Super Mario / Yoshi · Companion / Protagonist · Debut: 1990 · SNES / Multiple · Created by Shigefumi Hino (designer)
Mario's rideable green dinosaur, introduced in Super Mario World (1990) — the companion Shigeru Miyamoto had wanted since the first Super Mario Bros. but the NES could not manage.
Yoshi debuted in Super Mario World (1990) on the Super NES as a dinosaur that Mario can ride. Shigeru Miyamoto had wanted to give Mario a dinosaur companion since the first Super Mario Bros., but the NES hardware could not support it; the Super NES finally made it possible. Takashi Tezuka asked graphic designer Shigefumi Hino to draw a reptile-like creature, and the result was Yoshi. Yoshi swallows enemies with his long tongue, turns them into eggs that he can throw, and can stay airborne briefly with his Flutter Jump. He went on to lead his own series, beginning with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and became one of Nintendo's best-known characters. Since 1997 his voice has been provided by composer Kazumi Totaka.
Yoshi is a rare case of a character delayed by technology. The idea of Mario riding a creature dated back to the NES era, but it had to wait for the Super NES, and when Yoshi arrived he became the signature new feature of Super Mario World.