Pauline is a character in the Nintendo game Donkey Kong. She is was kidnapped by Donkey Kong and was then rescued by Mario, then known as Jumpman. Her original name in Japan was "Lady", but this was changed in the localized releases, where she was renamed Pauline in merchandises and home versions of the game. She remained as Lady in Japan until the release of Donkey Kong '94 for the Game Boy, where she was officially renamed Pauline in Japan and was reintroduced as a "new heroine" with a new brunette look to set her apart from Princess Toadstool. Despite her reintroduction, she has yet to appear in another Super Mario or Donkey Kong game since then.

Contrary to popular belief, Pauline is just a regular woman, not a princess. She is often mistaken to be Princess Toadstool by players not familiar with the lesser-known Pauline. In recent Game & Watch Gallery Game Boy titles featuring Donkey Kong, Pauline is usually replaced with the Princess.

On the Saturday Supercade 's Donkey Kong shorts, Pauline was Mario's niece. (This has caused some debate among fans - if she really is Mario's niece, this would make Luigi her father, or it would mean Mario has another brother or is married. )

External link

• The Mushroom Kingdom (Mario Bros. fansite)