Whomp

"Would you like to take this path I'm blocking?"

- Whomp

Whomps, or Whomp Lieutenants, are a species of enemies from the Mario franchise that debuted in Super Mario 64. They are stone enemies that resemble rectangles with snaggletoothed faces, simple hands and arms, and legless feet. They are the minions of Bowser and the Whomp King. They attempt to crush Mario by falling over and trying to land on top of him when he gets near. They can be defeated by Mario causing them to fall over and subsequently ground-pounding on their sole weak spot, their back, which is marked by a cracked area with either a bandage or a ground-pound switch symbol, depending on the game. Whomps are affiliated with Thwomps, another crushing stone enemy.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
Whomps (once referred to as Slab Beasts ) first appear in Super Mario 64 as rare enemies, with two appearing in Whomp's Fortress alongside their leader, the Whomp King, and one appearing midway through Bowser in the Sky. A glitch allows Mario to pass through one and get on its back if he jumps while one is falling. When a Whomp is defeated, Mario will be rewarded with five coins. Before they are defeated, jumping on their backs repeatedly will give him five more coins, for a total of ten.

In the remake, Super Mario 64 DS, their appearance is slightly altered, with their rocky texture being a bit smoother, their bodies being more rough and rounded along the edges, and their hands being gray and rectangular instead of purple and spherical. Additionally, it is no longer possible to jump through them as they fall. Finally, besides a ground pound, it is now possible to defeat them with a Super Mushroom.

New Super Mario Bros.
Three Whomps appear in New Super Mario Bros., using the same model as in Super Mario 64 DS. They are exclusively found in the castle of World 3. Whomps in this game behave similarly to their Super Mario 64 counterpart, again trying to crush Mario if he attempts to pass by them; however, instead of walking around, they simply stand still in the background, waiting for the player to approach. Once on the floor, Mario can Ground Pound the Whomp's back to destroy it and it will drop four coins. They can also be used as platforms to cross harmful parts of the environment, like spikes. A specific Whomp can also be used to help Mario collect a Star Coin. There is also one particular Whomp, known as the Big Whomp, who behaves differently from the others, being slightly larger and walking instead of staying in the background. However, the official strategy guide doesn't make any distinction between this particular Whomp and its brethren. Due to where this Big Whomp is placed, it cannot actually move and simply appears to aimlessly turn back and forth on the spot.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Despite not appearing in the first game, Whomps appear in Super Mario Galaxy 2, with many of their physical features changed. The Whomps' body features are more rectangular, their textures much more smooth, and their eyes no longer unfocused. Their characteristic bandages are no longer present; instead, Whomps now bear the Ground Pound symbol on their back. Additionally, they can cause Mario to lose all of his health points in this game, unlike in their past appearances. The area in which to Ground Pound them is now limited to the small Ground Pound symbol on their back, instead of the whole back. Mario can also Wall Jump on them, which can be used to get certain high-floating objects, such as a Comet Medal and a Green Star.

The Whomp King also makes a return as the boss of the Throwback Galaxy. The Whomp King himself does not appear directly at the top of the fortress, instead it is a regular Whomp. This Whomp is a stand-in for the Whomp King, who appears in person on the underside of the stage after the defeat of the generic Whomp. The Whomp King has also gained the ability to call in Pattans, who make their debut appearance in this game.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Whomps once again appear in New Super Mario Bros. 2, alongside Big Whomps. They act just like they did in the first New Super Mario Bros. game. Regular Whomps are now seen walking back and forth sometimes, and some Big Whomps are seen in the background. Regular Whomps only leave behind one coin when defeated in this game, while Big Whomps leave three. They are only found in and.

Mario Party
In Mario Party, 3 Whomps appear in DK's Jungle Adventure. They are guarding the junctions, and players who wish to take the path that a Whomp is blocking must first pay it 10 Coins. Players that choose to take the path that the Whomp is not guarding causes the Whomp to start blocking that pathway instead.

Mario Party 2
In Mario Party 2, Whomps appear in Horror Land and Space Land. In Horror Land, they keep their role of Mario Party, but overnight they are paralyzed by magic and can't move, this forces players to take the open way. In Space Land, they pursue players instead of Thwomps if Snifit Patrol is out. Whomps also are in the minigame Day at the Races. Also, a Whomp with no legs and arms appears in Mystery Land.

Mario Party 3
Whomps appear in Mario Party 3, in the Duel Mode, as Donkey Kong's initial partner. They have four health, but no attack power. Their salary is 3 coins per turn. If the player receives a second Whomp as a partner while one is still active, the Millennium Star decreases their salaries by one instead of raising their attack.

They also appear on the board Creepy Cavern. On this board, the primary Whomp is the Whomp King, who is blocking one of the two paths at an intersection; giving him an item allows the player to move on while the Whomp King blocks the other path. There are also three Whomps right next to him, who appear to be playing an actual Mario Party board game, which appears to be Rules Land from Mario Party 2.

Mario Party 4
In Mario Party 4, a Whomp hosts the Extra Room, a room filled with challenging minigames. They also appear acting like dominos in the minigame Domination.

Mario Party 5
In Mario Party 5, Whomps and other characters appear in the background of Random Ride. They also appear in the background of many other minigames. On the Pirate Dream board, they allow players to use a ladder as a shortcut for 10 coins.

Mario Party 6
In Mario Party 6, a Whomp blocks a path in front of an Orb Shop in the board Snowflake Lake, and charges 10 coins for players to pass. Going this way will take the player to the right side of the frozen pond. A Whomp also appears in the board Faire Square who blocks a path at the center of the board, and charges 10 coins for players to pass.

Mario Party Advance
Whomps appear in some minigames in Mario Party Advance, such as On the Spot and Outta My Way!. One Whomp also appears as a character in Shroom City, guarding the first floor of the Duel Tower.

Mario Party 7
In Mario Party 7, now with their gray hands, they appear in a few minigames such as Sphere Factor and Spin Off. In the latter they are one of the possible pictures to be formed, and in the former they are obstructions.

Mario Party 8
In Mario Party 8, Whomps have the same function as Mario Party, and are found in King Boo's Haunted Hideaway. One Whomp also appears in the minigame Moped Mayhem and Specter Inspector.

Mario Party DS
In Mario Party DS, Whomps appear in several minigames, like Whomp-a-thon, Plush Crush (as a plush) and Toppling Terror.

Mario Party 9
A Whomp appears as one of the bosses in Mario Party 9, alongside King Bob-omb as the boss of the board Bob-omb Factory. It is the mid boss of the level, and the minigame it is fought in is Whomp Stomp.

Mario Party: Island Tour
In Mario Party: Island Tour, a Whomp appears at the end of the Perilous Palace Path board, acting as the final challenge. The player rolls a die to try to deplete its health. However, if the player does not fully deplete his health, it will squish them and the player will not be able to finish. If, however, the player does manage to defeat it, they will automatically win the board. A Whomp also appears in the minigame Ka-Goomba! after some time. When it appears, the player must shoot its back to defeat it. After it is defeated, the minigame ends. This is the first game to feature Whomps' current design.

Mario Party 10
In Mario Party 10, a Whomp blocks the way in front of the middle castle during Bowser Party. Characters need to hit the Whomp a total of six times in order to defeat it; the number of hits is decided by a dice roll. After the players defeat the Whomp, they can continue.

Mario Party: The Top 100
Whomps reappear in Mario Party: The Top 100 in the minigame Sphere Factor from Mario Party 7, serving the same roles as they did in the original.

Super Mario Party
Whomps appear in Super Mario Party as non-playable characters on the Whomp's Domino Ruins board, periodically moving around the stage and blocking off certain paths. Players must pay a coin toll in order to make them move. Whomps can also appear as obstacles in Follow the Money, and one can also appear alongside a Thwomp and a Sumo Bro in Rattle and Hmmm. When speaking to Bowser and Bowser Jr. they have special dialogue for them.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Whomps re-appear in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, but their roles are quite minor. They appear in Hole 16 and 17 of Bowser Badlands squishing the player's golf ball, giving the player a penalty stroke. This is the same effect as Thwomp, but Whomps disappear after falling.

Mario Golf: World Tour
In Mario Golf: World Tour, while they do not physically appear, Whomp's name can appear on the tournament scoreboard.

Mario Golf: Super Rush
Whomps reappear in Mario Golf: Super Rush as an obstacle in Battle Golf and the Bowser Highlands course, serving as barriers for both balls and players.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Whomps make their Paper Mario debut in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Originally, Whomps were going to appear as regular enemies, but in the final product only one Whomp appears, during the second phase of the final battle with Bowser. During this portion of the battle, the Whomp defends Bowser from any attacks (including those that hit multiple enemies). It attacks by walking up to Mario and either swinging its arms at him or slamming down on top of him; whenever Bowser attacks it moves aside, briefly exposing then covering the scissors image on its back. The Whomp only takes one HP of damage for every attack, but is toppled whenever an Eekhammer is used on it, allowing it to be temporarily damaged normally (using any other kind of hammer causes it to stumble, but recover). This is the only game where Whomps can be defeated without ground-pounding on them, not counting in the Mario Party series, and when the player is invincible.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Papercraft Whomps appear in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam in the Papercraft Fire Mario segment. They attack like normal Whomps, by slamming down on top of Papercraft Fire Mario. The bandages on their back are their weak spot.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
While Whomps themselves do not make a physical appearance in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, in the intro of the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode, a piece of dialogue claims that some blorbed Goombas have knocked several of them down.

Mario Tennis Aces
In Mario Tennis Aces, a Whomp is fought in the mission Defeat Bowser's Minions! at the Castle Gates during Adventure mode. The enemy is encountered during the third phase of the mission and Mario has to damage it by knocking Bullet Bills and Mechakoopas at it using his tennis racket. However, the Whomp attempts to sidestep Mario's shots.

Physical description
Whomps are somewhat similar to Thwomps, resembling faced stone slabs. They have arms and legs, and in their debut, Super Mario 64, their hands are purple ball-shaped. In its remake and later games, their hands are bare and mitten-like. Like Thwomps, they have red eyes, though Whomps' appear to be glowing over black sclera.

Their faces seem to be distorted or disfigured, and their faces seem to be more deeply carved and also more three-dimensional, as opposed to the Thwomps' flat faces. In most titles, Whomps have adhesive bandages in an "X" shape on their backs, but in Super Mario Galaxy 2, they have a carved circle with the Ground Pound symbol on it. Whomps also usually appear with five fairly loose teeth.

In their early appearances, Whomps bore a somewhat narrow shape. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, their bodies became wider overall, but this has been reverted since Mario Party: Island Tour. Their design has gotten increasingly more crude in how it appears to be chiseled.

Speech
Whomps make low grunting sounds in the majority of their appearances, varying in tone depending on what they are feeling. In the Mario Party series, Whomps are given text dialogue; starting with Mario Party 4, their speech is "gangster"-style. However, in Mario Party Superstars, their words are spoken by Toad or the narration.

Trivia

 * The Whomp was inspired by the Japanese mythological creature known as the nurikabe. The nurikabe is a sentient wall that blocks the way of travelers, which Whomps do as well in the Mario Party series, on boards such as DK's Jungle Adventure, and King Boo's Haunted Hideaway.
 * In the Prima Games guide of Mario Party 8, the author mistakenly referred to Whomp as a Thwomp.
 * Even though Throwback Galaxy is the base of Whomps, they are very rare in the galaxy. In fact, only two appear: a regular Whomp and the Whomp King (counting the amount of Pattans that appear would make ten).
 * Whomps made the same noises as Thwomps in Super Mario 64. In later games, however, their noises were slightly different.