Brick Block

A Brick Block, sometimes simply known as a Brick, is a block that has made an appearance in nearly every Super Mario game to date. As its name implies, Brick Blocks are blocks made of bricks.

In most Super Mario games since Super Mario Bros., Mario or any other character can only break this block in their Super form or higher tiered variants of the Super form, such as the Fire form or Tanooki form. Brick Blocks can be broken in many ways (usually just by jumping into them from below); they give the player ten points (fifty in Super Mario Bros.). If Small Mario hits a Brick Block, it just bounces up slightly. However, if Brick Blocks contain an item, they work just like ? Blocks, as the item pops out and the block turns into an Empty Block. Either way, any enemies walking on the block will be injured. In Super Mario Bros. and the New Super Mario Bros. series, Brick Blocks' colors change to fit those of their environment (blue while underground, gray/white in castles, red in volcanic areas, etc.)

Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Brick Blocks debut in Super Mario Bros. and reappear in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, where they are used as containers and platforms. In World 8-3 of Super Mario Bros. and a few levels in The Lost Levels, the castle walls use the same brick styling as Brick Blocks, which can make them harder to see. This is alleviated in the Super Mario All-Stars versions, where the castle wall is replaced. According to the game's manual, the unbreakable brick blocks were in fact originally Toads who had been cursed by Bowser.

In the Super Mario All-Stars versions, Mario/Luigi will continue upwards after punching through a Brick Block.

Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Brick Blocks are shiny and as yellow as ? Blocks due to graphical limitations. This carries over into the Super Mario All-Stars version and Super Mario Advance 4, where they both use the golden coin palette. They can now be broken by tail whips and kicked shells. Bigger versions of these blocks first appear in Giant Land. Pile Driver Micro-Goombas debut in Desert Land; they wear dull Brick Blocks (except in the All-Stars version, where their blocks shine like normal Brick Blocks) and attempt to stomp Mario with them.

Super Mario World
Rotating Blocks replace Brick Blocks in Super Mario World.

Super Mario Sunshine
In Super Mario Sunshine, Brick Blocks appear again, most often in the secret levels. However, they are otherwise no different from their earlier counterparts.

Super Mario 64 DS
In Super Mario 64 DS, generic Blocks are re-skinned to resemble Brick Blocks, though they behave the same as in Super Mario 64. A different visual change is given to Crates, however. They can be broken by most of Mario, Luigi, and Wario's attacks. There is also a large, black variation of the block that can only be broken by Wario. Yoshi cannot break any Brick Block unless he is under the effects of a Super Mushroom.

New Super Mario Bros.
As of New Super Mario Bros., Brick Blocks can also be Ground Pounded to break them.

Super Mario Galaxy / Super Mario Galaxy 2
Making their 3D Super Mario debut, Brick Blocks reappear in Super Mario Galaxy and its follow-up Super Mario Galaxy 2, resembling their original design due to having four layers of bricks. These Brick Blocks can only hold coins inside, but they always break apart when hit.

Super Mario 3D Land
Brick Blocks reappear in Super Mario 3D Land, working as they did in the 2D Mario games.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Brick Blocks return in New Super Mario Bros. 2, working as they did prior.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Brick Blocks reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U, working as they did in prior games. Giant Brick Blocks also return.

Super Mario 3D World
Brick Blocks return in Super Mario 3D World, working as they did in Super Mario 3D Land. Similar blocks known as Crystal Blocks also debut in this game. Giant Brick Blocks also return.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
Brick Blocks reappear in Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS as objects that can be placed into the level (excluding the Super Mario World style, where they are replaced by Rotating Blocks).

Super Mario Run
Brick Blocks reappear in Super Mario Run working as they do in other 2D  Super Mario titles.

In earlier versions of Super Mario Run prior to the Fall 2017 update, Peach, Toad, Toadette, and the Yoshis were defeated in one hit and did not have Small forms to shrink into upon being hit by enemies (they instead remained in their normal usual forms after being defeated or falling in pits or lava) and therefore they had an advantage of being able to break Brick Blocks from the start, unlike Mario and Luigi who usually need to be in their Super forms in order to do so.

In versions since the Fall 2017 update, said characters are given Small forms to shrink into when being hit, therefore letting them take one more hit before being defeated, thus making it consistent with Mario and Luigi. As a result, said characters lose their advantage over Mario and Luigi and now require their normal usual forms to break Brick Blocks.

Super Mario Odyssey
Brick Blocks appear again in Super Mario Odyssey, working the same as in previous games. They resemble their original design, as they have four layers of bricks. In the Wooded Kingdom, Brick Blocks are made out of stone.

Other appearances
In The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Brick Blocks often appear in the background. Some are used as destructible platforms, though. In "A Toadally Magical Adventure", rebelling Pipe Creatures that Toad made use the wand they stole to turn a pile of Brick Blocks into Pile-Driver Micro-Goombas. In "Super Koopa", Mario erroneously calls a Brick Block a Super Block.

Brick Blocks also appear in other games, such as the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi games.

In the Super Smash Bros. games, Brick Blocks only appear in Mario stages, such as the Mushroom Kingdom stages of Super Smash Bros. Melee, Mushroomy Kingdom (where they are aged and more realistic, as with the rest of the stage), 3D Land, and possibly in Super Mario Maker (bar the Super Mario World theme). They also appear in the 3DS version's Smash Run mode. They can be broken as in the Mario games, though they are a bit sturdier after Melee.

In Super Princess Peach, they have various appearances depending on the world, and particarly resemble Egg Blocks in Hoo's Wood and Rotating Blocks in Giddy Sky. They come in normal-sized and big versions, and give the player a coin when broken. Darker and sturdier variations also appear, which can only be broken by the Poundbrella move.

In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games in the event Dream Snowball Fight, Brick Blocks are used as walls to guard any characters behind them from opponents' snowballs.

Brick Blocks also reappear in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. They are activated by throwing turnips at them.

In the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack in Minecraft, Bricks are replaced by Brick Blocks.

Brick Blocks appear in the 2010 version of Nintendo Monopoly, assuming the role of Community Chest spaces and cards. In this game, they are referred to simply as "Blocks". In the 2006 version, Coin Blocks filled the role instead.

Trivia

 * When downloading a Virtual Console or WiiWare game from the Wii Shop Channel, Mario, Luigi, or both will hit two Brick Blocks and one Coin Block while the game is being downloaded.

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