Spike

"Spike 'em, er...Spike!"

- Bowser Jr.

Spikes (Gabons in Japan) are dinosaur-like Koopa enemies that throw spiked balls. They were first designed by Hiroyuki Kimura at Nintendo, and they first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Spikes are enemies that appeared first in Super Mario Bros. 3. They were found in the Sea Side and Iced Land stages, and attack by pulling spiked balls out of their stomachs and throwing them at Mario or Luigi; like Lakitus, they have unlimited amounts of ammo. Despite their appearance, Spikes can be stomped even when they're holding their spiked balls above their heads.

New Super Mario Bros.
An icy variety of Spike called Snow Spike also appears in New Super Mario Bros. and instead of spiked balls, they throw snowballs that progressively get bigger.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Normal Spikes also reappear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, along with a Stone Spike, a blue variety that uses stone spikeballs. Spikes can be defeated by a simple jump to the head, although it may be unsafe because the Spike may pull out a spiked ball, which will cause players damage if they land on top of it. Luckily, there are usually Barrels nearby that can be thrown at it, although good timing is needed as the spike balls will destroy the barrel. They can also be defeated by fireballs and can also be frozen via the Ice Flower or the Penguin Suit power-ups.

In this game, Spikes stay at one spot instead of walking around, although they can turn directions. The green variation only appears in World 2.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Spikes and blue variation also appear in New Super Mario Bros. U where they act in the same way they did in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, green variation appears at their own level called Spike's Spouting Sands which appear mounted Flying Question Blocks while Stone Spikes appear in Desert Dry Mushrooms.

Super Mario anime series
In Super Mario Momotarō, a Spike is the last creature to join Mario on his mission to rescue Princess Peach hoping to get his revenge against Bowser for destroying his home world. During the final battle he helps by knocking Ludwig von Koopa out with an exploding spike ball. After the final battle he joins Mario in returning the treasure that Bowser had stolen back to their rightful owners.

Nintendo Adventure Books
In Leaping Lizards, an unnamed Spike competes in the International Mushroom Games as member of the Sneaks, a team composed of random monsters. What events he competes in besides the Beetlebowl (an all-team event) are unspecified; depending on the readers choice as to who acts as the offensive line in the Beetlebowl event, the Spike may steal a Hoopster from Lemmy Koopa, and attack him with an exploding watermelon. Additionally, when Feldspar, the host and referee of the games, mistakenly introduces the team as the Snakes, it is the Spike who corrects him.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Spikes later reappear in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. In this game, they were smaller than normal but were able to create gigantic spike balls larger than their own bodies. They only are in BLIZZARD!!!, but in the remake, they also appear in Endless World of Yoshis. They are erroneously named "Mace Penguins."

Yoshi's Story
Spikes reappear in Yoshi's Story in the level Jungle Hut on Page 4. They regurgitate spiked balls and roll them down hills. The Yoshis may eat them, but the Green Yoshi likes them best. They are mistakenly known as "Gabons", probably a translation error.

According to the text seen after beating the level, the Baby Yoshis apparently met one specific Spike named "Gabon" while entering his hut. All that is known about the encounter is that the angered Spike threw various objects at the Baby Yoshis.

Super Princess Peach
Spikes also appear in Super Princess Peach, which also introduces the orange haired, enraged Mad Spike.

Mario Party 9
A giant Spike appears as a boss in Mario Party 9. It is the mid boss of the Magma Mine board, while the stage boss is Chain Chomp. The minigame it is fought in is Spike Strike. During the minigame, the Spike attacks the players by spitting spiked balls onto the paths leading to them. The players must attack it by smacking the spiked balls back at it with the hammers.

Paper Mario Sticker Star
Spikes make their Paper Mario debut in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. They only appear within the levels of World 2. They will chase Mario and throw their spike balls instead of tossing them slightly and letting it roll. In battle, Spikes can hold a spike ball over their heads, making jump attacks ineffective until they throw the ball on their next turn. Spikes can also ground pound Mario. When defeated they occasionally drop a Spike Ball sticker. Snow Spikes also appear in this game.

Appearance
Some are green while others (ones that inhabit cold places) are white. Clubbas closely resemble Spikes, which differ in that they are bigger than Spikes, and instead of producing spiked balls, Clubbas wield them on their maces. The Japanese names of Spikes and Clubbas, Gabon and Gabon Hei respectively, imply that they are directly related. Additionally, the character Tolstar (found in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga) may be the Beanbean Kingdom version of Spike.

Trivia

 * In Japanese, the spiked balls thrown by Spikes and Ptooies are named "shūringan" シューリンガン). Shūringan is another of Jugemu's names.
 * In the Super Mario Bros. movie, King Koopa's cousin is named Spike. This could be seen as a possible reference to this enemy.
 * Oddly, Spikes have black Buzzy Beetle-like shells on their backs that are too small for them to enter. Although not confirmed, it may alternatively be a saddle as it resembles the red one on the back of Yoshi.