Pauline

is a fictional character from the Donkey Kong and Mario video game franchises by Nintendo. She was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and first appeared in Donkey Kong (1981) as the damsel in distress, being held captive by Donkey Kong at the top of a large construction site. Concept and creation Pauline was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and other developers for the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. She is the first female character in a video game with a speaking role, and is cited as a famous example of a damsel in distress in fiction. Originally, Pauline was known as and the game introduced her as Mario's girlfriend. The name Pauline was given after the then-girlfriend of Nintendo of America's warehouse manager, Don James. It was then used in licensed products after the game's release (including a collection of figures by Coleco and a coloring book), and was eventually used for the NES version of the game, although print ads for the Game & Watch version of the game refer to her as Louise. Captured by Donkey Kong atop a New York City construction site, the official artwork depicted her disheveled like the 1930s King Kongs Fay Wray in a torn dress and stiletto heels. Super Mario Odyssey producer Yoshiaki Koizumi told Polygon that she sang the game's theme song, "Jump Up, Super Star!", noting "As we were developing Pauline more as a character, we know that she was going to be interested in jazz...It was interesting for us to have the first song in a Mario game with vocals". This is inaccurate, however, as Super Mario Run had previously featured a track with vocals that was added in an update released one month prior to Odyssey. Appearances Pauline debuted as Mario's love interest in Donkey Kong (1981), which was remade for Game Boy, where she was again a typical damsel in distress.