? Block

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File:QuestionBlock NSMB.jpg
An Item Block.

The Question Block (also known as the Mystery Block in Super Mario Land and the Prize Block in Super Mario World) is one of the many blocks found in the Mario universe, and one of the most common. Question Blocks are usually seen floating in midair, often containing Gold Coins, Super Mushrooms, or Fire Flowers. In some games (for example Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, as well as several classic platformers) there are some invisible Item Blocks. Super Mario Bros. 3, the game shows different ways to hit the block other than simply punching it from below. One example is when Mario or Luigi use the Tanooki Suit, the Mario bros. can use their tails to whack the Question Block. Another example is by using the Koopa Shell, when Mario or Luigi kick the Koopa Shell to the Item Block; the Item Block will pop out containing a Coin or an item. In New Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a Ground Pound may also be used.

Much mystery enshrouds the Question Blocks, and little detail has been given about their origin. Super Mario Bros., however, gave the explanation that Bowser, using the Koopa Clan's famous dark magic, had cursed the Mushroom Kingdom, turning its citizens (presumably the Toads) into a variety of objects, including bricks (which the Item Blocks could alternately be thought of as). The game's manual later talked about how Mario could "come across Mushroom People who had been turned into bricks" and receive items from them. Although this is the only official history origin of the Item Blocks, it would appear to have been long retconned out of official Mario games, with Question Blocks now seemingly being a natural feature of the Mushroom Kingdom. Item Blocks are not to be confused with Exclamation Mark Blocks, which are similarly floating blocks.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros. was the Question Block's debut appearance in the Mario series, along with a handful of other items. They appeared to be flashing and they gave Mario either coins or items that can help Mario. They are very common, since they are sometimes needed to complete a level or help Mario in a tough situation. Some blocks are hidden and can be only seen when Mario happens to hit them.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

These blocks reappeared in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels with the exact same appearance and function. Because of that, no changes has been made to these blocks.

Super Mario Bros. 3

Question blocks had a slightly different design change; they were no longer flashing and the ? marks on the blocks seem to be moving in the game, Super Mario Bros. 3. They still cough up coins and other items that can help Mario when hit upon.

Super Mario World

The Prize Blocks of Super Mario World had eyes and seemed to be reanimations of that game's Turning Blocks. They also gave Turning Block-like angry eyes when hit; these expressions-when-hit are often seen even in non-eyed Question Blocks today, making the Prize Block a possible relative of the Turning Block. Otherwise, no function-related changes has been made, but some blocks can release sprouts into the air, making it available for climbing.

Super Mario Land

Question Blocks could be found once again in Super Mario Land. Here, they serve the exact same purpose and function as the previous games they appeared in.

Super Mario 64 DS

In Super Mario 64 DS, red Question Blocks replace the red, blue, and green ! Blocks. They are initially transparent, and had to be activated by hitting the ? Switch. They contain either Power Flowers, Feathers or Bob-ombs, depending on character and hat status.

New Super Mario Bros.

A ? Block from New Super Mario Bros.
A Question Block from New Super Mario Bros.

In New Super Mario Bros., red flying Question Blocks fly around the world map, moving to different levels every time Mario or Luigi die or complete a level. Five items can be inside: a Fire Flower, 1-Up Mushroom, Mini Mushroom, Mega Mushroom, or a Blue Shell. Also in two Ghost Houses, Question Blocks that contain Boos appear. The original yellow Question Blocks also appear and the vine sprouting blocks make an appearance again. The game also features rare red blocks with spikes on the top, which rotate 1 side at a time. Mario must be careful to hit the block only on a spikeless side.

Super Mario Galaxy

? Block
A Question Block in Super Mario Galaxy.

In Super Mario Galaxy, Question blocks contained Star Bits and coins, and could usually be hit multiple times before vanishing. If the player manages to hit a Question Block with star bits enough times, it would, as aforementioned, vanish, though when it does a multitude of star bits will scatter across the stage.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

The Question blocks make a return in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Here, they have the exact function and appearance as in New Super Mario Bros. but some behave differently from the average Item block. In some levels, for example, some blocks tend to sway left and right along with other objects such as brick blocks and coins. Others lay in the water in some levels, where it is easier to ground pound them.

Paper Mario Series

In the Paper Mario series, Red Question Blocks contain badges and yellow ones contain coins or items. Question Blocks are sometimes invisible at first. They are turned visible by jumping into them (or using Watt in Paper Mario). Once they're visible, they can also be used as stepping stones.

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door during Bowser's event, Meat will come out of the Question blocks. If the player obtains four of these Meats, Bowser will grow huge, allowing him to smash through objects.

Mario Kart Series

In the Mario Kart series, from Mario Kart 64 and onwards, similar item blocks, called Item Boxes are found on every track. However, they are usually not flying up in the air but they are floating on the ground and they are usually semi-transparent and reappear when they get hit.

In Mario Kart Wii, on the track Coconut Mall, there is shop that is selling Question Blocks along with other classic Mario items. In the track Grumble Volcano, there are giant Question Blocks on some of the sinking mountains, along with regular Brick Blocks.

Super Smash Bros. Series

Question Blocks make an appearance as objects in the latter two games in the Super Smash Bros. series. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Question Blocks appeared on the Mushroom Kingdom stage and could contain items if attacked or simply smashed from below. They also appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl in the Mushroomy Kingdom stage, with the same purpose.

Mario & Luigi Series

Question Blocks were one of many types of block to appear in the Mario & Luigi series. They can give Mario and Luigi coins or items that can help them, similar to the series the blocks normally appear in. One hit on, they turn brown and they won't offer any more items. If Mario and Luigi happens to have 99 of the item found in the block, the item will remain in the block.

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, there is a room in the Woohoo Hooniversity which is designed to study different kinds of Question Blocks. The blocks found in this room are from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, Paper Mario and Super Mario 64.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story featured a character named Broque Monsieur, who appears to be made from Question Blocks. Some other characters also appeared to be made from blocks.

Gallery

Trivia


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Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
Playable characters Mario • Yoshib • Luigic • Warioc • Red Yoshic • Blue Yoshic • Yellow Yoshic
Forms Wing Mario • Metal Mario/Metal Wario • Vanish Mario/Vanish Luigi • Fire Powerc • Balloon Marioc • Mega Marioc
Non-playable characters Lakitu Bros. • Princess Peach • Toad • Toads • Bob-omb Buddies • Koopa the Quick • Hoot • Penguins • Baby Penguins • Mother Penguin • Big Penguin • Snowman • Rabbits • MIPSa • Glowing rabbitsc • Dorrie • Ukkikis
Enemies Amp • Bob-omb • Boo • Bookend • Bub • Bubba • Bullet Bill • Bully • Chain Chomp • Chair • Chuckya • Clam shell • Flame thrower • Fly Guy • Fwoosh • Goomba • Goombette • Grand Goomba • Grindel • Heave-Ho • Klepto • Koopa Troopa • Lakitu • Mad Piano • Manta Ray • Money Bags • Monty Mole • Moving Bar • Mr. Blizzard • Mr. I. • Piranha Flower • Piranha Plant • Pokey • Scuttle Bug • Skeeter • Small Koopa Troopa • Small Piranha • Snufit • Sparky • Spindel • Spindrift • Spiny • Spiny bomb • Sushi • Swoop • Thwomp • Tox Box • Unagi • Unshelled Koopa • Whomp
Obstacles Blaster • Casket • Cold water • Current • Endless stairs • Falling pillar • Fire bar • Fireball • Flamethrower • Hidden smasher • Ice block • Iron ball • Lava • Moving sand • Pendulum • Pit • Quicksand • Rolling rock • Slide Box • Spiked orb • Strange toxic cloud • Tornado • Water bomb • Water tide • Whirlpool • Wind
Bosses Big Bob-omb • Whomp King • Bowser • Big Boo • Big Mr. I. • Big Bully • Eyerok • Chill Bully • Wiggler • Goombossc • King Booc • Chief Chillyc
Items and power-ups 1-UP Mushroom • Blue Coin • Bubble • Crate • Crazed Crate • Jumbo Star • Key • Koopa Shell • Luigi Keyc • Luigi's capc • Mario's cap • Mario's Keyc • Metal Capa • Mushroomc • Power Flowerc • Power Star • Red Coin • Silver Starc • Spinning Heart • Vanish Capa • Wario Keyc • Wario's capc • Wing Capa • Wingsc • Yellow Coin • Yoshi Eggc
Objects ★ door • Arrow Lift • Arrow Sign • Big Star Door • Block • Blue Coin Block • Brick pillar • Bubble ring • Butterfly • Cannon • Cap Block • Cap Switch • Cloud House • Conveyor belt • Crystal Tap • Falling Block • Flipping block • Gondola • Key Door • Lift • Log • Magic carpet • Mushroom • Paddle wheel • Painting • Pole • Purple Switch • Pyramid platform • Rainbow Cruiser • Rotating bar • Secret • Seesaw • Semi-visible block • Shrinker Pipe • Sign • Square • Stake • Star Marker • Star Spherec • Star Switch c • Swing • Tapering platform • Track • Treasure Chest • Tree • Warp pipe • Warp Point • Wire net • Wire platform • Work Elevator • Yellow block
Locations First floor and mezzanine Bob-omb Battlefield • Whomp's Fortress • Jolly Roger Bay • Cool, Cool Mountain • Bowser in the Dark World • The Princess's Secret Slide • The Secret Aquarium • Tower of the Wing Cap • Sunshine Islesc • Goomboss Battlec
Basement and courtyard Big Boo's Haunt • Hazy Maze Cave • Lethal Lava Land • Shifting Sand Land • Dire, Dire Docks • Bowser in the Fire Sea • Cavern of the Metal Cap/Behind the Waterfall • Vanish Cap Under the Moat/The Secret Under the Moat • Big Boo Battlec • Battle Fortc
Upper floors and tower Snowman's Land • Wet-Dry World • Tall, Tall Mountain • Tiny-Huge Island • Tick Tock Clock • Rainbow Ride • Bowser in the Sky • Wing Mario Over the Rainbow/Over the Rainbows • Chief Chilly Challengec
Other Castle Grounds • Mushroom Castle • Princess's room • Courtyard • Rec Roomc • Switching roomsc
Moves Backward Somersault • Crawl • Crouch • Dive • Double Jump • Egg Throwc • Flutter Kickc • Fly • Jump • Kick • Long Jump • Pound the Ground • Punch • Scuttlec • Side Somersault • Slide • Slide Kick • Spin Jump • Stomp • Swallowc • Sweep Kick • Swim • Swing and Flingc • Triple Jump • Wall Kick
Gameplay elements Completion • Letter • Mario's face • Missions • Power Meter • Switch Cap Course
Minigamesc Luigi Lucky Stars • Mario Slot • Memory Master • Memory Match • Mushroom Roulette • Pair-a-Gone • Pair-a-Gone and On • Picture Poker • Super Mario Slot
Mario Bounce and Pounce • Bounce and Trounce • Connect the Characters • Mario's Slides • Shell Smash • Shuffle Shell • Sort or 'Splode • Trampoline Terror • Trampoline Time
Wario Bingo Ball • Bob-omb Squad • Coincentration • Giant Snowball Slalom • Intense Coincentration • Lakitu Launch • Psyche Out! • Slots Shot • Snowball Slalom
Yoshi Boom Box • Hide and Boo Seek • Loves Me...? • Mix-a-Mug • Puzzle Panel • Puzzle Panic • Tox Box Shuffle • Wanted! • Which Wiggler?
Musical compositions "Super Mario 64 Main Theme" • "Slider" • "Inside the Castle Walls" • "Koopa's Road" • "Koopa's Theme"
Further info Gallery (DS) • Glitches (DS) • Media (DS) • Original soundtrack • Pre-release and unused content (DS) • Quotes • Staff (DS)
a Exclusive to Super Mario 64
b Present in both games, but has different roles in each
c Exclusive to Super Mario 64 DS
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Blocks
Carryable blocks Crate • Crazed Crate • Glow Block • Grab Block • Ice Block • Mushroom Block • Propeller Block • Stone • White Block
Color Blocks Bomb Block (Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis) • Fire Block • Magnetic Block • Pink Block
Destructible blocks Block (Super Mario 64) • Blue block (Wario Land 4) • Blue block (Wario: Master of Disguise) • Bob-omb Block • Bonfire Block • Breakable block • Brick Block • Brick wall • Brown block • Candy Block • Crate • Crystal Block • Domino block • Doughnut block • Enemy Block • Fiery block • Flame block • Fury Block • Ice Wall • Itodama Block • Jewel block • Mega Block • Metal Block • Pinball digital counter • Red block (Wario: Master of Disguise) • Rock Block • Rotating Block • Snow sculpture • Snowman Block • Soft rock • Soft sand • Stone Block • Watermelon block • Yellow Block
Dice Blocks 0-1 Dice Block • 1-10 Dice Block • 1-2-3 Dice Block • 1-2-3 Slow Dice Block • 4-5-6 Dice Block • Bowser Dice Block • Brawny Dice Block • Bronze Dice Block • Custom Dice Block • Cutie Dice Block • Cursed Dice Block • Double Dice • Flutter Dice Block • Friendly Dice Block • Gold Dice Block • Greedy Dice Block • Halfway Dice Block • Jumpy Dice Block • Minus Block • Plus Block • Reverse Dice Block • Risky Dice Block • Silver Dice Block • Slow Block • Slow Dice Block • Speed Block • Speedy Dice Block • Star Block • Super Bowser Dice Block • Super Dice Block • Triple 7 Dice Block • Triple Dice • Warp Dice Block • Wondrous Dice Block
Item blocks ! Block • ? Block • 3-Up Moon Block • 4-Bros. Random Block • 99 Block • Adult Shine Block • Assist Block • Attack Piece Block • Bead jar • Bonus ? Block • Bonus block • Bros. Block • Camera Block • Cap Block • Chance Cube • Chance wheel • Coin Block • Coin Box • Egg Block • Flying ? Block • Gold Block • Hidden Block • Hidden Block (Mario Party series) • Hidden Character Block • L Block • M Block • Mega ? Block • Nozzle box • P Block (Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam) • Rally Block • Random Block • Recovery block • Red Coin Block • Roulette Block • Roulette Coin Block • Shell block • Shine Block • Sliding block • Small Shine Block • Spiked ? Block • Square cloud • Super Block • Time Block • Warp Block (Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time)
Platform/floor blocks Arrow Block (Wario World) • Assembly Block • Atchi Muite Block • Backflip Block • Bike Pads • Blinking Block • Block (Pyoro) • Bomb Block (Wario Land: Shake It!) • Boost Block • Cascading Stone • Cloud Block • Countdown Platform • Dash Block • Donut Block • Drop Block • Dropdown Countdown Lift • Dropping lift • Electricity Block • Expansion Block • Face block (platform) • Flip block • Fūsen Block • Ground • Hourglass Block • Ice Block • Ice Snake Block • Invisible/flashing block • Lift Block • Light-Up-Lift • Long Jump Block • Marimba Block • Marshmallow Block • Moving block • Music Block • Nebaneba Block • Note Block • Pause Block • Power Meter Block • Push-Block • Rotating Block • Sand block • Skull Platform • Slow Block • Snake Block • Spike Block • Spin Block (Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga) • Spin Block (New Super Mario Bros.) • Spring-Up • Squishy block • Starting blocks • Stretch Block • Super Note Block • Surprise Ball • Tile • Track Block • Trampoline Block • Triangular Block • Vanishing Block • Vanishing platform
Switch Blocks ! Switch • ? Switch • 3-2-1 Block • Arrow block • Blue Coin Block • Cap Switch • Certainty Switch • Character Switch • Control Block • Face Block (switch) • Gray P Switch • Kamek Block • Laser Block • Light-Switch • Luigi Block • ON/OFF Switch • P Panel • P Switch • Pole Block • Simu-Block • Star Switch • Switch (Wario Land II) • Switch Block (Super Mario 3D World) • Tatami Block • Timer switch
Toggleable blocks ! Block • Color Block • Dotted-Line Block • Flip-Flop Block • Kaeru Block • P Block • Red Block • Shake block • Switch Block (Mario & Wario) • Timer Block • Uncertain Block
Power-ups Cannon Box • Coin Box • Command Block • Copy Block • Gold Block • Light Box • Propeller Box • Unfurl Block • Vacuum Block
Living blocks Blitty • Blockhopper • Blokkablok • Brock (Brickle · Britchard · Britta · Broque Madame · Broque Monsieur) • Broggy • Dark Block • Fake Block • Ghost Block • Hot-Hot Rock • Message Block • Partrick • Pile Driver Micro-Goomba
Miscellaneous 2D block • Anywhere POW • Arrow Cloud • Aurora Block • Block Buster • Bowser Jr. Block • Checkpoint block • CLEAR • Coin counter • Empty Block • Hard Block • Magnet Block • Mystery Box • POW Block • Race Block • Red POW Block • Save Block • Shop Block • Spike Trap • Star Block • Super Guide Block • Super Warp Block • Unbreakable block • Warp Block • Warp Box • Yoshi Block
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Super Mario Land
Protagonists Mario • Princess Daisy
Bosses King Totomesu • Dragonzamasu (Tamao) • Hiyoihoi • Biokinton (Chicken) • Tatanga (Pagosu)
Locations Sarasaland (Birabuto Kingdom • Muda Kingdom • Easton Kingdom • Chai Kingdom)
Levels World 1-1 • World 1-2 • World 1-3 • World 2-1 • World 2-2 • World 2-3 • World 3-1 • World 3-2 • World 3-3 • World 4-1 • World 4-2 • World 4-3 • Expert Level
Items & vehicles Super Mushroom • Superball Flower • Star • 1UP heart • Coin • Marine Pop • Sky Pop • Switch • Lift Block
Enemies & obstacles Batadon • Bombshell Koopa • Bullet Biff • Bunbun • Chikako • Dropping lift • Falling block • Falling spike • Fly • Ganchan • Gao • Gunion • Goombo • Honen • Kumo • Mekabon • Nyololin • Pionpi • Pipe Fist • Piranha Plant • Pompon Flower • Roketon • Roto Disc • Suu • Tokotoko • Torion • Yurarin • Yurarin Boo
Other Brick • Bonus game • Das Super Mario Spiel • Gallery • Glitches • Goal • Media • Mystery Block • Sub-area • Soundtrack

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