Who is Yoshis dad?

As one of the most iconic and beloved characters from the Super Mario universe, Yoshi has filled the imaginations of gamers for decades. But despite starring as the protagonist in multiple games, details on Yoshi‘s origins and backstory remain sparse in official lore. This open-endedness leaves space for fans to get creative with imagined relationships and family trees for everyone‘s favorite friendly dinosaur. So today, we‘ll be diving into some of the most intriguing fan theories on the burning question – who is Yoshi‘s dad?

A Rex Named Rex: Biological Father Theory

In the decades since Yoshi‘s debut in 1990‘s Super Mario World, some fans have come up with speculative theories about Yoshis having biological parents. The character Rex from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi‘s Island has spawned discussion as a candidate for Yoshi‘s father. Details are scant on Rex within the game itself – he is described as "Yoshi‘s Island athletic champion who sometimes aids the Yoshis."

So where does the theory of Rex being Yoshi‘s father come from? Mostly just fans having fun with the gaps in what we know of Yoshis‘ personal histories prior to their introduction. Similarities in appearance and coloring between Rex and Yoshi have added fuel to this imaginative leap. And with Rex hailed as an athletic champ amongst Yoshis, it‘s easy to picture a proud dino dad cheering on his rambunctious son. Does being referred to simply as "Yoshi" in games indicate our green hero is carrying on his father‘s mononymous name? Again – pure fan speculation, but it sparks fun discussions on connections we yearn to see fleshed out more within this whimsical world.

Royalty in the Mushroom Kingdom: King Yoshi Theory

Separate from conjectures on direct biological lineage, some fans interpret Yoshi‘s spontaneous hatching in Super Mario World as indicative of a significant backstory yet to be revealed. Could everyone‘s favorite nurturing Nintendo mascot actually be Mushroom Kingdom royalty himself? Sources like the Mario fan wiki Hello Yoshi describe a theoretical royal family for Yoshi with King Yoshi ruling Dinosaur Land from a young age after the unexpected death of his own father:

Young Yoshi quickly has to grow up and take the responsabilities that awaited him leading his people, the Yoshies. This leads to King Yoshi becoming a bit absent-minded at times. His open-mindedness, kindness and carefreeness remains unchanged through adulthood however.

This unexpectedly somber and dramatic backstory reflects a common desire amongst fans to ground playful franchise characters in emotively resonant narratives. It also feeds into themes across Yoshi games emphasizing his caretaking and protective nature – traits that would suit a young accidental heir to leadership well. With sparse official word from Nintendo on Yoshi‘s origins, envisioning him as literal Mushroom royalty helps explain how the lovable character earned such favor amongst Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach.

Adoption Theories – It Takes a Village

While many fans focus theories on Yoshi having biological parents, adoption is another avenue for speculation – both adoption OF Yoshi and BY him as caregiver to Baby Mario.

Sources like the Mario wiki discuss an unsubstantiated fan concept of Mama Luigi adopting young Yoshi in the 1990s and raising him to adulthood when he still had his wits about him. In this unset canon, it‘s Luigi‘s early nurturing that helps establish traits like protectiveness and reliability which Yoshi demonstrates time and again helping Mario on adventures.

Of course, that reliable nature lends itself to the much better documented adoption story of Baby Mario BY Yoshi as his caretaker and eventual foster dad. We witness this affectionate pairing directly in 1995‘s Yoshi‘s Island after stork-delivery goes awry. And the two have remained intertwined in titles like Yoshi‘s New Island ever since.

So whether fans choose to speculate on Rex as biological patriarch, royalty like King Yoshi as his precursor or even the caregiving influence of a Mama Luigi – it‘s clear devotees find the gaps in Yoshi‘s origin story ripe for imaginative connections. And Yoshi‘s own adoption of wee Baby Mario reflects that caretaking drive fans often highlight as central to his personality. With Nintendo still playing coy on canon details, our theories on Yoshi‘s family tree promise to continue blooming for years yet still!