Wiggler

"Waaaa! You've flooded my house! Wh-Why?? Look at this mess! What am I going to do now? The ceiling's ruined, the floor is soaked...what to do, what to do? Huff...huff...it makes me so...MAD!!! Everything's been going wrong since I got this Star...It's so shiny, but it makes me feel...strange..."

- Wiggler

Wigglers are a species resembling large real-world caterpillars. They first appeared in Super Mario World, where they had a yellow coloration when calm, but would turn red and run about quickly if Jumped on. Wigglers in all there types are easily identifiable by the characteristic flower or other plant growing from their head.

In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, a species known as Flutters made an appearance, which confirmed that Wigglers are indeed caterpillars.

''Super Mario World
Wigglers made their first appearance in Mario games in the Forest of Illusion. When jumped on, Wigglers will get red and angry and start moving faster, aggressively chasing Mario and Luigi. Wigglers cannot be killed with standard Jumps. A Yoshi, Star, Shell or Cape is required.

''Super Mario 64
A Wiggler appears as a boss in Tiny-Huge Island. To reach Wiggler, Mario must go into Tiny Island and ground pound the pool above its house at the very top of the Island, then go into Huge Island and fit through a small gap that could not be reached in Tiny Island. Inside, the Wiggler is angry Mario has flooded his house. After a few ground pounds, the Wiggler becomes angry and storms around; after some more ground pounds, the Wiggler then shrinks and leaves a Power Star. In Super Mario 64 DS, this battle returned the same, although one effect was added: The Wiggler turned into his red "angry" form before his final hit in Super Mario 64 DS. Oddly enough, the Wiggler could only hurt Mario when he's in his angry form in that game. Super Mario 64 DS also included a mini-game known as Which Wiggler? which prominently featured Wigglers.

''Super Mario Sunshine
A Wiggler is a boss in this game in Episode 3 of Gelato Beach, after being knocked off his resting spot on a tower in Episode 2. He attacks by stomping angrily all over the level. To defeat him, Mario must spray a small Dune Bud growing in the sand. When he sprays it enough it will explode, and if the Wiggler is close it will flip him over. Mario must than Ground Pound on his soft underbelly. When he is hit twice, he gets the ability to climb the hill. After being defeated, he turns into sand and dissolves.

It is interesting to note that, in Japan, this Wiggler was actually an individual, being known as Boss Hanachan (or Boss Wiggler). He's also unique for being green instead of yellow, and he doesn't turn red when angry. Firing water at this Wiggler will make him fire steam from his nose.

''New Super Mario Bros.
Wigglers comes back to a side-scroller in 3D graphics. The only way to defeat them is to use a Shell, a Mega Mushroom, or a Starman. Also Squigglers are introduced here. World 7-3 is also notable for taking place on a giant Wiggler with twenty-nine body segments, including its head. The Which Wiggler? minigame from Super Mario 64 DS also reappeared. A ground pound is able to flip them over and stun them. They are in 4-4, and 7-3.

''Super Mario Galaxy
Wigglers appeared in Super Mario Galaxy. If the player ground pounds near one or Spins one, it would make it tip over. Once it tips itself back over, or it gets stomped regularly, it will turn red, a vein will bulge in it's head, and it will chase Mario around making a noise like a steam engine until it cools back down, just as they did in earlier games. A stomp when flipped or a normal ground pound takes it down.

''New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Wigglers also appear in the sequel of New Super Mario Bros. just as they did in the first game. They only appeared in World 5-2, and some do prove to be important for crossing over the poisonous water; those ones are bigger in size.

Super Mario World cartoon
Wigglers, though referred to as "Caterpillars", appeared throughout several episodes of the Super Mario World animated series; oddly, in the Super Mario World cartoon, Wigglers were portrayed as being constantly angry and possessing large fangs.

A Caterpillar first appeared in "Ghosts 'R' Us" where Yoshi, while traveling with Oogtar the Caveboy through the Enchanted Forest, is attacked by a hungry Caterpillar. After running from this Caterpillar, Yoshi manages to defeat by, after gaining a pair of Magic Wings, slurping it up.

Caterpillars were featured prominently in the episode "Party Line", which had a swarm of Caterpillars attacking Dome City while all the cave people were busy gossiping away on their new telephones. Chasing Mario and Luigi up a large tree, this swarm of Caterpillars begins trying to reach them and devour them. A Caterpillar, managing to bite Mario's leg, sends him rocketing through the air, hitting a ? Block, which releases a Starman that Luigi grabs. With his new strength, Luigi tosses all the ferocious Caterpillars into the tree, which he uses as a catapult to launch the Caterpillars into space and onto a meteor. This group of Wigglers is seen near the end of "Party Line", where they look on as the T-Rex, who had been tossed into space by a Starman powered Mario, soars by.

''Super Mario Adventures
In the Super Mario Adventures comic, Mario and Luigi accidentally disturb a Wiggler shortly after being scared away by Yoshi. This Wiggler, angered at Mario for jumping on it, starts to chase him and Luigi, only to attacked and eaten by Yoshi before it can attack Mario or Luigi.

In a later issue, a Wiggler is seen among the attendees to Bowser's wedding to a hypnotized Princess Toadstool.

Super Mario Bros. film
Finally, Wigglers were referenced in the Super Mario Bros. motion picture, which featured a taxi cab company known as "Wiggler".

''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Wigglers appear as a common enemy in the Forest Maze. They crawl in and out of tree stumps during this area, and jumping on them in the overworld will strangely release Coins (and it will also make them move faster). Additionally, some Wigglers can be found sleeping in the Forest Maze's caves; jumping (outside of battle) on some of these unkillable Wigglers will anger them, making them launch Mario up out of the caves. Finally, Wigglers are notable for having have six feet rather than eight in Super Mario RPG, while their artwork for that game depicts them with the traditional number of eight; even more confusingly, Dr. Topper asks a "How many feet do Wigglers have?" question in Bowser's Keep that includes answers such as "six" and "eight", and the correct one is the non-traditional six.

''Yoshi's Island
The sub-species of Wigglers, Flutters, make their first appearance here.

''Yoshi's Story
A Wiggler that is very different from the normal Wiggler (being a furry, green Wiggler) known as the Fuzzy Wiggler appears in Yoshi's Story. The Fuzzy Wiggler turns blue when stomped on, and once it is defeated by stomping on all of its segments it drops a Melon.

Mario Party series
Either a Wiggler or a Wiggler Fly appears in the Western Land board in Mario Party 2. Her name is Hootenanny, the same name as the event she triggers. It is unknown whether she is a Wiggler or a Wiggler Fly, as only her head appears. In Mario Party 3, in the mini-game Picture Imperfect, Wiggler's face was one of the 3 main faces the players had to put together. In Mario Party 5, Mario Party 6 and Mario Party 7 a Wiggler had it's own orb, the orb will take you where the Star is. In the mini-game Cardiators from Mario Party 8, Wiggler appears as a card enemy and does 8 damage.

''Mario Party DS
A Wiggler (named Wiggler) makes an appearance in Mario Party DS, all as a trophy, a character in Story Mode, and owns her own board, entitled Wiggler's Garden. In Story Mode, a Piranha Plant began terrorizing its garden. Wiggler then asked the tiny heroes to defeat the Piranha Plant. After defeating it, Wiggler rewards the heroes with the first Sky Crystal, and the heroes continue their quest for the rest for Bowser's Castle.

''Game & Watch Gallery 4
A Wiggler is the first creature Luigi faces in the modern mode of Boxing.

''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
A green bus that closely resembles the Wiggler from Super Mario Sunshine, known as the Wiggler Bus, appears as a moving obstacle on the Mushroom Bridge and Mushroom City racing tracks. Crashing into it will send the racer tumbling, making him/her lose all items that he/she had, along with the rear character dragging behind for a little while. In both tracks, there's no more than one Wiggler Bus driving around.

''Mario Kart DS
A Wiggler appears as a boss in the unlockable seventh mission set. Players must race him on Mushroom Bridge, and each lap he gets faster. The first lap he is regular, the second lap he has steam rising from his head, and the third and final lap he is angry and red. He takes the shortcut on the last lap.

''Mario Kart Wii
Two giant Wigglers appear briefly as stage hazards in Maple Treeway. They casually walk around on one of the treetops, and don't seem to go out of their way to stop racers, yet running into them brings racers to an immediate halt.

''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
A Wiggler appears as a boss in Chucklehuck Woods in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Players fight him during the quest for the Chuckola Fruits. At first, the Mario Bros. see the Wiggler trying to enter a small hole in the wall and then they help him get through by jumping on it. After the Wiggler enters the hole, Mini-Mario tries to enter the hole but runs away after seeing the enrage Wiggler. This Wiggler's natural form seemed to be his enraged, red one, while his typically normal yellow one was used as a weak and sickly state.

''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
A "Swiggler" appears as the first boss, a Shroob (alien) variant of the Wiggler. The Swiggler regularly drinks glasses of green goo that contain Vim (energy) drained from the Mushroom Kingdom's Toad population. The Swiggler attacks by extending tubes from its hind-gut which plug into Shroob saucers flying overhead, which use the Swiggler's supply of Vim to shoot beams of energy at Mario, Luigi, and their baby counterparts.

''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
A giant Wiggler appears as the boss of Dimble Woods. Bowser first meets him after he pulls up the Giga-Carrot, which was blocking the Wiggler's burrow. This infuriates the Wiggler, who demands that Bowser eat the carrot. As soon as Bowser finishes the carrot, the Wiggler yells at Bowser for destroying generations of hard work and care by eating the carrot (despite the fact that he told Bowser to do so in the first place). He then attacks the Koopa King.

In battle, Wiggler is able to use an array of different moves this time. The most noticeable attack is seen when Wiggler stands up straight and his front pair of feet morph into hands, reminiscent of his appearance in Mario Power Tennis (below). He then gets a watering can and waters the ground, making a giant Turnip grow there. Two Leaf Guys then pull up the Turnip and hover above the battle on the top screen, waiting to drop it on Bowser as an attack; Bowser is able to inhale the Leaf Guys and the Turnip will drop.

Wiggler's other attacks include ramming and a body slam, where he rises up and attempts to fall on Bowser. Bowser can block this attack by punching the Wiggler's segments, causing him to back up and lower to the point where Bowser is eventually able to punch his head. If Bowser lets the Wiggler fall, he can defend with his shell and Wiggler will rebound. Like the Wiggler in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, the Wiggler is mad and red by default. Bowser must attack all of his segments before he will be vulnerable to attacks.

The first sage and guardian of the first Star Cure, Durmite, resembles a cross between a green Birdo and a Wiggler.

''Mario Power Tennis
A Wiggler is an unlockable character in this game. He is a defensive type, like Waluigi. For his power shot, he turns red with anger and whacks the ball with brute strength. His defense power shot allows him to morph into a Wiggler Fly and fly. With his temporary wings, he flies to get the ball. It is interesting to note that, unlike in his other appearances, Wiggler's body is curved upwards and has two gloved hands, as he needs to be able to hold a tennis racket. This makes him more so resemble a Wiggler Fly.

''Super Princess Peach
In Super Princess Peach, there's a Wiggler as a boss of World 4, Fury Volcano. It would attack by getting angry and running fast on the platform, sending rocks down. Some rocks contain crystals. To defeat it, Peach had to use Rage to push a spring underneath the platform down. It would flip it over and show a weak spot, which Peach would have to jump on.

''Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Wiggler appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a sticker and trophy, but doesn't actually appear in the game.

''Mario Super Sluggers
Wiggler appears as a playable character in Mario Super Sluggers. In Challenge Mode, he acts as a roller coaster in Yoshi Park, but has lost his temper and speedily races on the track. Mario must change the direction of the rails in order to steer Wiggler off the track and calm him down. Afterward, he joins Mario's baseball team.

Wiggler shares good chemistry with Blooper, King Boo, and Petey Piranha, possibly because they all appear as bosses in Super Mario Sunshine. Wiggler is a team player for Yoshi's team, the Yoshi Eggs. Wiggler is shown to be pretty strong in this game, not only with an above average batting and running rating, but also with his close plays, in which he turns red if successful and smashes into the baseman. Of course, his pitching and fielding skills are rather weak.

Notable Wigglers

 * Hootenanny – Mario Party 2
 * Swiggler – Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Sub-Species

 * Flutter – Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
 * Fuzzy Wiggler – Yoshi's Story
 * Squiggler – New Super Mario Bros.

Trivia

 * In Mario Power Tennis, Wiggler is shown with hands for the first time. This was seen again in Mario Super Sluggers resulting in Wiggler's overall participation for those games.
 * The Pokémon Weedle shares a remarkably similar appearance to Wigglers, which may be due to Satoshi Tajiri being mentored by Shigeru Miyamoto.