Big Sphen

Big Sphens are rare enemies appearing in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. They are fat, blue penguins with a yellow mohawk, a pair of brown wristbands, and a belt with the Snowmad insignia on it. Big Sphens are always carrying a heavy, wooden blowing horn with them.

In the game, the player can encounter Big Sphens for the first time in the boss level Big Top Bop aiding Pompy, the menacing sea-lion. Here, they lack blowing horns, and their initial attack method is jumping out of the water from behind the arena and ground pounding onto the field. Later, three of them, along with Pompy, slide around on the arena, making stunts and trying to harm the Kongs, who can either jump on the chubby penguins one by one, or carefully dodge them, so as to finally hit Pompy as required in the battle.

Much later in the game, specifically in Seashore War and afterwards, Big Sphens are larger and attack the player by blowing their horns, which release, consequently, three creatures that resemble butterfly fish made of ice, which slide continuously on the ground until they crash into a wall or get stomped by a Kong. Big Sphens move slowly back and forth after each attack. They can be defeated with three jumps, three rolls, or by throwing a barrel or enemy at them.