8 bits

The 8 bits are a villainous group of creatures described as "a club from evil dreams" that aid Wart in his conquest of the dream world, Subcon, in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic and Super Mario Bros. 2. According to the former game, they are monsters summoned by Wart with the help of the Dream Machine. Their name is a reference to the size of the Ricoh 2A03/2A07 processor's CPU registers: 8 bits. Mario and his friends (or Imajin's family in Doki Doki Panic) encounter members of the 8 bits in almost every location they visit in Subcon. Shyguys are the most numerous members of the 8 bits, and they are seen in every area during Wart's conquest.

Some species of the 8 bits were repurposed in later games as part of the Koopa Troop, such as Bob-Ombs and Pokeys. With Wart's absence, they are King Koopa's minions instead in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!