Goombella
- Not to be confused with Goombaria.
- “Omigosh! Is... Isn't that a treasure map?! You HAVE to tell me where you got that!”
- —Goombella, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Goombella is a very smart and sassy, but friendly, female Goomba from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. A second-year co-ed student studying archaeology at the University of Goom[1], she is the first companion to join Mario on his quest. She provides tattle information to Mario about his location or the character who stands in front of him all throughout the game. She wears a helmet with a light and a matching shirt with a red scarf, and also has a large ponytail. Unlike most Goomba, she is light pink in color. Goombella's name might be a portmanteau between "Goomba" and the female name "Bella", short for "Isabella". It may also be a reference to portabella mushrooms. Also, "bella" is an existing adjective in Spanish and Italian, meaning "beautiful" and "good appealing", respectively.
History
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
When Mario arrives at Rogueport at the beginning of the game, he sees a pink Goomba girl being attacked by Lord Crump and his minions. Mario helps her to defeat Lord Crump. She temporarily teaches Mario about the Action Commands. After defeating Lord Crump, he brings out his army to punish them, but they make their getaway to the plaza. Goombella, a second-year[1] student at the University of Goom, thanks Mario, kisses him, learns about the map he has, the princess had disappeared, and joins his party. She possesses very similar abilities to Goombario from the original Paper Mario, as they have almost identical moves in-battle and on the field.
Her Tattle ability gives the player mostly helpful information on places, people, enemies, etc. Like Goombario's summaries, Goombella inserts her own little opinions in her descriptions, some of which are humorous. For example, she shows signs of resentment upon reading the "underlings of underlings" comment her book says regarding Goombas, comments about being jealous of a Paragoomba's wings, and points out that it's nice to have access to a bathroom now and then (that's a field-only one, stated in the Glitz Pit's major league locker room, where the bathroom is always occupied). Also in the final chapter near the last two rooms, she stops helping because she can't think of anything else to say.
Goombella also has a tendency to break the fourth wall. For example, in Glitzville, she mentions how far Cheep-Cheeps have come since Super Mario Bros., and in Twilight Town she says that if there were not people like the gatekeeper in every town, games would be beaten too easily. At both times, she stops abruptly after she says the comment, seeming to point out that game characters know about the fourth wall, but are not supposed to talk about it.
At the end of the game, Goombella writes an e-mail to Mario, explaining what happened with herself and her friends. She starts to tell Mario something else, but then changes her mind and keeps her secret. Goombella becomes Professor Frankly's assistant at the end.
Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, Goombella appears as a Catch Card won by completing the Duel of 100 in Sammer's Kingdom. She also appears very briefly during the intro, where she and all the other partners from the previous Paper Mario titles can be seen in a photograph at the Mario Bros.' House.
Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Though she does not appear in the game, Goombella is mentioned in Paper Mario: Sticker Star when Mario searches the junk yard in Shy Guy Jungle before clearing it with a vacuum or goat thing. He can find a paper written by her. She has been researching the Chomp Ruins during the events of the game, but isn't seen in the ruins nor anywhere else in the game, presuming she had finished the research or left the paper behind. The paper says:
"Observations on the Ancient Civilization of the Chomp Ruins"
University of Goom
Goombella
Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Goombella appears as a Sticker and trophy.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Goombella returns as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Goombella's feet in her trophy have a different appearance than they do in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario, having yellow padding.
Personality
Goombella is shown to be loyal to Mario as well as having street smarts regarding Rogueport, as well as peppy. She also at times can be very sarcastic, as when encountering three Goombas in the sewers who gave her unwanted attention, she mentions that it's "so sweet" that they thought of her to the extent of "totally barfing" in an attempt at refusing them. Her dialogue in the English version indicates she is a valley girl.
Quotes
- Main article: List of Goombella quotes
- "You aren't going anywhere, Mr. Stinker!"
- "Hey! What do you want?!? Get away from me, freak!!!"
- "Never! I don't have anything to say to you creeps! Eww!"
- "N–No! Stop right there, you weirdos! I'll scream! Really!"
- "Like I'd go anywhere with smelly lunatics like you! Hmph! Not likely!"
- "Battle time, Mister Man! Just find a way to beat this freak of the week, OK? Don't sweat the details. Just jump on him and hit him with your hammer!"
- "Sweet! You KNOW that hurt! Wow, I gotta say, you're tougher than you look. Keep it up and you'll beat him in no time!"
- "You've got him on the ropes! C'mon! Keep whaling on him!"
- "You did it! You did it! YESSS! And you got Star Points!!!"
- "Yeah, I bet you know, but you get these things called Star Points when you win battles. When you get 100 points, you'll go up a level. Don't forget that, OK?"
- "Quick! This way!"
- "Phew! What a bunch of loons! Let's just sneak out of here, what do you say?"
- "Wow, Mister! You...totally saved me! Thanks! I have just GOT to give you a little reward!"
- "My name's Goombella. I'm a student at the University of Goom. Nice to meet ya!"
- "So, uh... Who are you?"
- "...Mario? Wait, you mean, like, that famous guy? Wow! I can't believe I met you here!"
Attacks and stats
| Attack | Flower Points Needed | Effect | To Attack | Goombella's Heart Points | Attack Power | Move Ranks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headbonk | 0 | Bonks single enemy, like Mario's Jump. | Press  right before landing.
|
Level 1: 10 Level 2: 20 Level 3: 30 |
Level 1: 1/2 (1+1) Level 2: 2/4 (2+2) Level 3: 3/6 (3+3) |
Initial |
| Tattle | 0 | Reveals enemy's description and stats, previously Tattled enemies have visible HP. Outside of battle, she can tell Mario about the people he meets and the places he visits. | Align the cursor with Goombella's target. | Level 1: 10 Level 2: 20 Level 3: 30 |
N/A | Initial |
| Multibonk | 3 | Much like Mario's Power Bounce, bonks an enemy multiple times until the player misses an Action Command. | Press each time before landing on an enemy.
|
Level 2: 20 Level 3: 30 |
Level 1: N/A Level 2: 2-1-1-etc. Level 3: 3-2-1-etc. |
Super Rank |
| Rally Wink | 4 | Gives Mario a second turn in battle. | Tap to the fill the gauge. When it reaches OK, tap the  . The player might have to press and after, watch the screen.
|
Level 3: 30 | N/A | Ultra Rank |
Profiles
In-game bio
"Goombella is a smart, if sassy, Goomba girl. She hopes to be an archaeologist one day. Press X to ask her about where you are or about enemies you meet in battle. She attacks with Headbonks."
Catch Card
Card Type: Rare
Card Description: It's Goombella from the last Paper Mario adventure. This extra-spunky university student knew it all.
How to Obtain the Card: The Duel of 100 in Sammer's Kingdom needs to be completed in order to obtain all Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door partner cards from King Sammer.
Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Trophy
| Name | Image | Game | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goombella | 
|
GCN Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | A female archaeology student at the University of Goom, Goombella can be recognized by her ponytail and pith helmet that features a light that aids her archeological aspirations. With her wealth of knowledge, Goombella serves as Mario's tour guide and assists throughout his adventures. |
Sticker
| Image | Artwork from | Effect in The Subspace Emissary |
|---|---|---|
|
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | [Throwing] - Attack +5 |
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U trophy
| Name | Image | Appearance(s) | American English Description | British English Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goombella | 
|
GCN Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (10/2004) | Goombella is a student of archaeology at the University of Goom, studying under Prof. Frankly. She's a super-bright gal and is a useful guide in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Despite being easily spooked by ghosts and spiders, she's doing her best to help in your adventure. | Goombella, an archaeology student at the University of Goom, is significantly smarter (and sassier) than your average Goomba. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, she'll gladly give Mario a bit of background info about pretty much anything they come across. She's the perfect guide...when she's not being startled by monsters and spiders. |
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | クリスチーヌ[?] Kurisuchīnu |
Portmanteau of Kuribō (クリボー), the Japanese equivalent of "Goomba", and the female name Christine. | |
| German | Gumbrina[?] | Portmanteau of Gumba, the German equivalent of "Goomba", and the female name Sabrina. | |
| Italian | Goombella[?] | Portmanteau of "Goomba" and Isabella. | |
| Korean | 굼벨라[?] Gumbella |
"Goombella". Transliteration of English name. | |
| Russian | Гумбелла[?] Gumbella |
"Goombella". Transliteration of English name. | |
| Spanish | Goomarina[?] | Portmanteau of "Goomba" and the female name Marina. |
Trivia
- Goombella makes a cameo in the Nintendo Monopoly board game in screenshots only.
- Even if she is Normal Rank when Mario fights Doopliss, Goombella can still use Multibonk, despite not learning it until she is at Super Rank.
- Goombella's Japanese name, クリスチーヌ, is used as one of the wrong answers in Chuck Quizmo's first question in the Japanese version of Paper Mario. Its English equivalent is "Goombette", a name later used for a female Goomba character in Super Mario Odyssey.
