Whomp

A Whomp.

Whomps are large, walking stone enemies and the 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 live at Whomp's Fortress, which is ruled by the Whomp King.

Whomps attempt to crush Mario by simply falling on top of him. They can be defeated by ground pounding their backs, their sole weak area (as indicated by a bandage).

Additionally, Whomps are used as blockades in the Mario Party series, a Whomp will guard an intersection and will charge you ten coins, if you pay you will pass, in some boards he will switch to guard the other on after this. In Mario Party 4, a Whomp hosts the Extra Room, a room filled with challenging mini-games.

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. Interestingly, a single, larger than average Whomp is also found in this level.

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.
• In Super Mario 64 the only one called Whomp was Whomp King himself.