Worm (Super Mario Galaxy)
| Worm | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot from Super Mario Galaxy | |
| Species | Caterpillar |
| First appearance | Super Mario Galaxy (2007) |
| Latest appearance | Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020) |
The worm[1] is a giant caterpillar from Super Mario Galaxy. It is harmless and has its own gravitational pull, allowing Mario (or Luigi) to walk along its body as if it was a planetoid. It lives in Gusty Garden Galaxy, where it can be found inside one of the three apple-shaped planets during The Dirty Tricks of Major Burrows. Each apple has at least one stump on its surface that disturbs the worm once ground-pounded, causing it to tunnel into the next nearest apple. This forms a permanent bridge between these planets that ultimately connects all three apples. Striking the stump in the final, red-colored apple causes the worm to poke its head out of the surface, allowing Mario to reach a nearby Launch Star. The worm does not appear anywhere else in the game. The spots on its body suggest it may be related to Wigglers.
The character is likely based on the culturally ubiquitous trope of the "worm in an apple,"[2] itself potentially influenced by the apple-eating larvae of widespread pest insects such as Cydia pomonella, Grapholita lobarzewskii, and Rhagoletis pomonella. A similar character from Donkey Kong 64 is also derived from this trope.
Gallery
Screenshot from Super Mario Galaxy
Screenshot from Super Mario Galaxy
Additional names
Internal names
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Galaxy | StageData/ObjNameTable.arc/ObjNameTable.tbl | GreenCaterpillarBig | Big Green Caterpillar |
| Super Mario Galaxy | StageData/ObjNameTable.arc/ObjNameTable.tbl | 虫食い惑星オオムイムイ (Mushikui Wakusei Ōmuimui) | Planet-Eating Bug, Big Muimui |
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ムイムイ[3] Muimui |
A Kansai dialect slang term equivalent to「虫」(mushi, worm or larval insect) | |
| German | Muimui[4] | Romanization of the Japanese name | |
| Italian | Millepiedi[5] | Millipede |
References
- ^ Black, Fletcher. Super Mario Galaxy: PRIMA Official Game Guide. Collector's Edition, Roseville, Prima Games, 2007, pp. 35, 172.
- ^ "Worm in an Apple." TV Tropes. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (Ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors.「スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック」[Japanese source]. Tokyo, Shogakukan, 2015. p. 126.
- ^ ---. Super Mario Encyclopedia - Die ersten 30 Jahre [German source]. Deutsche Ausgabe, Hamburg, Tokyopop, 2017, p. 126.
- ^ ---. Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia: La guida ufficiale Nintendo [Italian source]. Edizione italiana, Milano, Salani, 2018, p. 126.
