Spiny Cheep Cheep

Spiny Cheep Cheeps are purple Cheep Cheeps with spikes running down their backs. They only appear in one level in Super Mario Bros. 3; 7-4. Spiny Cheep Cheeps swim faster than normal Cheep Cheeps. They can be defeated using Hammer Mario's hammers, Fire Mario's fireballs, or as Invincible Mario.

Spiny Cheep Cheeps (or possibly Porcupuffers) also appear in the Super Mario World television series in the "Fire Sale" episode. Yoshi refers to them as Porcupine Fish, as they pop out of the water and paralyze anyone who touches them. In the episode, Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Kootie Pie are paralyzed by the Porcupine Fish.

Spiny Cheep Cheeps reappear in the Wii game New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They first appear in World 1-4 and later in world 4-1 and 4-4. A single Spiny Cheep Cheep also appears in a secret area in world 8-4. Once it catches sight of Mario, Luigi, or the Toads, it will hunt them down. Though small, the Spiny Cheep Cheep is quite fast and relentless in its chase; more so than the Deep Cheep. They can be frozen using Ice or Penguin Mario's ice balls, but like all spiked enemies in the game, they will not stay frozen for long. Once it unfreezes, it has an angrier look on its face, the same one a Deep Cheep has. This does not affect anything it does. They act similarly to Rip Van Fish from Super Mario World.

Spiny Cheep Cheeps also appear in New Super Mario Bros. 2, where they first appear early in World 1-5. They behave the same way and have the same appearance as in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, except they have an angry look on their faces.

Spiny Cheep Cheeps reappear in the Wii U game New Super Mario Bros. U, acting the same as in past games.

A very similar fish appears in Yoshi Touch & Go, as it is blue and spiky, but this unnamed fish's spikes are white, and the fish is always jumping. They can only be defeated by smacking them with an egg. It is most likely a variant of Flopsy Fish or a Porcupuffer. Additionally, a boss known as Cheep Cheep Pufferfish appears in Mario Pinball Land. However, while it is also spiny, it is coloured more like a regular Cheep Cheep than a Spiny Cheep Cheep.