so basically:
Cranky (arcade game DK) --> DK jr -> DK (current)
is the DK timeline
so what if the current mario ISN'T the old mario from the arcade game and is actually Mario jr, the kid of mario and pauline?
Not gonna join the discussion here. But there's also this Pauline with the current Mario and DK.
I was at work and I was litterally think about the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series and that Mario saves her in this game. So that blows that out.
Maybe... dang I got nothing. It could also be a sister or some relative of theirs. Though in Mario and Donkey Kong for the gameboy, at the end [/spoiler]They are in the Mushroom Kingdom. You can tell by the warp pipe and the ? blocks.[/spoiler] I doubt that means anything though.
Source:
http://nintendo3dscommunity.com/topic/9263-how-old-is-mario/