Worm (Super Mario Galaxy)
| Worm | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot from Super Mario Galaxy | |
| Species | Caterpillar |
| First appearance | Super Mario Galaxy (2007) |
| Latest appearance | Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020) |
The worm[1] is a giant caterpillar from Super Mario Galaxy. It is harmless and has its own gravitational pull, allowing Mario (or Luigi) to walk along its body as if it is a planetoid. It lives in the Gusty Garden Galaxy, where it can be found inside one of the three apple-shaped planets during "The Dirty Tricks of Major Burrows." Each apple has at least one stump on its surface that disturbs the worm once ground-pounded, causing it to tunnel into the next nearest apple. This forms a permanent bridge between these planets that ultimately connects all three apples. Striking the stump in the final, red-colored apple causes the worm to poke its head out of the surface, allowing Mario to reach a nearby Launch Star. The worm does not appear anywhere else in the game. The spots on its body suggest it may be related to Wigglers.
The character is likely based on the culturally ubiquitous trope of the "worm in the apple,"[2] itself potentially influenced by the apple-eating larvae of widespread pest insects such as Cydia pomonella, Grapholita lobarzewskii, and Rhagoletis pomonella. A similar character from Donkey Kong 64 is also derived from this trope.
Gallery[edit]
Prerelease screenshot from the 2007 Game Developers Conference
Prerelease screenshot from E3 2007
Screenshot from Super Mario Galaxy
Naming[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Galaxy | StageData/ObjNameTable.arc/ObjNameTable.tbl | GreenCaterpillarBig | Big Green Caterpillar |
| 虫食い惑星オオムイムイ (Mushikui Wakusei Ōmuimui) | Planet-Eating Bug, Big Muimui |
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 with which they are associated in the "notes" column. Names exclusive to localizations of the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia are not prioritized due to concerns about circular reporting, and are only listed first for their respective languages if they are the only ones available.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ムイムイ[3][4] Muimui |
A Kansai term equivalent to the informal「虫」(mushi, "bug") | |
| French | Ver géant[5] | Giant worm | |
| Vers de terre[6] | Earthworm | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia | |
| German | Muimui[7] | Romanization of the Japanese name | |
| Italian | Verme[8] | Worm | |
| Millepiedi[9] | Millipede | Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia | |
| Spanish | Ciempatas[10] | Portmanteau between ciempiés ("centipede") and patas ("leg") |
References[edit]
- ^ Black, Fletcher (November 9, 2007). Super Mario Galaxy: PRIMA Official Game Guide (Collector's Edition). Roseville: Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-7615-5713-5. Page 35, 172.
- ^ "Worm in an Apple. TV Tropes (English). Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ Kashima, Aya, Mitsuhiro Kitamura, Shinji Kutsuzawa, Kushima No, Itaru Nakatani, Hiroshi Hirata, Kimiyasu Hongo, Yoji Watanabe, Ayoka Kojima, and Daisaku Sato (2007). 『スーパーマリオギャラクシー 任天堂ゲーム攻略本』(Super Mario Galaxy Nintendo Game Strategy Guide). Tokyo: ambit (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-8399-2700-4. Page 101.
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). "Super Mario Galaxy" in『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo: Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-09-106569-8. Page 126.
- ^ Black, Fletcher (2007). Super Mario Galaxy Le Guide Officiel (French Edition). Translated by Mathieu Daujam and Calude-Olivier Eliçabe. Roseville: Prima Games (French). ISBN 978-1-906064-02-0. Page 172.
- ^ Ardaillon, Joanna, and Victoria Juillard-Huberty, editors (2018). "Super Mario Galaxy" in Super Mario Encyclopedia. Translated by Fabien Nabhan. Toulon: Soleil Productions (French). ISBN 978-2-3020-7004-2. Page 126.
- ^ Scholz, Sabine, and Benjamin Spinrath, editors (2017). "Super Mario Galaxy" in Super Mario Encyclopedia - Die ersten 30 Jahre : 1985-2015. Translated by Yamada Hirofumi. Hamburg: Tokyopop (German). ISBN 978-3-8420-3653-6. Page 126.
- ^ Black, Fletcher (2007). Super Mario Galaxy - la Guida Ufficiale (Premiere Edition). Roseville: Prima Games (Italian). ISBN 978-1-906064-03-7. Page 172.
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2018). "Super Mario Galaxy" in Super Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Translated by Marco Amerighi. Milan: Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN 889367436X. Page 126.
- ^ Scholz, Sabine, and Benjamin Spinrath, editors (2017). "Super Mario Galaxy" in Super Mario Encyclopedia - Die ersten 30 Jahre : 1985-2015. Translated by Yamada Hirofumi. Hamburg: Tokyopop (German). ISBN 978-3-8420-3653-6. Page 126.
