Bull****. For starters, he was referred to as "Raccoon Mario" in the game. Since when the **** do raccoons fly? I'll grant you that having the tail was mildly helpful in levels that had narrow platforms far away, but as far as being badass, it's not even close. Now, being able to throw fire at people...that'll show them.
Tell you what was really badass, was from Super Mario 3. Sledgehammer Mario. Man, I wish I had a kickass black metal helmet and an infinite supply of sledgehammers that I could throw long distances with ease to kill anything in my path. Seriously, Bowser's kingdom was your bitch when you were flinging those ****ers.