Cheep Cheep
- This article is about the recurring enemies in the Super Mario franchise. For the bird enemy in Super Mario Sunshine, see Cheep Cheep (bird).
- "Cheep-cheep" redirects here. For the purple-colored spiky variant also known as simply "Cheep-cheep", see Spiny Cheep Cheep.
| Cheep Cheep | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork from New Super Mario Bros. U | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. (1985) | ||
| Latest appearance | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) | ||
| Member of | Bowser's Minions | ||
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- “It swims along lazily minding its own fishy business... No important characteristics of note... It's a fish...”
- —Tippi, Super Paper Mario
Cheep Cheeps (formerly formatted as Cheep-Cheeps or Cheep-cheeps) are pufferfish-like creatures[1] that made their first appearance in the underwater levels of Super Mario Bros. They are common, recurring enemies throughout the Super Mario franchise. They are found mostly in water, but they often jump out of it as well. There are many different species of Cheep Cheeps, and they come in different colors, including orange, yellow, green, light-blue, blue, indigo, purple, magenta, black, gray, and brown. The most common ones, however, are red with a white patch on their stomach, a yellow (originally white in some artwork) tail fin, a mohawk-like dorsal fin, and wing-like fins. They also have blue eyes and pink lips. Cheep Cheeps may attack above the surface of the water by jumping out in arcs. Given this, Cheep Cheeps seem to be inspired by flying fish, which behave similarly. Many Cheep Cheeps appear to be among Bowser's Minions, though some, such as the ones seen in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, are not. In many games, Cheep Cheeps possess a variety of attacks, typically involving jumping behavior.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[edit]
Cheep-cheeps appear in Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. They are encountered in every underwater level, first appearing in World 2-2 in Super Mario Bros., and swim towards the player character in either a straight line or a wavy pattern. There are red Cheep-cheeps that move moderately fast and gray Cheep-cheeps, which move slower. A single green one is located off-screen in World 2-3 of Super Mario Bros.[2] The gray ones are recolored green in Super Mario All-Stars, a holdover from the "orange and gray" palette used underwater in the original occupying the same hardware space as the "orange and green" palette used for overworld graphics, as demonstrated by World 9 of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. A Cheep-cheep can be defeated from either a fireball or if Mario is invincible. The red Cheep-cheeps of World 2-3, World 7-3, and World 8-4 in Super Mario Bros. leap from the bottom of the screen,[3] and can be defeated from being stomped. Up to three Cheep-cheeps can be in the air at once.
A few green Cheep-cheeps take on the identity of a fake Bowser, including the one at the end of World B-4 in the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels and the fake Bowser at the end of World 1-4 in the You VS. Boo mode of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe.
In the English instruction booklet only, Cheep-cheeps are referred to by female pronouns.[4]
Super Mario Bros. 3 / Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Cheep-Cheeps appear in Super Mario Bros. 3. They are featured in red and green variants; between them, only the latter appears in any underwater-themed levels, though they are more common in shallow pools elsewhere. The green type, which appears cyan in fortresses in the original version, simply swims back and forth slowly. Red Cheep-Cheeps have a variety of behaviors; above ground they animate faster than others, with most swimming before leaping from the water in order to hit Mario and others instead bouncing along the surface constantly and make a large leap once they approach Mario. In caves, red Cheep-Cheeps jump between small portions of water, and cannot be seen or interacted with while underwater. In a Hand Trap, red Cheep-Cheeps leap from the bottom of the screen at random, like in Super Mario Bros., though over lava.
Tan Cheep-Cheeps capable of moving faster than green Cheep-Cheeps and moving in a wavy pattern were planned to appear, with another version of it spawning in trios, but went unused.[5] Besides Cheep-cheeps, several variants were introduced, including Baby Cheeps; their parent, Big Bertha; Boss Bass, and Spiny Cheep-Cheeps (referred to as "Cheep-cheeps" in localized manuals).[6] Though both are red, Big Bertha and Boss Bass behave as enlarged versions of the green and red Cheep Cheeps, respectively.
Besides the unused tan Cheep-Cheeps, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 was also going to feature the beached Cheep Cheeps of Super Mario World in its extra levels,[7] but they were removed. Unlike in Super Mario World, they hurt Mario if he runs into them.
Super Mario World / Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2[edit]
Cheep Cheeps appear in Super Mario World and its reissue. They are slow-moving fish that swim back and forth underwater, though some levels of the Forest of Illusion show them in floating bubbles over land. Cheep Cheeps that flip around on land, such as in Vanilla Dome 3 and Mondo, can be defeated instantly if touched. Cheep Cheeps can also be defeated with a Cape, Yoshi, or fireballs. Certain levels have underwater Cheep Cheeps that can leap up vertically every so often, such as in Awesome, where they leap from the bottom of the screen endlessly, though the relevant artwork depicts the related Blurp instead. Unlike most underwater enemies, such as Blurps, Torpedo Teds, and Urchins, stomping on them underwater with Yoshi will cause Yoshi to run away instead of harmlessly bouncing off.
Cheep Cheeps are depicted in one color only, using the game's yellow palette, with the behavior of swimming forward endlessly being given to Blurps instead. Cheep Cheeps that are underwater are depicted with anal fins, but not on land. Unlike most enemies, Cheep Cheeps do not appear in the ending's cast roll.
Cheep Cheeps appear hidden underwater on the world map between Donut Ghost House and Donut Plains 3, Cheese Bridge Area and Cookie Mountain, and #6 Wendy's Castle and Sunken Ghost Ship. They will jump out of and back into the water whenever the player passes over their location.
Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins[edit]
Cheep-Cheeps appear in Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins. They are depicted after their appearance in Super Mario World. Cheep-Cheeps are encountered in the Macro Zone and Turtle Zone. Cheep-Cheeps can swim either horizontally or vertically. Cheep-Cheeps can be defeated from either a shell, a fireball, or if touched by Invincible Mario. Blurps also appear, and the game introduces a pufferfish version of Spiny Cheep-Cheeps.
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]
Bubs[8] appear in Super Mario 64. They are only encountered in Dire, Dire Docks. Bubs are colored orange, have visible scales, red fins and tail, and wear large goggles, making them resemble Blurps more closely than Cheep Cheeps. Bubs typically swim around through the water aimlessly and can sometimes approach the player character. A Bub takes away health from the player character on contact. They cannot be defeated. The Player's Guide describes a Bub as "one cool koi". In Super Mario 64 DS, Bubs are designed after Cheep Cheeps as depicted in artwork from Super Mario Bros., a design retained in most games, and one of their behavioral differences is no longer swimming higher or lower from their starting position.
Super Mario Sunshine[edit]
Cheep-Cheeps appear in Super Mario Sunshine. There is a scarlet variety encountered in Ricco Harbor, Noki Bay, and sometimes during the King Boo fight in Sirena Beach; a fiery, dark-purple variant inhabiting the lava of Corona Mountain; and Tobi Fish,[9] or Toki Fish,[10] a magenta variety encountered in Gelato Beach, Noki Bay and Delfino Airstrip. The BradyGames guide refers to both the scarlet and magenta varieties as Tobi Fish.[11] The scarlet and charred varieties leap at varying heights, and are defeated from either being stomped or sprayed with water from FLUDD. Cheep-Cheeps temporarily become platorms if sprayed with juice from Yoshi. Two Cheep-Cheeps are sometimes spit out by King Boo during his battle if the slot machine lands on three question marks, though the Cheep-Cheeps flop about upside down. The magenta variety is invulnerable and pursues Mario actively, dragging him down into the water if he is caught in their mouth; they have wider lips like in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, blue fins on their tails and back, blue spots on their undersides, and a slightly flatter body shape.
New Super Mario Bros.[edit]
Cheep-Cheeps appear in New Super Mario Bros.. Cheep-Cheeps have light pink lips in their artwork, though it is colored deep orange in-game. Cheep-Cheeps behave identically as before. One Cheep-Cheep in a bonus area of World 2-4 has a different behavior of swimming in a wavy line as six coins trail behind it. Besides a larger version, two varieties were introduced, Deep-Cheeps (also having a larger version) and Spike Bass, both chasing the player character upon noticing him.
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
Cheep Cheeps appear in Super Mario Galaxy and its Nintendo Switch port. They are encountered in two missions of Deep Dark Galaxy. In the second mission, Bubble Blastoff", they appear on a small planet, half of which is covered in a thin layer of water, and bounce up and down around the planet while flipping. They can be defeated either with a spin or by jumping on them. One appears swimming in a slow circle underwater in the third mission, "Guppy and the Underground Lake", and can only be beaten with a spin or Koopa Shell. In the epilogue, Cheep Cheeps jump out of the water near Peach's Castle.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]
Cheep Cheeps appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. It is now possible for Cheep Cheeps to collide with one another, leading to situations where two may become stuck swimming against one another. Multiple Cheep Cheeps swimming in a certain direction can push individual Cheep Cheeps backward if they swim a certain direction. Besides the red type, there are also Deep-Cheeps, the newly introduced Eep Cheeps, and Spiny Cheep-Cheeps.
Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
Cheep Cheeps appear in Super Mario Galaxy 2 and its Nintendo Switch port. They are slightly more common than in Super Mario Galaxy. Cheep Cheeps now appear swimming near the surface and can be defeated by a spin, jump, or by Yoshi's tongue. They do not hop on land like in Super Mario Galaxy, and they cannot be stunned with a Star Bit.
Cheep Cheeps appear in the following list of galaxies and missions. If no mission is stated, Cheep Cheeps appear during all missions:
- Cosmic Cove Galaxy (regular Cheep Cheeps appear in "Twin Falls Hideaway" and "Catch That Star Bunny"; frozen ones appear in all missions)
- Starshine Beach Galaxy
- Bowser's Gravity Gauntlet
Super Mario 3D Land[edit]
Cheep Cheeps appear in Super Mario 3D Land. They are first encountered in World 1-1, and appear in underwater areas of other levels such as Worlds 3-2 and World 7-1. Cheep Cheeps can also jump out of water. A difference is that bouncing on a Cheep Cheep underwater bounces the player character up slightly without harming them. Cheep Cheeps can be flattened from a Ground Pound while underwater. Cheep Cheeps can be defeated by fireballs, tail whips, boomerang hits, and turning into Statue Mario above them.
New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
Cheep Cheeps appear in New Super Mario Bros. 2. They jump out of water trying to harm Mario or Luigi. Cheep Cheeps become golden while a Gold Ring is active, during which they are followed by a row of five coins. Some Cheep Cheeps swim in a circle similarly to Circling Boo Buddies. Several Cheep Cheeps appear in the boss fight against Wendy O. Koopa, when she whistles them to attack.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]
Cheep Cheeps appear in New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, and their port. They behave identically as before. Besides the returning Cheep Cheeps, Deep Cheeps, Spiny Cheep Cheeps and Eep Cheeps, the game introduces the Mecha Cheep variety, which use propellers on their fins to move forward in underwater airship levels.
Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury[edit]
Cheep Cheeps appear in Super Mario 3D World and its port. They are encountered in the first half of Pipeline Lagoon only. They behave identically as in Super Mario 3D Land. The port's Bowser's Fury mode has a feline variant called a Cat Cheep Cheep[12] that appear somewhat uncommonly throughout Lake Lapcat, swimming around platforms lightly submerged in water. Besides their appearance, Cat Cheep Cheeps are no different from regular Cheep Cheeps.
Super Mario Maker series[edit]
Cheep Cheeps are course parts in Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2. There are two variants of Cheep Cheeps: green ones (which replace gray ones in the Super Mario Bros. style, and are added wholesale in the Super Mario 3D World style) will swim endlessly forward while gently bobbing up and down when placed underwater (or, in Super Mario Maker 2, in the nighttime airship and sky themes), and similarly will jump endlessly forward when placed outside of or on the surface of water (or any similar liquid), while red Cheep Cheeps will swim for about seven blocks in place when underwater or turn around at the peak of their jump in Mario's direction outside of water. Neither variety is affected by blocks, including walls or floors, unless equipped with a parachute in Super Mario Maker 2, which makes them interact with blocks until they hit a floor or a liquid's surface from above.
Cheep Cheeps can be enlarged by a Super Mushroom (though this will not turn them into a Big Bertha or Boss Bass in the Super Mario Bros. 3 style) and given wings, the latter causing them to rise and dip much more while swimming or briefly allow them to fly higher outside of water, in a manner similar to Flutter Jumping.
Cheep Cheeps can be placed in Bill Blasters, Warp Pipes, and Blocks. Green Cheep Cheeps come out from pipes endlessly, though red ones emerge only three times until one is defeated. Collecting the Big Mushroom after scanning the 30th Anniversary Mario amiibo gives the Cheep Cheeps a mustache and ring-shaped lips similar to their modern design in Super Mario Maker, but like other enemies are unchanged by the Big Mushroom in Super Mario Maker 2.
If placed in lava in the castle theme, Cheep Cheeps become engulfed in flames, which renders them immune to stomps, fireballs, and superballs. In Super Mario Maker 2, landing in poison in the nighttime forest theme engulfs them in poison liquid instead, which only grants immunity to stomping.
In the Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U styles, the green Cheep Cheeps appear as Blurps and Deep Cheeps, respectively. Despite this, they are both named as Cheep Cheeps in the game, and use the basic Cheep Cheep behaviors rather than the latter's typical chasing.
In Super Mario Maker 2, a Cheep Cheep-themed outfit can be unlocked for the player's Maker Mii in the form of the Cheep Cheep Hat, designed after a green Cheep Cheep specifically.
Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
Cheep Cheeps (parsed as "CheepCheeps" on the promotional world map) appear in Super Mario Odyssey. They are encountered in the Lake Kingdom and the Seaside Kingdom. Cheep Cheeps behave identically as in previous 3D entries of the Super Mario series, swimming back and forth in a predictable pattern. A difference from before is that Cheep Cheeps can be captured by Mario, allowing him to swim quicker and breathe underwater. A captured Cheep Cheep can perform a spin attack if the player shakes either the Joy-Con or Pro Controller. Captured Cheep Cheeps produce a beam of light in the direction they are facing, like the shells in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. The volleyball in the Beach Volleyball minigame in the Seaside Kingdom is designed after a Cheep Cheep. Mario can obtain the Lake Kingdom Power Moon I Met a Lake Cheep Cheep! by capturing a Cheep Cheep and bringing it to a Lochlady.
A purple Cheep Cheep variety appears in the Snow Kingdom. It is referred to as Cheep Cheep (Snow Kingdom) by the Capture List. Besides the coloring, the only difference between the two is that the Snow Kingdom variants are said to be resistant to the extremely cold temperatures in the water, though ordinary Cheep Cheeps can be fished up in a small pond on the southeast corner of the map. There is a Bonneter biologist who wants to know how they can survive in the freezing water, and he will give Mario the I Met a Snow Cheep Cheep! Power Moon for bringing him one, stating that their round body shape and mouth help them survive in the freezing water.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder / Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park[edit]
Cheep Cheeps appear in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, first appearing in Leaping Smackerel. Underwater, they can additionally be defeated if stomped, unlike previous appearances. Cheep Cheeps sometimes appear out of water like in Super Mario World, but damage the player character when touched from the sides or bottom.
Additionally, in the Nintendo Switch 2 port, Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park, Wendy turns into a Cheep Cheep due to a Wonder Effect in Pipe-Rock Plateau's Wendy's Showdown! level and can also summon Cloud Cheep Cheeps from her rings in the same level.[13]
Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen![edit]
In Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!, several Cheep-cheeps appear flying out of Mario's television when he is playing Family Computer at the beginning of the film. Later, mega-sized Cheep-cheeps make an appearance, shown ballooning and bursting into many smaller versions of themselves.
Alleyway[edit]
In Stage 21 of Alleyway, the breakable bricks are arranged to resemble a Cheep Cheep, based loosely on their sprite from the original Super Mario Bros.
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Like in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, regular Cheep Cheeps do not appear in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. Spiny Cheep Cheeps, however, appear in the episode The Venice Menace as the Doom Sub enters the Warp Pipe to Venice. They share the same coloration as a regular Cheep Cheep, likely as a combination of the enemies.
Super Mario World: Mario to Yoshi no Bōken Land[edit]
In Super Mario World: Mario to Yoshi no Bōken Land, a Cheep Cheep is one of the incorrect choices in a question. It does not appear anywhere else in the video. It appears golden-yellow similar to their in-game appearance from Super Mario World instead of red.
Nintendo Adventure Books[edit]
As Luigi and Toad are exploring Water Land in Leaping Lizards, some Cheep Cheeps jump from the water to try to attack them, but most are avoided; some of the fish also appear three weeks later among the crowds at the International Mushroom Games. This book also describes Cheep Cheeps as having crab-like claws when one pinches Toad. In Pipe Down!, Ludwig von Koopa will sic some Cheep Cheeps on the Mario Bros. if they attempt to attack him directly during one portion of the book, and some will attack Mario along with some other monsters if he pulls the wrong knob on Ludwig's giant pipe organ.
If Mario, Luigi, Toad, and the Mushroom King are run down by a group of Dino Rhinos in Flown the Koopa, they will lose their tickets to the International Dino-Flying Derby, which will end up being blown into a tree inhabited by Cheep Cheeps by a gust of wind. If Mario is chosen to get the tickets back, he will succeed, stomping the irritated Cheep Cheep he takes them from. If Luigi tries to get the tickets instead, a Cheep Cheep will bite him and cause him to fall out of the tree and into a patch of Munchers, causing a Game Over.
Yoshi franchise[edit]
Yoshi[edit]
Cheep Cheeps are falling objects in Yoshi. They use their sprite from Super Mario World. Cheep Cheeps appear in the A-type mode once 60-69 eggs have been hatched in the Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System version, or 70 or more in the Game Boy version. If a Cheep Cheep appears in Yoshi's place in a bonus game if the player does not make Yoshi appear.
Yoshi's Safari[edit]
Cheep-Cheeps appear in Yoshi's Safari. They are colored magenta. Cheep-Cheeps are encountered in the second part of Crescent Coast and in the Dark Sea. Their behavior is to swim back and forth in the former location and jump out of the water in the latter. Cheep-Cheeps are defeated instantly from a single blast from the Super Scope.
Yoshi series[edit]
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3[edit]
Cheep Cheeps appear in