Why does Little Mac's shorts change color?

[Wavelflack]

I was playing Punch Out tonight, and I finally started thinking about why Little Mac's shorts (and gloves, I think) change color from white to green? It happens when he moves into the center of the ring (turns green), and they revert to white when he backs out.

The only thing I could thing of is a palette limitation, because it coincides with Mario appearing onscreen. But Mario is only white and red, and those colors are already onscreen. HOWEVER, the red is just the heart, which is in the status bar, and maybe that section is a separate entity?

I don't know. I've just been curious about this for years, but only now stopped to really analyze it.

This is an extremely vital issue that must be resolved. The implications could be staggering.

[poopnes]

I always just chalked it up to the NES's color limitations, probably all it is.

Does this happen in regular Punch-Out!!? I've only played Mike Tyson's.

[Wavelflack]

This was Tyson's. I didn't feel like typing the full name.

[SirDrexl]

Maybe they're made out of that material they used in those Hypercolor shirts they had back then.

[Funkenstein]

It's clearly symbolism. Before Mac gets to the middle of the ring his shorts are white to represent his innocence and naievite with the seedy underbelly of the sweet science. He can still stop at any moment and live his life as a normal man who never ever stops smiling and jogs past the Statue of Liberty while the father from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" chases him on a bicycle. Once he hits the center of the ring, he has passed the point of no return and his shorts turn green, indicating that he has turned and all he cares about now is money. Greed has overtaken him. He'll go so far as to brutalize a fellow man with vicious jump-punches just to fatten his wallet; a most heinous act. Green may also indicate his envy for his opponents, all of whom are more muscular and at least three feet taller than he is. Punch-Out has many layers.

Now for my actual theory: this is kind of out there, but maybe they change color to let you know when to start fighting? White means Mac's running through animation cycles, green means go? Go as in "start thowing punches."

[Wavelflack]

Considering the relative size of his opponents, I would expect them to turn brown.

[The-Bavis]

It is the same on the White Tyson version too.

I have always wondered the same thing.

While you all are looking into this, go ahead and figure out how many Punch Out!! seconds are in a real-world second.

[rbudrick]

I always thought 3 Punch Out second are like a real second.

There's a lot of games where things change color unexpectedly. Anyone ever see the blocks in Kid Icarus or Metroid change for no apparent reason. I actually saw the technical explanation for this once, but damned if I could remember what it was or where I saw it.

-Rob