Whomp

Whomp
	; Artwork of a Whomp from Super Mario Party
First appearance	Super Mario 64 (1996)
Latest appearance	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Booster Course Pass, Wave 3) (2022)
Variant of	Thwomp
Variants
	Big Whomp; Whimp
Derived subjects
	Stairface Ogre
Comparable
	Old Red-Mug; Wallop
Notable members
	Whomp King

Not to be confused with Thwomp.

"Small Whomp" redirects here. For the miniature version of this enemy, see Whimp.

“Would you like to take this path I'm blocking?”

—Whomp, Mario Party 2

Whomps are a species related to Thwomps that debuted in Super Mario 64. They are large enemies that resemble rectangular stone slabs with snaggletoothed faces, simple hands and arms, and legless feet. They are commonly seen as minions of Bowser and the Whomp King, though some Whomps in the Mario Party series are shown to be independent. They attempt to crush Mario by falling over and trying to land on top of him when he gets near. They can be defeated by Mario causing them to fall over and subsequently ground-pounding on their sole weak spot, their back, which is marked by a cracked area with either a bandage or a ground-pound switch symbol, depending on the game. In their initial appearance, the two enemy types share the same voice clip. In later games, Whomps are given a unique voice.

They are inspired by the Japanese mythological creature known as the nurikabe.^[1] The nurikabe is a sentient wall that blocks the way of travelers, which Whomps do as well in the Mario Party series, on boards such as DK's Jungle Adventure, and King Boo's Haunted Hideaway.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS

A Whomp's design for Super Mario 64, also used for Mario Party 3

Whomps, also named Whomp Lieutenants,^[2] Slab Beasts^[3] or Small Whomps,^[4] appear in Super Mario 64 as enemies only in Whomp's Fortress alongside their leader, the Whomp King, and one appearing midway through Bowser in the Sky. A trick allows Mario to pass through one and get on its back if he jumps while one is falling. When a Whomp is defeated, Mario is rewarded with five coins. Before Whomps are defeated, jumping on their backs repeatedly gives him five more coins, for a total of ten.

In Super Mario 64 DS, Whomps received slight alterations to their appearance, with their rocky texture being a bit smoother, their bodies being rougher and rounder along the edges, and their hands being gray and rectangular instead of purple and spherical. Additionally, it is no longer possible to jump through them as they fall. Finally, besides Pounding the Ground, it is now possible to defeat them with a mushroom.

New Super Mario Bros.

A Whomp in New Super Mario Bros.

Three Whomps appear in New Super Mario Bros., using the same model as in Super Mario 64 DS. They are exclusively found in the castle of World 3. Whomps in this game behave similarly to their Super Mario 64 counterpart, again trying to crush Mario if he attempts to pass by them; however, instead of walking around, they simply stand still in the background, waiting for the player to approach. Once on the floor, Mario can Ground Pound the Whomp's back to destroy it and it drops four coins. They can also be used as platforms to cross harmful parts of the environment, like spikes. A specific Whomp can also be used to help Mario collect a Star Coin. There is also one particular Whomp, known as the Big Whomp, who behaves differently from the others, being slightly larger and walking instead of staying in the background. However, the official strategy guide doesn't make any distinction between this particular Whomp and its brethren. Due to where this Big Whomp is placed, it cannot actually move and simply appears to aimlessly turn back and forth on the spot.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

A Whomp in Super Mario Galaxy 2

Despite not appearing in the first game, Whomps appear in Super Mario Galaxy 2, with many of their physical features changed. The Whomps' body features are more rectangular, their textures much more smooth, and their eyes no longer unfocused. Their characteristic bandages are no longer present; instead, Whomps now bear the Ground Pound symbol on their back. Additionally, they can instantly kill Mario upon crushing him in this game, unlike in their past appearances. The area in which to Ground Pound them is now limited to the small Ground Pound symbol on their back, instead of the whole back. Mario can also Wall Jump on them, which can be used to get certain high-floating objects, such as a Comet Medal and a Green Star. Upon spotting Mario, they will immediately stop patrolling their route and pursue him at a faster pace before stopping, shaking in place, and slamming down on him similar to Super Mario 64. Whomps also use their grunting voice line from newer titles when slamming down.

The Whomp King also makes a return as the boss of the Throwback Galaxy. The Whomp King himself does not appear directly at the top of the fortress, instead it is a regular Whomp. This Whomp is a stand-in for the Whomp King, who appears in person on the underside of the stage after the defeat of the generic Whomp. It is also the only Whomp that appears in the galaxy. The Whomp King has also gained the ability to call in Whimps, who make their debut appearance in this game.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

A Whomp and a Big Whomp in New Super Mario Bros. 2

Whomps once again appear in New Super Mario Bros. 2, alongside Big Whomps. They act just like they did in the first New Super Mario Bros. game. Regular Whomps are now seen walking back and forth sometimes, and some Big Whomps are seen in the background. Regular Whomps only leave behind one coin when defeated in this game, while Big Whomps leave three. They are only found in World Mushroom-Castle and World Star-3.

Mario Party series

Mario Party

In Mario Party, three Whomps appear in DK's Jungle Adventure. They are guarding the junctions, and players who wish to take the path that a Whomp is blocking must first pay it 10 Coins. Players that choose to take the path that the Whomp is not guarding causes the Whomp to start blocking that pathway instead.

Mario Party 2

In Mario Party 2, Whomps appear in Horror Land and Space Land. In Horror Land, they keep their role from Mario Party, but overnight they are paralyzed by magic and cannot move; this forces players to take the open path. In Space Land, they pursue players instead of Thwomps if Snifit Patrol is out. Whomps also are in the minigame Day at the Races. A Whomp with no legs and arms also appears in Mystery Land. When the last five turns of a board begin, if Mario is participating, a Whomp can appear as one of the predictors of the Super Star. It will always choose him if it appears.

Mario Party 3

Whomps appear in Mario Party 3. In Duel Mode, they are Donkey Kong's initial partner. They have four health, but no attack power. Their salary is 3 coins per turn. If the player receives a second Whomp as a partner while one is still active, the Millennium Star decreases their salaries by one instead of raising their attack (as is typical of other partners). They also appear on the board Creepy Cavern. On this board, the primary Whomp is the Whomp King, who is blocking one of the two paths at an intersection; giving him an item allows the player to move on while the Whomp King blocks the other path. There are also three Whomps right next to him, who appear to be playing an actual Mario Party board game. The game itself appears to be based on Rules Land from Mario Party 2.

Mario Party 4

In Mario Party 4, a Whomp hosts the Extra Room, a room filled with challenging minigames. They also appear acting like dominos in the minigame Domination.

Mario Party 5

In Mario Party 5, Whomps and other characters appear in the background of Random Ride. They also appear in the background of many other minigames. On the Pirate Dream board, they allow players to use a ladder as a shortcut for 10 coins.

Mario Party 6

In Mario Party 6, a Whomp blocks a path in front of an Orb Shop in the board Snowflake Lake, and charges 10 coins for players to pass. Going this way takes the player to the right side of the frozen pond. A Whomp also appears in the board Faire Square who blocks a path at the center of the board, and charges 10 coins for players to pass. They also appear in Tricky Tires as obstacles.

Mario Party Advance

A Whomp in the "On the Spot" minigame in Mario Party Advance.

“I don't got much to say, so let's duel!”

—Whomp, Mario Party Advance

In Mario Party Advance, Whomp appears in Shroom City as a duelist. According to his description, he is considered to be a "power" duelist, having strength that even surpasses Mouser's. He is one of the three duelists of Duel Tower, and is found on the first floor. After the player speaks briefly to Mouser, Whomp leaps down and gives the duelist greeting before briefly explaining that the player can advance to the next floor if they win. He then initiates the duel, which is Stair Scare. Once the player wins, Whomp admits that he did not expect them to be so strong, but still lets them continue on before saying that he needs to continue training. The ending credits state that he's since become friends with Thwomp and moved into his house.

Whomps also appear in some minigames, such as On the Spot and Outta My Way.

Mario Party 7

In Mario Party 7, Whomps use their design from Super Mario 64 DS. A Whomp blocks the path leading to the Bowser Sphinx on Pyramid Park, charging players a 10 coin fee to let them pass. They also appear in a few minigames such as Sphere Factor and Spin Off; in the former they are obstructions, and in the latter they are one of the possible pictures to be formed.

Mario Party 8

In Mario Party 8, Whomps have the same function as Mario Party, and are found in King Boo's Haunted Hideaway. One Whomp also appears in the minigame Moped Mayhem and Specter Inspector. In the Prima Games guide of Mario Party 8, the author mistakenly refers to Whomp as a Thwomp.^{[citation needed]}

Mario Party DS

In Mario Party DS, Whomps appear in several minigames, like Whomp-a-thon, Plush Crush (as a plush) and Toppling Terror.

Mario Party 9

Whomp is one of the bosses in Mario Party 9

A Whomp appears as one of the bosses in Mario Party 9, alongside King Bob-omb as the boss of the board Bob-omb Factory. It is the mid boss of the level, and the minigame it is fought in is Whomp Stomp.

Mario Party: Island Tour

In Mario Party: Island Tour, a Whomp appears at the end of the Perilous Palace Path board, acting as the final challenge. The player rolls a die to try to deplete its health. However, if the player does not fully deplete his health, it squishes them and the player is not able to finish. If the player does manage to defeat it, they automatically win the board. A Whomp also appears in the minigame Ka-Goomba! after some time. When it appears, the player must shoot its back to defeat it. After it is defeated, the minigame ends. This is the first game to feature Whomps' current design.

Mario Party 10

In Mario Party 10, a Whomp blocks the way in front of the middle castle during Bowser Party. Characters need to hit the Whomp a total of six times in order to defeat it; the number of hits is decided by a dice roll. After the players defeat the Whomp, they can continue.

Mario Party: The Top 100

Whomps reappear in Mario Party: The Top 100 in the minigame Sphere Factor from Mario Party 7, serving the same roles as they did in the original.

Super Mario Party

Whomps appear in Super Mario Party as non-playable characters on the Whomp's Domino Ruins board, periodically moving around the stage and blocking off certain paths. Players must pay a coin toll in order to make them move. Whomps can also appear as obstacles in Follow the Money, and one can also appear alongside a Thwomp and a Sumo Bro in Rattle and Hmmm. When speaking to Bowser and Bowser Jr. they have special dialogue for them.

Mario Golf series

A Whomp in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

Whomps make two physical appearances in the Mario Golf series. In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Whomps appear in Hole 16 and 17 of Bowser Badlands, where if they squish the golf ball, the player is given a penalty stroke. Whomps behave identically to Thwomps, except Whomps disappear after falling. In Mario Golf: Super Rush, Whomps are an obstacle in Battle Golf and the Bowser Highlands course, serving as barriers for both balls and players.

In Mario Golf: World Tour, Whomp is one of the names that can be seen on the tournament scoreboard.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

An early screenshot of a Whomp, in Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Whomps make their Paper Mario debut in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Originally, Whomps were going to appear as regular enemies, but in the final product only one Whomp appears, during the second phase of the final battle with Bowser. During this portion of the battle, the Whomp defends Bowser from any attacks (including those that hit multiple enemies). It attacks by walking up to Mario and either swinging its arms at him or slamming down on top of him; whenever Bowser attacks it moves aside, briefly exposing then covering the scissors image on its back. The Whomp only takes one HP of damage for every attack, but is toppled whenever an Eekhammer is used on it, allowing it to be temporarily damaged normally (using any other kind of hammer causes it to stumble, but recover). This is the only game where Whomps can be defeated without ground-pounding on them, not counting in the Mario Party series, and when the player is invincible.

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Papercraft Whomps appear in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam in the Papercraft Fire Mario segment. They attack like normal Whomps, by slamming down on top of Papercraft Fire Mario. The bandages on their back are their weak spot.

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

A piece of dialogue in the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey claims that some blorbed Goombas have knocked several of them down.^[5]

Mario Tennis Aces

A Whomp in Mario Tennis Aces

In Mario Tennis Aces, a Whomp is fought in the mission Defeat Bowser's Minions! at the Castle Gates during Adventure mode. The enemy is encountered during the third phase of the mission and Mario has to damage it by knocking Bullet Bills and Mechakoopas at it using his tennis racket. However, the Whomp attempts to sidestep Mario's shots.

Dr Mario World

A single Whomp appears in the background of World 11 in Dr. Mario World after the world is cleared.

The Whomp King appears as an assistant that can be obtained as a reward in versus mode in at least Tier 9.

Mario Kart series

Whomps in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Whomps made their Mario Kart series debut in Mario Kart Tour as obstacles filling the gaps of the Berlin Wall section of Berlin Byways and in Plaza Mayor in Madrid Drive 3R. They fall on the track as racers drive by, flattening any racer caught under them but providing Jump Boosts to those that drive on top of them as they lie down. When lying down, Whomps are invulnerable; otherwise, they can be taken out for bonus points by hitting them with a Spiny Shell, Bowser's Shell, Super Horn, Giga Bob-omb or a Super Bell, or by driving into them while under the effects of Frenzy mode, a Super Star, a Mega Mushroom, or a Bullet Bill. Notably, this is the first time since Mario Party: Island Tour in which the redesigned Whomps' expressions become more aggressive-looking before they fall down.

Berlin Byways returns in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in the Booster Course Pass, bringing Whomps back with it. They are once again filling in gaps of the Berlin Wall, and function the same as they do in Mario Kart Tour. They can still be used for Jump Boosts.

General information

Physical appearance

Whomps are somewhat similar to Thwomps, resembling faced stone slabs. They have arms and legs, and in their debut, Super Mario 64, their hands are purple ball-shaped. In its remake and later games, their hands are bare and mitten-like. Like Thwomps, they have red eyes, though Whomps' appear to be glowing over black sclera.

Their faces seem to be distorted or disfigured, and their faces seem to be more deeply carved and also more three-dimensional, as opposed to the Thwomps' flat faces. In most titles, Whomps have adhesive bandages in an "X" shape on their backs, but in Super Mario Galaxy 2, they have a carved circle with the Ground Pound symbol on it. Whomps also usually appear with five fairly loose teeth.

In their early appearances, Whomps bore a somewhat narrow shape. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, their bodies became wider overall, but this has been reverted since Mario Party: Island Tour. Their design has gotten increasingly more crude in how it appears to be chiseled.

Speech

Whomps make low grunting sounds in the majority of their appearances, varying in tone depending on what they are feeling. In the Mario Party series, Whomps are given text dialogue; starting with Mario Party 4, their speech is "gangster"-style. However, in Mario Party Superstars, their words are spoken by Toad or the narration.