Thwomp
- “Rats, I missed! Ohh, I hate it when I miss!”
- —Thwomp, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
Thwomps are animate cinder-blocks found mostly in the Mushroom Kingdom. They are spike-encrusted living stones that are usually rectangular in shape and made their first appearance in the game Super Mario Bros. 3. They typically attempt to fall on and flatten or squash whoever passes below them, although some move horizontally or diagonally as well. They can only be defeated by being touched by Mario when he is powered-up with a star, uses hammers as Hammer Mario, uses a tail swipe as Raccoon or Tanooki Mario, or when Mario is giant. It is suggested in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time that Thwomps may in fact be born from volcanoes.
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros. 3
Thwomps make their debut appearance in the game Super Mario Bros. 3. In this game, they have an unusually mad expression on their faces. They usually try to squish Mario under their weight whenever he passes beneath them. Thwomps are possible to avoid easily by using the Statue Mario ability. With this, it is impossible for Thwomps to destroy Mario by crashing against him from above. They return in the game's remake, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 in the same fashion as the older Thwomps. They obviously feature improved graphics and retake their especially mad expressions. Curiously, these Thwomps have a kind of "bigger spike" on top of their forehead, separated from the rest of the body by what looks like a small ribbon of sorts. This spike is prominent in appearance but has no effect in the game. It is also worth noting that these Thwomps, instead of having their eyes separated, have both eyes as glowing dots in a black space. This is most likely due to palette and space limitations. This also explains why they look pale blue in the Nintendo Entertainment System version of Super Mario Bros. 3.
There are two ways to defeat Thwomps in this game. The first is to throw a Hammer from the Hammer Suit at a Thwomp. The second is by using the Tanooki Suit and Statue Mario. In certain levels, it is possible to get above a Thwomp while it is down. While it is down, if the player jumps above the Thwomp and uses Statue Mario, they will destroy it, giving the player 200 points.
In a Japan-only e-Reader card, Thwomps can also be defeated with the Goomba's Shoe.
Super Mario World
Thwomps, alongside other enemies such as Boos and Nipper Plants, are some of the few Super Mario Bros. 3-introduced enemies that keep appearing in later games. Thwomp itself makes a new appearance in Super Mario World, now redesigned and recolored due to the expansion of the palette. Unlike old Thwomps, they are now gray-colored and have lost the prominent spike on top of their head; now all spikes look exactly the same and are the same size, relatively. They reprise their role as the smashers and will try to squish Mario or Luigi without a second thought. Their speed is almost unaffected, and usually take a few seconds to rise up to their original place once again. This gives the player a chance to run below them.
Thwomps have their first sub-species in Super Mario World with the inclusion of Thwimps. They are smaller versions of Thwomps that roam around, usually in small hallways and often come in groups. They are, just like Thwomps, invincible and are usually only used as obstacles that slow the player down.
Curiously, Thwomps still have their eyes connected and their pupils being but small dots of glowing white, although the official art clearly shows their eyes looking different. This is probably to familiarize players with their old physical appearance.
Thwomps also return in most compilations made for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, such Super Mario All-Stars, as well as the Satellaview's BS Super Mario Collection.
Super Mario 64
Thwomps return in Super Mario 64. This time, though, Thwomps return in a much different fashion, and look more like they did in Super Mario Kart. These Thwomps are square-shaped, dark sky blue-colored and have no spikes. They, as before, are impossible to destroy and serve as obstacles throughout the game. This time around, though, Mario can also use Thwomps to his advantage by jumping on top of them to reach higher areas or unreachable points. An interesting feature of the Thwomps in this game is the addition of their voices: a mad grunt. Thwomps are especially featured in Whomp's Fortress, which also introduces new Thwomp-like creatures known as Whomps. A single Thwomp also appears in Tick Tock Clock. There are only three Thwomps in the game, two on the stairs in Whomp's Fortress and one in Tick Tock Clock, at the very top of the stage, and is featured in the mission Stomp on the Thwomp. Additionally, a new species of Thwomp, the Grindel, makes its debut in Super Mario 64. These creatures are huge, wooden-looking dark blocks with a different face expression on each side of their cube-shaped body that can try to squish Mario by moving while in the air. A similar enemy, the Spindel, rolls around trying to squish whoever passes near it. They are especially prominent in Shifting Sand Land. Mario can make wall jumps on the Thwomp to reach higher places. Another Thwomp-like creature, the Tox Box, is also introduces in this game, and are only found in Shifting Sand Land. They roll around by falling on their sides, trying to crush Mario with one of their faces. However, the bottom of the Tox Box is hollowed, allowing Mario to sit safely inside.
In the DS remake of Super Mario 64, Super Mario 64 DS, the spike-less version of Thwomp is absent from the game, being replaced by the regular spiked version, though Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Yoshi are still able to stand on top of them to reach higher points. This time around, however, Thwomps can be defeated with the assistance of a Super Mushroom.
New Super Mario Bros.
Thwomps reappear in the DS game New Super Mario Bros., where they are found in many of the Towers and Castles, and act just like they do in Super Mario Bros. 3. Much like in Super Mario Bros. 3, these Thwomps can be defeated. Ways of defeating it included Shell Dashing, Mega Mushroom, or Starmen. A bigger variety called Super Thwomp is also featured here, with extra weight to break certain blocks, but with the same weaknesses as a normal Thwomp.
Super Mario Galaxy
Thwomps once again appear in Super Mario Galaxy. In this game they appear much larger than in previous games, and are once again spiked. However, the spikes are blunt at the end and seem to have been carved, unlike their previous incarnations. It is also the first game to feature them with two faces, one on both the front and back. They generally do the same thing they do in other games, waiting until the player gets close and it will smash into the ground. If the player gets crushed, Mario will lose a life, regardless of how much health the player has. In this game, they seem to be more powerful then they ever have been in the Mario series. They do not make a noise unlike Super Mario 64 or the Mario Party series, where they make low-pitched grumbles when they talk or hit the ground. They appear in the Buoy Base Galaxy as well as on the Cyclone Stone in the Beach Bowl Galaxy. If Mario stands on a Thwomp as it rises, Mario can jump to carry the Thwomp's momentum into his jump and do an extra-high jump.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Thwomps later appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, along with the Super Thwomp and act they same way as in New Super Mario Bros.. In this game, they are a darkish gray sort of color, and their spikes are more realistic, unlike Super Mario Galaxy. However, unlike the prequel, Thwomps are very rare in this game, only appearing in the World 1 castle, and occasionally in the Kamek boss battle in the World 8 tower. In this game, Thwomps can only be defeated by the Starman power-up or a Simultaneous Ground Pound, with everything else doing nothing to them at all.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Thwomps reappear in Super Mario Galaxy 2 where they behave just like they did in Super Mario Galaxy. They appear more common than the prequel. Two Super Thwomps appear in the Supermassive Galaxy. They also appear in the Throwback Galaxy. Their most notable appearance is in the Stone Cyclone Galaxy, where their behavior is exactly the same as it is in the level 'Fast Foes on the Cyclone Stone' in the Beach Bowl Galaxy.
A new species of Thwomp called Rhomps made their debut in Super Mario Galaxy 2. They have one appearance in the Slipsand Galaxy, on the sand slide planet. They attack by rolling towards Mario in an attempt to crush him.
Super Mario 3D Land
Thwomps reappear in Super Mario 3D Land with the same tactics as in the Super Mario Galaxy titles. They wait until Mario is near and attempt to crush him like before; however, they continue to raise and slam the ground continuously, even if Mario is not near them. They can be defeated if Mario is invincible, or by turning into a statue beneath it as Statue Mario; they fly down upon Mario, and turn to rubble upon contact.
A new sub-species of Thwomp known as Tail Thwomp is introduced in this game, created when a Tanooki leaf is given to a Thwomp. They move about a set area using the Tanooki tail, then float in midair before slamming to the ground.
DIC Cartoons
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
Thwomps make a few minor appearances in the The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 television show. They serve as guards in Kastle Koopa during the episode "Never Koop a Koopa", and several Thwomps are shown to inhabit the Underground Maze of Pipes in the episode "Misadventures in Babysitting." A Thwomp also appeara in "Do the Koopa", trying to crush Mario when he has the Doom Dancer Music Box.
Super Mario World television series
Thwomps also make a few minor appearances in the Super Mario World television series, mainly serving as guards in the Neon Castle. In "Send in the Clown," Thwomps are utilized to prevent the Cave People from leaving Bowser's circus by blocking off the exits. In "The Night Before Cave Christmas", Thwomps are seen smaller, they try to squash Mario and Yoshi.
Nintendo Adventure Books
Some Thwomps appear among the crowds present at the International Mushroom Games in Leaping Lizards, and two appear in Koopa Capers, both of them in the Fortress; if Luigi decides to continue to explore the Fortress, instead of going through a newly-opened passageway, one crushes him in a particularly barren part of the structure, and if he chooses to try and get some coins that fall under some floating blocks sometime after entering the aforementioned passageway, he is crushed by another Thwomp, which is hidden among the blocks.
A group of Thwomps are guarding Magikoopa's fortress in Flown the Koopa, and depending on how the accompanying puzzle is solved, the Mario Bros. are either crushed by them, or make their way through the first three, and the fourth and final giant one by distracting it with some coins (which fall out of Mario's pocket when he tries to convince Luigi to use some of his cookies instead).
Mario Pinball Land
Thwomps appear in the final battle with Bowser in Mario Pinball Land. They appear on the left and right sides of the room, connected to chains. Behind them are two pulleys that when hit by Mario raise the Thwomps into the air, though they descend shorty after. When at least one of the Thwomps is raised as high as possible, it is suspended indefinitely and the blue button in the back of the room begins to glow. Hitting the button causes the Thwomps hit the ground, knocking Bowser over and making him venerable to attack. When Bowser curls into a ball and begins to roll around the room, the Thwomps are the first things he destroys, giving the player 50,000 points each.
Mario Kart series
Thwomps make their first appearance in a spin-off game in Super Mario Kart for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Thwomps shine as being obstacles in the race track. They appear prominently in the track of Bowser's Castle, and a Star version of them also appear in the track Rainbow Road.
These are the first Thwomps to not feature spikes at all. They are plain blocks of rectangular-shaped stones (setting them apart from the more modern square-shaped ones) and, once again, have their eyes as glowing white dots in a dark space. Also, these Thwomps feature cheeks, something that has not been implemented to date.
Thwomps get their second appearance in a spin-off game in Mario Kart 64, released in 1996 for the Nintendo 64. Just like in its predecessor, Super Mario Kart, Thwomps serve as obstacles in the course. They appear in the course Bowser's Castle and try to flatten any player that races beneath them. They are often placed in strategic points so that the player is forced to pass under them in order to continue. The results of being flattened by a Thwomp are devastating; the player must wait a few seconds for his or her character to return to normal.
There are also some Thwomps that go from one side to the other, trying to bump players on the ground. The version present in this game is the one seen in Super Mario 64, that is, the blue square-shaped stone that lacks spikes. This game may also be notable as the first time Thwomps have made any sound other than grunts, as some of them laugh as the players race through the area they are in. There is also a green Thwomp that seems to have been locked up towards the beginning of the course. In this game, players spin out if they ram into a Thwomp at high speed.
In Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Thwomps appeared with models similar to Super Mario Kart's ones, and they are found in all the Bowser's Castle courses. Thwomps re-appear in Bowser's Castle in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and later in Mario Kart DS in both the Bowser's Castle course and Bowser Castle 2 from Mario Kart: Super Circuit. These Thwomps have the appearance of current Thwomps.
Thwomps again return in Mario Kart Wii. They are the same in appearance as their Super Mario 64 DS artwork. Thwomps appear in all three of the Bowser's Castle courses in the game. Another Thwomp also appears in the battle arena called Thwomp Desert, hence the name. In this arena, there is only one giant Thwomp located in the center. This Thwomp will fall down, causing a major shockwave that will hinder movement of the characters that get caught in it. It can also squish people that are unlucky enough to get underneath it. Unlike the past Mario Kart titles other than Mario Kart: Super Circuit, players do not spin out by directly touching the Thwomps in this game.
Thwomps appear in the arcade Mario Kart series game, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. They appear as one of Bowser's usable items. When the player uses it, if another player or CPU gets under it, it smashes that player. Bowser is the only one who can use this item.
Thwomps also appear in Bowser's Castle and GBA Bowser Castle 1 in Mario Kart 7, taking their design from the Super Mario Galaxy games. Rainbow versions of Thwomps also reappear in SNES Rainbow Road. These special Thwomps strongly resemble their appearance in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. When these Thwomps hit the ground, the whole track begins to make a wave-like motion, and the player can do tricks off these waves if the waves are big enough. These Thwomps also knock back the player if run in to while on the ground, while normal Thwomps do not have this effect.
Donkey Kong
Although Thwomps themselves do not appear in the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong, Thwomp Blocks appear; they are rocks with no facial features or spikes but behave like Thwomps do. Mario can use them as a type of elevator, but can squish Mario by pressing him against the ceiling.
Wario's Woods
Thwomps appear in Wario's Woods as the ceiling that can fall on top of Toad while he is fighting the monsters that Wario sends out. Thwomps appear rather different in this game, as they are sometimes colored yellow and are more square shaped than their later appearances.
Additionally, these are some of the largest Thwomps that appear in the Mario series, filling up the majority of the screen when they fall.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Thwomps act as obstacles and cannot be fought like normal enemies. Like in their sidescroller appearances, Thwomps attempt to crush Mario if he walks by, knocking the plumber unconscious for a short period of time if they succeed. Additionally, if Mario is standing on a staircase and a Thwomp crashes to the ground, the plumber tumbles backwards down the stairs. Thus Mario must jump up the staircase quickly before Thwomp has a chance to strike. Additionally, one Thwomp in Booster Tower rests on a teeter-totter. When Mario hops on the other end, the Thwomp flies up, smashes its own end, and sends Mario soaring high up in the air. There is also a Thwomp living with a Chow in one of the houses in Monstro Town, who appears to be jealous of Mario's jumping skills. Additionally, near the room where Boomer is battled, there is one Thwomp in Bowser's Castle at the end of a series of them that is bigger than any other Thwomp in the game; however, it retains the same effect as normal Thwomps.
Physically, Thwomps look much like they first looked back in Super Mario Bros. 3. Although a bit gloomier and darker, fitting the Super Mario RPG graphical style, Thwomps return full-spiked and with a prominent spike on their head. These Thwomps are also the first ones to finally have their eyes correctly depicted as they look in the official art. Also, the Thwomps that appear in this game are the first 3-D appearing Thwomps in the Mario series.
Mario Party series
Thwomps have been active non-playable characters in the Mario Party series. They usually appear in minigames or as obstacles in the different boards, but have also appeared as items.
Mario Party
In Mario Party, Thwomps appear as board obstacles as well as minigame obstacles. In the minigame Running of the Bulb, Thwomps served as obstacles that did the best a Thwomp can do - try to squish the player, stunning him or her temporarily. The stone baddies also had a small appearance in the minigame Skateboard Scamper, trying to slow down the player. Thwomps are also obstacles in Yoshi's Tropical Island. Here, the player has to pay a determined number of coins to pass through the area which the Thwomp is guarding. When another player tries to pass by them, they must pay at least one more coin then the last player payed to pass by; the amount can only go up to fifty before resetting. They usually cover shortcuts that take the player to the star faster in dispute. Thwomp is also part of the celebration of the winner in this game.
Mario Party 2
In Mario Party 2, Thwomps return in the same fashion as before. They block paths in boards such as Pirate Land, forcing the players to pay if they want to take the route. In the board Western Land, if a player lands in a Happening Space, they trigger a Thwomp event. This Thwomp will chase the player to the other side of the board, as well as any other player found in the way. This also happens in Space Land, although on that board the Thwomps drive space cars and can be chased away by the Snufit Police speed trap. Thwomps also appear in several minigames besides the ones transferred from the first Mario Party. One of those games is Day at the Races, in which Thwomp is one of the selectable CPU-controlled racers. Thwomp has the ability to jump forwards at great speeds, but it stomps the floor when it lands, and there is a few-second interval before it jumps again.
Mario Party 3
In Mario Party 3, Thwomps do the same as earlier games and present the same physical appearance. In this game, Thwomp is highly featured in the board Creepy Cavern. Thwomp either stops players and offer them to ride the mine cart for five coins, or he will chase players from one side of the board to the other when they stepped on a Happening Space positioned over the cart's tracks. As usual, Thwomps are featured in minigames. However, in this installment, Thwomps get their own minigame: Thwomp Pull, a 1 vs. 3 minigame in which Thwomps pull the player through the snow and will only obey if the players press the correct series of buttons.
A Thwomp is also a partner in Duel Mode in Mario Party 3. It is nobody's initial partner, but can be obtained in the roulette. Thwomps has low HP, but also have the ability to destroy any partner in a single hit, becoming one of the most dangerous, but at the same time, less reliable partners of this game.
Thwomps also appear in the puzzle minigame Mario's Puzzle Party (which later appears in Mario Party DS). They only occasionally appear, and when they do, they crush the blocks beneath them, making them half the size they once were.
Mario Party 4
By Mario Party 4, Thwomp achieve a much bigger and influential role in the game, alongside its cousin Whomp. In this game, it hosts Thwomp's Backroom Ball, a series of bonus minigames. These minigames are Mega Board Mayhem, Mini Board Mad-Dash, Challenge Booksquirm and Panel Panic. The first two challenge the player to get as many coins as possible without the use of minigames. The third one is the Booksquirm minigame, except it challenges the player to see how many pages they can pass without getting squashed. The fourth one consists of a survival 4-player experience involving Dice Blocks. Thwomp also states that it built the boards from the first two himself, and that it took several months.
Besides this special role, Thwomps retake their role as a board obstacle and a minigame non-playable character. However, they only have one minigame appearance, in the minigame The Great Deflate. In this game, rubber, transparent blue-colored Thwomps appear. The objective is for one team to deflate the inflatable Thwomps before the other.
Mario Party 5
Thwomps return with a reduced role in Mario Party 5. One appears on a single board, Pirate Dream, in which Thwomp gives the players a lift to a higher point of the board for ten coins. In minigames, Thwomps are not especially featured either. In Vicious Vending, they are one of the possible prizes the player can get from the machine, although it makes the player lose. In Squared Away, Thwomps surround the fighting area and chase the losers once the minigame was over.
Mario Party 6
In Mario Party 6, Thwomp becomes even less recurring by losing active roles in game boards or background elements. In minigames, Thwomps still aren't featured much. There is a Thwomp that squishes the player when someone chooses the wrong card in Odd Card Out. In the minigame Tricky Tires, Thwomps return as the usual obstacle that stops players' cars from advancing. There is also a Thwomp in the minigame Sumo of Doom-o, which stomps the ground and causes part of the platform the players are on to fall off. In Cog Jog, a Thwomp stomps the floor, but this reverses the rotation of the cogs. In Shoot Yer Mouth Off, saying "Zero" into the microphone triggers three Thwomps to fall in random locations of the area. In Speak Up, Thwomp is one of the "objects" to be counted in the Comparison Quiz. Thwomps are also in the minigame Seer Terror; when the player pulls a rope, a Thwomp may fall on him or her. Additionally, Thwomp appears as an Orb that can be obtained in the game board. Players that pass under the designated Thwomp Orb space are crushed, ending their turn.
Mario Party 7
Thwomp once again returns in Mario Party 7, but receives a transitional physical change. They look more like they did in the days of Super Mario Bros. 3, although their expression is severely different, in that it looks more mad than the official art, and their prominent spike is gone. They are once again gray and possess most of the characteristics of the old Thwomps. Despite this physical change, Thwomps are not able to return to game boards and have the same roles as Mario Party 6. In the minigame Take Me Ohm, Thwomps activate the Ohms that are shot at players. In Spin Off, one of the characters to be formed is a Thwomp. Also, the Thwomp Orb returns with the same effect as in Mario Party 6.
Mario Party 8
In Mario Party 8, Thwomp is once again absent from game boards, and it sticks to its look shown in Mario Party 7. They still appear in minigames, though. In Balancing Act, Thwomps appear as obstacles in the course. They also make an appearance in Cardiators as one of the cards. A Thwomp is also one of the racers in the game Moped Mayhem. In Specter Inspector, a Thwomp is among the characters that must be found in the room.
There is also an item in this game that is based upon Thwomps, named Thwomp Candy. Eating a piece causes the player to turn into a stone version of their head, and running into an opponent causes the player to fall on and flatten them, destroying half of their coins.
Mario Party Advance
Thwomps also get a minor appearance in Mario Party Advance. During one quest at the Thwomp House, Thwomp claims to have been robbed of 40 coins, and the player, with Shroomlock, must solve the mystery as to who committed the crime. However, after investigating, the mystery is solved: the house door is too small for Thwomp, meaning he cannot leave the house, which means no robbery had occurred. However, Thwomp then reveals that he made up the robbery because he is lonely, and he wants somebody to care about him. Shroomlock states he will be Thwomp's friend and leaves to solve more crime. He then gives the player the Gaddget Eye Exam. The ending states that he becomes friends with Whomp, who somehow manages to get inside his house.
Despite only one appearance during Shroom City mode, Thwomps make more appearances in minigames. In the minigame Outta My Way!, Thwomps act as obstacles to be shoved forward. In the minigame Chain Saw, the players must saw a chain suspending a Thwomp above the other player, which causes the Thwomp to fall and flatten one of the players. In the minigame Chicken!, the objective is to stay under the Thwomp as long as possible and flee before the opponent or before the player is crushed.
Mario Party DS
Thwomps barely appear in Mario Party DS, as Whomps appear the most in the game. The only part of the game where Thwomps are shown is in the puzzle minigame Mario's Puzzle Party, from Mario Party 3 (and therefore appearing as their model from the Nintendo 64 games).
Mario Party 9
Thwomps once again have a minor appearance in Mario Party 9. They only make one appearance, in the minigame Thwomper Room, which involves the players dodging them as they fall to the ground. They open their eyes as they are about to fall, allowing the player to move out of the way before they do. Their appearance is the same as their look in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
Thwomps also have their own constellation that can be purchased at the Museum, named "Riled Rock."
Mario Golf series
In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Thwomps appear as obstacles in the Bowser courses, in their square, blue, spikeless form. There are major lava areas around the courses, and act as obstacles like other enemies, such as Bob-ombs and Boos, do also. They also reappear as obstacles in Mario Golf: Advance Tour, also in their blue incarnations. In Advanced Tour, they first appear on Hole 9, blocking the player in the 2nd green area.
Mario & Sonic series
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
A single Thwomp appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. It blocks the path to a certain area in Frostown. To move it, the player has to get Princess Peach to blow kisses at it. This causes it to raise and allow the heroes to pass by. Thwomps also appear as obstacles in the Dream Ice Hockey event, casting a shadow on the area they are about to fall onto and stunning any player caught beneath them. They can either be normal sized Thwomps, or occasionally massive ones.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Thwomps act as obstacles in Dream Rafting in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. They are the second obstacle to be cleared. They attempt to pound the raft, causing it to float underwater and forcing the team off of it. After passing by the Bob-omb barrage at the beginning of the course, Two Thwomps appear. Later, after passing by a group of Cheep-Cheeps, there is a cavern with several Thwomps along one route; taking the alternate route allows the player to bypass them.
Mario & Luigi series
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, two Thwomps appear in the Hammerhead Bros.'s cave. When Mario and Luigi win their minigame, they can learn one of the secret Bros. Attacks, Swing Bros. and Cyclone Bros. The Thwomps have their look from Super Mario Bros. 3 again, but this time they are gray.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time shows a female Thwomp named Mrs. Thwomp, who strangely looks like a huge boulder instead of an average Thwomp. She, along with her husband, Mr. Thwomp, appears at Thwomp Volcano. Mr. Thwomp does have the appearance of a Thwomp, but without spikes on top of him.
The Thwomp Bros. inside the volcano challenge the Mario Bros. to minigames. There are many different prizes the player can win from these minigames. An unnamed Thwomp also appears to help the Mario Bros. descend into the depths of the Volcano. After the player defeats Bowser and Baby Bowser, they are standing on the Thwomp when the volcano erupts again, sending them flying into the air; Baby Bowser remains on the Thwomp when it lands on the Shroob Mothership.
Tanoombas can also turn into Thwomps, as their statue form.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, several new species of Thwomps are introduced. There are bone-like Thwomps in Bowser's stomach in the Pump Works and the Airway, called Bone Thwomps. Besides that, there are Thwomps with colds called Sniffle Thwomps in Bowser's Castle that act as enemies, as well as Shadow-like Thwomps that appear in the battle against Dark Bowser and Dark Fawful. Additionally, special Brown Thwomps appear during the game that are thrown by Junker.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong series
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Thwomps appear in different levels in Spooky House stages of the game. When Mario approaches them, they roar and then fall down. Mario dies immediately if he touches them. Thwomps reappear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, as well as similar enemies called Thwomp Kongs. They have the same roles as the previous game, being enemies in some levels. They first appear in the third world.
Thwomps reappear once again in the game Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!. They again have the same roles as the first game, being enemies in some of the stages. They first appear in the game on level 6-3 along with other enemies. Thwomps are once again enemies in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!. They appear in the sixth attraction with other enemies such as Sparks and Piranha Plants.
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario
While Thwomps themselves do not appear in Paper Mario, a subspecies of Thwomp called Spiny Tromps do appear. They attack Mario by rolling toward him.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Two Thwomps appear in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, both of which ask several questions in a game-show manner in order to test Mario. If Mario guesses five questions correctly before getting three incorrect, an important area or item is revealed to Mario. If the player fails the quiz, they summon enemies to attack the player. One Thwomp is found over the entrance of Shhwonk Fortress, the other, rather robotic-looking Thwomp is inside the X-Naut Fortress. The quizmasters have identical personalities to the Door Guards from the first Paper Mario.
Super Paper Mario
Template:Spmenemybox In Super Paper Mario, only five Thwomps appear in the entire game. They are all found in Chapter 1-2, located in an underground area below Yold Town. They only attack by quickly and continuously slamming the ground and rising back up to the ceiling, like in their previous appearances. Thwomps cannot be defeated, and the only way to avoid them is for Mario to flip to 3-D and walk past them. Using Pixl attacks only momentarily stops them; grabbing one as Thoreau makes it sweat as well, and Fleep makes them spin in place for a while; they return to their periodic attacking afterward. Like with the previous game, they have a similar appearance to their appearance from Super Mario Bros. 3, having a prominent spike on top surrounded by several other spikes. In this game, Thwomps are shown to have faces on both sides of their bodies.
This game also includes Spiny Tromps from the first game. They appear on Mount Lineland and Underwhere Road and, like their species of origin, cannot be defeated, only avoided.
Mario Superstar Baseball
A few Thwomps appear in Mario Superstar Baseball as obstacles in Bowser Castle. They try to stop any of the players from making home runs. They also appear in the unlockable minigame Star Dash and try to smash anyone who is beneath them. If a player gets smashed by a Thwomp, they lose some of their coins.
Mario Strikers Charged Football
Thwomps appear in Mario Strikers Charged Football at The Sand Tomb. They only stomp on the brown rocky area. They do not fall on the sand, but the sand slows down the characters' movement considerably. When a Thwomp falls on a character, the character is stunned for a certain amount of time.
Super Princess Peach
Thwomps appear in Super Princess Peach. They first appear on level 8-1 where there are several of them that Peach must get through to get to a Toad. They have the same attack method as they did in Super Mario Bros. 3. They cannot be destroyed. There is also one massive Thwomp that takes up the entire background in Bowser's Villa. It inhales Peach if it sees her.
Yoshi's Cookie
A Thwomp appears in the Yoshi series game, Yoshi's Cookie as one of the three final bosses. They make a very minor appearance, as they only appear on Stage 6. The Thwomp is followed by a Magikoopa, and a best-out-of-5 match against Bowser.
Super Mario Adventures
In Super Mario Adventures, Thwomps first appear in chapter 7 of the comic. They make only a very minor appearance. After Yoshi trips over Wendy's foot, he rams into Princess Peach, Toad, and Friendly Floyd. She then pulls a rope, causing several Thwomps to fall on top of them.
Thwomps later appear in chapter 11. Many of Bowser's minions are gathered at Bowser's Castle to witness Bowser's wedding with Princess Peach. Luigi eventually finds a Warp Pipe that he thinks might bring him, Mario and Yoshi inside the wedding area, but it instead warps them to a cavern filled with lava. The group jumps on a rock platform, but a Thwomp is above. The group is able to leap to another platform, before it falls on them.
Thwomp's appearance in Super Mario Adventures is similar to their appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3. They also have the prominent spike, and are a dark blue color.
Super Mario-Kun
Thwomps appear also in the thirty-fifth volume of Super Mario-Kun, which is hardly based off of Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time. Almost all the events from the game happen in the comic, such as battling Mrs. Thwomp.
Cameos
Thwomps made cameo appearances in the The Legend of Zelda 1993 game, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and the 1998 incarnation, Link's Awakening DX. In these games, Thwomps are enemies found usually in dungeons. Although they have the Thwomp essence in them, these Thwomps are quite different to the previously seen ones. There are four types of Thwomps in this game. The most well-known one is a Cyclops Thwomp. These have small spikes beneath their chins and on the sides, but above they are perfectly plain. Unlike older Thwomps, these also feature a single eye. They are, additionally, brownish in color.
The second type of Thwomp is strictly linked to the third—they are both simple perfectly square-shaped stones, one being red and the other blue. While red ones look quite angry and unhappy, blue ones look jolly and surprised. One moves up and down and the other from side to side, respectively. Finally, Thwimps return as well in two flavors: blue and red, which are both cyclops. The blue one has a big, surprised-like eye which is probably resembling the giant blue one with one eye and no mouth. The red one has the angry cyclops eye from the large Brown one. These seem to resemble the large red one.
Thwomps could not be destroyed in either game. To pass them, the player had to use the Pegasus Boots and run below them as fast as possible, or else be damaged if too slow.
A spikeless Thwomp is one of the types of stones Kirby can transform into in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl by using the Stone move.
A new species of Thwomp, called the Thwump, is introduced in the freeware game N and its adaptation for Nintendo DS and Xbox 360, N+. The official description for this enemy is as follows:
- "According to legend, in pre-robotic times there existed a race of large, spikey stone dolts whose complete invulnerability and hereditary hatred of heroic italian plumbers led to their persecution, and eventually to extinction.
- Thankfully they've been recreated, in robot form, and 3 of their 4 sides have been rendered harmless. "
As the quote implies, these are robotic Thwomps that electrocute and crush the ninja if they can fall on him fast enough. But only the electrical side is dangerous. Additionally, Thwumps do not always have their dangerous side facing down - they can be arranged in any orientation.
Sub-Species
- Grindels: Mummified Thwomps seen in Shifting Sand Land of Super Mario 64.
- Sniffle Thwomps: Thwomps with a cold in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
- Spindels: Rolling pin-like Grindels that attempt to squish Mario in Super Mario 64.
- Thwimps: Small versions of Thwomps found only in Super Mario World and Mario vs. Donkey Kong. They jump from side to side.
- Tromps: Circular Thwomps from Paper Mario and Super Paper Mario who roll down slopes in an attempt to crush Mario.
- Whomps: Stone blocks that appear to be related to Thwomps. They attack by attempting to crush Mario.
- Rhomps: Rolling Thwomps that try to crush Mario in Super Mario Galaxy 2.
- Super Thwomps: Bigger versions of Thwomps found inside the Towers and Castles of New Super Mario Bros and its sequel as well as the Supermassive Galaxy in Super Mario Mario Galaxy 2
- Pouncers: Thwomp-like enemies found in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, but they have no spikes on the top of their heads.
Notable Thwomps
- Mrs. Thwomp: A female Thwomp. She is married to Mr. Thwomp. She is always very angry.
- Mr. Thwomp: Mrs. Thwomp's calm husband.
- Thwomp Bros.: Two Thwomps that challenge the Mario Bros. to complete their minigames.
Trivia
- In Kirby 64, an enemy known as I3 appears. I3 acts like (and is most likely based off of) a Thwomp.
- Thwomps with their current artwork bear resemblance to postage stamps.
Super Smash Bros. Melee Trophy
| Name | Image | Game | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thwomp | File:Trophy208.PNG | Super Mario Bros. 3 02/90 |
Thwomps spend most of their time suspended in midair, waiting. When Mario passes below, they crash down with amazing speed. As you may guess from their appearance, they're heavy and solid enough to make any attack on them futile. Small ones are called Thwimps: despite their weight, they often form groups and bounce around. |
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