Nipper Plant
| Nipper Plant | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Spirit artwork from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) | ||
| Latest appearance | Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (2026) | ||
| 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 enemies introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3. They are small Piranha Plants[6] with white heads and are closely related to Munchers. Unlike Munchers, however, Nipper Plants are mobile, being able to hop around.
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's fireballs, Hammer Mario's hammers, and Raccoon and Tanooki Mario's tail attack. 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]
Nipper Plants return in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, this time with the ability to walk on walls and ceilings. They no longer jump towards the players when they pass over them, however. Nipper Plants are featured prominently in Muncher Fields. They regain the angry eyes from their original sprite.
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".
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 franchise[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 Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Nipper Plants move along a path in short hops, never deliberately attacking the player character like in Super Mario Bros. 3. They typically appear in groups and often hatch from Nipper Spores that slowly fall to earth. To defeat a Nipper Plant, Yoshi can stomp on it or eat it and turn into an egg; Nipper Spores can also be swallowed, though no eggs will be produced as a result. In these games, Nipper Plants have no visible eyes.
In the Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 Player's Guide's Enemy Encyclopedia section, Nipper Plants are listed under the "Edibilis Boringus" subheader.[7]
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).
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.
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.
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.
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book[edit]
Nipper Plants return in Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, sporting their eyeless design last seen in Yoshi's Island DS. They first appear in the Piranha Plant Habitat, where they now display the ability to turn into a Piranha Plant after consuming three small insects or apples, or one Golden Bug. What they consume determines what color of Piranha Plant they will turn into, indicated by a pair of colored spots that appear on their cheeks. Yoshi can safely carry Nipper Plants on his back with a Tail Flick, and they will not transform into Piranha Plants until they are thrown or knocked off. Nipper Plants do not appear in the Index, instead being treated as the infant stage of the Piranha Plant. Because of this, the player is not given the option to name them, and they will always be referred to as "Nipper Plants" regardless of what name Piranha Plants are given. In a later level variant, they appear "magnified", and Yoshi has to crush the giant plants while riding a Springhopper.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[edit]
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and its Nintendo Switch remake, Nipper Plants, under the name Chompweed,[8] (also parsed as chompweeds')[9] 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 Trial Course, specifically for "What's the first monster you see in the Pipe Vault?" This answer only exists in the English version; it is Exdeath from Final Fantasy V in Japanese and Korean, a wild Chomp in Spanish and Italian, a Shy Guy in Chinese, a Wiggler in Dutch, and a made-up Röhrenfriede ("Pipe-peace") in German.
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 background appearances on the right side of Bananan Ruins in Mario Kart Arcade GP. They also appear in the courses in the Bowser Cup. This game marks their first 3D appearance.
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.
Nipper Plants appear in the following levels:
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.
Minecraft[edit]
In the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack 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.
Paper Mario series[edit]
Paper Mario[edit]
While not directly appearing in Paper Mario, a variant known as a Petit Piranha appears as a support enemy during the Lava Piranha boss fight. They act similarly to Bob-ombs and blow themselves up to attack.
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. A solo bite deals 7-10 damage, while a group bite deals 6-7 damage per hit with two or three Nipper Plants, 6-8 with four or five, and 6-9 with six. If Nipper Plants are facing upwards, they cannot be jumped on without a type of Iron Boots. Like other plant enemies, they are weak to fire- and ice-element attacks. 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. There are unused animations and sound effects, and their data as an enemy is scripted to call for two fire attacks that do not exist in the attack table. Their script file also does not have any programming for the fire attacks.
WarioWare: Get It Together![edit]
In WarioWare: Get It Together!, several Nipper Plants can be seen 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.[10]
Profiles and statistics[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]
- Instruction booklet description:
- English:
These small flowers jump up when Mario gets close. Some of them can move around. - Other languages:
- Japanese:
小型のパックンフラワー。マリオが近づくと飛びあがる。ちょこまかと歩きまわるのもいる。
(Translation: Small Piranha Plants. They jump up when Mario approaches. Some of them walk around restlessly.)
- Japanese:
- English:
Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten[edit]
| プチパックン (JP) / Nipper Plant (EN) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Original text (Japanese) | Translation | ||
| フラワー |
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[edit]
- Shogakukan guide (Japanese): 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。[12]
(Translation: 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.[13]
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3[edit]
- Shogakukan guide (Japanese): 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。[14]
(Translation: 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 (Japanese):
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。[15]
(Translation: 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 (Japanese): うっかりぶってしまいがち。
足元 には気 をつかて。[16]
(Translation: It's easy to accidentally bump into them. Watch your step.)
- Nintendo 64 Spieleberater (German): Mit den scharfen Beißerchen sind sie ganz schön gefährlich. Also fress' ich sie immer sofort! [17]
(Translation: With their sharp bite they are quite dangerous. So I always eat them immediately!)
Super Princess Peach[edit]
- Glossary (#30): A small Piranha Plant. Hops everywhere.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]
| Mario & Luigi: Dream Team enemy | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nipper Plant | ||||||||
|
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 | ||
|
|
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 |
| |
| 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[18]
Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]
| Paper Mario: The Origami King enemy | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nipper Plant | |||||||||||||||
|
HP | 22 | Moves | Location(s) | |||||||||||
| Type | Grounded (facing forward) Grounded, Spiked (facing up) |
Bite (base 7, range 3), Bite Barrage (base 6 per Nipper Plant, range starts at 0 and increases by one per two additional Nipper Plants) | Heart Island, Hammer Island, Club Island, Spring of Jungle Mist | ||||||||||||
| Role | Common | ||||||||||||||
| Item drops | BTL_ZAKO_PAPER_M | ||||||||||||||
|
|
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]
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Nipper Plant.
Japanese Super Mario Bros. 3 strategy guide (Sokuhou-Ban)
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. Print World ("Munchers")
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Names in other languages[edit]
The contemporaneous name for each language is listed first. Subsequent names are listed in chronological order for each language, from oldest to newest, and have the media they are associated with in the "notes" column.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | プチパックン Puchi Pakkun | Petit Piranha; shared with Petit Piranha | [19][20][21][22][23][24] | |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 微小吞食花 Wēixiǎo Tūnshíhuā | Micro Piranha Plant | [24] | |
| 鉗人花 Qiánrén Huā | From "钳" (qián, "pincer") and "食人花" (Shírénhuā, "Piranha Plant") | Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 | [25] | |
| 钳人花 Qiánrén Huā | prior to Paper Mario: The Origami King | [26] | ||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 微小吞食花 Wēixiǎo Tūnshíhuā | Micro Piranha Plant | [24] | |
| Nipper Plant | Unmodified from the English name | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | [26] | |
| Dutch | Nipper Plant | - | [26] | |
| Lopende Piranha | Walking Piranha | Super Mario Bros. 3 | [27] | |
| French | Nipper | Truncation of the English name | [26][24] | |
| Le Piranha marchante | The walking Piranha | Super Mario Bros. 3 | [27] | |
| Mini Piranha | - | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island | [28] | |
| German | Möchtegern-Pflanze | Wannabe Plant | [26][24][29] | |
| Hoppel-Hopp | An alliteration meaning "Hop Hop" | Super Mario Bros. 3 | [30][31] | |
| Hoppel Hopps | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Yoshi's Story | [32][17] | ||
| Italian | Pianta Tenaglia | Pincer Plant | [26][24] | |
| Piraña Mobile | Moving Piranha | Super Mario Bros. 3 | [33] | |
| Nipper Plant | - | Club Nintendo (Super Mario Bros. 3) | [34] | |
| Pianta di Piranha | Piranha Plant | Club Nintendo (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island) | [35] | |
| Pianta tenaglia | Pincer plant | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia | [36][37] | |
| Korean | 새끼뻐끔 Saekki Ppeokeum | Baby Piranha | & |