Wiggler
- “Waaaa! You've flooded my house! Wh-Why?? Look at this mess! What am I going to do now? The ceiling's ruined, the floor is soaked...what to do, what to do? Huff...huff...it makes me so...MAD!!! Everything's been going wrong since I got this Star...It's so shiny, but it makes me feel...strange... ”
- —Wiggler, Super Mario 64
Wigglers (known in Japan as Hanachans) are enemies that look like caterpillars. They first appeared in Super Mario World, where if Mario, Luigi, or Yoshi jumped on it, the Wiggler would turn red and start running fast, as well as being able to move in the character's direction. Yoshi can eat them, and cape spin works too. It has a yellow color when it's calm, and wears a flower on its head. However, when it becomes angry its eyes become enraged, it loses its flower, and it becomes red. Later, it appeared in various other Mario games, including Super Mario 64, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and Super Mario 64 DS. In Super Mario Sunshine, there was one huge, green Wiggler.
In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, they metamorphed into Wiggler Flies, their giant butterfly/moth form.
Game Appearances
Super Mario World
Wigglers made their first appearance in Mario games in the Forest of Illusion. When hit Wiggler will get red and angry and start moving faster, aggressively chasing Mario and Luigi. Wigglers cannot be killed with standard Jumps. A Yoshi, a Star, or a Cape is required.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Wigglers appear as a common enemy in the Forest Maze. They crawl in and out of tree stumps during this area, and jumping on them in the overworld will strangely release Coins (and it will also make them move faster). Additionally, some Wigglers can be found sleeping in the Forest Maze's caves; jumping on some of these Wigglers will anger them, making them launch Mario up out of the caves. Finally, Wigglers are notable for having have six feet rather than eight in Super Mario RPG, while their artwork for that game depicts them with the traditional number of eight; even more confusingly, Dr. Topper asks a "How many feet do Wigglers have?" question in Bowser's Keep that includes answers such as "six" and "eight", and the correct one is the nontraditional six.
Mario Party 2
Either a Wiggler or a Wiggler Fly appears in the Western Land board in Mario Party 2. Her name is Hootenanny, the same name as the event she triggers. It is unknown whether she is a Wiggler or a Wiggler Fly, as only her head appears.
Super Mario 64
A Wiggler appears as a boss in Tiny-Huge Island. To reach Wiggler, Mario must go into Tiny Island and ground pound the pool above its house at the very top of the Island, then go into Huge Island and fit through a small gap that could not be reached in Tiny Island. Inside, the Wiggler is angry Mario has flooded his house. After a few ground pounds, the Wiggler becomes angry and storms around; after some more ground pounds, the Wiggler then shrinks and leaves a Power Star. In Super Mario 64 DS, this battle returned the same, although one effect was added: The Wiggler turned into his red "angry" form before his final hit in Super Mario 64 DS. Super Mario 64 DS also included a minigame known as Where's Wiggler? which prominently featured Wigglers.
Yoshi's Story
A Wiggler that is very different from the normal Wiggler (being a furry, green Wiggler) known as the Fuzzy Wiggler appears in Yoshi's Story. The Fuzzy Wiggler turns blue when stomped on, and once it is defeated by stomping on all of its segments it drops a Melon.
Game & Watch Gallery 4
A Wiggler is the first creature Luigi faces in the modern mode of Boxing.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Wiggler appears as a boss in Chucklehuck Woods in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Players fight him during the quest for the Chuckola Fruits. Strangely, this Wiggler's natural form seemed to be his enraged, red one, while his typically normal yellow one was used as a weak and sickly state.
Super Mario Sunshine
A Wiggler is a boss in this game in Episode 3 of Gelato Beach, after being knocked off his resting spot on a tower in Episode 2. He attacks by stomping angrily all over the level. To defeat him, Mario must spray a small Dune Bud growing in the sand. When he sprays it enough it will explode, and if the Wiggler is close it will flip him over. Mario must than Ground Pound on his soft underbelly. When he is hit twice, he gets the ability to climb the hill. It is interesting to note that, in Japan, this Wiggler was actually an individual, being known as Boss Hanachan (or Boss Wiggler).
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
A green bus that closely resembles Wiggler from Super Mario Sunshine, known as the Wiggler Train, appears as moving obstacle on the Mushroom Bridge and Mushroom City racing tracks.
Mario Power Tennis
Wiggler is an unlockable character in this game. He is a defensive type, like Waluigi. For his power shot, he turns red with anger and whacks the ball with brute strength. His defense power shot allows him to morph into a Wiggler Fly and fly. With his temporary wings, he flies to get the ball. It is interesting to note that, unlike in his other appearances, Wiggler's body is curved upwards and has two gloved hands, as he needs to be able to hold a tennis racket. This makes him more so resemble a Wiggler Fly.
Mario Kart DS
Wiggler appears as a boss in the unlockable seventh mission set. Players must race him on Mushroom Bridge, and each lap he gets faster. The first lap he is regular, the second lap he has steam rising from his head, and the third and final lap he is angry and red.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
A "Swiggler" appears as the first boss, a Shroob (alien) variant of the Wiggler. The Swiggler regularly drinks glasses of green goo that contain Vim (energy) drained from the Mushroom Kingdom's Toad population. The Swiggler attacks by extending tubes from its hind-gut which plug into Shroob saucers flying overhead, which use the Swiggler's supply of Vim to shoot beams of energy at Mario, Luigi, and their baby counterparts.
New Super Mario Bros.
Wiggler comes back to a side-scroller in 3D graphics. The only way to defeat him is to hit him with a Shell, Mega Mushroom, or a Starman. Also Squigglers are introduced here. World 7-2 is also notable for taking place on a giant Wiggler with twenty-nine body segments, including its head. The Which Wiggler? minigame from Super Mario 64 DS also reappeared.
Super Princess Peach
In Super Princess Peach, there's a Wiggler as a boss of World 4.
Super Mario Galaxy
Wigglers will appear in Super Mario Galaxy, hinting that they can live in space. Ground pounding near one would make it tip over. Since there appears to be more than 1, this may be the only 3-D game in which a Wiggler is not a boss.
Appearances in Other Media
Wigglers, though referred to as "Caterpillars", appeared throughout several episodes of the Super Mario World animated series; oddly, in the Super Mario World cartoon, Wigglers were portrayed as being constantly angry and possessing large fangs.
A Caterpillar first appeared in "Ghosts 'R' Us" where Yoshi, while traveling with Oogtar the Caveboy through the Enchanted Forest, is attacked by a hungry Caterpillar. After running from this Caterpillar, Yoshi manages to defeat by, after gaining a pair of Magic Wings, slurping it up.
In "Born to Ride", Yoshi, while running away from Dome City, encounters an angry Caterpillar, whom he easily devours.
Caterpillars were featured prominently in the episode "Party Line", which had a swarm of Caterpillars attacking Dome City while all the cave people were busy gossiping away on their new telephones. Chasing Mario and Luigi up a large tree, this swarm of Caterpillars begins trying to reach them and devour them. A Caterpillar, managing to bite Mario's leg, sends him rocketing through the air, hitting a ? Block, which releases a Starman that Luigi grabs. With his new strength, Luigi tosses all the ferocious Caterpillars into the tree, which he uses as a catapult to launch the Caterpillars into space and onto a meteor. This group of Wigglers is seen near the end of "Party Line", where they look on as the T-Rex, who had been tossed into space by a Starman powered Mario, soars by.
In "Mama Luigi", another swarm of Caterpillars appear to attack Luigi and the recently hatched Yoshi. Luckily, these Caterpillars are easily defeated by Yoshi, who gobbles them up with help from his tongue.
In the Super Mario Adventures comic, Mario and Luigi accidentally disturb a Wiggler shortly after being scared away by Yoshi. This Wiggler, angered at Mario for jumping on it, starts to chase him and Luigi, only to attacked and eaten by Yoshi before it can attack Mario or Luigi.
Later on in Super Mario Adventures, a Wiggler is seen among the attendees to Bowser's wedding to a hypnotized Princess Toadstool.
Finally, Wigglers were referenced in the Super Mario Bros. motion picture, which featured a taxi cab company known as "Wiggler".
Notable Wigglers
Sub-Species
Trivia
- In the mini-game Cardiators from Mario Party 8, Wiggler appears as a card enemy and does 8 damage.
- Wigglers first started as common enemies, but now they are even very common bosses.
