Thwomp

Thwomps are large stone blocks that are usually covered in spikes. They are normally either blue or gray in color, and seem to to be perpetually angry. It is suggested in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time that Thwomps may in fact be born from volcanoes.

The Beginnings
Thwomps first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3 and tried to squish Mario whenever he walked underneath them. They were seen in castle levels. They had the same role in Super Mario World. In Super Mario World there is also a small version of a Thwomp appearing, named Thwimp.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Thwomps act as obstacles and cannot be fought like normal enemies. A Thwomp would attempt to crush Mario if he walked by, knocking the plumber unconscious for a short period of time. Additionally, if Mario is standing on a staircase and Thwomp crashes to the ground, the plumber will tumble backwards down the stairs. Thus Mario must Jump up the staircase quickly before Thwomp has a chance to strike. Interestingly, one Thwomp that lives in Booster Tower rests on a teeter-totter. When Mario hops on the other end, the Thwomp will fly up, smash its own end, and send Mario soaring high up in the air.

Super Mario 64
In Super Mario 64, spikeless Thwomps reside on Whomp's Fortress. This time, Mario was able to jump on top of them when they were on the ground, and could reach objects floating above them. In Super Mario 64 DS, the spikeless Thwomps were replaced with ones that did have spikes, though Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Yoshi were still able to stand on top of them. This suggests that the spikes may be merely ornamental, or that these Thwomps are of a variety whose spikes are not as sharp. A dark version of Thwomps, known as Grindels, also appeared in Shifting Sand Land.

Paper Mario series
Two Thwomps appeared in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, both of which asked several questions in a game-show manner in order to test Mario. If Mario guessed five questions correctly before getting three incorrectly, an important area or item was revealed to Mario. If you failed the quiz, they summoned enemies which would attack the player.

In Super Paper Mario, Thwomps serve again as obstacles.

Mario & Luigi series
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, two Thwomps appeared in the Hammerhead Bros.'s cave. When Mario and Luigi won their mini-game, they could learn one of the secret Bros. Attacks, Swing Bros. and Cyclone Bros.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time shows a female Thwomp who looks like a huge boulder, named Mrs. Thwomp. She, along with her husband, Mr. Thwomp, appears at Thwomp Volcano.

Super Mario Galaxy
Thwomps will appear in the upcoming video game Super Mario Galaxy. They will, as in many other games, have to be dodged by Mario.

Other series
In the Mario Kart series, Thwomps can be seen on the Bowser's Castle courses, where they try to squish or block racers. Thwomps have also made many appearances in the Mario Party series. A Thwomp appeared as a partner in Duel Mode in Mario Party 3. It did not have actual power, but would simply destroy the enemy's partner. It had two HP.

A few Thwomps appeared in Mario Superstar Baseball as obstacle in Koopa Castle (once it's unlocked.) They try to stop any of the players from making a homerun. They also appear in the unlockable minigame Star Dash and try to smash anyone who is beneath them. If a player gets smashed by a Thwomp they will lose some of their coins.

Variations

 * Grindels: Mummified Thwomps seen in Shifting Sand Land of Super Mario 64.
 * Spindels: Rolling pin-like Grindels that attempt to squish Mario in Super Mario 64.
 * Thwimps: Small versions of Thwomps found only in Super Mario World. They jump from side to side.
 * Tromps - Circular Thwomps from Paper Mario and Super Paper Mario who roll down slopes in an attempt to crush Mario.
 * Whomps: Stone blocks that appear to be related to Thwomps. They attack by attempting to crush Mario.
 * Inflatable Thwomps - Blue Thwomps made of rubber that have appeared in the minigame The Great Deflate in Mario Party 4.

Notable Thwomps

 * Mrs. Thwomp: A female Thwomp. She is married to Mr. Thwomp. She is always very angry.
 * Mr. Thwomp: Mrs. Thwomp's calm husband.

Appearances in other media
Although no real Thwomps appeared in the Super Mario Bros. movie, a neon sign for a store with their name appeared; this sign said "Thwomp Stompers".

Thwomps also appear in the Mario Cartoon series.

Trophy Information from Super Smash Bros. Melee
''Thwomps spend most of their time suspended in midair, waiting. When Mario passes below, they crash down with amazing speed. As you may guess from their appearance, they're heavy and solid enough to make any attack on them futile. Small ones are called Thwimps: despite their weight, they often form groups and bounce around.''

Trivia

 * A Thwomp is one of the types of stones Kirby can transform into in Super Smash Bros. Melee using the Stone move.