Whomp

Whomps are large, walking stone-wall like enemies that are minions of Bowser. They debuted in the game Super Mario 64. Whomps are related to Thwomps, enemies that are also made out of stone. A majority of Whomps reside at Whomp's Fortress, which is ruled by the Whomp King, who rules over the Whomps and Thwomps.

''Super Mario 64
As stated above, Whomps first appeared in Super Mario 64. In this game Whomps attempt to crush Mario by simply falling on top of him, similar to Thwomps' attack patterns. A Whomp wearing a crown known as the Whomp King aslo appears in this game. They can be defeated by ground pounding their backs, their sole weak area, as indicated by a bandage. They appear in the Whomp's Fortress stage, along with Bowser in the Sky.

New Super Mario Bros.
Whomps reappear in the New Super Mario Bros. They all reside in the World 3 castle. In this game, Whomps will again try to crush Mario if he attempts to pass by them. Once on the floor, Mario can Ground Pound the Whomp's back to destroy it. Whomps can also be used as platforms to cross harmful parts of the environment, like spikes. One can even be used to help Mario collect a Star Coin. A single, larger than average Whomp, which is called Super-Whomp, is also found in this castle.

Mario Party series
Whomps are used as blockades in the Mario Party series. In Mario Party, Mario Party 2 and Mario Party 3 and then once again in Mario Party 8 a Whomp will guard an intersection and will charge the players coins. If the player pays the money, they will be allowed to pass, and the Thwomp will block off a different section. In Mario Party 4, a Whomp hosts the Extra Room, a room filled with challenging mini-games. They appear in a few mini-games in Mario Party DS and in Mario Party Advance. In Mario Party 3, Whomp appeared as Donkey Kong's initial partner. Whomp also appeared in Mario Party 8, occasionally blocking a path in King Boo's Haunted Hideaway. If the player pays it ten coins, the Whomp will let the player pass and block the path next to it. A Whomp also appeared as a CPU in the minigame "Moped Mayhem". Finally, Whomps appeared in Mario Party DS in the minigames Whomp-a-thon and Toppling Terror, and as a collectible and a badge.

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.
 * Whomps were going to appear in Super Mario Galaxy, but didn't make the cut into the final version.
 * In the Prima game guide of Mario Party 8, the author mistakenly referred the Whomp as a Thwomp.