Spike

Spikes (Gabons in Japan) are Koopa-like enemies that throws 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 appearances, 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 blue variety that throw spikeballs made out of rock. 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 Ice Flower or Penguin Suit.

In this game, Spikes stay at one spot instead of walking around. The green variation only appears in World 2-2.

''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Spikes later reappear in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Instead of pulling spiked balls from their stomachs, they shoot huge ones twice their size. 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.

Paper Mario series
A similar enemy called Clubba appears. They use their spiked mace to attack Mario. They also, humorously, sleep a lot.

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.

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

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.