fans are excited because Birdo is making her silver screen debut in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which premiered in theaters on April 1.
But who is Birdo, and how did the bright pink animated dinosaur become an accidental trans icon?
Who is Birdo?
Birdo was first introduced as a recurring boss in Super Mario Bros. 2 in 1988. She’s a bright pink dinosaur who wears a giant pink bow, has prominent feminine eyelashes, and shoots white eggs out of her nose.
Since the '80s, she has been a recurring playable character in spinoff games like Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Mario Party, and Mario Baseball.
She is also frequently paired with Yoshi in Mario sports games, and it is implied that the two are in a romantic relationship together.
Why is Birdo a trans icon?
When fans read Birdo’s character description in the manual for Super Mario Bros. 2, they immediately latched onto the fact that Birdo has a chosen name and “thinks he is a girl.”
The description reads, “Birdo: He thinks he is a girl and he spits eggs from his mouth. He’d rather be called ‘Birdetta.’”
While today this might be considered an insulting way to introduce a trans character, it’s clear to fans that Birdo is a trans woman and has been treated like a girl ever since.
And in a world where there are so few trans characters in pop culture, it’s understandable why fans have latched onto Birdo as a trans icon. Plus, once a character is put out into the world, the creator no longer has control of how they are perceived, which means the LGBTQ+ community claims her as one of their own, regardless of what Nintendo thinks. We could all use a little more queer joy in our lives, so long live Birdo as the fabulous trans icon she is!
What has Nintendo said about Birdo?
Nintendo has never made any explicit statements about Birdo’s gender identity or fans treating her as a trans icon. The company has evolved over the years from describing Birdo using “he” pronouns despite “thinking he is a girl” to simply treating the character as female.
Some fans have complained that the character’s name should be changed to Birdetta since that is what the character wants to be called, making “Birdo” her deadname. But most have embraced the character Birdo as a trans icon and use her original name.
Regardless of what Nintendo thinks of the character, the trans community has staked their claim, making Birdo a trans character to love and adore.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is in theaters now.
