Ukiki

"Ook...oookiii! (I used your capsules!)"

- Ukiki

Ukikis, also known as Grinders or simply monkeys, are a species of primates found in the Mario series. They first appeared in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3.

Yoshi series
Ukikis usually appear in jungle stages and attack Yoshi in a variety of ways, including spitting seeds, dropping bombs, and grabbing Baby Mario; when hit, they turn a darker shade of brown and run away. Some are harmless and simply run around the stage, acting as a source of eggs. Fleeing Ukikis jump onto vines and climb them as high as possible, jumping off and running if a Yoshi gets too close. Ukikis can also swim slowly in water.

Ukikis can be stunned with eggs or a stomp, after which Yoshi can defeat them by eating them or running over them while they are unconscious. However, they are difficult to eat while running because of their speed. Grinders cannot be defeated while in water, as stunning them instead causes them to "flail" in place.

An Ukiki (under the original name "Grinder") also appears in Tetris Attack, being an ally with Poochy.

Ukikis make a reappearance in Yoshi's Island DS. In this installment, they are all harmless, but are still difficult to catch due to their agility. One of them kidnaps Baby Peach at the beginning of the level Baby DK, the Jungle King!

They once again appear in Yoshi's New Island. In this game, Ukikis cannot be eaten, and are prominent in the stages Ukiki Jammin' and Ukiki Trouble in Clawdaddy Cove.

Super Mario 64
In Super Mario 64, two Ukikis inhabit Tall, Tall Mountain. One can be seen following Mario around and doing tricks. However, if Mario grabs him, he will steal Mario's hat and wear it. To get it back, Mario has to grab him again; this is made difficult by the fact that Ukiki now runs away from Mario. In the second mission of Tall, Tall Mountain, Mario has to catch a different Ukiki on the very top of the mountain; when caught, the monkey will jump on a cage with a star for Mario, making it accessible.

Super Mario 64 DS
In the remake Super Mario 64 DS, if any character was wearing another character's hat, the monkey would take it and the character would transform back into himself. A glitch allowed Wario to pick up Ukiki using the Metal Cap and could even carry him into the water.

Mario Party 4
In the Mario Party 4 board Koopa's Seaside Soiree, they toss a banana, which, upon being slipped on, will determine a character's path around the game board.

Mario Party 5
In Mario Party 5, they were revealed to also come in other colors: gray, blue, red and very rare gold ones. They had their own capsule as well: when activated, the Ukiki would use all of another character's capsules.

Mario Party 6
In Mario Party 6, Ukiki appeared in Castaway Bay hosting a special coin collecting minigame. They also appeared in various minigames such as Snow Brawl, where they act as allies to the solitary player, and Strawberry Shortfuse, where they deliver plates with either cake or explosives. They also appear in the Memory Quiz, the Variety Quiz, the Comparison Quiz and the Counting Quiz of Speak Up

Mario Party 7
In Mario Party 7, (where they looked like Grinders), Ukikis cameoed in the background of the Minigame Cruise, cleaning Peach's Cruiser. They also appear in the Apes of Wrath minigame.

Mario Party 8
In Mario Party 8, Ukikis appeared in DK's Treetop Temple, where they would roll down the stage on barrels, taking ten coins from anyone in their path. Mechanical Ukikis appeared in the minigame Flip the Chimp. They appear in the battle minigame Snipe for the Picking where there are two Ukikis turning cranks. They also appear in the duel minigame Cardiators on one of the cards. When the card is chosen, they come charging in to attack the opposing player.

Mario Party Advance
In Mario Party Advance, a female Ukiki named Akiki (who happens to be the niece of an individual Ukiki who is named "Ukiki") appears. The actual Ukiki is the mayor of the Jungle Area, and lives at a house in the area. However, after arriving at his house, he was supposedly kidnapped, the kidnapper leaving a note stating his location in code, saying bIg teAM cAT leaTHEr fLAKE blarmpot (saying "I AM AT THE LAKE" if lowercase letters are removed). However, after arriving at Loch Dorrie, Ukiki states that he wanted to surprise Akiki, but he never thought it would become so serious. He then left to explain to Akiki what had happened, but not before giving the player the gaddget Mini Maze.

The ending states that Ukiki resigned as mayor, and is still Akiki's friend.

Ukikis also appear in the minigame See Monkey?, which involves saving ten Ukikis from drowning.

Mario Power Tennis
Ukikis also have a place in Mario sports titles; like Mario Power Tennis, where they appear in the background of a court.

Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix
Ukikis appear in Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix in the Banana Storm minigame. They can drop bananas, which Mario or Luigi collect, and Spiny Eggs, which stun Mario or Luigi.

Mario Baseball series
Ukikis also appear as part of the audience in the Mario Baseball series.

Mario Strikers Charged
They can also be seen in the audiences of Mario Strikers Charged.