Dry Bones

Dry Bones
Artwork of Dry Bones from Dr. Mario World
First appearance	Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Latest appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024)
Latest portrayal	Toru Asakawa (2005-present)
Variant of	Koopa Troopa
Variants Big Dry Bones Dark Bones Dry Bones 5-Stack Dull Bones Elite Dry Bones Paper Dry Bones Parabones Sad Dry Bones Suppon no Karon Vomer
Relatives Dry Bones Shell
Comparable Bone Goomba Bone Piranha Plant Bony Beetle Fish Bone Mattermouth Mummy Guy Pionpi Revver Recapitator Skeleton Bee Spine Coaster
Notable members Sphinx Zō

“I'm totally starving! Seriously. I mean, just look at me! I'm down to bones over here!”

—Dry Bones, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Dry Bones are skeletal versions of Koopa Troopas that are mainly found in towers, castles, and deserts. They often collapse when attacked, but they soon revive and become animate again. However, some methods of attack, such as touching them while in an invincible state, can permanently defeat them. First appearing in Super Mario Bros. 3, Dry Bones have since become a staple in Super Mario games as both enemies and playable characters and have ushered a recurring theme of skeletal Koopas such as Bony Beetle and Dry Bowser. Their name may come from the Biblical verses of Ezekiel 37:1-10, which describes a pile of dry bones coming back to life while making "an odd sound".

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros. 3 / Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3

Artwork of a Dry Bones in its debut appearance, Super Mario Bros. 3

Dry Bones are enemies in Super Mario Bros. 3. They can be stomped on the head and turned into a pile of bones for a brief period of time, but regenerate shortly afterward. Unlike normal Koopas, Dry Bones are immune to the tail of Raccoon Mario and the fireballs of Fire Mario but can be defeated with a Star or the rare Hammer Suit. Dry Bones appear most prominently in the multiple Fortresses of the game, where they often accompany Boos and Thwomps. The first level that they appear in is World 1-Fortress. In the Game Boy Advance version, Dry Bones can be defeated by the Cape Feather. This item, originally from Super Mario World, can only be obtained by scanning the "Cape" card with the e-Reader.

Super Mario World / Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2

Size difference

Artwork of Dry Bones from Super Mario World

Dry Bones are enemies in Super Mario World and its remake. They are encountered in Fortresses and Castles only. Dry Bones retain their ability to rebuild themselves when stomped from Super Mario Bros. 3. This time, however, they can be permanently defeated with the cape or with the star power-up. They also turn around at ledges, similar to Red Koopa Troopas, instead of just falling, a trait that Dry Bones retain in the later New Super Mario Bros. games. Some of the Dry Bones in this game can throw bones at Mario, which is also an occasional trait in later games.

The Dry Bones of Dinosaur Land appear somewhat differently than in Super Mario Bros. 3, most notably from how they walk on two feet for the first time, they have pink shoes (red in the artwork) in place of the light blue shoes seen in later games, and are larger relative to Mario. They also appear larger than regular Koopa Troopas, despite being skeletal versions of them. Their sprite also depicts them with a visible neck, despite lacking one in the artwork.

New Super Mario Bros.

Dry Bones are enemies in New Super Mario Bros. They are common in the various Tower and Castle levels. like previous platformers, when Dry Bones are jumped on, they briefly crumble, but the game also results in their head detaching and bouncing away. Once they collapse, the Dry Bones soon revitalize themselves by reattaching their heads. If the head falls into a pit or lava, it takes longer for it to reanimate itself. If their bodies are destroyed while crumbled, the head remains for some time before eventually despawning - if they were in the process of rebuilding themselves, the head freezes in place momentarily. Finally, as in the previous platformers, they are immune to fireballs.

A new variant, Super Dry Bones, is also introduced. Similarly to their smaller cousins, they can be found only in various castles and fortresses. It takes a Ground Pound to crumble them briefly, and they revive themselves as quickly as the normal Dry Bones do. Both types of Dry Bones can be permanently defeated by a Mega Mushroom, a Starman, or a Blue Shell. Super Dry Bones cannot be hurt at all by Mini Mario. Also, Dry Bowser, a Dry Bones version of Bowser, makes his debut in this game.

Super Mario Galaxy

Artwork of Dry Bones from Super Mario Galaxy

Dry Bones are enemies in Super Mario Galaxy. They are encountered in the Dusty Dune Galaxy, Bowser's Dark Matter Plant and the final level, Bowser's Galaxy Reactor. Unlike normal Koopas, Dry Bones are bipedal, though they have a hunched stance. If they are jumped on, spun or attacked with a Green Shell, they crumble, but revive after a few seconds, just as they did in previous games. They chase Mario or Luigi once they have seen them. When a Dry Bones successfully attacks Mario or Luigi, it cackles similarly to a Boo. The only way to destroy these Dry Bones is by touching them while using a Rainbow Star, destroying them with a Bullet Bill, or luring them into quicksand. Unlike in their previous appearances, Dry Bones can fall off ledges.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Dry Bones are enemies in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They are commonly found in tower and castle levels. They act the same way they did in the game's predecessor. However, there are new means of defeating a Dry Bones; players need to use a Star, a POW Block, a Koopa Shell, or the Ice Flower/Penguin Suit to defeat a Dry Bones. In the original New Super Mario Bros., once they reattach their heads and fully regenerate, the player can jump on it to make it collapse again. However, in this game, the player can make the Dry Bones collapse again while it tries to stand up.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Mario near a Dry Bones in Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla in Super Mario Galaxy 2

Dry Bones are enemies in Super Mario Galaxy 2. They are encountered in Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla, Bowser's Lava Lair, Bowser's Gravity Gauntlet, Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker, Bowser's Galaxy Generator, and the Slipsand Galaxy. Dry Bones are similar to their appearance in Super Mario Galaxy. If Mario or Luigi knocks a Dry Bones into lava (by bumping into them), the Dry Bones sinks into the lava and subsequently dies. Dry Bones are the only enemy to not blow up in a cloud of smoke after hitting lava.

Super Mario 3D Land

Dry Bones are enemies in Super Mario 3D Land. They are based on their appearance from Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, though their eyes now flash red for a second when they regenerate. They appear alongside many Draglets and Thwomps in most of the castle stages. A fireball in this game makes its head "jump" a short height, while a boomerang from Boomerang Mario or tail whip by Tanooki Mario can make it crumble the same way a stomp does. Dry Bones can only be defeated by Invincible Mario or White Tanooki Mario.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Dry Bones and Big Dry Bones appear in New Super Mario Bros. 2, commonly within tower and castle levels, but also in non-boss levels, such as World 6-A. They retain their appearance from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, although they have three small spikes on their shells. They can be defeated with a Star or Gold Flower. Like in Super Mario 3D Land, tail whips make them briefly crumble. In this game, when there is a "paah" in the music, Dry Bones dance in a way similar to a Koopa Troopa.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

Dry Bones appears in New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. behaving in the same way as in previous games. However, unlike in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, they are unaffected by lava in this game. Also, once the Dry Bones reconstructs, the eyes flash a red glare, similar to their appearance in Super Mario 3D Land. Big Dry Bones also reappear in this game, as well as the Bony Beetle of Super Mario World. Instead of doing a dance similar to a Koopa, Dry Bones spin their heads during the vocal riff in the music.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

A Parabones from Super Mario 3D World

While the original Dry Bones species do not appear in Super Mario 3D World and its Nintendo Switch port, a new winged variety of it called Parabones is introduced. They act similarly to the Dry Bones from Super Mario Galaxy: they attack players as soon as they see them. They break apart when they get hit, and they resurrect unless a player attacks them over lava or hits them with a Super Star. Their wings also reappear, unlike Paratroopas, whose wings fall off permanently.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS

Dry Bones appear in Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS. Because they did not originally appear in Super Mario Bros., brand new sprites have been made for them in said game's art style. Big Dry Bones, Parabones, and Fish Bones (which can be made when the player places a Dry Bones in the underwater course theme) also appear. While they operate in the same manner in all the game styles, in the Super Mario World game style, they'll occasionally throw bones at Mario. The Super Mario World ones have also been redrawn in a smaller size due to a size discrepancy the original graphics had next to ordinary Koopa Troopas. In the Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U styles, Yoshis can eat Dry Bones and spit out bones that fly in straight lines ahead of him. It acts similarly to the fireballs from Super Mario World, but can also defeat many fireproof enemies such as Buzzy Beetles and Chain Chomps. Yoshis can also eat the bone projectile in the Super Mario World style and spit out that single bone in a similar manner.

Super Mario Run

Dry Bones appear in Super Mario Run, behaving the same way as in the New Super Mario Bros. games. They are rare enemies, only appearing in three levels, Bowser's Castle Hangout, Cutting Edge Spire, and Rings of Fire!

Super Mario Maker 2

A Dry Bones in the Super Mario 3D World style

Super Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad,
and Toadette in Dry Bones Shells.

In Super Mario Maker 2, in addition to returning as standard enemies that can be placed in levels, an item titled the Dry Bones Shell also appears. Acting similarly to Goomba's Shoe, Mario can ride on top of it and it makes him able to float over hazardous liquids including lava, being able to ground pound, and crouching down while donning this power-up makes him crumble into a pile of bones like the Dry Bones in the games do; this makes him temporarily invincible until the crouching stops. Dry Bones also appear in the Super Mario 3D World style, despite only Parabones appearing in the original game. Additionally, Fish Bones have been separated from Dry Bones in this game.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Dry Bones in Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Dry Bones reappear in Super Mario Bros. Wonder as enemies in the palace levels. They behave the same way as in other games, although Elephant Mario's trunk attack can permanently defeat them.

DIC cartoons

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3

A Dry Bones in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "Do the Koopa".

Dry Bones make a few appearances in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.

A destroyed Dry Bones makes a minor appearance in "Mind Your Mummy Mommy, Mario", inside Queen Mushroomkhamen's pyramid.

In "Never Koop a Koopa", when Princess Toadstool opens the door of Koopa Kastle, a Dry Bones falls from the ceiling, scaring her.

In "Do the Koopa", a Dry Bones reports to King Koopa that Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool have snuck into Dark Land and are attempting to find the Doom Dancer Music Box, after spotting them earlier. Later on, Mario's group encounters more Dry Bones that they crush with the debris of broken Brick Blocks. They are later uncovered and freed by Cheatsy Koopa, Bully Koopa, and Big Mouth Koopa.

In "Recycled Koopa", Dry Bones are one of the species who "invaded" New York City with the trash of the Koopas.

Super Mario World television series

A Dry Bones in the Super Mario World television series episode "The Night Before Cave Christmas"

Dry Bones appear in the Super Mario World animated series, in the episode "Send in the Clown" and "The Night Before Cave Christmas". Here, both of them make a very small appearance as they try to keep Mario and Yoshi from infiltrating Bowser's Castle or stop Mario from getting a feather. The Dry Bones grabs a bone from out of its throat and throws it at Mario.

Nintendo Comics System

A single Dry Bones appears in the Nintendo Comics System in the story It's Always Fair Weather as the pilot of Bowser's personal helicopter. When Bowser expresses outrage after discovering his image is being used for a carnival dunking booth, the Dry Bones cheerfully responds to his complaint of "I am really insulted!" with "Gee, I'd be flattered!" The two try to ruin the fair with miniature tornadoes created by the helicopter, but are stopped by Mario who uses the copter against Bowser, launching him into the dunking booth with it.

Nintendo Adventure Books

If Mario decides to follow the main road in the Koopahari Desert in Double Trouble, he stomps some Dry Bones on his way to Fort Koopa.

In Koopa Capers, Luigi can find a pit filled with Dry Bones in Bowser's Fortress, and fight several of them if he decides to try and reach a door at the bottom of the hole; the powdered toes of a Dry Bones are also one of the ingredients needed by Wendy O. Koopa for a magic potion she is brewing.

In Flown the Koopa, if Mario thwarts Magikoopa's attempt to freeze him and his brother, Magikoopa then throws out some bones and uses his magic to animate them as two Dry Bones. Depending on how the accompanying puzzle is solved by the reader, the Mario Bros. either trick the Dry Bones into charging into a broom closet and lock the door behind them, or they try to smash the skeletons with their plungers, only to have this backfire on them when the Dry Bones regenerate, combine, and knock them both out.

Hotel Mario

Dry Bones (known as Skeleton Koopas) appear as enemies in the Philips CD-i game Hotel Mario, when Bowser and the Koopalings once again kidnap Princess Toadstool. Skeleton Koopas appear in the level Ludwig's Thump Castle Hotel. As usual, the Skeleton Koopas in this game revive themselves once they are knocked out. They, however, can be defeated by Fire Mario, which is impossible in games before this one. This weakness to fire reappears in the Paper Mario series.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Dry Bones defeated by a special attack

“I know! You probably said to yourself, "It's just a pile of dusty old bones!" ...THINK AGAIN!”

—Dry Bones, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and the Nintendo Switch remake, Dry Bones appear as enemies in the Sunken Ship. They guard the ship's midsection. The skeletal Koopas have an infinite amount of HP, meaning that regular Attacks never defeat them. The only way to defeat them is with a special attack, which defeats them instantly. When defeated, they simply crumble on the overworld map. However, they always resurrect after a short amount of time and attempt to re-engage battle with Mario. One Dry Bones lives in Monstro Town as part of the Three Musty Fears. A stronger sub-species of Dry Bones known as Vomer makes an appearance in Barrel Volcano.

In the remake, Dry Bones use their modern design as opposed to their design from the original game.

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario

Dry Bones appear in Paper Mario as enemies found in Bowser's Castle. In this game, Dry Bones are able to walk upright and throw bones at Mario, similar to their appearance in Super Mario World. They are also capable of building more of themselves, with the same amount of HP as the original unit. When a Dry Bones' Heart Points are depleted, it collapses on the ground but remains in battle, reviving itself after two turns. Dry Bones defeated this way do not drop coins or Star Points, but the battle will still end if only collapsed Dry Bones remain on the enemy side. A Dry Bones can be permanently defeated, awarding Mario with coins and Star Points, by using fire and explosion attacks (e.g. Kooper's Fire Shell or Bombette's Bomb), which also ignore their defense and deal an additional 10 damage, allowing these moves to instantly defeat a Dry Bones. If a Dry Bones spots Mario outside battle, they try to throw a bone at him to make the First Strike. Additionally, due to Mario's levels capping at 27 and Dry Bones' level being at 30, they are the only non-boss enemy type in the game that can never be defeated with the First Attack, Spin Attack, or Bump Attack badges.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Dry Bones in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Dry Bones return in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door in the Palace of Shadow and the Pit of 100 Trials. They behave much like they did in Paper Mario and attack by throwing bones, as well as by constructing additional Dry Bones as reinforcements. Unlike in the previous game, Dry Bones award Mario with coins and Star Points upon collapsing, though they still remain in battle and revive themselves after two turns if not defeated with fire and explosion attacks such as the Fire Flower, Fire Drive, or Vivian's Fiery Jinx. Fire and explosion attacks, however, no longer deal increased damage to Dry Bones.

This game also introduces three new variants of Dry Bones; Dull Bones, Red Bones, and Dark Bones. Dull Bones and Red Bones are both weaker than the standard Dry Bones, while Dark Bones is the strongest variant in the game, and is capable of constructing ordinary Dry Bones to aid it as reinforcements.

At one point in the Palace of Shadow, a Dark Bones calls in a horde of Dry Bones which swarm in on Mario and his partner, similar to an encounter with a Red Bones in Hooktail Castle. Mario must use his hammer to clear away the Dry Bones and engage the Dark Bones in battle. Doing nothing in this scenario causes a Game Over.

All four types of Dry Bones are later encountered in a room in the Palace of Shadow Tower, where they have to be defeated in order of weakest to strongest. Completing the puzzle gives Mario a Palace Key.

Super Paper Mario

Dry Bones reappear once again in Super Paper Mario, now behaving similarly to their behavior in the 2D games in the Super Mario series. They no longer throw bones to attack, instead walking into Mario, Princess Peach, Bowser, and Luigi in order to deal contact damage. They are immune to damage from non-fire and explosion attacks (such as Bowser's Fire Breath and Boomer's explosions), which only cause them to collapse and revive moments later. Unlike in the Super Mario series, a collapsed Dry Bones remains interactable, and can still be attacked and deal damage in this state. Dry Bones appear in The Underwhere, Underwhere Road, and the Flipside Pit of 100 Trials.

Dull Bones also reappear in this game, and are now stronger than ordinary Dry Bones instead of weaker. They attack by throwing bones, which may act as a callback to both the bone-throwing Dry Bones from Super Mario World and the behavior of Dull Bones and Dry Bones in previous Paper Mario games. A new, even stronger variety is also introduced, known as a Dark Dull Bones.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Mario about to jump on a Dry Bones in an early screenshot.

Dry Bones appear in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, but their appearance is closer to their main series' appearance, unlike the Dry Bones of previous Paper Mario games, whose appearance was based on the species' artwork for Super Mario World. However, like in the previous Paper Mario games, they both lack arms and legs, simply having floating hands and feet. They are primarily found in World 2. Dry Bones also appear during the boss fight against Petey Piranha in Rumble Volcano, where Petey Piranha can spit them out to battle Mario.

A Dry Bones can either attack by throwing a bone or by folding itself into a bone and tossing itself at Mario. If Mario defeats a Dry Bones in battle, it turns into a pile of bones in the overworld, but revives itself shortly after, although Dry Bones defeated during the Petey Piranha battle are permenantly defeated. Outside of battle, Dry Bones can be permenantly defeated if a sarcophagus lid is dropped on them. Defeating a Dry Bones occasionally gives Mario a Bone sticker.

Paper Mario: Color Splash

A Dry Bones after turning into a pile of bones

Dry Bones appear in Paper Mario: Color Splash, keeping their appearance and behavior from the previous game. They can be eliminated permanently if certain walls are knocked down onto them. When defeated in battle, their bones fall and turn into a pile, and the Dry Bones revive some seconds later. They appear in Marmalade Valley and Redpepper Crater, as well as the parallel worlds of Vortex Island, Lighthouse Island and Fortune Island. A Dry Bones is the third-round opponent in Roshambo Temple #2, although after Iggy Koopa is defeated, it is replaced with the Rock Paper Wizard until beaten.

Paper Mario: The Origami King

“*rattle, rattle* (Hey! I'm fine, and I'm not a Koopa Troopa. I'm a Dry Bones and I'm just dehydrated, OK?)”

—Dry Bones, Paper Mario: The Origami King

An origami Dry Bones

A regular Dry Bones' sprite

Origami Dry Bones appear as enemies in Paper Mario: The Origami King. They appear in Scorching Sandpaper Desert and the Temple of Shrooms. They crumble into a pile of bones immediately after using any attack, and get back up after a while if the other enemies involved in the battle are not defeated. After the sun is restored to the sky, all Dry Bones in the desert are replaced with Bone Goombas.

Regular Dry Bones also appear as NPCs in the Earth Vellumental Temple, Shogun Studios, Overlook Mountain, and the Bonehead Island café where one is found arguing with a Bone Goomba. In Overlook Mountain, a Dry Bones in a collapsed state with a Shell Stone is found behind a wall which must be peeled off with the 1,000-Fold Arms. Olivia assumes that it was a deceased Koopa Troopa, until the Dry Bones reassembles. In Shogun Studios, Mario must trade the baseball for a bone.

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

Dry Bones appear in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. The Dry Bones in this game look somewhat different from other versions; they have no shell and walk on four legs, similar to the ones in Super Mario Bros. 3, suggesting they are a regional variant akin to Troopeas. They are found all along Hoohoo Mountain as the Mario Bros. try to scale the peak.

Dry Bones attack by launching their heads at their opponents. If a Dry Bones' head spins vertically, it attacks Mario; if its head spins diagonally, then Luigi is the victim. To counterattack the Dry Bones while the creature is attacking, the Mario Bros. have to jump onto the spinning bone head as it flies towards either one. When they are defeated, Mario and Luigi occasionally receive a Mushroom.

A stronger variety with a purple shell can be found in Teehee Valley. In the remake, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, this stronger variety of Dry Bones was given its own name, Elite Dry Bones, to distinguish it from its weaker counterpart. The original quadrupedal design for Dry Bones is retained for the main story mode; in Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser, Dry Bones appear in their modern design, suggesting that the two types of Dry Bones differ by region. In that mode, they appear as enemies and allies that can be recruited. They are ranged troopers and attack enemies by throwing bones at them. Dry Bones are strong against Koopa Troopas.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Dry Bones appears as an enemy in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Dry Bones reside in Yoob's Belly. When a battle is initiated, a Dry Bones throws bones at Mario and Luigi. Usually, the Dry Bones stays still while throwing the bone, which causes the bone to go towards a single brother. A Mario brother must jump to dodge this attack. If the Dry Bones jumps before throwing a bone, however, the bone bounces over the brothers' head and causes damage if one of the Bros. jumps into the bone. Furthermore, Dry Bones is able to attack the Bros. one after the other. If the Dry Bones clacks, it attacks Mario before attacking Luigi, and if the Dry Bones twirls its head, it attacks Luigi before attacking Mario.

Later in the game, large Dry Bones statues appear in Gritzy Desert. When these are encountered, the player has to split the babies and the adults. After doing this, they have to hit four blocks within ten seconds of each other. There are two pairs of blocks in the desert, and once the two pairs are hit, a hidden door to the Koopaseum opens.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story / Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, some Dry Bones are seen in the Fawful Theater. One is in the lobby of the building, and the rest attend Fawful's show. There are also two Dry Bones standing in the watchtowers of Bowser's mechanized castle during Bowser's fight against it.

Dry Bones return in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, where they additionally are found as enemies and recruitable allies in the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode, first appearing in the level "Bone Storm". Additionally, their winged variants, Parabones, also appear in the game's side story as well, although they appear a little earlier than their regular counterparts.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Dry Bones appear as part of Kamek's second battle. They simply walk into Mario or throw bones at him, but, if jumped on, they can fall apart and Mario can aim and kick their segments at Kamek.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Regular Dry Bones appear in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam during the Dry Bowser boss fight when he uses his inhaling attack, although their paper versions only appear as enemies. Papercraft Dry Bones also appear as enemies in the Papercraft King Boo boss fight.

Mario Baseball series

Mario Superstar Baseball

Mario Superstar Baseball is Dry Bones' first playable appearance. Dry Bones is introduced as a technique character as a part of Bowser's team. It is a fairly balanced player with batting as its strongest point and fielding as its weakest. Dry Bones bats left, but unlike Koopa Troopa, it also throws with its left hand. Dry Bones has good chemistry with Koopa Troopa and Bowser. This game also introduces his current design, which closer resembles a Koopa Troopa.

Dry Bones also has three variants which act as unique selectable characters. They each sacrifice some running speed for improvement in a different skill.

• Green Dry Bones: Stronger batting. Pitches a breaking ball for a Star Pitch, as does the standard Dry Bones.
• Red Dry Bones: Near-equal stats to Green Dry Bones, but with slightly stronger hitting power despite a smaller contact size. Its Star Pitch is a fastball. Notably, this variant is more unique visually, having dark grey "skin", red gloves, red eyes, a slight scowl, and a spike on its nose, as well as several on the back of its shell.
• Blue Dry Bones: Has the best fielding arm of the bunch. Its Star Pitch is a change-up.

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Mario Super Sluggers

Dry Bones is a playable character in Mario Super Sluggers, now being featured as a powerful hitter. Dry Bones retains good chemistry with Koopa Troopa and Bowser, as well as color-matching Miis (depending on the variant). Like in Super Mario Galaxy, the Dry Bones in this game have two voice sets: one similar to the previous title's, and an older Boo-like voice from Super Mario 64. Notably, the red variant is named "Dark Bones". In Challenge Mode, Dark Bones kidnaps Dixie Kong and battles with Mario and the other captains.

Dry Bones' variants from the previous installment also return, with many changes from the previous title.

• Green Dry Bones: Faster running at the cost of weaker pitching.
• Dark Bones: Strongest in pitching.
• Blue Dry Bones: Better fielding at the cost of weaker pitching.

Super Princess Peach

Dry Bones appear as enemies in Super Princess Peach. They only appear in Shriek Mansion and Bowser's Villa. They are able to throw bones at Princess Peach, and the bones can be blocked by a swipe from Perry. If a Dry Bones itself is hit or jumped on, it crumbles and revives itself in about three seconds, which is relatively fast compared to previous games. Dry Bones can be defeated permanently with the Joy vibe's cyclone or the Rage vibe. This is the first game to depict Dry Bones with their modern appearance.

This game also introduces a variant known as the Sad Dry Bones, which weeps openly whenever it is seen. Like normal Dry Bones, they are able to throw bones at the Princess, except that these bones are much faster and more difficult to avoid.

Mario Party series

Mario Party 7

Dry Bones's space in Mario Party 7

A Dry Bones appears in Mario Party 7 as an unlockable, playable character. It can be purchased in the Duty-Free Shop for a price of 1000 Cruise Mileage Points. The Magic Orb is Dry Bones' special Orb, which doubles the number on the dice block and then turns Dry Bones invisible. In the artwork of the game, Dry Bones is usually partnered with Boo.

Mario Party 8

Dry Bones in Mario Party 8

A Dry Bones appears in Mario Party 8, once again as a playable character. Unlike in Mario Party 7, it is available from the start of the game. Its partner is once again Boo, and their team name is the "Scary Pair".

Mario Party DS

A Dry Bones appears in Mario Party DS as a non-playable boss character. In the story mode, it takes over the board DK's Stone Statue and turns Donkey Kong into stone. Diddy Kong asks Mario & co. to rescue Donkey Kong and then the Party begins. On the board, Dry Bones can be found sleeping in a coffin. If the player stops on a Green Space nearby its coffin, Dry Bones wakes up and lifts the coffin lid slightly. It then shuts the lid with such an amount of force that the player is sent back to either the start or right next to the Star. When the player completes the board in story mode, a boss fight with Dry Bones begins in the minigame Hexoskeleton. Dry Bones attempts to destroy the characters by crushing them underfoot and the characters must Ground Pound switches on the battlefield to attack it with lightning. It is also possible to acquire a trophy of a defeated Dry Bones by beating the Hexoskeleton minigame five times.

Mario Party 9

Dry Bones in Deck Dry Bones

In Mario Party 9, a giant Dry Bones is the mini-boss of Boo's Horror Castle. It is summoned by Bowser to work with King Boo in destroying Mario and his friends. The boss minigame it is faced in is called Deck Dry Bones. In the game, Dry Bones leaps from platform to platform, and the players damage it by picking cards with the same pattern as the platform it is standing on. Dry Bones cards also appear; selecting these cause Dry Bones to attack the players that do so, costing them a point.

Three Dry Bones also appear in the minigame Ruins Rumble. Despite being non-playable characters, they and the player's opponents must be defeated in order to win the minigame. They also have an appearance in the minigame Smash Compactor, in which they raise the compactor after each round. Throughout the minigame, when the compactor raises, a Dry Bones may also appear on top of the compactor.

Mario Party: Island Tour

Dry Bones appear in Mario Party: Island Tour as non-playable characters. They appear in the minigame Tap Dash, and as a judge in minigame The Choicest Voice. A Big Dry Bones appears on the board Star-Crossed Skyway and hands out seven Mini Ztars on the third and fourth Star Stages.

Mario Party 10

In Mario Party 10, a Dry Bones is a non-playable character and can be seen on the Bowser amiibo Party board, where it is purely for decoration.

Mario Party: Star Rush

While regular Dry Bones do not appear in Mario Party: Star Rush, Mega Dry Bones appears as a boss.

Mario Party: The Top 100

The sole appearance of a Dry Bones in Mario Party: The Top 100 is as a cameo on the Mario Party 7 box art in Collection mode.

Super Mario Party

“*rattle*...*rattle rattle* (Isn't there anyone...with a backbone?)”

—Dry Bones, Super Mario Party

A Dry Bones appears as an unlockable playable character in Super Mario Party for the first time since Mario Party 8. Unlike the other unlockable characters, there is no exact criteria for unlocking Dry Bones, as it is unlocked randomly after playing different modes. Dry Bones' Dice Block has three 1's and three 6's on it.

Mario Party Superstars

Much like Mario Party: The Top 100, the only appearance of a Dry Bones in Mario Party Superstars is as a cameo on the Mario Party 7 box art, this time in the Data House. The player can set Mario Party 7 as their favorite Mario Party game on their Mario Party Card, which causes the box art to be displayed on it. A Dry Bones also makes a cameo in the credits book.

Mario Kart series

Mario Kart DS

Dry Bones in Mario Kart DS

The first appearance of Dry Bones in the Mario Kart series is in Mario Kart DS. He is an unlockable playable character, unlocked by winning every Nitro cup (i.e. the Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup, and Special Cup) in the 50cc Grand Prix. His personal karts are the Standard DB, the Banisher, and the Dry Bomber. These karts have the best handling and acceleration stats in the game, but are middling in weight and speed. Dry Bones can also use any other kart in the game when certain criteria are met. Dry Bones is the staff data used on Donut Plains 1 and has a time of 1:08:027 in the Dry Bomber. He is also the staff data on Banshee Boardwalk and has a time of 2:14:403 in the Dry Bomber. His weight class in this game is light, like with Peach, Yoshi, Toad, and Shy Guy, though is lighter than all of them. His emblem is the side of his skull.

Mario Kart Wii

Dry Bones in Mario Kart Wii

Dry Bones reappears in Mario Kart Wii. Again, he is an unlockable character, and is unlocked by winning the 100cc Leaf Cup or by playing 1,050 races. Dry Bones is a lightweight character, which means he has a low top speed, but good acceleration and off road ability. Each of his karts are recolored in gray and black. Dry Bones gets a small acceleration and drift bonus, but his best bonus is his mini-turbo, which is rivaled from that of Koopa Troopa, Wario, and Dry Bowser. This enables vehicles like the Mini Beast and Bullet Bike to perform slightly stronger mini-turbos after a drift.

Mario Kart 8

Dry Bones in Mario Kart 8

Though Dry Bones does not appear as a playable character in Mario Kart 8, the species still appears in the game on various courses, including the cavern of Bone-Dry Dunes; here, they serve as hazards and fall apart when driven into. An image of a Dry Bones can be seen on a fabric hanging from the walls of the cave. Several Dry Bones can also be seen spectating in Bowser's Castle and 3DS Neo Bowser City. There is also a stamp of a Dry Bones that one can unlock by beating the staff ghost in Bone-Dry Dunes.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Dry Bones participating in a Balloon Battle in SNES Battle Course 1 in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

After appearing in a non-playable role in Mario Kart 8, Dry Bones appears as a playable character in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. He is in the same lightweight subset as Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, and small Miis. He is also the 200cc staff ghost for Bone-Dry Dunes.

Mario Kart Tour

Dry Bones appears in Mario Kart Tour as a Normal playable character. He shares his special item, the Triple Green Shells, with Koopa Troopa, Iggy Koopa, Lakitu, and Green Shy Guy. He is also the main subject of a bonus challenge named Smash Small Dry Bones, where players have to squash as many small Dry Bones as possible. He additionally has a golden variant called Dry Bones (Gold) which appears as a High-End character with the Coin Box as his special item.

Dry Bones is one of the few characters in the game not to receive any new favorite tracks beyond his debut, with his only default favorite tracks being GBA Bowser's Castle 1T and 3DS Shy Guy Bazaar T. He shares this distinction with Baby Peach, Baby Rosalina, Shy Guy, Morton and Wendy.

Mario Strikers Charged

Dry Bones in Mario Strikers Charged

Dry Bones appears as a sidekick in Mario Strikers Charged. Classified as a defensive player, Dry Bones' highlights are its speed and defense, meaning it can react quickly and run fast towards the ball, while its defense is Tackling opponents fiercely to knock them off in a short time. However, like the defensive captains, Dry Bones also has low passing skill and power, kicking the metallic ball immediately when it reaches maximum power.

Its Skillshot is the Shocker. After charging the ball completely, Dry Bones electrifies the ball, making the rival's Goalkeeper or even another competitor unable to move and react briefly, freeing him up for another shot. When evading a potential opponent attack while having the ball, Dry Bones can turn around and disappear, making it almost invincible, capable of passing hazardous obstacles, such as power-ups dropped on the field or dodging the Goalkeeper's moves. However, Dry Bones cannot use its deking capabilities to pass through the electric fence; it is electrocuted, which results in losing control of the ball. The durability and effect of Dry Bones' deke depends on the light the ball is emitting. Therefore, if the light is white, Dry Bones can go further while invisible. Once Dry Bones has performed its evasion in this way, the light of the ball changes back to its lowest power.

Mario & Sonic series

As a species, Dry Bones first appeared as members of the audience in both the Wii version and the Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, though the Wii version also includes them as referees. In the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, in London Party mode, Dry Bones also appear as one of the characters that can be spoken to on the map in order to play a minigame. In the Nintendo 3DS version, a badge of Dry Bones can be obtained from the badge machine.

Dry Bones challenges Sonic.

Dry Bones are semi-recurring rivals in the series. In the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, three Dry Bones assist Dry Bowser as field players in the Ice Hockey event, where they are competed against in Festival Mode, on the last day. In Team Festival Mode, Dry Bones appear without Dry Bowser in the event Curling, which instead features four of them. In the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, a Dry Bones appears as the rival for Table Tennis - Singles and Dream Hurdles in London Party, and defeating Dry Bones earns the player a sticker.

Dry Bones and Dry Bowser harass Toad and Omochao in Foggy Foes.

A Dry Bones appears in a few of the series' single-player campaigns. In the Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Dry Bones is competed against in Curling in the Adventure Tours mode. In the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Dry Bones first appears in Story Mode protecting the Phantasmal Fog alongside Dry Bowser in Foggy Foes, where they intimidate Toad and Omochao before challenging Mario and Luigi to Sailing - 470 (Pair). After their defeat, Mario and Luigi destroy the Fog machine and the pair leave before they can be questioned. Dry Bones also appears alongside several other characters for the opening ceremony. In The Life of a Minion, Dry Bones appears alongside Lakitu to help set up a challenge for Bowser with Knuckles and Vector, which they do by having Magikoopa transform them to look like Espio and Charmy. The pair manage to distract Knuckles and Vector for long enough so that Magikoopa can stun them, though Dry Bones almost gives them away as it only speaks with clicking sounds, and after Bowser defeats Knuckles and Vector, Dry Bones and Lakitu stay behind to calm them down. Dry Bones also appears in Mario's Defeat?!, in which it distracts Bowser while Goomba is transformed to look like Mario, being ruled out itself due to the way that it speaks, and later when Goomba is being changed back.

Dry Bones made its first playable appearance in the series with the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, although only in the BMX event.

Super Smash Bros. series

Dry Bones appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS as a trophy. According to a datamine of the former game, Dry Bones would have appeared as an enemy in the The Subspace Emissary.

Mario Sports Mix

Dry Bones are sometimes hidden in boxes on Ghoulish Galleon in Mario Sports Mix, and they can stun players if they come in contact with it, as well as be used as a shield by players.

Mario Golf: World Tour

Dry Bones is one of the names that can appear on the tournament scoreboard in Mario Golf: World Tour.

Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition

Dry Bones' appear as enemies in Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition. While they mostly appear in tower and castle courses, they can also appear in the underground, ghost house, and volcanic courses. Dry Bones's main attribute is Fire, while its sub-attribute is Dark. As an enemy, a Dry Bones normally attacks every two turns, and it has the ability to blind the player to make it harder to see the Orbs that are present on the touch screen. As an ally, the Dry Bones's skill can change all Water and Wood Orbs into Fire Orbs, while its Awoken Skill boosts the HP stat for all team members by a small amount. The player can acquire a Dry Bones by transforming a Red Koopa Paratroopa using six Boo Mushrooms.

A mash-up that uses the Dry Bones is also present, known as Dry Bones & Cheep Cheep. Their main attribute is Water, while their sub-attribute is Fire. As an enemy, Dry Bones & Cheep Cheep are able to deliver first strike blows, and they can even perform Frenzied Blows to deliver more damage than normal to the player. As an ally, Dry Bones & Cheep Cheep can change all Orbs into Fire, Water, and Heart Orbs, while their Awoken Skill boosts the HP stat for all team members by a small amount. The player can acquire a Dry Bones & Cheep Cheep by transforming a Red Koopa Troopa & Cheep Cheep with six Boo Mushrooms.

Skylanders: SuperChargers

In Skylanders: SuperChargers, Dry Bones acts as an assistant to Hammer Slam Bowser, but only after the player purchased the Molten Bones Soul Gem upgrade. After he activates his Molten Monster form, he can attack one of his Koopa Troopas and turn them into Molten Dry Bones, which tend to do more damage and have more health than regular Koopas. Dry Bones also appears as a vehicle mod for Hammer Slam Bowser's Clown Cruiser titled Dry Bone Basher and Steeled Bone.

Mario Tennis Aces

In Mario Tennis Aces, Mario faces Dry Bones during the "A Bone to Pick" challenge on the Bask Ruins court. He serves as the guardian of the Temple of Bask, not allowing visitors to enter the temple unless they can prove their tennis skills. Dry Bones also appears in the game's training mode, where he teaches the player all of the basic shots made in a tennis match. According to the game's training mode, Dry Bones is classified as a Tricky type from his emblem in Marina Stadium.

Dry Bones was added as a playable character through the May 2019 online tournament.

Dr. Mario World

Dry Bones appear in Dr. Mario World as obtainable assistants. One is awarded in World 11 when the first area is cleared. In stage mode, they have a chance of increasing capsules by 3 when there are no more capsules left and no further moves could be made. The activation is checked again when it did not activate earlier but the condition is met again, but after the effect is activated it does not activate again in the stage. In versus mode, they have a chance in changing the next capsule into a rainbow capsule and can be activated more than once.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Dry Bones in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Dry Bones appear in Illumination's The Super Mario Bros. Movie, where Luigi runs from of a horde of them upon arriving in the Dark Lands.

When Bowser announces to his army his plan to marry Princess Peach, one Koopa Troopa asks what he would do if she said no. This leads Bowser to blast him with his fire breath, turning him into a Dry Bones. The same Dry Bones reappears later on at Bowser's wedding. He is last seen during the final fight at Brooklyn attacking Foreman Spike along with a few other minions, before being defeated by Mario and Luigi.

Other appearances

LEGO City Undercover

“I'm not sure that's even a real dinosaur...”

—Chase McCain, LEGO City Undercover

The LEGO brick built Dry Bones in LEGO City Undercover

In the Wii U and Nintendo Switch versions of LEGO City Undercover, the player can build a fossil of a Dry Bones in the Special Assignment, The Colossal Fossil Hustle. The player must unlock and select one of Rex Fury's variants over the robber or astronaut disguises. In the second half of the level, the player must switch to Rex and have him pull out the crate and build the pieces of the Dry Bones fossil, which gives out the Caveman Character Token. The 2017 remasters (except the Switch version in later versions) give out the token instead.

Minecraft

In Minecraft, there is a Super Mario Mash-up where Skeletons are reskinned as Dry Bones and Wither Skeletons as Dark Bones. In addition, Strays are reskinned as Dry Bones' blue color scheme as seen in the Mario Baseball games. Dry Bones also appears as a playable skin, though it is smaller than the Skeleton and its variants.

General information

Physical description and traits

Dry Bones's current appearance.

Dry Bones are undead Koopa Troopas with gray bones, dark gray shells, black eyes, yellow pupils, and pale blue shoes and gloves, the latter of which notably are not worn by their living counterparts. A Dry Bones' shell is similarly designed to that of a Koopa Troopa's, but it is gray and features black patterns in between each shell segment. Dry Bones' appearance has changed often, due to receiving changes between games and media, which range from minor changes such as increased or decreased vibrancy in colors, to major alterations such as having longer or shorter limbs, and appearing as a bipedal or quadrupedal creature; however, in the GameCube era, Dry Bones' standard appearance was finalized, as with many entities - in particular, Dry Bones received its standardized design in Mario Superstar Baseball. In Super Mario Bros. 3 and the DIC Entertainment Super Mario cartoons, Dry Bones appears as a quadruped, due to standing on all fours, and never standing upright. The DIC Super Mario cartoons give Dry Bones hollow eyes, shorter limbs, and longer necks. Additionally, the Super Mario Bros. style in Super Mario Maker uses a heavily modified Koopa Troopa sprite, with the lone differences being gray skin, black eyes, and blue pupils.

Super Mario World is the first game to give Dry Bones an upright stance, which would be used in a multitude of subsequent installments. However, Dry Bones' Super Mario World design comes with exclusive elements not present in other games, such as white pupils, a small set of teeth, and a physically larger stature than the Koopa Troopas. Later games resize Dry Bones so they are the same height and shape as a Koopa Troopa. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga once again depicts Dry Bones as a quadrupedal species; in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, the Dry Bones in Beanbean Kingdom retain their quadrupedal stature, though their Mushroom Kingdom relatives present in the Minion's Quest: The Search For Bowser side story are shown in an upright posture, thus suggesting that Dry Bones differ depending on the region. Both Super Mario Galaxy games depict Dry Bones as bipedal creatures who stand and move in hunched postures, a feature that is reused in Super Mario 3D Land and for Parabones in Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario Odyssey. In the Super Smash Bros. series, Dry Bones' trophy has a more realistic appearance than its species' main depiction. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Dry Bones' trophy has a more monotone appearance, as well as a darker color scheme and a detailed shell. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, its trophy has a more vibrant and cartoonish appearance, as well as much less detailing.

In the first three Paper Mario games, Dry Bones use their Super Mario World design, but with three tufts of hair, a feature that is only present in their Super Mario World artwork. Starting from Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Dry Bones use their design from the New Super Mario Bros. series, though they keep their previous shell design (albeit recolored) and lack of arm bones. Additionally, Paper Mario: Color Splash gives Dry Bones a pronounced paper outline.

In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Dry Bones have visible neck bones, their eye sockets are more expressive, and their pupils turn red (similar to Super Mario 3D Land) and fiery when angered or hostile.

Speech

Dry Bones did not have any voice acting or in-game text in the Family Computer (Nintendo Entertainment System in the West) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System games, both due to technical limitations and Nintendo's habit of having silent characters. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is the notable exception, which gives them a thought. Starting from the early 2000s, Dry Bones received voice acting, though it comprised of clustered bone "grunts" and "yells" provided by Nintendo sound manager and composer Toru Asakawa, who also does King Boo's voice. In contemporary games, Dry Bones receive text-based dialogue, while some games use "rattle" and "clickety-clack" sounds as speech with the translation in parentheses. Super Mario Party notably has Dry Bones' speech translated; however, unlike other games which do this, Dry Bones pauses some of its sentences with ellipses. As an earlier instance, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door had Dark Bones pause their sentences; however, Dark Bones spoke intelligibly, as opposed to having their speech translated in parenthesis.

Powers and abilities

LINE sticker of a Dry Bones falling apart.

Due to being undead, skeletal Koopa Troopas, Dry Bones are naturally immune to lava and all forms of fire. However, this trait is somewhat inconsistent. In the New Super Mario Bros. games, Dry Bones are unharmed by lava, but if its head is submerged in lava, it takes longer for it to reassemble itself; in New Super Mario Bros. U, Dry Bones are completely immune to lava. In the Super Mario RPGs, Dry Bones take extra or fatal damage from fire or explosions.

Dry Bones usually cannot be defeated permanently, since they always reattach their head to its body in a matter of seconds. This results in Dry Bones' defensive qualities in most Super Mario sports games, due to its small size and excellent survivability, while sacrificing a lot of power and offense. In the Mario & Luigi games, defense is Dry Bones' best stat, though Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars and the Paper Mario games take this trait further, with the former game giving Dry Bones infinite health, and the latter games having them respawn a few minutes after a battle. Sometimes, Dry Bones is also portrayed as a technique character. Dry Bones generally attack their foes by throwing bones at them, a trait that first appeared in Super Mario World. Mario Strikers Charged gives Dry Bones bizarre abilities such as teleportation and electrokinesis, which are used in his deke and Skill Shot respectively. In Mario Tennis Aces, the playable Dry Bones has been shown to be able to purposefully crumble istelf, fly its parts into the air, and reassemble midair, doing so during its Special Shot. Puzzles and Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition gives Dry Bones associations with fire and darkness.

Profiles and statistics

Main article: List of Dry Bones profiles and statistics

Paper Mario

Paper Mario enemy
Dry Bones
		Max HP	8	Attack	4	Defense	2
		Role	Common	Type	Ground	Level	30
		Strong	None	Weak	Fire (+10), Explosion (+10)	Moves	Bone Throw (4), Shake, Reassemble
		Sleep?	0%, 0	Dizzy?	0%, 0	Shock?	50%, 0 (normal); 0%, 0 (down)
		Shrink?	60%, 0 (normal); 0%, 0 (down)	Stop?	85%, -1 (normal); 0%, 0 (down)	Fright?	10%
		Air Lift?	75%	Hurricane?	70%	Coins	0 + 0-5
		Items	Super Shroom	Run	36	Location(s)	Bowser's Castle
Tattle	This is a Dry Bones. Dry Bones are skeletal remains from Koopa Troopas. Max HP: 8, Attack Power: 4, Defense Power: 2 Just when you think they're beat, these guys rise back up and attack again! You're going to have to beat them all at once. Or you could use fire attacks. If they become ashes, there's no way they'll recover.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Dry Bones
	Max HP	8	Attack	5	Defense	2
	Location(s)	Palace of Shadow, Pit of 100 Trials (Levels 62, 63, 67, 68)	Role	Support, common	Level	30
	Sleep?	0%	Dizzy?	30%	Confuse?	30%
	Tiny?	90%	Stop?	75%	Soft?	85%
	Burn?	100%	Freeze?	70%	Fright?	0%
	Gale Force?	70%	KO?	90%	Moves	Bone Throw (5), Multibone (3x3), Build (Summons Dry Bones), Shake (N/A), Get Up (+8HP)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	2 - 4	Items	Boo's Sheet (drop only), Dried Shroom (drop only), Fire Flower (drop only), Fright Mask (drop only), Honey Syrup (drop only), Ice Storm, Mushroom (drop only), Point Swap (drop only), POW Block (drop only), Spite Pouch, Super Shroom, Item Hog (drop only)
Tattle Log #: 22	Log	A skeleton Koopa that sometimes builds friends. Even after it collapses at 0 HP, it will sometimes get back up.
	Tattle	That's a Dry Bones. It's a former Koopa whose spirit animates its bones. Eeeeeek! That's so freaky! Max HP is 8, Attack is 5, and Defense is 2. When its HP goes down to 0, it collapses into a pile, but it'll eventually rise again. Fire and explosions will put a permanent end to it getting back up, though. A Dry Bones will sometimes build friends if it feels it's outnumbered. If you don't take them all out close together, they'll just keep coming back. Let's wipe them out all at once, and quick! These things totally freak me out!

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga enemy
Dry Bones (1)
	HP	8	POW	20	Defense	26
	Speed	16	Experience	6	Coins	2
	Location	Hoohoo Mountain	Jump	Normal	Hammer	Normal
	Hand	Normal	Fire	Normal	Thunder	Critical
	Stat down?	100%	Stun?	30%	Burn?	30%
	Level	6	Role	Common	Item drop	Mushroom – 32.26% Mushroom – 32.26%
Notice Stats in parentheses are from the Japanese version (if they differ from the original American and European stats). Stats in gray are only found in the game's coding and are not available during "normal" gameplay.

List of appearances

#	Title	Role	Release date	Format
1	Super Mario Bros. 3	Enemy	1988	Family Computer
2	Super Mario World	Enemy	1990	Super Famicom / Super Nintendo Entertainment System
3	Super Mario All-Stars	Enemy	1993	Super Famicom / Super Nintendo Entertainment System
4	Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World	Enemy	1994	Super Nintendo Entertainment System
5	Hotel Mario	Enemy	1994	Philips CD-i
6	Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars	Enemy and non-playable character in Monstro Town	1996	Super Famicom / Super Nintendo Entertainment System
7	Paper Mario	Enemy	2000	Nintendo 64
8	Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2	Enemy	2001	Game Boy Advance
9	Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga	Enemy	2003	Game Boy Advance
10	Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3	Enemy	2004	Game Boy Advance
11	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door	Enemy	2004	Nintendo GameCube
12	Mario Superstar Baseball	Playable character	2005	Nintendo GameCube
13	Super Princess Peach	Enemy	2005	Nintendo DS
14	Mario Party 7	Unlockable playable character	2005	Nintendo GameCube
15	Mario Kart DS	Unlockable playable character	2005	Nintendo DS
16	Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time	Enemy	2005	Nintendo DS
17	New Super Mario Bros.	Enemy	2006	Nintendo DS
18	Mario Hoops 3-on-3	Cameo	2006	Nintendo DS
19	Mario Party 8	Playable character	2007	Wii
20	Mario Strikers Charged	Playable character	2007	Wii
21	Super Paper Mario	Enemy	2007	Wii
22	Super Mario Galaxy	Enemy	2007	Wii
23	Mario Party DS	Boss	2007	Nintendo DS
24	Super Smash Bros. Brawl	Cameo	2008	Wii
25	Mario Kart Wii	Unlockable playable character	2008	Wii
26	Mario Super Sluggers	Playable character	2008	Wii
27	Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games	Rival	2009	Nintendo DS
28	Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games	Rival	2009	Wii
29	New Super Mario Bros. Wii	Enemy	2009	Wii
30	Super Mario Galaxy 2	Enemy	2010	Wii
31	Mario Sports Mix	Enemy	2011	Wii
32	Super Mario 3D Land	Enemy	2011	Nintendo 3DS
33	Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games	Rival	2011	Wii
34	Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games	Rival	2012	Nintendo 3DS
35	Mario Party 9	Enemy/mid-boss	2012	Wii
36	New Super Mario Bros. 2	Enemy	2012	Nintendo 3DS
37	Paper Mario: Sticker Star	Enemy	2012	Nintendo 3DS
38	New Super Mario Bros. U	Enemy	2012	Wii U
39	New Super Luigi U	Enemy	2013	Wii U
40	Mario & Luigi: Dream Team	Enemy	2013	Nintendo 3DS
41	Mario Party: Island Tour	Non-playable character	2013	Nintendo 3DS
42	Mario Kart 8	Stage hazard	2014	Wii U
43	Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS	Cameo	2014	Nintendo 3DS
44	Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition	Enemy/ally	2015	Nintendo 3DS
45	Super Mario Maker	Enemy	2015	Wii U
46	Skylanders: SuperChargers	Transforming assistant	2015	Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U
47	Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games	Playable character	2016	Nintendo 3DS
48	Minecraft: Wii U Edition	Enemy/playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up	2016	Wii U
49	Paper Mario: Color Splash	Enemy	2016	Wii U
50	Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS	Enemy	2016	Nintendo 3DS
51	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe	Playable character	2017	Nintendo Switch
52	Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition	Enemy/playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up	2017	Nintendo Switch
53	Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions	Enemy/ally	2017	Nintendo 3DS
54	Mario Party: The Top 100	Cameo	2017	Nintendo 3DS
55	Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition	Enemy/playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up	2018	New Nintendo 3DS
56	Minecraft: Bedrock Edition	Enemy/playable skin in the Super Mario Mash-up	2018	Nintendo Switch
57	Mario Tennis Aces	Rival/playable Character	2018	Nintendo Switch
58	Super Mario Party	Unlockable playable character	2018	Nintendo Switch
59	Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey	Enemy/ally	2018	Nintendo 3DS
60	New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe	Enemy	2019	Nintendo Switch
61	Super Mario Maker 2	Enemy	2019	Nintendo Switch
62	Mario Kart Tour	Playable character	2019	iOS, Android
63	Dr. Mario World	Assistant (update)	2020	iOS, Android
64	Paper Mario: The Origami King	Enemy	2020	Nintendo Switch
65	Super Mario Bros. Wonder	Enemy	2023	Nintendo Switch
66	Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch)	Enemy and non-playable character in Monstro Town	2023	Nintendo Switch

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Dry Bones.

• 

  Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

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  Paper Mario

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  Paper Mario: Sticker Star

• 

  My Nintendo

• 

  Mario Tennis Aces

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	カロン[?] Karon	Derived from「からから」(kara-kara, an ideophone for "bone-dry", and the onomatopoeia for light things clattering) and possibly the male name suffix -ron, and/or "bone". Charon has the same pronunciation, but "Karon" is the official romanization
Chinese (simplified)	碎碎龟[?] Suì Suì Guī	Fragmented Turtle
	枯骨怪 (prior to Mario Tennis Aces) Kūgǔ Guài	Dry Bone Monster
Chinese (traditional)	碎碎龜[?] Suì Suì Guī	Fragmented Turtle
Dutch	Dry Bones[?]	-
French (NOA)	Skelex[?]	From "skeleton" and the plural-forming suffix -x
	Dry Bones (2007–2008)[?]	-
French (NOE)	Skelerex (since Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga)[?]	From "skeleton"
	Ossec (early games)[?]	Portmanteau of os ("bone") and sec ("dry")
German	Knochentrocken[?]	"Dry as a Bone"
	Skelett-Koopa[?]	Skeleton Koopa
Italian	Tartosso[?]	Portmanteau of tartaruga ("turtle") and osso ("bone")
	Ossa Secche (The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3)[?]	Dry Bones
Korean	와르르[?] Wareureu	Onomatopoeia for the sound of many light and solid objects collapsing
Portuguese (NOA)	Quebra-ossos[?]	Bone Breaker
Portuguese (NOE)	Caveirinha[?]	Diminutive of caveira ("skull"), thus meaning "Little Skull"
Russian	Купа-скелет[?] Kupa-skelet	Skeleton Koopa
Spanish (NOA)	Huesitos[?]	Diminutive plural of hueso ("bone"), thus meaning "Little Bones"
	Dry Bones (2007–2008)[?]	-
Spanish (NOE)	Huesitos[?]	Diminutive plural of hueso ("bone"), thus meaning "Little Bones"