Cheep-Cheep

Cheep-Cheeps (Japanese プクプク Pukupuku) are fish that made their first appearance in Super Mario Bros. in the underwater levels. They are common recurring enemies throughout the Mario series. They are found mostly in the water but they can jump out of the water as well like in Mario Super Sluggers. There are many different species of Cheep-Cheeps. Cheep-Cheeps come in different colors, such as yellow and green. The most common ones, however, are red with a white patch on their stomach, a yellow tail fin and mohawk-like dorsal fin. They also have blue eyes and pink lips.

Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
In Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Cheep-Cheeps are found in the underwater levels, swimming towards the player, where they can only be defeated with a fireball. They are found in all of the water levels, and can usually be seen with Bloopers. In some levels, red Cheep-Cheeps jump up from the bottom of the screen, creating random obstacles. These can be defeated in a single jump, but it is hard to do it as they jump very high.

There are two kinds of Cheep-Cheeps in the game. One of them is colored red and moves moderately fast. The other is colored gray (green in Super Mario All-Stars) and moves more slowly. In some levels, the red Cheep-Cheeps grow wings and fly up from the bottom of the screen.

''Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Cheep-Cheeps act the same, although they can also jump out of water and lava. They are mainly seen in World 3. Also, around this time, Cheep-Cheep's tail fin color change from white to yellow, and the slow-moving Cheep-Cheeps were recolored green (instead of gray). The game was also to include yellow Cheep-Cheeps, which were to move even faster than red Cheep-Cheeps and appear in trios, but they were taken out due to unknown reasons. This game also introduced infant and adult versions of Cheep-Cheep - Baby Cheep and its mother, Big Bertha, as well as the feared Boss Bass.

''Super Mario World
In Super Mario World, they posed a numerous threat as the white, slow-moving fish found underwater and in floating bubbles, although they were only found in bubbles when they appeared on land. If Cheep-Cheeps are on land flipping around, Mario or Luigi can simply run into them to defeat them. They can be defeated with a Cape, Yoshi, or fireballs. For some reason, like the Ninjis, they weren't included in the credits.

''Super Mario Sunshine
Cheep-Cheeps are found in Ricco Harbor, Noki Bay, and Gelato Beach in the game Super Mario Sunshine. They will actively hunt Mario down if he gets too close, and they will catch Mario in their mouths, dragging him down deeper into the depths of the water. They can be defeated with F.L.U.D.D., but will reappear almost instantly. Yoshi can turn them into platforms by spraying them with juice. They had blue fins on their tails and back in this game, as well as blue spots on the undersides and also have a slightly flatter body shape.

Super Mario 64 DS
In Super Mario 64 DS, Cheep-Cheeps replace Bubs in Dire, Dire Docks. They don't really pose a threat to the heroes because they do not attack them.

''New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., Cheep-Cheeps behave the same way as in other platformers, and have a larger version. However, two subspecies were introduced: The Deep-Cheep and the Cheep-Chomp. Deep-Cheeps and Cheep-Chomps chase Mario when they appear on-screen. Deep-Cheeps can't turn around, but Cheep-Chomps can. The Deep-Cheep even got a mega version called the Mega Deep-Cheep. In World 2-4, a strange Cheep-Cheep appears in a bonus area. It swims in a wavy line and trails six coins behind it.

''Super Mario Galaxy
Cheep-Cheeps reappear in Super Mario Galaxy, acting the same way as they did in older games. They only appear in the Deep Dark Galaxy, in the second and third missions. In the second mission, they appear on a small planet, half of which is covered in a thin layer of water, and bounce up and down around the planet. They can be defeated either with a spin or by jumping on them. One appears underwater in the third mission, which can only be beaten with a spin or Koopa Shell. They are also seen in the video at the end of the game, jumping out of the water near Peach's Castle.

''New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Cheep-Cheeps also reappear in the game New Super Mario Bros. Wii in this game there are two colors of Cheep-Cheep, red and golden. The red Cheep-Cheeps behave just like they did in the original New Super Mario Bros.

The golden colored Cheep-Cheeps are always found in schools, called Cheep-Cheep Schools. They'll also swim away from players whenever they get close; the complete opposite behavior of the Deep-Cheep. The golden Cheep-Cheeps seem to resemble the beta Cheep-Cheeps of Super Mario Bros. 3.

''Super Mario Galaxy 2
Cheep-Cheeps reappear in Super Mario Galaxy 2, but are much more common than in the prequel. They appear in water-themed galaxies such as Cosmic Cove Galaxy and Starshine Beach Galaxy, but they don't hop on land. They are now found swimming near the surface and can be defeated by a spin, jump, or by Yoshi's tongue. They can't even be stunned with a Star Bit.

Mario Kart series
Cheep-Cheeps are also found in many Mario Kart courses. These include Peach Beach (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!), and Cheep Cheep Beach (Mario Kart DS). In Super Mario Kart, they are referred to as Flopping Cheep-Cheeps. A giant Cheep-Cheep appears in Banshee Boardwalk of Mario Kart 64, but in the Mario Kart DS course remake, it is replaced by a Boss Bass. A giant Cheep-Cheep also appears in Cheep-Cheep Island of Mario Kart: Super Circuit. In the mission 1-4 in Mario Kart DS, the player's task is to defeat five Cheep-Cheeps as Wario using Stars. In Mario Kart Wii, there is a kart called the Cheep Charger. It resembles a Cheep-Cheep with a seat, steering wheel, and wheels. In Koopa Cape in Mario Kart Wii, in the underwater tunnel, Cheep-Cheeps can be seen swimming around in the water.

''Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins
Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins again featured Cheep-Cheeps. Cheep-Cheeps impeded Mario's progress through the Macro and Turtle Zones by swimming back and forth in the water, like a Goomba. Among the other fish, they were accompanied by similar-looking Blurps. They could be destroyed by a tossed Green Shell or a fireball.

Yoshi series
Cheeps-Cheeps appear in several Yoshi games, though they are named Flopsy Fish in the English versions. They made their first appearance in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (pictured at right) and reappeared in Tetris Attack (as a character, paired with a Lunge Fish), Yoshi Touch & Go and Yoshi's Island DS. They are a bit bigger than in most games and either jump out of water or just swim around. A more aggressive version repeatedly jumps out of the water with its mouth open. They cannot be turned into eggs if Yoshi eats them. The level "Lake Shore Paradise" has one of them as a map screen icon. In Yoshi Touch & Go, a blue, spiky version similar to a Spiny Cheep-Cheep appears that has not been seen since.

''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In the English version of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Cheep-Cheeps appeared under the name Goby. They are actually Cheep-Cheeps, as they share the same Japanese name (Pukupuku). Gobies dwell underwater in Kero Sewers. They roam the waterways, battling intruders who invade their territory. In battle, a Goby will lower its head and ram into its enemy. Gobies have no special attacks and they are weak against lightning-based magic attacks.

Unfortunately for the Gobies, the water of Kero Sewers can be drained, which is exactly what happened during the events of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Without water, Gobies flop around erratically on the dry ground. However, when engaged by an attacker, Gobies will use their fins as wings, allowing them to fly for short periods of time. While flying, Gobies attack in the same way as they do when swimming.

Paper Mario series
In the Paper Mario series, Cheep-Cheeps are considerably more intelligent than their predecessors, and are able to speak, as well as, strangely enough, safely live and travel about on land. As indicated in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, many even have jobs, such as blimp conductor and chef. The most significant of these land-dwelling fish is Sushie, a female Cheep-Cheep who was among Mario's many partners in Paper Mario. Cheep-Cheeps also appear as enemies in Super Paper Mario, though they were allies in the first two games. A Shayde from The Underwhere told another Shayde about how he lost his game and mentioned that he swam like a Cheep-Cheep and lost by being eaten by a Boss Bass.

''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Cheep-Cheeps appeared as enemies at the Oho Ocean. They had the same coloration as in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. If the player jumps on them, they turn into Puffer-Cheeps, Cheep-Cheeps covered in spines.

''Mario Party 7
In Mario Party 7, Cheep-Cheeps appear in many Mini-Games, including Fish & Cheeps, Bridge Work, and Be My Chum. There is also a Cheep-Cheep in the Grand Canal that will squirt the player back to the start who lands on the ? Space in front of what looks like the leaning tower of Pisa.

''Mario Party DS
There is a mini-game called Cheep Chump, where the player must prevent their character getting sucked up by a Cheep-Cheep. There is another minigame called Cheep Cheep Chance, where the player must choose the rope with the Cheep Cheep on it.

''Mario Party 8
Cheep-Cheeps make two cameo appearances in Mario Party 8. One is in the mini-game Rowed to Victory. They appear in the background watching the players row their boat. After that they assist a Mega Cheep-Cheep in chasing the losers. Also they appear as one of the pictures in Picture Perfect.

Super Princess Peach
Cheep-Cheeps appeared in Super Princess Peach, where they acted similar to the Flopsy Fish in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Island DS. They can be defeated simply by jumping on them. A sub-species under the spell of the Vibe Scepter are the Sad Cheep Cheeps.

''Mario Super Sluggers
They also appear in Mario Super Sluggers at Daisy Cruiser jumping around on the deck at night. Gooper Blooper appears with the Cheep-Cheeps.

Language
According to Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Cheep-Cheeps have their own language, which is also called "Cheep-Cheep". This language is presumably spoken natively by Cheep-Cheeps, and it is only partly heard through the character Chef Shimi (who often mixes words, such as "saved" and "shaved", up due to his unique language knowledge). However, in Paper Mario, the letter Sashimie wrote to Sushie is written in Mario's language.

Gender
In the Super Mario Bros. instruction booklet, Cheep-Cheeps are explicitly referred to as female. This makes them the first generic Mario enemy to be entirely female. However, this has changed since the Paper Mario series, in which both male and female members of the Cheep-Cheep species have appeared.

Notable Cheep-Cheeps

 * Sushie
 * Chef Shimi
 * Stewart
 * Cheepskipper
 * Bessie Bass
 * Sashimie
 * Cheep-Cheep Pufferfish

Cheep-Cheep Sub-Species

 * ????
 * Air Cheep
 * Baby Cheep
 * Big Bertha
 * Blurp
 * Boss Bass
 * Bub
 * Bubba
 * Cheep-Chomp
 * Deep-Cheep
 * Mega Cheep-Cheep
 * Mega Deep-Cheep
 * Porcu-Puffer
 * Puffer-Cheep
 * Rip Van Fish
 * Sharkbone
 * Spike Bass
 * Spiny Cheep-Cheep