Iron ball
Big Steelies[1] (also referred to as Bowling Balls[2][3]) are large iron balls that debut in Super Mario World as a final boss attack and return in Super Mario 64 as an uphill hazard.
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario World
Big Steelies first appear in the final battle with Bowser in Super Mario World. He drops these from his Koopa Clown Car. Mario or Luigi can jump over them to avoid getting hit. Mario or Luigi can also spin jump on them without getting hurt. It can be destroyed if Mario or Luigi uses his sliding cape attack against it using a Cape Feather, but it will show a glitched sprite.
Super Mario 64
In Super Mario 64, they are referred to as iron balls[4][5], rolling balls[6], or simply balls[7]. They appear in Bob-omb Battlefield, Tall, Tall Mountain, and Tiny-Huge Island, as an uphill hazard.
Super Mario Maker
Graphics for Big Steelies exist unused in the Super Mario Bros. game style object graphics in Super Mario Maker. The sprite is green instead of dark gray, however.
Super Mario World television series
In the Super Mario World episode "Send in the Clown", King Koopa attempts to defeat Mario in one scene by dropping a Big Steely on him, which Mario dodges. King Koopa, with the same method, is shown dropping a Big Steely after Yoshi hits him with his Mechakoopas. Mario, however, uses a golf club and knocks the Big Steely at him.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Big Steelies are mentioned in Super Smash Bros. Melee in the Koopa Clown Car trophy, known as "bowling balls".
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Big Steelies, referred to generically as "iron balls," appear in multiple locations. In Cavi Cape, Bowser must punch a falling one in order to knock it into a button. Later, Midbus crushes Bowser with a massive one, prompting Mario and Luigi to visit the Arm Center one last time. There is also a Hammer called the Iron Ball Hammer, which sometimes causes one to fall onto a random enemy after an "Excellent" rating is achieved.
Gallery
A Big Steely being dropped from the Clown Car in the cartoon.
Super Mario 64
Super Mario Maker (unused)
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 鉄球[8][9] Tekkyū |
Iron ball |
References
- ^ Mario Mania, page 52.
- ^ Mario Mania, page 148.
- ^ Super Smash Bros Melee trophy for Koopa Clown Car
- ^ Super Mario 64 Player's Guide, pages 106, 107, 109 and 110
- ^ Super Mario 64 DS internal object name (IRONBALL)
- ^ Super Mario 64 Player's Guide, page 101
- ^ Super Mario 64 Player's Guide, page 19
- ^ Super Mario World Nintendo Official Guidebook
- ^ Shogakukan. 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, Super Mario 64 section, page 92.
