Whacka
| Whacka | |
|---|---|
 A Whacka from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | |
| First appearance | Paper Mario (2000) |
| Latest appearance | Super Paper Mario (2007) |
- “Whack-OOOWWWWWWW!!! Don't hit me!”
- —Whacka, Paper Mario
Whackas are rare, blue mole-like creatures that first appeared in the Paper Mario series. Their name and appearance are derived from the popular arcade game "Whac-A-Mole." Attacking them in any way makes a Whacka Bump appear. However, if they are attacked eight times, they run away, releasing a few coins.
They are some of the few original Paper Mario series characters to reappear in other Mario games, along with Tweesters, Koopatrols, the Star Spirits, and the Goomba King.
History
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario
Whackas first appear in Paper Mario where only one lives on the west side of Mt. Rugged. Due to the Whacka's only appearance in the game, Russ T. attributes their rarity to the hunting of their bumps. At one point, the Whacka on Mt. Rugged sends Parakarry a letter stating he one day dreams of flying. Whacka is one of the few friendly characters that get hurt when hit in Paper Mario.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Whackas reappear in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door near the shore of Keelhaul Key, behaving alike as their incarnation in Paper Mario. According to Wonky, there is only one Whacka left in the world, which confirms Russ T.'s rarity of them.
Super Paper Mario
Whackas reappear in Super Paper Mario near Downtown of Crag, also behaving identically as their earlier incarnations. When the Whacka disappears in Super Paper Mario, a female Cragnon named Norite appears where Whacka once popped out, who claims that the Whacka was her friend. The Whacka also appears as a Catch Card that can be obtained by collecting 300 shop points. There is also a Sammer Guy by the name of Wrath of Whacka in the game, who says he hopes to avenge the smitten Whackas of the dimensions.
Mario Party 6
Whackas make a cameo in Mario Party 6 on the Snowflake Lake board, where they can be seen popping up out of the snow.
Tattle
- "He's a Whacka. When you hit Whackas, they get Bumps that fall off. I heard that they're yummy. You know, I'm not normally into hitting Whackas, but once I heard of their tasty Bumps... I got the urge to whack' em!"
- "That's a rare Whacka. I don't think you see many of his kind anymore, nope. If you whack a Whacka, they drop a Whacka Bump. Those are supposed to be delicious. They fetch a high price in gourmet auctions, too. Yup, super-precious delicacies. Still, whacking a defenseless creature to get one... You'd never do that, right, Mario?"
- "That’s Whacka... It’s very rare to see one... It’s delicate and easily harmed... Don’t hit it or stomp on it..."
Catch Card
- Card Type: Special
- Card Description: This odd guy sprouts pastries when whacked on the head. Sadly, his kind is on the verge of extinction. Please headwhack in moderation.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | コブロン[?] Koburon |
From「瘤」(kobu, bump) or possibly "cob", and the name ending "-ron" | |
| Chinese | 哇咔鼹鼠[?] Wākā Yǎnshǔ |
Whacka Mole | |
| German | Whacka[?] | - | |
| Italian | Whacka[?] | - | |
| Korean | 혹혹이[?] Hokhok-i |
Reduplication of "혹" (hok, bump) + Korean diminutive suffix "이" (-i) | |
| Spanish | Guaka[?] | Whacka |
Trivia
- Whacka has an unused entry in the enemy list of Paper Mario, in addition to an unused tattle: "This is a Whacka. That Bump on his head looks like a donut hole. / You probably shouldn't have hit him so much. He looks a little peeved." This implies that at one point, Whacka was intended to be a fightable enemy, only occurring after he is hit too many times.
- Although the description of the Whacka Catch Card in the English version of Super Paper Mario states that Whacka "sprouts pastries" when whacked, any reference to "pastries" is absent from the Japanese version of Super Paper Mario, where the bump is referred to as a bump.
