Spinner

It has been requested that this article be rewritten. Reason: The Spinner in the Yoshi series and the "pendulum"-style Spinner in Yoshi's Story, Super Princess Peach, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 8, and Mario Party 10 appear to be separate objects entirely.

"Ball 'N' Chain" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Ball & Chain.

Template:Species-infobox A Spinner, originally known as Ball 'N' Chain (also spelled Ball 'N Chain or Ball and Chain), is a spiked ball on a chain first appearing in Super Mario World. They are usually found in castles, and are indestructible. In most games, Mario can safely pass through the chain unharmed.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario World

File:Ball n chain.PNG

A Ball 'N' Chain from Mario Character Encyclopedia: Perfect Edition

Ball 'N' Chains first appear in Super Mario World, in castles and fortresses. Also, using a Spin Jump will allow Mario/Luigi to harmlessly bounce off the spiked ball. The only way this obstacle can be defeated is by using a Super Star, but its sprite will change into a defeated Bony Beetle, as it was never programmed to be destroyed.

New Super Mario Bros.

Ball 'N' Chains reappear in New Super Mario Bros.. These obstacles are very rare, with their only appearance in World 7-Castle. The blocks are still there, and one even has a Star Coin. As an added feature, they rotate wildly on the end of the chain as well as spinning on the block; however, this does not affect their attack.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Ball 'N' Chains reappear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii once, in World 3-Tower and in a secret area of World 4-Castle.

Super Mario 3D Land

A Ball 'N' Chain appearance in Super Mario 3D Land

In Super Mario 3D Land, Ball 'N' Chains appear in purple with yellow spikes and chain. This time, they are not linked to shackles, like in Super Mario World. Instead of spinning, they only make pendulum movements. They can be destroyed by making contact with them as Statue Mario. The first level they appear in is World 1-2.

New Super Mario Bros. U

In New Super Mario Bros. U, regular and giant Spinners appear, swinging in a pendulum-like manner as they do in Super Princess Peach and Super Mario 3D Land. Unlike other iterations, however, these Spinners cannot be avoided by passing through the chains, as they have been spiked too. Mario can pass through Spinners while under the effects of a Super Star, though he cannot destroy them.

Super Mario World television series

A Ball 'N' Chain as it appears in the show

A Ball 'N' Chain makes a brief appearance in the Super Mario World animated series episode "Send in the Clown". Mario, while traveling through Neon Castle, narrowly avoids being hit by a Ball 'N' Chain that drops from the ceiling as he traverses over some lava.

Yoshi series

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

Ball 'N' Chains appear in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. They are colored orange instead of black, and they are usually found in fortresses, and have spikes on their chains. Another type, called Tekkyū Dosun, also appears. They have spikeless chains and are operated by certain Boo Guys. Hacking shows that Superstar Mario could eliminate one.

Yoshi's Story

Ball 'N' Chains reappear in Yoshi's Story where they either swing in a manner similar to pendulums or quickly drop down to the floor and then slowly rise again. They only appear in the levels The Tall Tower and Magma Castle.

Yoshi's Island DS

Ball 'N' Chains reappear in Yoshi's Island DS. Their behavior remains unchanged.

Yoshi's New Island

Spinners reappear in Yoshi's New Island. Their behavior remains unchanged.

Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World

Spinners also appear in Yoshi's Woolly World and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World. This time, they are colored black instead of red. Their behavior remains unchanged.

Super Princess Peach

In Super Princess Peach, Ball 'N' Chains appear in Bowser's Villa. Unlike other appearances, they swing back and forth between the background and foreground.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Ball 'N' Chains make a minor reappearance in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, where they are only found in Bowser's Castle in the background.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

A Spinner in Mario Kart 8's Bowser's Castle

In Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a single Spinner appears as an obstacle in Bowser's Castle. The obstacle acts virtually the same as the pendulums in Tick-Tock Clock, except that the player will spin out upon hitting it. The Spinner will move faster during the final lap of the race.

Mario Party 10

Spinners reappear in Mario Party 10 in the minigame Spiked Ball Scramble, where they hang from the ceiling and swing across the path. They can be encountered in a standard and a larger size, and take out players in one hit.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	グルグル Guruguru グルグルバー Gurugurubā 振り子の鉄球 Furiko no Tekkyū	From guruguru, a Japanese onomatopoeia of spinning round and round. Spinner Bar (Yoshi series) iron ball of a pendulum (Super Mario 3D Land)
Chinese	转链球 Zhuàn Liànqiú	Spinning Chained Ball
French (NOA)	Pendule[?]	Pendulum
Italian	Mazzapendolo[?]	Batpendulum (from mazza (bat) and pendolo (pendulum))
Korean	시계추 철구[?] Sigyechu Cheolgu	Pendulum Iron Ball
Spanish	Gigamaza[?]	Gigamace