Nipper Plant
| Nipper Plant | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 A Nipper Plant's spirit artwork from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch) (2023) | ||
| Variant of | Piranha Plant | ||
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Nipper Plants, also known as Walking Piranhas[1] (also misspelled as Walking Piranas[2]), White Piranhas,[3] White Piranha Plants,[4] and Baby Piranha Plants,[5] are small Piranha Plants.[6] They have white heads and short green stems with two leaves on either side. Nipper Plants are produced by Nipper Spores, first shown in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3 / Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
They first appear in Super Mario Bros. 3, where they would either patrol an area or wait in place, with both jumping up towards the player when they pass over them. Walking Piranhas can hop around, making it more difficult for the player to land safely, since the plants will harm the player if they attempt to stomp on one. Instead, Walking Piranhas can be defeated by Invincibility, Fire Mario and Fire Luigi's fireballs, Hammer Mario and Hammer Luigi's hammers, Raccoon Mario and Raccoon Luigi's tail attack and Tanooki Mario and Tanooki Luigi's transformation. In subsequent remakes, they were tinted a shade of pink. In all versions, a jumping Walking Piranha is a recolor of two Muncher frames.
A sessile, fire-breathing variety is encountered at the end of World 7-8, and is the only one in the entirety of the game.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder[edit]
Following a 35-year absence in the Super Mario series (the longest gap between appearances for an enemy in the series to date), Nipper Plants return in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. This time, they are able to walk on walls and ceilings; they no longer jump towards the players when they pass over them, however.
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Nipper Plants make a few appearances in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. In these appearances, they behave much like their game counterparts in that they are capable of hopping around. On the show, Nipper Plants sport visible jaws that make them appear to be more menacing than their in-game counterparts.
In "Reign Storm", Mario intends to send via Warp Pipe a letter to Princess Toadstool, in which he prompts her to return to the Mushroom Kingdom. However, a Nipper Plant that was taking shelter inside the Warp Pipe intercepts and eats Mario's letter. The Nipper Plant then travels to King Koopa to inform him about the letter's content.
In "A Toadally Magical Adventure", Cheatsy Koopa uses a Magic Wand to increase a Nipper Plant's size and sends it to attack Mario. However, the plant lunges at the pipe creature that was having Mario in its grip, accidentally releasing Mario. Of note is that Cheatsy only refers to the Nipper Plant as "Piranha Plant".
Super Mario Bros. Print World[edit]
Artwork of Nipper Plants appears in Super Mario Bros. Print World, but they are incorrectly labeled as Munchers, the similar, but black-colored enemy from Super Mario Bros. 3 (which the poses of the artwork are borrowed from). There is additional artwork of Mario jumping over a Nipper Plant, labeled as "Mario 1".
"Munchers"
"Mario 1"
Nintendo Adventure Books[edit]
Wendy O. Koopa is revealed to have a pet Nipper Plant, which she keeps in a pot in her room, in Koopa Capers; the plant had shredded a note possibly pertaining to her whereabouts. If Luigi chooses to begin his search for the missing Koopaling by looking through her room, he accidentally wakes up the sleeping Nipper Plant when he tries to look under it. Some wild Nipper Plants later appear prowling the stairs leading up to the secret camp being used by Wendy and her rebellion.
Yoshi's Island series[edit]
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3[edit]
In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and its Game Boy Advance version, Nipper Plants do not jump at the player and are much easier to defeat, but they appear in groups which adds to the challenge of defeating them. They hatch from Nipper Spores that slowly fall to earth and have no visible eyes. These Nipper Plants can be stomped or eaten and turned into eggs; their spores can also be swallowed, though no eggs will be produced as a result.
Yoshi's Island DS[edit]
Nipper Plants and Nipper Spores return in Yoshi's Island DS, retaining their behavior in its predecessor. A new relative is also introduced: the Nipper Dandelion.
Yoshi's New Island[edit]
Nipper Plants and their spore relatives return in Yoshi's New Island, retaining their behavior in the previous Yoshi's Island games. This is the first Yoshi game where they appear with eyes, and the only Yoshi's Island game with this distinction. Unlike their mainline appearance, they do not have angry eyes.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[edit]
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and its Nintendo Switch port, Nipper Plants, under the name Chompweed[7] (also parsed as chompweed)[8] appear in the Pipe Vault, and cannot be battled. Rather than fighting the player, they jump up and steal a few coins if they get too close. Stolen coins cannot be recovered in the final game, but battle data for them still exists, suggesting that they may have been intended to be standard enemies at one point. Another potential artifact of this is them being among the enemies that can be thrown in the Monster Toss attack. Aside from this, it also was one of the incorrect answers to Dr. Topper's quiz section in the final level, specifically for "What's the first monster you see in the Pipe Vault?" (This answer only exists in the English version; in the Japanese version, it was instead a reference to Exdeath from Final Fantasy V).
Yoshi's Story[edit]
Nipper Plants and their spores reappear in Yoshi's Story, retaining their behavior in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Additionally, if the Nipper Spore is eaten, a Yoshi will lose health (except for the Black Yoshi and the White Yoshi).
Game & Watch Gallery series[edit]
In Game & Watch Gallery 3 and Game & Watch Gallery 4, Nipper Plants appear in the Modern versions of Donkey Kong Jr.
Mario Kart Arcade GP[edit]
Some Nipper Plants make a cameo appearance in Mario Kart Arcade GP in the course Bananan Ruins. They are at the right side of the course. They also appear in the course Castle Wall.
Super Princess Peach[edit]
Nipper Plants reappear in Super Princess Peach, where they are identical to the ones that appeared in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. A Gloom vibe-infused variety known as Sad N. Plants also appear in this game.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]
Nipper Plants appear as background enemies in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. In battle, a Piranha Plant may spit out Nipper Spores into the background, each one instantly becoming a Nipper Plant. Once created, they shoot fireballs at Mario individually, which he must deflect with his hammer to avoid taking damage and to also randomly hit the Piranha Plants in the process.
Occasionally, a Piranha Plant will spit a fireball towards the Nipper Plant, who will bounce the fireball about until each Nipper Plant has touched the fireball at some point, where the last Nipper Plant to touch it sends the fireball towards Mario, who must hammer it back at the Piranha Plant who created it to counter-attack and avoid taking damage. The Nipper Plants are defeated when the Piranha Plant that spawned them is defeated. They can also be defeated by throwing a Taunt Ball at them.
Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World[edit]
Nipper Plants reappear in Yoshi's Woolly World and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, acting identically as in the Yoshi's Island games.
Minecraft[edit]
In the Super Mario Mash-up in Minecraft, Peonies are replaced by a group of Nipper Plants.
Mario Tennis Aces[edit]
In Mario Tennis Aces, two Nipper Plants can be seen bouncing in the background of Petey Piranha's battle in the Forest Monster mission.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
A Nipper Plant appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a Novice-class Grab-type primary spirit. It can be enhanced to a Petey Piranha spirit at level 99. The Nipper Plant spirit battle takes place on the Battlefield form of the Super Mario Maker stage and involves eight tiny Pac-Men. To earn the spirit, the player either has to win this battle by defeating all opponents or purchase it from Beedle's Tent for 500 Spirit Points at regular price.
On the Palutena's Temple stage, Nipper Plants are mentioned briefly by Viridi during Palutena's Guidance dialogue for Piranha Plant.
Yoshi's Crafted World[edit]
Nipper Plants also reappear in Yoshi's Crafted World, behaving identically as in the Yoshi's Island games and Yoshi's Woolly World.
Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]
Nipper Plants appear as enemies in Paper Mario: The Origami King. In battle, Nipper Plants face either straight or upwards, and attack by biting Mario either solo or with a barrage of bites. If Nipper Plants are facing upwards, they cannot be jumped on without a type of Iron Boots. Nipper Plants are first fought in the purple streamer area, and reappear in the Spring of Jungle Mist.
Nipper Plants are mentioned to spit fire in the Musée Champignon description for them, although this does not happen in-game. The code for Nipper Plants does allow them to use a fire attack, but the attack itself has no data, so it is never used.
WarioWare: Get It Together![edit]
In WarioWare: Get It Together!, Nipper Plants make a cameo as plants outside of 9-Volt's House during the opening cutscene of 9-Volt's level.
Unused appearances[edit]
Super Mario World[edit]
A 2017 interview reveals that Nipper Plants were going to appear in Super Mario World, as shown in a prototype sprite sheet.[9]
Profiles and statistics[edit]
Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten[edit]
| プチパックン (JP) / Nipper Plant (EN) | |||
 | |||
| Original text (Japanese) | Translation | ||
| フラワー |
Place of origin/tribe | Flower clan | |
| Disposition | Lively | ||
| 3 | Game appearances | 3 | |
| ちっちゃいけど パックンフラワーの |
They may be tiny, but don't let your guard down Piranha Plant children. Some stay in the same position, some walk around, and some breathe fire. If you try to jump over them, they will jump at you, so jump high and mountainous to avoid them. | ||
Yoshi's Island series[edit]
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3[edit]
- Shogakukan guide: パックンフラワーのこども。綿毛のついたタネが、地面にふれるとプチパックンになる。タネのうちは、食べてもタマゴにならない。[11] (Piranha Plant children. Seeds with fluff attached become Nipper Plants when they touch the ground. They do not turn into eggs when eaten while they are still seeds.)
- Player's Guide: Hatched when Nipper Spores touch ground, these hopping choppers make excellent eggs.[12]
- Shogakukan guide (Game Boy Advance version): パックンフラワーのこども。
体 が小 さいので、ふみつけたりするよりも食 べてしまったほうが楽 に倒 せる。[13] (Piranha Plant children. Since they are small, it is easier to defeat them by eating them rather than by stepping on them.)
Yoshi's New Island[edit]
- Shogakukan guide:
地上 を飛 びはねて移動 する小 さな敵 。綿毛 つきのタネが着地 すると、プチパックンになる。プチパックンを食 べるとタマゴになるが、タネはタマゴにならない。[14] (A small enemy that moves and hops around on the ground. When the fluffy seeds land on the ground, they become Nipper Plants. When a Nipper Plant is eaten, it turns into an egg, but the seeds do not turn into eggs.)
Yoshi's Story[edit]
- Shogakukan guide: うっかりぶってしまいがち。
足元 には気 をつかて。[15] (It's easy to accidentally bump into them. Watch your step.) - Nintendo 64 Spieleberater: Mit den scharfen Beißerchen sind sie ganz schön gefährlich. Also fress' ich sie immer sofort! [16] (With their sharp bite they are quite dangerous. So I always eat them immediately!)
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]
| Mario & Luigi: Dream Team enemy | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nipper Plant | ||||||||
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HP | 1 | Role | Common | Level | 21 | Location(s) | Dreamy Driftwood Shore |
| Power | 106 | Position | Background | No Hitter | — | |||
| Defense | 1 | World | Dream | Weakness | None | Item drop | None (0%) None (0%) | |
| Speed | 54 | Experience | 0 (0) | Coins | 10 (100%) | |||
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
| Spirit #53 Nipper Plant |
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| Series/game: Super Mario Series | ||||||||
| Type: Primary | ||||||||
| Slots: 2 | ||||||||
| Class: Novice | ||||||||
| Strength / effect(s): Grab Can be enhanced to Petey Piranha at Lv. 99 | ||||||||
| How to obtain: Beedle's Tent; Spirit Board | ||||||||
| Spirit battle | ||||||||
| Opponent(s): Tiny PAC-MAN ×8 | ||||||||
Conditions:
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| Stage: Super Mario Maker (Battlefield, Super Mario World style) | ||||||||
| Song: Ground Theme - Super Mario Bros. 3 | ||||||||
Yoshi's Crafted World[edit]
- Play Nintendo:
Baddie: Nipper Plant
Size: Itty bitty
Feature: They start off as puff balls and turn into Nipper Plants[17]
Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]
| Paper Mario: The Origami King enemy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nipper Plant | |||||||||
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HP | 22 | Moves | Location(s) | |||||
| Type | Spiked | Bite (?), Bite Barrage (?) | Heart Island, Hammer Island, Club Island, Spring of Jungle Mist | ||||||
| Item drops | Bag of confetti | ||||||||
| They look like adorable origami flowers, but don't be fooled. If left to their own devices, they'll spit fire at you. | |||||||||
Gallery[edit]
Japanese Super Mario Bros. 3 strategy guide (Sokuhou-Ban)
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Yoshi's Story
Game & Watch Gallery 4
Yoshi's Island DS
Yoshi's Island DS
Promotional wallpaper for Paper Mario: The Origami King from Nintendo Co., Ltd.'s LINE account
Paper Mario: The Origami King
Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Model)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (Famicom 40th Anniversary)
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | プチパックン[18][11][13] Puchi Pakkun |
Petit Piranha; shared with the Paper Mario enemy of the same name |
| Chinese | 钳人花 (Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) Qiánrén Huā 微小吞食花 (Paper Mario: The Origami King) Wēixiǎo Tūnshíhuā |
From「钳」(qián, "pincer") and「食人花」(Shírénhuā, "Piranha Plant") Micro Piranha Plant |
| Dutch | Nipper Plant |
- |
| French | Nipper Mini Piranha (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island) |
- - |
| German | Zangen-Piranha Hoppel Hopps[16] Möchtegern-Pflanze (newer games) |
Pincer Piranha Hopping Hop Wannabe Plant |
| Italian | Piraña Mobile[19] Pianta Tenaglia |
Moving Piranha Pincer Plant |
| Korean | 새끼뻐끔 Saekki Ppeokeum |
Baby Piranha |
| Romanian | Plantă Piranha (The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3) |
Piranha Plant |
| Russian | Грызоцвет Gryzotsvet |
From грызть (gryzt, "to nibble") and цветок (tsvetok, "flower") |
| Spanish | Blantita |
Play on blanca ("white") and plantita ("li'l plant") |
References[edit]
- ^ Nintendo Power Volume 13. Page 58.
- ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 English instruction booklet. Page 40.
- ^ Nintendo Power Volume 13. Pages 57–58.
- ^ "In order to reach the exit pipe, you must carry a Koopa up to clear away the blocks and the White Piranha Plants." – (1991). NES Game Atlas. Page 43.
- ^ Game & Watch Gallery 3 English instruction booklet. Page 20.
- ^ Super Princess Peach glossary description
- ^ Pelland, Scott, and Kent Miller. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Player's Guide. Page 39.
- ^ Nintendo Magazine System (UK) Issue 47. Page 91.
- ^ Wawro, A (September 28, 2017). Have a look at Nintendo's early prototype for Yoshi. Gamasutra. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
- ^ Shogakukan (1994). 「パーフェクト版 マリオキャラクター大事典」 (Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten). Page 191.
- ^ a b 「スーパーマリオヨッシーアイランド任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Super Mario: Yossy Island Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook). Shogakukan (Japanese). Page 5.
- ^ Miller, Kent; Munson, Terry (1995). Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 128.
- ^ a b 「スーパーマリオアドバンス3任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Super Mario Advance 3 Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook). Shogakukan (Japanese). Page 21.
- ^ 「ヨッシー New アイランド 任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Yoshi's New Island Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook). Page 24.
- ^ 「ヨッシーストーリー 任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Yoshi's Story Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook). Page 5.
- ^ a b Nintendo 64 Yoshi's Story Spieleberater. Page 19..
- ^ Play Nintendo (March 18, 2023). Mario, Pokémon Trainer, Link & Yoshi vs TINY Encounters! 😱 Baddies & Battles Ep 3 | @playnintendo. YouTube. Retrieved March 19, 2023. (Screen capture.)
- ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 Japanese instruction booklet. Page 41.
- ^ Super Mario Bros. 3 Italian instruction booklet. Page 36.
- Piranha Plants
- Fire creatures
- Babies
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team enemies
- Mario Tennis Aces
- Paper Mario: The Origami King enemies
- Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 enemies
- Super Mario Bros. 3 enemies
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder enemies
- Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars enemies
- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island enemies
- Super Princess Peach enemies
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirits
- The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 enemies
- Yoshi's Island DS enemies
- Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
- Yoshi's New Island enemies
- Yoshi's Safari enemies
- Yoshi's Story enemies
- Yoshi's Woolly World enemies
