Dry Bones



"I'm sick of gettin' hit!"

- Dry Bones

Dry Bones (also rarely known as Skeleton Koopas) are skeletal versions of Koopa Troopas. These undead turtles are infamous for falling apart after being hit by an attack, only to reassemble itself after a certain amount of time.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Chronologically, Dry Bones first appeared in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. In it, Dry Bones resided inside Yoob's stomach. In battle, a Dry Bones would throw bones at Mario and Luigi to attack. If the Dry Bones jumped before throwing a bone, the bone would bounce over the Mario brothers' head; if Dry Bones did not jump, the bone would bounce towards Mario or Luigi and must be evaded by jumping. Additionally, if the Dry Bones gnashed its teeth, the skeletal Koopa would attack Mario before attacking Luigi. If the Dry Bones twirled its head around, the undead monster would attack Luigi before attacking Mario.

It is unknown how the Dry Bones ended up in Yoob's stomach. They may have been normal Koopas that were eaten and digested by the monstrous Yoshi Shroob. However, Yoob apparently does not like the taste of Koopas, as the monster spits out both Kylie Koopa and Kamek (but, strangely, does eat Baby Bowser). Thus, the Dry Bones in Yoob's stomach may have appeared there by some other means.

Large Dry Bones statues also appeared in the Gritzy Desert.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Dry Bones's true debut was in Super Mario Bros. 3. They were virtually indestructible--they could be stomped on the head and turn to a pile of dust. However, they would eventually reform. The only way to destroy them for good was with a Star.

Super Mario World
Dry Bones also appeared in various castles of Super Mario World.

Hotel Mario
Dry Bones reappeared after SMB3 in Hotel Mario. They were known as Skeleton Koopas in this game, and quite uncommonly, could be demolished with fire.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Dry Bones appear as enemies in the Sunken Ship. They have an infinite amount of HP, which means they cannot defeated by normal attacks, only magic can hurt them. Additionally, when defeated, they would resurrect after a short amount of time and try to re-engage battle with Mario. A stronger sub-species of Dry Bones known as Vomer also appears in the Barrel Volcano.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga


Dry Bones appeared in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. These Dry Bones were four-legged like the ones from Super Mario Bros. 3. They were found in Hoohoo Mountain, and poisonous counterparts of them appeared in Teehee Valley. If they are seen while they are not in battle, the Mario Bros. can stomp their spinning head to inflict damage when the battle begins. Dry Bones would attack by throwing their heads at opponents. If a Dry Bones' head twisted in a circle, it would attack Mario; if its head spun around left to right, then Luigi would have to jump to dodge the flying head. To attack this enemy while the it was attacking, the Mario Bros. would have to jump onto the spinning bone head. These enemies would mostly appear in packs of Beanies. When they were defeated, the Mario Bros. would receive a Mushroom.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Dry Bones were very common enemies in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, notably in Hooktail Castle and Palace of Shadow. The skeletons, with the help of a Red Bones, ambushed Mario and friends in both locations. Aside from Red Bones, two other sub-species--the Dull Bones and Dark Bones--were introduced.

Super Paper Mario
Dry Bones were minor enemies in Super Paper Mario. A new kind of Dark Bones appeared, as well as a Dark Dull Bones.

New Super Mario Bros.
Dry Bones were common in the fortresses of New Super Mario Bros. When jumped on, they would collapse and their head would deattach. But no matter where the head fell to (even a lava pool or bottomless pit), it came back together every time. Also, a giant Dry Bones (aptly named Super Dry Bones) appeared occasionally. These had to be ground-pounded to temporarily be immobilized.

Super Princess Peach
Dry Bones also appeared in Super Princess Peach, mostly in World 3. A new sub-species, the Sad Dry Bones, appeared here.

Other Events
In 2005, Dry Bones had suddenly become quite popular as a playable character.

Mario Superstar Baseball
This was Dry Bones's spin-off debut. Dry Bones was introduced as a Technique character as a part of Bowser's team. His four colors were white (by default), red, green and blue. His strongest points were batting, pitching, and fielding. Interestingly, this is also one of Dry Bones's only appearances as playable from the start. Dry Bones "Buddies" in the game were Koopa Troopa and Bowser.

Mario Kart DS
Dry Bones was a secret character in Mario Kart DS. He could be unlocked by winning the gold trophy of the Nitro Grand Prix, on 50cc. His karts were the Standard DB, the Banisher, and the Dry Bomber.

Mario Party Series
Dry Bones first appeared as a Mario Partier in Mario Party 7, where he had to purchased in the Duty-Free Shop for a price of 1000 Cruise Mileage Points. In Mario Party 8, since he was now becoming a "natural" at the series, he was available by default.

Appearances in Other Media


Dry Bones made a few appearances in the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World animated series.

Mario Party Info
Partner: Boo Special Orb: Magic/Surprise

Mario Superstar Baseball
Buddies: Some fans stated that Dry Bones should've had three more buddies, Koopa Paratroopa, Boo, and Hammer Bro.. A Paratroopa is technically a Koopa with wings so it should be buddies with Dry Bones. Boo was Dry Bones' partner in Mario Party 7 so that means they are friends, but in Mario Superstar Baseball, they obviously aren't Also, they are both dead. Hammer Bro. and Dry Bones are always working together in the Koopa Troop to obey Bowser.
 * Koopa Troopa
 * Bowser

Bio A bony underling of Bowser. Some mysterious power binds the skeletal bodies of Dry Bones together, but they shatter to pieces when they take damage. Of course, over time, they go right back to the way they were without ill effect. Dry Bones throws cursed balls when he pitches.

Sub-Species

 * Dark Bones
 * Dark Dull Bones
 * Dull Bones
 * Red Bones
 * Sad Dry Bones
 * Super Dry Bones
 * Vomer

Trivia

 * Dry Bones's emblem in various games is its head.
 * Paper Mario series and Hotel Mario are the only games where Dry Bones could've been defeated with fire.
 * While not playable in Mario Hoops 3 on 3, a picture of Dry Bones's head cameoed on the Pirate Ship court, acting as the backboard for the hoop.
 * Though an exact gender has yet to be confirmed, Dry Bones is referenced as a "he" in his Mario Superstar Baseball bio.