Cappy : l'allié chapeau qui a réinventé Mario Odyssey

Cappy: The Hat Companion Who Reinvented Mario Odyssey

1681 words | Reading time : 8 minute(s)

CharacterCappySuper Mario Odyssey

A cap that turns Mario into a T. rex — or into a Bullet Bill. A Bonneter from Bonneton, in the Cap Kingdom, Cappy has been travelling with Mario in Super Mario Odyssey since 27 October 2017. This profile explains his personal quest — rescuing his sister Tiara, kidnapped to serve as a bridal tiara — and Capture, the power that hands him dozens of bodies to borrow.

A little white hat with big eyes, able to turn Mario into a T. rex or into a Bullet Bill: meet Cappy, the unforgettable sidekick of Super Mario Odyssey (2017). A member of the Bonneter people, this ghostly companion follows the plumber around the world to rescue Princess Peach... and his own sister, Tiara, kidnapped by Bowser.

Behind that mischievous smile hides one of Nintendo's most brilliant game design ideas: Capture, which lets you take control of 52 enemies and objects. Origins, personal quest, behind-the-scenes creation: here is everything worth knowing about the most famous hat in video games.

Contents

A Bonneter from the Cap Kingdom

Cappy is a cap-shaped spirit (Bonneter officially, キャッピー / Kyappī in Japanese), a people of spectral beings whose heads look like hats. He lives in the Cap Kingdom, the very first kingdom you visit in Super Mario Odyssey: a foggy black-and-white land with Victorian touches straight out of London. It is there, in the small town of Bonneton dominated by Top-Hat Tower and its giant topper, that most of his kind live.

In his natural form, Cappy looks like a white top hat with big eyes and red irises. His personality? Energetic but a touch shy... at least until he fights alongside Mario, where he shows real courage. Once perched on the plumber's head, he takes on the look of that famous red cap and gives it a pair of living eyes: a detail that became iconic on the spot.

Cappy, a white hat with big eyes, floating in mid-air
Bonneters are a people in their own right, with their own kingdom and their own customs.

Tiara, Bowser and a forced wedding: Cappy's quest

Cappy's story begins with a family tragedy. When Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach to force her into marriage, he also takes Tiara, Cappy's little sister: the Bonneter is destined to become the bridal tiara for Peach at the ceremony. Thrown off Bowser's ship after a losing fight, Mario crashes down right in the Cap Kingdom.

That is where Cappy offers him a deal: join forces to rescue both captives. Perched on Mario's head, he climbs aboard the Odyssey, the hat-shaped airship that gives the game its name, for a chase across kingdoms all over the world. This unlikely duo gives the adventure a moving edge: for once, Mario is not alone, and his companion has just as much to lose as he does.

Cappy reunited with his sister Tiara at the end of Super Mario Odyssey
Cappy does not follow Mario out of altruism: Bowser kidnapped his sister Tiara to turn her into a bridal tiara.

Capture: 52 ways to be Mario

Cappy's real superpower is called cap-morphing (Capture officially). Throw Cappy at certain enemies or objects and Mario literally takes control of them, inheriting their abilities. The game's own list counts 52 captures, from the humble frog — the very first one in the game — all the way to Bowser himself in the grand finale.

Among the most memorable transformations: the Bullet Bill streaking through the air, the Goomba you stack into towers, the Hammer Bro, the Sherm tank... and of course the T. rex, star of the trailers. Every captured creature sports the cap and, more often than not, Mario's moustache, a visual wink that has become a cult favourite. One subtle design rule: you cannot capture an enemy that already wears a hat — you first have to knock it off with a well-aimed Cappy throw.

Mario having captured a Chain Chomp, cap and moustache sitting on the ball
Throw Cappy at a creature and you take control of it — Chain Chomps included.

Controller in hand: far more than a simple power-up

Reducing Cappy to Capture alone would be unfair: he deeply reshapes the way you play a 3D Mario.

  • The throw: hurled like a boomerang, Cappy attacks enemies, picks up coins and triggers mechanisms from a distance.
  • The cap jump: by throwing Cappy and then bouncing off him, Mario extends his jumps and reaches platforms that would otherwise be out of range — the foundation of every trick in an expert player's book.
  • Teleportation: Cappy lets you travel instantly between the checkpoint flags you have already activated.
  • Two-player mode: a second player can take control of Cappy independently, an ideal way to share the adventure as a family.

That mix makes Odyssey one of the most movement-rich Mario games in the entire saga: Cappy is not a temporary bonus like the Fire Flower, but a permanent partner who redefines every single jump.

Birth of a character: behind the scenes at Nintendo

Cappy was born... from a controller. Producer Yoshiaki Koizumi was hunting for the most natural action to perform with a Joy-Con: the throwing motion won out. All that was left was deciding what to throw. As director Kenta Motokura explained, Mario has always been a character with a cap; it was this new hat-based action that convinced the team to turn it into a full-fledged character, a travelling companion for the whole adventure.

His design is packed with clever touches: Cappy is white so that he can match the colour of any headwear, and his smiling eyes were drawn to echo the "M" on Mario's cap. The gamble paid off: Super Mario Odyssey, released on October 27, 2017 on Nintendo Switch, holds a 97/100 score on Metacritic and has passed 30 million copies sold, making it one of the console's greatest successes.

Concept sheets showing several shapes considered for Cappy
Before the hat, the teams tried out plenty of shapes: the character grew out of the mechanic, not the other way round.

Cappy's legacy beyond Odyssey

Since 2017, Cappy has never left Nintendo culture behind, even though he stays loyal to his home game. He has turned up in several guises:

  • As a collectible statue in Super Mario Run (2017);
  • As a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018);
  • As a hat you can wear in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (2018);
  • As a playable costume in Taiko no Tatsujin on Switch (2018).

Above all, Cappy left a lasting mark on the saga: he embodies Nintendo's knack for reinventing Mario with every generation, just like the Tanooki Suit's flight before him, or the gravity of Galaxy. One simple hat, and the entire 3D platformer formula was shaken up. Hats off, maestro.

Mario wearing Cappy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Cappy outlived Odyssey: he is now part of Mario's standard kit.

Cappy at a glance: the essential facts

Species Bonneter (a cap-shaped spirit)
First appearance Super Mario Odyssey (Switch, October 27, 2017)
Origin Bonneton, in the Cap Kingdom
Sister Tiara, kidnapped by Bowser to serve as Peach's bridal tiara
Power Capture: 52 documented transformations
Japanese name キャッピー (Kyappī)
2-player mode The second player controls Cappy independently

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FAQ

  • Who is Cappy in Super Mario Odyssey?
    Cappy is a Bonneter, a ghostly cap-shaped being from the Cap Kingdom. He teams up with Mario to rescue his sister Tiara and Princess Peach, both kidnapped by Bowser, and turns into Mario's cap for the whole adventure.
  • How does Capture work?
    Throw Cappy at certain enemies or objects and Mario takes control of them, using their abilities. The game features 52 captures, the first one being the frog. Enemies that already wear a hat have to lose it before they can be captured.
  • Who is Tiara, Cappy's sister?
    Tiara is a Bonneter kidnapped by Bowser at the same time as Peach: she is meant to serve as the princess's bridal tiara at the forced wedding. Her capture is Cappy's personal reason for joining Mario.
  • Can you play as Cappy in two-player mode?
    Yes. Super Mario Odyssey offers a co-op mode in which a second player controls Cappy independently of Mario, letting the two of you attack enemies and collect coins together.
  • Does Cappy appear in games other than Mario Odyssey?
    Yes, as cameos: a statue in Super Mario Run, a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, headwear in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and a costume in Taiko no Tatsujin on Switch. He has never landed a second major role, though.
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