Amp

Amps are small, electrified, and spherical metal balls that have appeared as enemies throughout the Mario franchise. Their name stems from "ampere" (often shortened to "amp"), the standard unit of measurement for the flow of electrical currents. It debuted in Super Mario 64.

Super Mario 64/Super Mario 64 DS
Amps make their first appearance in Super Mario 64 and are featured in several levels throughout Super Mario 64 and its remake, Super Mario 64 DS. Similar to Li'l Sparkies and Hotheads, they move around objects and platforms, and if Mario comes into contact with one, he will be shocked and lose one wedge of health. Amps cannot be defeated in this game. Amps can be found in Bowser in the Dark World, Shifting Sand Land, Vanish Cap Under the Moat, Snowman's Land, Bowser in the Fire Sea, Tick Tock Clock, Rainbow Ride, and Bowser in the Sky. While being electrocuted, Mario will flash and become immobile for about one second.

New Super Mario Bros.
Amps reappear as an uncommon enemy in New Super Mario Bros., in, and. In this game, they appear mostly in groups, and if Mario comes in contact with one, he will be shocked. They can only be defeated with a Mega Mushroom, Koopa Shell or Starman. They will lose their electricity for a moment if they shock Mario or Luigi, except for ones on fences, which will disappear after they shock the player.

Super Mario Galaxy
Amps can also be found in many areas of Super Mario Galaxy, including the Buoy Base Galaxy, the Battlerock Galaxy, the Space Junk Galaxy, the Toy Time Galaxy, and the Dreadnought Galaxy. They have faces, and their eyes and mouth are both bright red. There also other Amps that are large, face-less orbs, called Big Amps. Similar to Super Mario 64, Amps cannot be defeated. However, the second player can freeze them in place. They also appear in the Bubble Blast Galaxy where they move in groups of two.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Amps also appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii as rare enemies, behaving as they did in New Super Mario Bros. Only six of them appear in the first half of. They can be defeated by freezing them with icy projectiles from the Ice Flower or Penguin Suit and then Ground Pounding them, touching them with a character using a Star, or by having a frozen enemy thrown at them. The player(s) must dodge the Amps to reach the Red Coins.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Amps reappear in Super Mario Galaxy 2, behaving and appearing the same way they did in the predecessor. However, they can now be defeated by using a Rainbow Star. They appear in Sky Station Galaxy, Space Storm Galaxy, and Spin-Dig Galaxy.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Amps reappear in New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Nintendo 3DS. They act just like they did in the predecessor and appear in the levels World 4-B and. Additionally, Amps can also be seen moving on lines, like Fuzzies.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Amps and Big Amps reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U, appearing only in Snake Block Tower and in Ludwig's Clockwork Castle. They behave like in the predecessor There is also a new variation known as Bowser Stunners that conduct electricity with each other.

Mario Party series
They appear in various games in the Mario Party series.

Mario Party 3
In Mario Party 3, they appear in Motor Rooter, where they create shock waves.

Mario Party 4
In Mario Party 4, the Sparky Sticker (Waluigi's favorite item) is a sticker of an Amp.

Mario Party 5
They also appear as orbs in Mario Party 5, but they were referred to by the traditional name of "Amps". They are also the main obstacle in Shock Absorbers.

Mario Party Advance
A notable Amp appears in Mario Party Advance, gambling in Town Game Room B. Generic Amps also appear in the minigames Amplifried, Cloud Climb, and Broom Zoom as hazards, where they continuously emit electricity that harms the player.

Mario Party 6
Amps appear in Mario Party 6 as the Zap Orb. Once a player passed over a set Zap Orb, they would lose five coins for each space they moved beyond it for the rest of their turn. They're the only enemies in Circuit Maximus minigame.

Mario Party 7
Amps once again return in Mario Party 7, still in the form of the Zap Orb, which had the same effect as before. However, the player lost three coins for every space instead of five.

Mario Party 8
An Amp also appears in the Mario Party 8 minigame Specter Inspector. They were one of the nine enemies that needed to be found in the minigames. It is found under a cover on the table.

Mario Party: Island Tour
Amps appear in Mario Party: Island Tour in the minigame Amp My Style where they serve as obstacles for the players, as well as tiles in the minigames Match Faker and Tap Dash and as the constellation in the minigame Starring Artist.

Mario Party 10
In Bowser's Wicked Wheel, a minigame from Mario Party 10, two pairs of Amps form electrical bonds at the left and, respectively, right sides of the running wheel, restraining the inner bottom surface as ground for the playable characters. The characters, who would have to constantly run in the wheel while Bowser rotates it, are thusly barred by the Amps, and will lose a heart upon contacting their dangerous links. As the wheel goes round to the left and the characters run to the right to resist getting drafted into the left Amp barrier, Bowser might suddenly stop the wheel and send the tormented characters towards the other Amp barrier on the right, due to inertia.

Mario Party: Star Rush
Amps appear as obstacles in the minigame Corkscrew Climb in Mario Party: Star Rush. Players need to jump over them as they automatically ascend a tower. If a player touches the Amp, the player is knocked out and sent to the back of the line of players. Additionally, they are the main obstacles of a mode named Challenge Tower, where they are hidden and if a player touches them, the player receives a game over. The tower's spaces light up in accordance to the number of Amps adjacent to the space, and Amps are never found directly next to each other.

Mario Sports Superstars
Amps reappear in Mario Sports Superstars as obstacles in boss battles with Magikoopas.

Appearance and traits
Amps originally sported white "cross-popping" veins, joyful red eyes, and rounded metallic lips with a pure red mouth. Since Super Mario 64 DS and Mario Party 7, their appearance has been changed a bit. They now have more jagged yellow eyes and a larger, jagged mouth. Their lips are now white, with a pink tongue and black interior being visible inside the mouth. They are also now black rather than grayish and sport no angry veins.

Trivia

 * In the pyramid of Shifting Sand Land in Super Mario 64, there are two Amps that, instead of circling around objects, come out of walls in a circular pattern (thus circling nothing). However, these Amps do not appear in the DS remake.
 * In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, there is an unused model that controls Amps on lines, similar to Fuzzies. These line controlled Amps make an actual appearance in New Super Mario Bros. 2.

Sparky Amperino