Coin Block

A coin block from Super Paper Mario.

“When you hit this block... You'll bash out a specific number of coins!”

—MC Ballyhoo, Mario Party 8

A coin block (also called a 10 Coin Block) is a block that the player can hit multiple times, giving out one coin per hit. Coin blocks can resemble either Brick Blocks or ? Blocks.

History

Super Mario series

Coin blocks have appeared in nearly every Super Mario game, debuting in Super Mario Bros. For blocks that contain multiple coins, in most games, there is a time limit for how long it will continue to give the player coins instead of actually having a set number of coins. If the player strikes a coin block fast enough, they can get 8 coins, usually the most coins a player can get from a coin block; however, quite a few games make it possible to obtain more. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe's Challenge Mode has some coin blocks release Red Coins when struck fast enough. In New Super Mario Bros., striking a coin block enough times (at least 11) will produce a Super Mushroom. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii and New Super Mario Bros. U if the player hits a coin block enough times, five Coins will fly out before the coin block turns into a Block.

The ? Block-style coin blocks appear in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2.

A rectangular Block from Super Mario 3D Land.

Both ? Block and Brick Block-style coin blocks appear in Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World. On rare occasion, Mario may find a rectangular coin block. He can hit these multiple times, allowing Mario to get three times more coins then an average coin block would give him. Flying coin blocks, flying Question Blocks that give multiple coins, appear as well. Super Mario 3D Land also has coin blocks that shoot coins onto the ground.

Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World also feature coin blocks that Mario can wear over his body, called ? Boxes or Coin Boxes. These allow Mario to collect infinite coins when walking while wearing it. Like the Propeller Box, the block is lost once the player finishes the level or is injured, but is rewarded with an extra life if brought to the Flagpole.

Mario wearing a Gold Block from New Super Mario Bros. 2.

In New Super Mario Bros. 2, when a normal coin block is hit at least 10 times fast enough, it turns into a Gold Block that Mario or Luigi can wear, producing up to a maximum of 100 coins, less if Mario gets damaged or finishes the level before collecting the maximum amount.

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario

Coin blocks appear in Paper Mario, where they give Mario many coins if the block is hit fast enough.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Coin blocks in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door have the same appearance as they do in Paper Mario.

Super Paper Mario

Super Paper Mario reveals coin blocks to have images of a flashing coin on their sides, as seen when Mario flips into 3-D. Their Tattle reads: "That's a coin block. Every time you hit it, a coin will come out..."

By using Bowser's fire breath, it is possible to collect as many as 42 coins from a coin block; however, very few blocks within the game are situated properly to be in range of this attack.

Mario & Wario

Both coin blocks from Mario & Wario. The left side contains coins while the right side contains nothing.

Coin blocks were redesigned as one of the square panel-type objects found in Mario & Wario. If Wanda uses her wand on it, the player will get a certain amount of coins. Wanda can keep using the wand on the coin block until there are no coins remaining. There are usually ten coins in each coin block, although like other appearances it will stop the player from collecting any more from it if left alone after the first hit.

Mario Party DS

In Mario Party DS, if any character lands on a Space with a coin block, a block will appear, and the character will have to hit the block to see how many coins can come out of it in five or ten seconds.

Other Appearances

In the 2006 version of Nintendo Monopoly, Coin Block spaces and cards replace the traditional Community Chest ones. In the 2010 version, Brick Blocks are used instead.

On the Wii Shop Channel, the loading screen for downloading any title is Mario or Luigi hitting coin blocks and collecting Coins, sometimes in their Fire forms.