He first appeared in the Super NES game Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island where with the help of the Yoshies he saved his brother Luigi from Kamek the Magikoopa. In Yoshi's Island, Baby Mario has a rather passive role, essentially being carried around by different yoshis for most of the game. However, in some levels, a powerup allows him to transform into Super Baby Mario, giving him very high speed and relative invincibility.

More recently, Baby Mario appeared in Yoshi Touch & Go for the Nintendo DS. Reclaiming the role he held in Yoshi's Island, Baby Mario falls from the sky, this time held up by balloons, as the player guides him, by drawing clouds, down to the ground where Yoshi waits to catch him. He then rides on Yoshi's back for the rest of that level of the game. In later levels, Baby Mario can again find the powerup that turns him into Super Baby Mario, making him temporarily invincible.