Dry Bones

"I'm sick of gettin' hit!"

- Dry Bones

Dry Bones (also known as Skeleton Koopas) are skeletal versions of Koopa Troopas. These undead Koopas will often collapse when attacked, but they will soon revive themselves and become completely normal once again. Dry Bones first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3, in which they were a simple edit of a Koopa. They have since become a very popular character among fans and a staple in Mario Spin-off games. Dry Bones is ordinarily a lightweight character in games and is often accompanied by Boo.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Chronologically, Dry Bones' first appearance was in the game Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. They appeared during the Shroob invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom. Dry Bones resided exclusively inside Yoob's Belly in the game. When a battle was initiated, a Dry Bones would throw bones at Mario and Luigi to attack. Usually, the Dry Bones would stay still while throwing the bone, which caused the bone to go straight towards a single brother. to dodge this attack, the player would need to simply jump. However, if the Dry Bones jumped before throwing a bone, the bone would bounce over the brothers' head and only cause damage if one of the Bros. jumped. Furthermore, Dry Bones was able to attack the Bros. one after the other. If the Dry Bones gnashed its teeth, the skeletal Koopa would attack Mario before attacking Luigi, and if the Dry Bones twirled its head around, the undead monster would attack Luigi before attacking Mario.

Later in the game, large Dry Bones statues appeared in Gritzy Desert. When these were encountered, the player had to split up the Babies and the adults. After doing this, the player had to hit four blocks within ten seconds of each other. There were two pairs of blocks in the Desert and once the two pairs were hit, a hidden door to the Koopaseum would be opened.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Dry Bones's true debut was in the game Super Mario Bros. 3. Bowser raided the Mushroom Kingdom with his Airships, once again stealing Princess Toadstool, transforming all of the Mushroom Kings into animals in the process. Dry Bones could be stomped on the head and turned into a pile of bones; however, they would soon reform, completely unharmed. The only ways to destroy them permanently was with a Star or the Hammer Suit; unlike normal Koopas, Dry Bones was immune to the tail of Raccoon Mario. Dry Bones appeared most prominently in the multiple Forts of the game, where they would often accompany Boos and Thwomps. The first level that they appeared in was the Fort of World 1.

In the remake Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, Dry Bones could be defeated by the Cape Feather. This item, originally from Super Mario World, could only be obtained by scanning the "Cape" card with the e-Reader.

Super Mario World
Dry Bones reappeared in Dinosaur Land when Bowser took Princess Peach hostage while on vacation in the game Super Mario World. Dry Bones retained its ability to rebuild itself when stomped from Super Mario Bros. 3. This time, however, they could be permanently defeated only with the cape or star power-ups. They could be eliminated even when they were crumbled with a swing of the cape. The Dry Bones of Dinosaur Land appeared somewhat different from the Super Mario Bros. 3 creatures, due to the fact that they were much taller, being about as tall as Mario, and had longer necks. Some of the Dry Bones in this game could throw bones at the player. Super Mario World was the first game that featured this variation of bone-throwing Dry Bones (this ability later appeared in the Paper Mario series). In the game, Dry Bones could solely be found in the various Forts and Castles around the map.

Hotel Mario
Dry Bones (known as Skeleton Koopas in the game) appeared as enemies in the CD-i game Hotel Mario, when Bowser and the Koopalings once again kidnapped Princess Peach. Skeleton Koopas only appear in the level Ludwig's Thump Castle Hotel. As usual, the Skeleton Koopas in this game could revive themselves once they were knocked out. They could, however, be defeated with a Fire Flower, which was impossible up until this game. This weakness to fire reappeared in the Paper Mario series of games.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Dry Bones appear as enemies in the Sunken Ship. They guard the ship's midsection. The dead Koopas have an infinite amount of HP, meaning that regular Attacks will never defeat them. The only way to defeat them was with a special attack, which would defeat them instantly. When defeated, they would simply crumble on the overworld map. However, they would always resurrect after a short amount of time and attempt to re-engage battle with Mario. A stronger sub-species of Dry Bones known as Vomer makes an appearace in Barrel Volcano.

Paper Mario
Dry Bones reappeared in Paper Mario in Bowser's Castle when Bowser captured Princess Peach and her castle. Dry Bones only appeared in Bowser's Castle in the game, protecting the upper regions of the castle from Mario and his partners. They were a relatively powerful enemy, as they appeared about halfway through the Castle. This variation of Dry Bones was able to walk upright and throw bones at Mario. They were also capable of building more of themselves, with the same amount of HP as the original unit. They would regenerate themselves if all their HP was taken, but could permanently be defeated with flames or explosions.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Dry Bones reappeared once more in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga in the Beanbean Kingdom when Princess Peach's voice was stolen. The Dry Bones of this game looked somewhat different from other versions, as they had no shell. They did walk on four legs, however, just as the ones in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. They were found all along Hoohoo Mountain as the Mario Bros. tried to scale the peak. Dry Bones would attack by launching their heads at their opponents. If a Dry Bones's head twisted in a horizontal circle, it would attack Mario; if its head spun clockwise, then Luigi would be the victim. To counterattack the Dry Bones while the creature was attacking, the Mario Bros. would have to jump onto the spinning bone head as it flew towards either one. The Bros. could also initiate a battle with an attack if one of the pair stomped on the Dry Bones' body or it's kamikaze head. When they were defeated, Mario and Luigi would occasionally receive a Mushroom.

There is also a stronger, poisonous variety in the game that can be battled in Teehee Valley. This variation, unlike it's weaker cousin, has a shell and a purple tint all over it's body. The stronger variation had the same attack pattern as the weaker, but it's attacks were infused with poison and would poison the Brothers if an attack connected. This variation is labeled a "Dry Bones" in the English version of the game, but were named differently in other languages, such as Garon in Japanese. Prima Strategy Guides mistook this name as official and labeled the creature incorrectly in it's Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga strategy guide.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
There were four different varieties of Dry Bones in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door during the invasion of the X-Nauts. The first type appeared in Hooktail Castle. This variety was named Dull Bones and is the weakest in the game. When Mario first encountered it, he could only damage it with his hammer. This type of Dry Bones cannot come back to life once it's HP was taken, but it is able to build more allies. Many dead Koopa Troopas appeared all around Hooktail's Castle, many of which are previous residents of Petalburg. Some of these were animate Dull Bones and others, like Kolorado's Father, was truly dead.

Also in the castle is a different variety of Dry Bones, adequately named Red Bones. This alteration is slightly more powerful than the Dull Bones and has a red tint to it's entire body. In the first battle, Red Bones was accompanied by four Dull Bones. This variety can also create reinforcements of more Dull Bones and can revive itself if fallen, unlike it's weaker counterparts. Red Bones was first encountered by Mario and his party in Hooktail's Castle, and the dead Koopa would later reappear in the Palace of Shadows. In the first confrontation, Red Bones called upon countless numbers of Dull Bones and they swarmed in on Mario and his partner. The player had to use Mario's hammer to scatter the Dull Bones and engage the Red Bones in a battle, or get tossed out of the castle.

Later in the game, normal Dry Bones appeared in the Palace of Shadows. The normal variation was able to get back up once defeated, and was also able to build more allies at any point in a battle. To damage Mario and his partner, Dry bones can throw bones at the pair. The dead Koopas are also able to do this to initiate a First Strike when they are outside of battle. The normal Dry Bones is stronger than both Red Bones and Dull Bones.

The palace was also home to Dark Bones. This variety is to Dry Bones as Red Bones is to Dull Bones; Dark Bones, much like Red Bones, are stronger than and able to build their weaker counterparts. Dark Bones was fought twice in the palace. The first encounter was when the Dark Bones called in innumerable amounts of Dry Bones, much like Red Bones did in Hooktail's Castle. The player once again had to use his hammer to clear away the minions and get to the leader of the troop, initiating a fight. If the player did nothing while Dry Bones were crowding around them, he or she would get a Game Over.

All of the types of Dry Bones were encountered once more during Mario's travels. They were encountered all at once in one room of the Palace of Shadows. The four types had to be defeated in the order of weakest to strongest: Dull Bones, Red Bones, Dry Bones, and finally Dark Bones. Doing so would give Mario a key to another part of the palace.

Super Princess Peach
Dry Bones later appeared when Bowser stole the Vibe Scepter and kidnapped the Toads along with Mario and Luigi in the game Super Princess Peach. They only appear in the third world: Shriek Mansion. They appear in all of the levels of the world. These Dry Bones look similar to the models used in future games. They are able to throw bones at Princess Peach, and the bones can be blocked by a swipe from Perry. If the Dry Bones itself is hit or jumped on, it will crumble and revive itself in about three seconds, which is relatively fast compared to previous games. Dry Bones can be defeated permanently when Peach attacks it with her Rage vibe. This weakness is a throwback to Paper Mario, in which Dry Bones are weak to fire. There is also a subspecies that is introduced in the game. This variation is called the Sad Dry Bones, and it weeps openly whenever it is seen. It is also able to throw bones at the Princess, except that these bones are much faster and more difficult to avoid.

New Super Mario Bros.
Dry Bones are a common sight in the various forts and castles of New Super Mario Bros.. They were placed there by Bowser Jr. to hinder Mario's progress in his attempt to capture Princess Peach. Much like previous platformers, when Dry Bones are jumped on, they would crumble and their head would detach and bounce away. Once collapsed, however, it is only a matter of time before they revitalize themselves. This reviving would take place no matter what, even if the creature's head had fallen into a bottomless pit or into lava. If the head does fall into a pit or lava, it will take longer for the creature to regenerate itself. A new subspecies is also in the game: Super Dry Bones. This species is essentially a giant version of a normal Dry Bones. It, like it's smaller cousin, can only be found in various castles and forts. It takes a Ground Pound to crumble this beast, but it will revive itself just as fast as a normal Dry Bones. Both types of Dry Bones can be permanently defeated by either a Mega Mushroom, a Starman or a Blue Koopa Shell. The Super Dry Bones cannot be hurt at all by Mini Mario. Their immunity to fire returned here.

Super Paper Mario
The latest installment in the Paper Mario series once again featured Dry Bones with the attempted destruction of the universe by Count Bleck. When stomped, Dry Bones would collapse, but come back very quickly, much like previous platformer games. Like in previous Paper Mario games, the undead creature could throw bones at Mario and company. Dry Bones were found in The Underwhere and the Flipside Pit of 100 Trials in this game.

Two new subspecies – the Dark Dull Bones and the Dark Bones – appeared in the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials, where all the enemies were dark counterparts of the regular ones. These two subspecies are also slightly more powerful than their colored cousins.

Super Mario Galaxy


Dry Bones also appear in Super Mario Galaxy, when Bowser once again kidnaps the princess and tries to take over the universe. Dry Bones only appear in the Dusty Dune Galaxy, Bowser's Dark Matter Plant and the final level, Bowser's Galaxy Reactor. They are able to regenerate themselves, just as they did in previous games. When a Dry Bones successfully attacked Mario or Luigi, it cackled like a Boo. The only way to defeat these Dry Bones was by touching them while using a Rainbow Star, leading them into quicksand, or destroying them with a Bullet Bill. They were immune to a Star Spin, as, when they are hit, they will simply crumble. They were notably more aggressive than before, because, after seeing Mario or Luigi they will chase them, this can be used strategically to make them run on quicksand or down a bottomless pit.

Other Events
Mario Superstar Baseball was Dry Bones's spin-off debut. Dry Bones was introduced as a Technique character as a part of Bowser's team. His four colors were white (by default), red, green and blue. His strongest points were batting, pitching, and fielding. This is one of Dry Bones's only appearances as playable from the start. Dry Bones Buddies in the game were Koopa Troopa and Bowser. Dry Bones also appear in the sequel Mario Super Sluggers. Like in Super Mario Galaxy, the Dry Bones in this game have more of a Boo-like voice.

Later, Dry Bones was playable in Mario Kart DS as a secret character. He could be unlocked by winning the gold trophy of the Nitro Grand Prix, on 50cc. His karts were the Standard DB, the Banisher, and the Dry Bomber.

Dry Bones first appeared as a Mario Partier in Mario Party 7, where it had to purchased in the Duty-Free Shop for a price of 1000 Cruise Mileage Points. Its special Orb in the game was the Magic Orb, which doubled the number on the dice block and would turn the character invisible. Often, Dry Bones was paired with Boo in artwork and in the game. In Mario Party 8, it is once again playable, but this time it is available from the start. In Mario Party DS, a Dry Bones appears as a non-playable character. In the story mode, it has taken over the board DK's Stone Statue, and is responsible for turning Donkey Kong into stone. It can be found in the board itself sleeping in a coffin. If a player stops on a ? Space near its coffin, Dry Bones will wake up and shortly after shut its coffin so hard that the player will randomly fly all the way either to the starting spot, or right next to the Star. When the player wins the board in the story mode, a boss fight with Dry Bones itself starts in the mini-game Hexoskeleton. After Dry Bones is defeated, Mario and company continue to Kamek's Library. A trophy of a beaten Dry Bones can be acquired after beating the Hexoskeleton mini-game 5 times.

Dry Bones appears as a sidekick in Mario Strikers Charged. He is a defensive player, meaning that he can run fast and tackle well, but his shooting and passing skills are not as good. His skillshot is the Shocker.

Dry Bones reappears in Mario Kart Wii, and is unlocked by getting a Gold Trophy the Leaf Cup. Being a small racer, he has low top speed but good acceleration and off road ability. Each of his karts are recolored gray and black. Dry Bones gets a small acceleration and drift bonus, but his best bonus is his mini-turbo. That enables vehicles like the Booster Seat and Bullet Bike to perform slightly stronger mini-turbos after a drift.

His emblem is, and always has been since his first playable appearances, is a side view of his head.

Cartoons


Dry Bones made a few appearances in the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. They had a main role in the episode "Do the Koopa", in which one told Bowser that upon spotting them, Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool had snuck into Dark Land and were attempting to find the Doom Dancer Music Box. Later on, Mario's group encountered more Dry Bones that they crushed with the debris of broken Brick Blocks. They were later uncovered and freed by Cheatsy Koopa, Bully Koopa, and Big Mouth Koopa.

Dry Bones also appear in the Super Mario World animated series, in the episode "The Night Before Cave Christmas". Here, one of them made a very small appearance as they tried to keep Mario and Yoshi from infiltrating Bowser's Castle. The Dry Bone grabbed a bone from out of its throat and threw it at Mario. It was never seen after that.

Comics
In the Nintendo Comics System story "It's Always Fair Weather" (printed in the Super Mario Bros. #7 issue), a talking Dry Bones appears as the pilot of Bowser's personal helicopter.

Sub-Species

 * Dark Bones
 * Dark Dull Bones
 * Dull Bones
 * Red Bones
 * Sad Dry Bones
 * Super Dry Bones
 * Vomer

Mario Party 7 Info
Partner: Boo Special Orb: Magic/Surprise

Gray Dry Bones

 * Challenge Mode Captain: Bowser
 * Player Type: Technique
 * Special Skill: Sliding Catch

Stats

 * Batting: 5
 * Pitching: 4
 * Fielding: 3
 * Running: 4

Red Dry Bones

 * Challenge Mode Captain: Bowser
 * Player Type: Technique
 * Special Skill: Sliding Catch

Stats

 * Batting: 6
 * Pitching: 4
 * Fielding: 3
 * Running: 3

Blue Dry Bones

 * Challenge Mode Captain: Bowser
 * Player Type: Technique
 * Special Skill: Sliding Catch

Stats

 * Batting: 5
 * Pitching: 4
 * Fielding: 4
 * Running: 3

Green Dry Bones

 * Challenge Mode Captain: Bowser
 * Player Type: Technique
 * Special Skill: Sliding Catch

Stats

 * Batting: 6
 * Pitching: 4
 * Fielding: 3
 * Running: 3

Good Chemistry

 * Koopa Troopa
 * Bowser

Bad Chemistry

 * None

Bio
"A bony underling of Bowser. Some mysterious power binds the skeletal bodies of Dry Bones together, but they shatter to pieces when they take damage. Of course, over time, they go right back to the way they were without ill effect. Dry Bones throws cursed balls when he pitches."

Mario Strikers Charged

 * Type: Defensive
 * Skillshot: Shocker
 * Deke: Teleports to another area.

Stats

 * Movement: 10
 * Shooting: 3
 * Passing: 3
 * Defense: 10

Mario Kart Wii

 * Size: Small
 * Actual Bonuses
 * Acceleration: +1
 * Drift: +1
 * Mini-Turbo: +2

Trivia

 * Although Dry Bones was not playable in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, a picture of Dry Bones's head cameoed on the Pirate Ship court, acting as the backboard for the hoop.
 * In the early games of the French version of the Mario series, Dry Bones is named Ossec (Drybone).
 * The name "Dry Bones" is likely an allusion to the Biblical Book of Ezekiel, Chapter 37, in which Ezekiel prophecies to "dry bones" which then "came alive and stood upright", much as Mario's skeletal enemy soon comes back to life after being attacked.
 * Dry Bones uses a bone to bat the ball in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers. The colour of the bone may change depending on which type of Dry Bones you use.