Spike Top

Spike Tops are Buzzy Beetles with shells that are red and have a single spike projecting out of the top (hence the name), making them impossible to jump on. They are also still resistant to fire, which makes them one of the most resilient enemies in the Mario franchise. Their defining trait is their ability to crawl along vertical and upside-down surfaces. Despite being a shelled enemy, in the platforming games, any effective method of attack will defeat them instantly instead of having them retreat into their shells.

Super Mario World
Spike Top's debut appearance was in Super Mario World, where they would crawl around the walls and ceilings of caves. They could only be destroyed by a Cape Feather, Shell, Super Star, or by having Yoshi eat them. Yoshi could bounce off a Spike Top without ill effect to either creature jumped. They are distinct from Buzzy Beetles in that their eyes are less obscured and their shells are flatter. Instead of having four legs as they do in later appearances, the sprites appear to show them with six legs. The artwork for this game, however, does indeed depict them with four.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Spike Tops appear in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 in the World-e level Ice Dungeon. In the game, they act as they did in Super Mario World.

New Super Mario Bros.
They return once again in New Super Mario Bros., with the same attack pattern from Super Mario World. A Shell, Starman, or Mega Mushroom could defeat them, as could hitting a block one is on. They only appear in World 5-2, 2, and.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
They also appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, mostly in World 2-3. They can be defeated by a Star, Shell, hitting a block from below with the Spike Top on top of it, or Ground Pounding the block with the Spike Top on the bottom. Additionally, Spike Tops can be frozen by ice balls and used as weapons against other enemies.

Through hacking methods, it is also shown that Yoshi can completely eat Spike Tops, as well as safely bounce off of them, a behavior that was later carried over to Super Mario Maker.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Spike Tops reappear in New Super Mario Bros. 2, where they act the same as in previous games. They can be defeated with the same methods from the previous games, in addition to swinging Raccoon Mario's tail near them. In Prima's strategy guide, they are referred to as "Red Spike Buzzy" (an alternative name of Red Spike Tops in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door). They appear in World 2-3, World 6-1 and.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Spike Tops reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U. They behave exactly as in the previous games, and they may be eaten by any Baby Yoshi. However, they are invincible to Bubble Baby Yoshi bubbles. They appear in Stoneslide Tower, Shifting-Floor Cave and Rising Tides of Lava.

Super Mario Maker series
Spike Tops reappear in Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS and Super Mario Maker 2, using the same behaviors as in previous games. They can be used in the four original styles, but are absent from Super Mario 3D World. They receive new sprites for their Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 appearances. A blue-shelled variant typically with cyan skin additionally appears, and crawls much faster than its red counterpart. Applying wings to one will have it fly in a straight line, similarly to a Para-Beetle, except it will cause damage if stood on without a Goomba's Shoe or Yoshi. If a Spike Top is crawling on a slope or a One-Way Wall, it can be defeated by stomping any area other than its back, given proper timing.

Nintendo Adventures Books
A swarm of Spike Tops appears to attack Mario and Yoshi in Dinosaur Dilemma of Nintendo Adventure Books, throwing themselves at the plumber and dinosaur as they are traveling through a desert. Depending on how the reader solves the accompanying puzzle, either Yoshi will eat all the Spike Tops, or one will succeed in knocking Mario out for several hours, allowing Bowser to easily conquer Dinosaur Island.

Mario Clash
In Mario Clash, they are named Spike. Introduced in the first level, the can be defeated by throwing a Turtle Shell at them.

Paper Mario
In Paper Mario, Spike Tops appear as enemies in Mt. Lavalava. They are much more like Buzzy Beetles in that they can be flipped over, are resistant to fire and explosion attacks, and attack by Shell Tossing. Appearance-wise, Spike Tops sport "angry" eyebrows to contrast from Buzzy Beetles, who have a more docile look about them.

Spike Tops also appear in Toad Town Tunnels, but only in battle with Dark Koopas.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Spike Tops usually have blue shells, though an identical red variant known as a Red Spike Top also appears in Glitzville. The blue spike tops can be found in Creepy Steeple alongside Buzzy Beetles. Additionally, a winged variant called the Spiky Parabuzzy makes its debut in this game. Stomping it if the Spike Shield Badge is equipped causes it to lose its wings and turns it into a Spike Top. All these species also make an appearance in the Pit of 100 Trials.

Super Paper Mario
Blue-shelled Spike Tops make a reappearance in Super Paper Mario. Due to this game being more of a 2D or 3D side-scrolling adventure and not a turn-based RPG, they have the same attack patterns as in the 2D Super Mario games.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Spike Tops reappear in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, this time with their original red coloration and eye color from Super Mario World and the New Super Mario Bros. series. Spike Tops appear in Rustle Burrow, Holey Thicket, Chomp Ruins and Rumble Volcano. Once again, they cannot be stomped on unless using an Iron Jump sticker or if they are crumpled. Using an normal Jump sticker will cost Mario 3 HP even a First Strike as a jump. They can retreat in their shells if Mario uses a Iron Jump sticker. Their only method of attack is going into their shell and ramming into Mario and if Mario does not block this attack, he will not only take full damage but there is also a small chance that he may get dizzy. Also, a sticker based on the Spike Tops' shell called the Spike Helmet can be used. In its artwork it shows that Spike Tops have a nervous face but in the game they have a mad face much like the Spinies do. In this game Spike Tops have much more HP like most enemies do. They are very common in Chomp Ruins since they fight in groups of 4 or 5.

Paper Mario: Color Splash
Spike Tops return in Paper Mario: Color Splash with the same appearance they had in the previous game. They are found in Redpepper Volcano and Redpepper Crater.

They attack Mario by transforming into a shell and flipping towards him. When they take enough damage, they transform into a shell, though some attacks can defeat them before they go into their shell.

Paper Mario: The Origami King
Spike Tops return in Paper Mario: The Origami King, sporting the same appearance as in Color Splash. This time, however, they have an origami variant that antagonizes Mario.

Super Princess Peach
In Super Princess Peach, Spike Tops return as "Mecha-Spike Tops". Despite this new name, the Spike Tops of Super Princess Peach do not appear to be mechanical, merely looking no different than Spike Tops of other games. Super Princess Peach also introduces an angry variety, the Mad Mecha-Spike Top, which can stretch out its spike to attack foes. They can only be defeated by using Rage or Poundbrella.

Mario Party: Island Tour
In Mario Party: Island Tour, Spike Tops only appear in the minigame Starring Artist on a constellation.

Super Mario Party
In Super Mario Party, a Spike Top makes a cameo appearance in the minigame Absent Minded, where it is one of the characters that can be chosen as a guess.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Spike Tops appear in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS as enemies in Smash Run. They seem to look and behave as they do in the New Super Mario Bros. series. They slowly walk around a platform and each of its edges. They have low health and do not attack, but they deal damage to any player that comes into contact with them.

Mario Family
A Spike Top appears as a sewing design in Mario Family.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
Spike Tops make their debut in the Mario & Luigi series in the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, as allies and enemies.

WarioWare: Get It Together!
Spike Tops appear in WarioWare: Get It Together! in level 2 of the Super Mario World microgame.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Card Number: 32
 * Trading Card description: "These tough-shelled enemies get right to the point. Spike Tops tend to quietly creep around on the walls. They have an indestructible shell with a fierce spike jutting out of the middle. Don't try to jump on Spike Tops, their shell is lethal and un-stompable. However, you can knock them out with star power or a powerful ground-pound."

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

 * Bowser Jr.'s Journey profile: Their backs are well protected by sharp spikes and a solid shell. Try to dispel their spike attacks as much as possible.

Trivia

 * Some older versions of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door incorrectly list the Defense stat for the red version of Spike Tops as being 5 instead of 4, but this error was corrected for later versions of the game, such as the PAL release.