Star Thwomp

Star Thwomps, also known as Super Thwomps, are a shiny version of Thwomps that appear only in the Mario Kart series.

Super Mario Kart
Star Thwomps first appear in Super Mario Kart on Rainbow Road where they act like regular Thwomps, though these Thwomps glow and spin racers out if they run into them, unlike normal Thwomps. There are sixteen of them, divided in four groups of four each, located after the first two ramps (two on each side), on the narrow straight after the next three ramps (two on the left side, then two on the right side), within the forked road (two per side), and before the finish line (in the center).

Mario Kart 7
Star Thwomps reappear in Mario Kart 7, with the return of SNES Rainbow Road as a retro track. Like before, they behave like normal Thwomps, but using their modern spiked appearance from New Super Mario Bros. Wii rather than the blunt one used by the Thwomps on Bowser's Castle. Once again, racers flip if they run into them. Due to their bigger size, they appear in lesser numbers, from sixteen to seven (one Thwomp stands in for every two originally present, though the second quartet is replaced with just one); they also cause the track to wave when they slam the ground, allowing racers to use them for tricks.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Star Thwomps, here simply called Thwomps, appear once more in Mario Kart 8, once again on SNES Rainbow Road included in the first downloadable content pack. Unlike Mario Kart 7, they use the same appearance as the Thwomps in Thwomp Ruins, based upon their Super Mario Galaxy appearance, though they still flip racers on contact. Along with the SNES Rainbow Road course, Super Thwomps reappear in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of the game's base content.

Mario Kart Tour
Star Thwomps return in Mario Kart Tour with their Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe appearance and current name. They are once again found on SNES Rainbow Road, functioning in the same manner as in previous installments. They are also used as the obstacles in the Wario Cup's Glider Challenge in the Tokyo Tour.