Bone Goomba

Bone Goombas are Goombas that wear skull helmets, which first appear in New Super Mario Bros. 2, however, the very first Bone Goomba appeared with twentyone years prior in Super Mario-kun. Appearing alongside other bone-related enemies like Bone Piranha Plants and Dry Bones in Towers and Castles, they seem to be identical to ordinary Goombas in everything but appearance, slowly walking forward and being able to be defeated with any attack.

Super Mario-kun
In the last chapter of the first volume of Super Mario-kun, Mario, Luigi and Yoshi ends up in the theoretical Super Mario Bros. 5, where the author theorizes on what element could appear in the next games. One of those elements and the first enemy the heroes face is a "Bone Galoomba". The enemy resemble the skeletal version of a Galoomba and stomping it releases a plausible power-up that transforms Mario in a skeleton for a limited time.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Bone Goombas are then introduced in the games, starting from New Super Mario Bros. 2, being introduced in.

When defeated, the skulls on their heads are broken, revealing that they have a teal colored body, similar to the Goombas found underground in Super Mario Bros. Additionally, they appear without skulls in, , and in the Gold Classics Pack.

Mario Party: Island Tour
Bone Goombas appear in Mario Party: Island Tour on the Star-Crossed Skyway board. They appear on the third Star Stage and give out five Mini Ztars.

Paper Mario: Color Splash
Bone Goombas make their Paper Mario debut in Paper Mario: Color Splash, where they are enemies that can be fought in Marmalade Valley. They are slightly stronger than regular Goombas, but otherwise act the same.

Paper Mario: The Origami King
"Me LOVE to open can with face! You have can? Need open?"

- Bone Goomba



Bone Goombas return in Paper Mario: The Origami King, where origami Bone Goombas appear as enemies in the Temple of Shrooms, Bonehead Island, and Scorching Sandpaper Desert once the sun returns. A regular Bone Goomba also appears as part of the Canned-Food Par-tay Trio in Autumn Mountain and briefly accompanies Mario until he arrives at their party. If Mario enters battle while the Bone Goomba follows him, it aids in battle by attacking one enemy with Skullbonk, dealing 20 damage. However, this attack does not work against Spinies. This Bone Goomba can also use its teeth to open cans, such as Canned Tuna and the Canned Heart. Another regular Bone Goomba appears in the Bonehead Island cafe. It offers for Mario to borrow its spoon, and then tells the Dry Bones that runs the café that its friend, another Dry Bones, is exhausted. Additionally, the Bone Goombas in this game speak in broken English.

Mario Sports Superstars
Bone Goombas appear in Mario Sports Superstars as one of the playable sidekicks in the soccer sport, marking the first playable appearance of a Bone Goomba. Unlike regular Goombas, Bone Goombas are exclusive to soccer. They also serve as obstacles in the Road to Superstar mode.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
In Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Bone Goombas appear as drawings imprinted on the sides of book shelves and bureaus found in several areas of Spooky Trails. These also feature Shy Guy masks.

Dr. Mario World
In Dr. Mario World, Bone Goombas are introduced as assistants when World 23 was introduced, where they have a chance to transform viruses into rotating cannons at stage start: one in stage mode and two in versus mode. The chance to do so is greater at higher levels, where it is 20% at the first level and 100% at the maximum level. Bone Goombas also appear in the backgrounds of World 11, World 13 and World 23 after the areas within the worlds are cleared. A Bone Goomba is rewarded to the player when they cleared the first area of World 23.