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The False Bowsers first appeared in Super Mario Bros. Mario had to fight seven of them (one in each castle) before he could reach Bowser's Castle and fight the real one. Hitting a false Bowser with fireballs would reveal that they were either really just common enemies with a spell cast on them, or common enemies disguised as Bowser. The enemies are:
- World 1: Goomba
- World 2: Koopa Troopa
- World 3: Buzzy Beetle
- World 4: Spiny
- World 5: Lakitu
- World 6: Blooper
- World 7: Hammer Brother
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels additional worlds:
- World A: Goomba (FDS) / Red Koopa Troopa (SNES)
- World B: Koopa Troopa (FDS) / Cheep-Cheep (SNES)
- World C: Buzzy Beetle (FDS) / Bullet Bill (SNES)
- World D: Spiny (FDS version only)
In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, a False Bowser also appears in Worlds 8-4, 9-3 and D-4, along with the real Bowser. Unlike the other False Bowsers, this Bowser was more of a mint-green color instead of the normal color, and did not appear as an enemy in disguise when defeated with fireballs (except in World D in the original NES version, where he turned into a Spiny just like the Bowser the player finds at the end of the level). In the Super Mario All-Stars remake, he lacked his alternate coloration and looked identical to Bowser. Because of this and the fact that this Bowser is the only Bowser that appears in World 9, players unaware of the original version of the game have mistaken him for the real Bowser.
A False Bowser makes a cameo appearance in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. It is seen in a special area inside Bowser's Castle which is a side-scrolling level imitating a Super Mario Bros. level. The False Bowser appears at the end of that level. The Bowser appears to be made of cardboard and Mario must run underneath him and hit the Axe to make him fall.