Birdo

Birdo
Mario character
Promotional art by Shigehisa Nakaue
First appearance	Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987)

Birdo, known in Japanese as Catherine (キャサリン, Kyasarin, [kʲa.sa.ɾiɴ]) is a character in Nintendo's Mario franchise. Her first appearance was as an enemy in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987), which was localized for English-language audiences as Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988). Since then, Birdo has been a recurring character in various games in the series. Initially, she was depicted as a boss character, and has since made several cameos and playable appearances, including in the Mario Kart series and other Mario franchise spin-off games.

The English manual for Super Mario Bros. 2 describes Birdo as a character who "thinks he is a girl" and would prefer to be called Birdetta. This has led to Birdo being interpreted as transgender by many, such as with LGBTQ+ groups and several video game publications, which would make her the first transgender video game character. Nintendo has generally avoided commenting on Birdo's gender in games released after her debut, though some games, such as Captain Rainbow (2007), do discuss her gender. She has been regarded as a transgender icon, though the handling of her gender identity in the Mario series has been met with a mixed response. She has made several appearances in other media as well as in promotional material for the series.