Buzzy Beetles (or simply Buzzy) are turtle-like creatures with hard, outer shells which are often blue. Buzzy Beetles will hide in their shells if jumped on, and, like a Koopa Shell, can be kicked to eliminate more enemies. The shell of the Buzzy Beetle is strong enough to resist fireballs, and as such, they cannot be defeated by fire. In a way, they're considered to be the polar opposite of the Spinys; enemies who are immune to jumps, but vulnerable to fireballs.
Although they are called Beetles, they more so resemble turtles like the Koopa Troopas than actual beetles.
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros.
A Buzzy Beetle's artwork for
Super Mario Bros..
The first appearance of Buzzy Beetles in
Super Mario Bros..
Buzzy Beetles first appeared in World 4-2, an underground level of Super Mario Bros.. Like a Koopa Troopa, they will hide in their shell when jumped on, and can be kicked around the level. However, Mario and Luigi cannot defeat them with fireballs. When the player completes the game and restarts, all the Goombas will get replaced with Buzzy Beetles.
In World 3-4, a Buzzy Beetle was one of the seven False Bowsers. Interestingly enough, unlike all other Buzzy Beetles, this one was affected by fireballs; like all the other False Bowsers, five fireballs will destroy him.
They later appeared in the game's remake, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. They all served the same purpose, although in challenge mode of the game, Buzzy Beetles took the place of Goombas.
Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels
A
Buzzy Beetle, from
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.
In Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels, Buzzy Beetles return just as they did in the previous game. They are also found underwater occasionally in World 9, along with all the other enemies. When underwater, Buzzy Beetles are completely invulnerable, since no enemies can be jumped on while underwater.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Buzzy Beetles in
Super Mario Bros. 3.
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Buzzy Beetles return, acting the same way as they did before. Here, Buzzy Beetles can also climb and walk on the ceiling. To attack intruders, they can drop, and spin along the ground to attack. In the Game Boy Advance remake Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, when the Red Switch e-Reader Card is scanned, all walking Koopa Troopas are replaced with Buzzy Beetles. In addition, there is a flying variation called Para-Beetle, which are found only in one level.
Super Mario World
Buzzy Beetles also appear in Super Mario World. They are still resistant to fireballs; however, Yoshi can swallow them whole, unlike Koopa Troopas' shells, which Yoshi cannot immediately swallow. They hide in their shells when jumped on, as opposed to sliding out, as the Koopas sometimes do when stomped. Spike Tops, Buzzy Beetles with a spike on their back, which cannot be jumped upon, are introduced in this game. Yoshi or a successful Spin Jump will protect Mario and Luigi from getting hit by the spikes. This game also introduces Bony Beetles, which are undead skeletons of a Buzzy Beetle.
New Super Mario Bros.
Buzzy Beetles reappear as enemies in New Super Mario Bros., although they are very rare in this game. In fact, they only appear in two levels, World 5-C, and World 6-Tower 2, where during the start of the level, the beetle is flipped over. They behave similar to their appearance back in Super Mario Bros. 3. As in Super Mario Bros., they can be kicked when stomped on, and are impervious to fire. Spike Tops reappear in this game also.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Buzzy Beetles later reappear in the sequel, New Super Mario Bros. Wii. In World 6-3, a big group of Buzzy Beetles can be seen on the ceiling, and will fall on Mario and the group, as they did in Super Mario Bros. 3. In both games, Buzzy Beetles hop to the electronic vocal "bah" in the background music. They also appear in 8-1, and these ones don't walk off ledges, unlike normal Buzzy Beetles. Spike Tops also reappear again. However, the most notable appearance is the reappearance of Para-Beetles who have not been seen since Super Mario Bros. 3, and a new sub-species called Heavy Para-Beetle. They only appear in World 7-6.
Unlike in Super Mario World, Yoshi can't completely eat Buzzy Beetles. However, he can spit out their shells in the same manner as with a Koopa Troopa shell.
Giant Buzzy Beetles were originally going to appear in this game too, but they never appeared in any levels in the final game. However, through hacking methods, it is possible to use one in a level.
Paper Mario series
Buzzy Beetles also appear in the Paper Mario series. They are shell enemies like the Koopa Troopas, meaning they can be flipped over when they are jumped on or by a POW Block. However, unlike the Koopas, Buzzy Beetles do not spend a turn struggling on their back; they can right themselves on their very next turn, though they can't attack on that turn. Related enemies are Spike Tops, Parabuzzies (which now lose their wings when they are stomped), and Bony Beetles. One of the new types of Buzzy Beetles are Spiky Parabuzzies, which flies and have a spike on their back, making it hard to damage them.
Paper Mario
| Paper Mario Enemy
|
| Buzzy Beetle
|
|
| Max HP
|
3
|
| Attack
|
2
|
| Defense
|
2
|
| Location(s)
|
Toad Town Tunnels, Dry Dry Ruins
|
| Moves
|
Shell Toss (2), Ceiling Drop (3), Get Up (Stops being Flipped)
|
| Tattle
|
| This is a Buzzy Beetle. Buzzy Beetles are cute--but mean. Fire attacks don't work very well against these hardheads. If you can flip 'em, though, their defense power falls to 0. Keep flipping 'em, Mario! I heard that they used to flourish all over the place, but now they're only found in dark, shadowy places.
|
|
In Paper Mario, Buzzy Beetles appear in the Toad Town tunnels and in the Dry Dry Ruins. In Dry Dry Ruins, several Buzzy Beetles climb on the ceiling, like in Super Mario Bros. 3. They can drop on Mario to attack them, and he cannot jump on them while they are hanging from the ceiling. However, he can use a badge to cause an earthquake, which causes the Buzzy Beetles to fall to the ground. Spike Tops, which are red in the game, are enemies fought inside Mt. Lavalava; and Bony Beetles are found in Bowser's Castle.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Enemy
|
| Buzzy Beetle
|
|
| Max HP
|
5
|
| Attack
|
3
|
| Defense
|
4
|
| Location(s)
|
Creepy Steeple, Pirate's Grotto, Pit of 100 Trials (Levels 31-39)
|
| Log
|
It's well protected and immune to fire or explosions, but if you flip it over, its Defense drops to zero.
|
| Items
|
Power Punch, Slow Shroom, Mini Mr. Mini
|
| Moves
|
Shell Toss (3), Get Up (Stops being Flipped)
|
| Tattle
|
| That's a Buzzy Beetle. Awww... It's kinda cute! It's got pretty good Defense... and fire and explosions don't hurt it whatsoever. But, if you jump on it, you can flip it over and drop its Defense down to 0. Then it's at our mercy! Ha! Don't hesitate! Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!
|
|
Bestiary
30 31 32
|
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the first Buzzy Beetles in the game are fought in the Glitz Pit. They are red Spike Tops; however, as regular Spike Tops in the game are blue, they are called Red Spike Buzzies in the game. Two of them build up the fighting team known as the Tiny Spinies.
Regular Buzzy Beetles later appear as enemies in the cave under the well of the Creepy Steeple, as well as the Pirate's Grotto and the Pit of 100 Trials. Regular Spike Tops and Spiky Parabuzzies are also found in Riverside Station.
The game also features Sky-Blue Spinies. It is implied that these are a cross between Buzzy Beetles and Spinies, as they are called "Käfer-Stachis" ("Buzzy Beetle Spinies") in the German version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
Super Paper Mario
| Super Paper Mario Enemy
|
| Buzzy Beetle
|
|
| Max HP
|
1
|
| Attack
|
1
|
| Defense
|
3
|
| Location(s)
|
|
| Card Type
|
Common
|
| Card Description
|
| This little guy is built to withstand anything. Even a Muth stampede wouldn't flatten it...Probably.
|
|
| Tattle
|
| This is a Buzzy Beetle... It's much tougher than it looks... Max HP is 1, Attack is 1, and Defense is 3. Even flames won't scorch its hard shell... Sometimes, they cling to the ceiling and drop down on your head when you walk by... Not very friendly, Buzzy... Shame on you...
|
|
List of Catch Cards
16 17 18
|
Buzzy Beetles reappear in Super Paper Mario. The game introduces a new sub-species, the Stone Buzzies: Buzzy Beetles with stone shells and always take three hits to be defeated. They are found in the Downtown of Crag. The game also features "dark" versions of several Buzzy Beetles, notably Dark Spike Tops and Dark Stone Buzzies, found in the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials.
Paper Mario (Nintendo 3DS)
Buzzy Beetles are set to appear in Paper Mario (Nintendo 3DS) where they are seen inhabiting caves. Their appearance seem similar from New Super Mario Bros..
Mario Party series
Mario Party 6
Buzzy Beetles make a cameo appearance in the 2-vs-2 mini-game, Slot Trot. They appear as one of the images on the slots.
Mario Party DS
Buzzy Beetles cameoed in the Memory Mash mini-game as pictures of a possible match. These Buzzy Beetles got their appearance from the Paper Mario series.
Mario Party 8
Buzzy Beetles appear solely in the Battle Minigame, Glacial Meltdown in Mario Party 8. A Lakitu throws them onto the ice making them both obstacles and weapons for the players to use to knock the opponets off the ice. It is unknown why the Lakitu threw Buzzy Beetles instead of its species' normal Spiny accomplices.
Mario Party 9
Some Buzzy Beetles appear in the minigame Goomba Spotting, as a trick in order to lead the player into miscounting, since only the number of Goombas is counted at the end of the minigame. A Buzzy Beetle is also on one of the puzzles in Jigsaw Jumble.
Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen
In Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen, two Buzzy Beetles (although gold in color) made a brief appearance in the movie where they attempted to attack the heroes but were defeated by Mario when he used a Fire Flower to shoot them with a fireball, despite the fact that Buzzy Beetles are ordinarily immune to fire attacks in the games.
Nintendo Adventure Books
Some Buzzy Beetles appear in Wendy O. Koopa's secret camp in the Magma Pits in Koopa Capers.
Official Profiles and Statistics
Trophy Information from Super Smash Bros. Brawl
| Name |
Image |
Game |
Description
|
| Buzzy Beetle
|
|
NES Super Mario Bros.
|
A Koopa underling with a heavy shell protecting it from fire. Stomping on Buzzy Beetles from above is the main way to deal with them, but spiked variations that cannot be stomped also exist. After saving Princess Peach in Super Mario Bros. and starting a new game, you'll find that most Goombas have turned into Buzzy Beetles.
|
| DS New Super Mario Bros.
|
Gallery
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Buzzy Beetle.
Trivia
- In Super Paper Mario, an unseen creature (possibly a Buzzy Beetle, hence the name.) named 'Buzzo' is mentioned in graffiti in the men and women restroom. Apparently, Koopla (possibly a Koopa) and Laki (possibly a Lakitu) are in love with Buzzo.
- Buzzy Beetle and Paratroopa are the only enemies introduced in Super Mario Bros. that are yet to make an appearance in any 3D main Mario game.
Names in Other Languages
| Language
|
Name
|
Meaning
|
| Japanese |
メット
Metto |
Met, from English "helmet"
|
| French |
Bruyinsecte |
Portmanteau of bruyant (noisy) and insecte (bug)
|
| German |
Käfer
Bummelkäfer (Super Paper Mario) |
Beetle
Dawdle Beetle
|
| Italian |
Nella
Ronzibeo (Mario Party 8)
Nella Capovolta (Super Mario All-Stars - 25th Anniversary Edition gives that name for the upset Buzzy Beetles) |
"Nella" it's an Italian female name
literal translation
Inverted Buzzy Beetle
|
| Portuguese |
Buzzy Beetle |
-
|
| Korean |
하잉바
Haingba |
From Japanese "ファイバー"(Faiba), means Fiber.
|
| Chinese |
钢盔甲虫
Gāngkuījiǎchóng |
Helmet Beetle
|
