Goomba
- This article is about the recurring enemies in the Super Mario franchise. For other uses, see Goomba (disambiguation).
- "Kuribo" redirects here. For other uses, see Kuribo (disambiguation).
- "Little Goomba" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Mini Goomba.
- Not to be confused with Gloomba, Goombo, Goompa, or Gooma.
- “Our bodies may be stomped... But our will cannot be crushed! We will forge ahead!”
- —Goomba, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Goombas, initially called Little Goombas,[1] are one of the major species of the Super Mario franchise. Since their first game appearance in Super Mario Bros., they, along with Koopa Troopas have become the most iconic and common enemies in the entire Super Mario franchise, appearing in the vast majority of games. They are usually the first enemy the player encounters. They are small, brown, mushroom-like creatures with two oval feet, tan stem-like bodies, and no arms or legs. Goombas are weak and are not much of a threat to the player character, since a single stomp (or any other physical attacks) usually defeats them, although a number of different Goomba variants have emerged that are usually stronger in some way, and even regular Goombas occasionally drop hints of being much stronger and more competent than their appearances suggest, as in the case of Captain Goomba.
The Goombas, as a collective race, used to be allied with the Mushroom Kingdom. However, most of the Goombas turned traitorous and joined Bowser's Minions.[2] Since Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, however, Goombas not allied with Bowser have appeared. Some non-hostile Goombas, such as the inhabitants of Goomba Village, live in the Mushroom Kingdom, while others simply reside in other locations such as Monstro Town and Rogueport.
Creation[edit]
The Goomba was the last enemy created during the development process of Super Mario Bros. despite being the first encountered. During development, the only basic enemy was the Koopa Troopa. However, playtesters had stated that the Koopa Troopa was too tricky of an enemy to have as the first one. Using this, the developers decided to create an enemy that could be defeated with just a single stomp. The Goomba itself was created with the appearance of a shiitake mushroom. Since the enemy was created toward the end of the development cycle, there was only enough space for one more enemy sprite. Therefore, to give the enemy a walking animation, the developers designed the sprite such that it could be flipped, making the Goomba appear to be walking.[3]
General information[edit]
Physical description[edit]
Goombas resemble brown shiitake mushrooms (or chestnuts, hence their Japanese name) with two feet, stems that are either yellow or tan, and no arms. They are usually smaller than Toads, although larger variations of them exist. Goombas have large faces that occupy most of their heads, recognizeable by their large eyebrows that form a scowl and the two upward-pointing fangs on their mouths. The Super Mario Bros. Movie gives Goombas brown colored eyes. According to the Super Mario Bros. manual, Goombas originated from the Mushroom Kingdom before betraying them and joining the Turtle Empire.[1]
Color variations[edit]
Goombas come in many different colors. The following is a list of all known Goombas and their first appearance:
| Image | Color | First appearance |
|---|---|---|
|
Brown | Super Mario Bros. |
|
Blue | Super Mario Bros. |
|
Gray | Super Mario Bros. |
|
Red | Super Mario Bros. 3 |
|
Green | Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (as Pro Goombas) |
|
Pink | Paper Mario (as Goombaria) |
Powers and abilities[edit]
- “'Marching straight ahead into the enemy's feet!' Didn't you memorize that in Goomba boot camp?”
- —Bowser, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
_-_Super_Mario_Sticker.gif)
Goombas are among the most basic enemies in the franchise, and are typically the first enemy players will encounter in most games. They mainly attack by walking or charging into their opponents in mainline Super Mario games, which, according to Shigeru Miyamoto, was meant to represent biting in Super Mario Bros.. This is also depicted in their attack animation in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.[4] In RPG games such as the Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario series, Goombas usually have low HP and deal weak damage. In these games, Goombas are also known jumping on their opponents, a form of attack called a "headbonk". Starting with Super Mario 3D Land, Goombas have also often appeared stacked on top of each other, forming Goomba Towers. Despite their lack of arms, Goombas are shown to be able to pick up and use various objects, such as Goombella holding her Tattle book in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, or the playable Goombas in the Super Mario Stadium[Japanese] series and in Mario Kart World. Otherwise, Goombas simply hold objects in their mouth or carry them on top their head. When jumped on, Goombas usually flatten before being defeated.
Goombas are often thought of as one of the weakest members of Bowser's Minions.[5] Despite this, they are depicted as persistent, often harboring grudges and wishing to be stronger.[6][7] While Goombas usually appear as enemies of Mario and his friends, some are shown to be friendly and help them, such as Goombella, Goombario and his family. Like most other enemies, Goombas have also appeared as friendly NPCs in most spin-off titles.
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels[edit]
Little Goombas are the most common enemy in Super Mario Bros. and appear in most athletic and underground levels. They are not as common in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels but generally appear in groups of either three or four. Unlike in later games, due to graphical limitations, Little Goombas do not have visible mouths in this game, although their artwork still depicts them with mouths. Little Goombas can be defeated by either jumping on them, shooting a fireball at one, a Koopa Shell, hitting below a block it is on top or, or from the invincibility effects of the Starman. Little Goombas flip between two sprites, giving them the appearance of walking. Little Goombas are the only enemies with two defeat sprites, one showing it flattened from a stomp and the other flipping it upside-down.
Due to the limited color palette of the Family Computer and NES, Little Goombas in underground levels are blue, and in castle levels, they are gray; in the Super Mario All-Stars version, the Goombas in castle levels are grayish brown. Goombas share a palette with Bloobers, put into effect in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels in that the Goombas in the underwater stages are gray with black eyebrows.
All Little Goombas are replaced with Buzzy Beetles in the Hard Mode of Super Mario Bros. Similarly, the Goombas in World A through World D in the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels are replaced with Buzzy Beetles. In All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros., all Goombas are replaced with OkaP, but otherwise still act the same. Little Goombas were added in place of Koopa Troopas and Buzzy Beetles on the staircases of World 3-1, World 4-2, and World 7-1 in VS. Super Mario Bros., making it impossible to perform the 1-up trick.
A Little Goomba is revealed to be the fake Bowser of World 1-4 in Super Mario Bros. if one throws several fireballs at him. The original homeland of Little Goombas is stated to be in the Mushroom Kingdom, which they share with the mushroom retainers, which they later betrayed to join the Turtle Empire.[1]
Little Goombas appear in the following levels in Super Mario Bros.:
- World 1-1
- World 1-2
- World 1-3
- World 1-4 (Takes the form of fake Bowser at the end)
- World 2-1
- World 3-1
- World 3-2
- World 3-3
- World 4-2
- World 5-1
- World 5-2
- World 5-3
- World 6-2
- World 8-1
- World 8-2
- World 8-4
Super Mario Bros. Special[edit]
Little Goombas reappear in Super Mario Bros. Special with the same sprites and functionality as Super Mario Bros., but are only colored red, regardless of stage. In the Sharp X1 version, their eyes and body are white with red shoes. In the PC-8801 version, their eyes and body are yellow with black shoes. Little Goombas can be defeated in the same ways as Super Mario Bros., but also with a hammer.
A Little Goomba also appears on the game's back cover, with the same design as promotional artwork for Super Mario Bros. This is the first time a Goomba's mouth is open, and the only time it is white instead of black.
Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
Goombas, also referred to as Little Goombas,[8] return in Super Mario Bros. 3. They were given different sprites, now depicting them with mouths, which became standard in subsequent games. They appear in every world except Dark Land. Goombas received variants in this game, including the winged Para-Goombas, the larger Grand Goombas, Kuribo's Goombas that hop around on a shoe, and the very small Micro-Goombas, which come in two variants: Mugger Micro-Goombas, which are dropped by brown Para-Goombas, and Pile Driver Micro-Goombas, which hide in bricks.
As with Super Mario Bros., Goombas come in three different colors. The most common are brown with a black outline, which appear in all above-ground levels. In caves, they are also brown, but with a blue outline to stand out from black backgrounds. There are also red Goombas, appearing only after forcing a red Para-Goomba to lose its wings. In the SNES remake, all Goombas are brown with a black outline, except for red Para-Goombas without wings.
Goombas use the same sprites from Super Mario All-Stars in the Game Boy Advance remake, where they are World-e's most common enemy, appearing 77 times. The fake Bowser in Classic World 1-4 is also revealed to be a Goomba when defeated by fireballs, while all varieties from Super Mario Bros 3 also return. Goombas are in the backgrounds of several Level Cards in Japan, while Para-Goombas are shown more prominently on the Frog Suit and triple Super Mushrooms cards.
Super Mario Land[edit]
- Main article: Goombo
While normal Goombas do not appear in Super Mario Land, they are replaced by their behaviorally identical and visually similar relatives Goombos.
Super Mario World[edit]
- Main article: Galoomba
Normal Goombas were originally going to appear in Super Mario World, with a similar look to Super Mario Bros. 3.[9] This was changed to a design with green shoes and, finally, a different Goomba species, later renamed "Galoombas". These chestnut-shaped Goombas are rounder than the traditional, mushroom-shaped Goombas and cannot be defeated in a single jump; stomping on them flips them into an immobile state, where they can be picked up and thrown at other enemies.
Para-Goombas were also planned for Super Mario World, but were replaced with the same different species as normal Goombas, but with wings. It was later renamed the "Paragaloomba". A creature resembling a Micro-Goomba was also found in the game's source code.
Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins[edit]
Goombas, along with Para-Goombas, made their handheld debut in Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins. A few more varieties were added, including the Boo-like Ghost Goombas in the Pumpkin Zone, the underwater Aqua Goombas in the Turtle Zone, and the masked Masked Ghoul, revealed to be a Goomba in the Kodansha adaptation.
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]
Goombas appear in Super Mario 64, commonly in groups of two or three, as well as the behaviorally identical Grand Goombas and Goombettes. They move around a small area in a circular motion and charge at Mario upon spotting him. Goombas take away one unit of Mario's health, or a fraction and a half if Mario does not have his cap on. Either a stomp, punch, kick, or a thrown object can defeat a Goomba, which then drops behind a Yellow Coin.
Super Mario 64 DS changed the role of Goombas a bit. Some Goombas wear Caps resembling the ones worn by Mario, Luigi, and Wario respectively. and can be defeated to grant the player access to the cap. Goombas can be eaten by Yoshi. Some Goombas have a Silver Star during such missions and drops it when defeated. Goombas also help Goomboss during his fight in Goomboss Battle.
New Super Mario Bros.[edit]
Goombas return in New Super Mario Bros., as well as Paragoombas and Mini Goombas. They are one of the only enemies represented by pre-rendered two-dimensional sprites instead of models. There is also the Boss Goomba in World 4-Castle, which conversely uses a full 3D model.
Super Mario Galaxy[edit]
The Goombas of Super Mario Galaxy and its Nintendo Switch port are based on their appearance in Super Mario 64, charging at the player character to attack and dropping a coin upon defeat, excluding those on the Yoshi planet in Space Junk Galaxy.[10] A Goomba can be stunned, either from being spun into or being hit by a Star Bit to knock it upside-down and then defeat it. Goombas are sometimes revealed from objects such as crystals and crates.
Micro Goombas and a single Grand Goomba appear, in addition to the game adding more Goomba variations, including Electrogoombas, Goombeetles, and Pumpkinhead Goombas appear in Ghostly Galaxy. The normal Goombas are the most recurring enemies, appearing in 18 of the 42 galaxies; the only harmful entity of any sort to be more common are the black holes.
Goombas appear in the following list of galaxies and missions. If no mission is stated, Goombas appear during all missions:
- Gateway Galaxy
- Good Egg Galaxy
- Space Junk Galaxy
- Rolling Green Galaxy
- Battlerock Galaxy ("Topmaniac and the Topman Tribe")
- Hurry-Scurry Galaxy
- Beach Bowl Galaxy ("The Secret Undersea Cavern", "Wall Jumping up Waterfalls")
- Buoy Base Galaxy
- Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada
- Gusty Garden Galaxy ("Bunnies in the Wind", "The Dirty Tricks of Major Burrows", "Gusty Garden's Gravity Scramble", "Purple Coins on the Puzzle Cube")
- Freezeflame Galaxy ("The Frozen Peak of Baron Brrr", "Freezeflame's Blistering Core", "Conquering the Summit")
- Dusty Dune Galaxy ("Soaring on the Desert Winds")
- Bowser's Dark Matter Plant
- Deep Dark Galaxy ("The Underground Ghost Ship", "Bubble Blastoff", "Boo in a Box")
- Dreadnought Galaxy ("Infiltrating the Dreadnought")
- Rolling Gizmo Galaxy
New Super Mario Bros. Wii[edit]
Goombas reappear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They function identically to New Super Mario Bros. but their role is slightly different. Eight Goombas are sometimes fought Enemy Course of World 1. The game adds the Hefty Goomba variety, which can be stomped to divide it into two Goombas. Returning Giant Goombas can be split into two Hefty Goombas when stomped. There are Goombas inside spiked chestnuts named Prickly Goombas. In the battle against Magikoopa, his magic can turn platforms into Goombas, among other enemies. There is also a single Goomba in the true final battle in Bowser's Castle.
Super Mario Galaxy 2[edit]
Goombas are enemies in Super Mario Galaxy 2 and its Nintendo Switch port. They are the same as in Super Mario Galaxy, besides turning around if the player character is nearby. If a Chance Cube lands on a Bowser emblem, it becomes a Goomba. "C'mere, Goomba" of Boulder Bowl Galaxy involves delivering a Goomba to a gold Gearmo. Mini Goombas, Giant Goombas, Goombeetles, Jack O'Goombas, Octoombas (renamed from Electrogoombas), and Paragoombas all return, and Big Paragoombas appear for the first time.
Goombas appear in the following list of galaxies and missions. If no mission is stated, Goombas appear during all missions:
- Sky Station Galaxy ("Peewee Piranha's Temper Tantrum", "Peewee Piranha's Speed Run")
- Yoshi Star Galaxy ("Spiny Control")
- Spin-Dig Galaxy ("Digga-Leg's Planet", "Silver Stars Down Deep")
- Fluffy Bluff Galaxy ("The Chimp's Stomp Challenge")
- Flip-Swap Galaxy ("Think Before You Shake")
- Rightside Down Galaxy
- Boulder Bowl Galaxy ("Rock and Rollodillo", "C'mere, Goomba")
- Cosmic Cove Galaxy ("Exploring the Cosmic Cavern")
- Honeybloom Galaxy
- Tall Trunk Galaxy ("The Flotacious Blimp Fruit", "Tall Trunk's Big Slide")
- Cloudy Court Galaxy ("Head in the Clouds", "Silver Stars in the Purple Pond")
- Freezy Flake Galaxy
- Rolling Masterpiece Galaxy
- Beat Block Galaxy
- Bowser's Gravity Gauntlet
- Throwback Galaxy
- Slimy Spring Galaxy ("The Deep Shell Well")
Super Mario 3D Land[edit]
The Goombas of Super Mario 3D Land behave similarly as in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy, charging at the player upon seeing him. Tail Goombas, a stack of multiple Goombas named Goomba Towers, and Goomba boards all appear for the first time. Additionally, in World 1-
Castle, one Goomba takes on the form of a Tail Bowser. A gold version of the Tail Goomba was being considered before being scrapped during the game's development.
New Super Mario Bros. 2[edit]
Goombas return in New Super Mario Bros. 2, retaining their design and behavior from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Besides Goomba Towers, the game adds Gold Goombas, worth five coins, and the skeletal Bone Goombas. There are also blue Goombas in the World Flower and World 6 Ghost Houses and in the Super Mario Bros. World 1-2 remake area of the Gold Classics Pack.
New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]
Goombas reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe with Hefty Goombas and Prickly Goombas; in the New Super Mario Bros. U campaign only, Big Goombas also make a return. Goombas retain their design from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but they now jump at every vocal riff in the background music. Another variety was added, Goombrats, which have black stems on their head. There are also balloon-bound Goombas in only one course—the Sparkling Waters course Skyward Stalk, where they behave like the Parachute Galoombas of Super Mario World except they float from the opposite direction. When the balloon pops, they become regular Goombas.