Hammers are items commonly used as weapons throughout the Mario series. They first appeared in Donkey Kong, in which they were used to smash Barrels and enemies. Hammers are usually thrown by the Hammer Bros. and other enemies. However, Mario and Luigi, the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom, have been known to effectively wield Hammers in combat. In the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi sub-series, Hammer attacks are used as a counterpart to Jump attacks. Some enemies can not be damaged by Jump attacks, requiring the Mario Bros. to use their Hammers instead.
History
Donkey Kong
In Donkey Kong Mario could destroy both the barrels thrown by Donkey Kong, Fireballs created from the flaming oil barrels and other obstacles from the level 2. Mario is not invincible when using it, however. If attacked from the back, he will still lose a life. Mario also cannot climb or jump while wielding the Hammer. Hammers in this game could be found usually in the corners and some can only be reached by jumping.
Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros. showed the Hammer being used by Hammer Bros. These Hammers were extremely hard to dodge, especially when the Hammer Bros. appeared in pairs. They seem to have an unlimited supply of Hammers, just like Lakitus and their Spiny Eggs. Mario and Luigi could wield an unlimited supply of Hammers by donning the Hammer Bros.' Suit in Super Mario Bros. 3. When wearing the suit, they gain all the characteristics and abilities of the Hammer Bros., also giving them fire immunity. These suits start appearing in World 6, and can only be found in Toad Houses and the same type of Giant ? Block which houses the Frog and Tanooki Suits.
Hammers were also used in Super Mario Bros. 3 as a map screen item to destroy boulders preventing access to hidden areas. This action is not to be confused with opening a locked door on a map, which is done by completing a fortress. Usually, a Hammer just allows Mario to produce a quicker route, but in some cases, it is the only way to access a part of a map. In Desert Land there's a section in the upper right corner that leads to an area that contains a Mushroom House with a Frog Suit and a Fire Brothers battle containing the last Warp Whistle. In Water Land, there's a section leading to a canoe ride.
Club Nintendo
Mario repeatedly used a Hammer in the German Club Nintendo comics. In 1994 "Super Mario: Verloren in der Zeit", he smashes his alarm clock (due to his dream in which there was an alarm clock-looking Time Machine). Later, in the 1995 comic "Mario's Picross", Mario makes a more effective use of a Hammer when he smashes the wall in a Pyramid, after reaching a dead end. While in the first comic the tool looks a lot like a regular Hammer, it resembles a Super Hammer in the latter.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Mario's first and weakest weapon was called the Hammer. After Mario beat the Hammer Bros. blocking the exit of Mushroom Way, Mario received a hammer apparently dropped by them with the Hammer Bros. insignia on it. The plumber used this weapon to pound enemies, at least until he found the Nok Nok Shell. When equipped, the weapon adds ten attack points to Mario's attack rating. When Mario uses it with the Timed Hit, he swings it up and down twice, similar to the old style. Later on in the game, he found more advanced hammers: the Super Hammer, Masher and the Ultra Hammer, along with another Hammer with an added effect.
Paper Mario series
In Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario receives not only the Hammer, but the Super Hammer and Ultra Hammer as he progresses through the adventure. He can use hammers to knock items out of trees. Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door gave the Hammer much more focus and was the only way to defeat certain enemies. In battle, Jump attacks couldn't work on every single enemy, so the Hammer was introduced as an alternative. It worked on all enemies and was always stacked damage, proving useful against fire, spiked, and high defense enemies. There was one flaw to it though; it didn't work against air-bound and ceiling attached enemies. With a special badge, namely Hammer Throw, it could be used on all enemies.
Outside of battle, the Hammer can be used to break certain Yellow Blocks. The type of block Mario could break depended on what type of Hammer he had. The move, Spin Hammer was also introduced in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door as a way to destroy even bigger blocks. However, the Red Block was removed from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In Paper Mario it was given by Goompa after finding him and his Hammer lost in the bushes. Jr. Troopa was the first one lucky enough to be tested on. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door it is a default weapon and it is degraded again into a normal Hammer. The first Hammers in this series are wooden.
In Super Paper Mario, with the help of the Pixl Cudge, every character could attack with a hammer if the character was on the ground.
Mario & Luigi series
The Hammer was used by the Mario Bros. in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. However, this move wasn't used as much compared to the Paper Mario series. Unlike the Paper Mario series battle system, each Hammer upgrade didn't affect in-battle damage and attack power.
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Hammers were crafted by the Hammerhead Bros. out of Hoohoo Blocks. They are used to smash rocks (instead of blocks) in Mario and Luigi's path, defeat enemies in battle, and hit buttons and switches. If used on an enemy in the overworld, its party will be stunned at beginning of the battle. They can later be upgraded to Super Hammers and, ultimately, Ultra Hammers. After Cork and Cask teach them the advanced method of using the Hammer they can use various overworld and battle abilities.
- When Mario uses it behind Luigi, he does the Luigi Dunk which buries Luigi underground.
- When Luigi uses it behind Mario, he does the Mini-Mario which shrinks Mario to a midget.
- Use Chopper Bros. and Knockback Bros. in battle.
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, two Hammers are given to Baby Mario and Baby Luigi by the L33t Hamm3r Broz. These weapons can be used to tunnel underground (a useful technique when searching for Beans) and hit switches. In battle, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi can use their hammers to attack enemies (and potentially stun them, rendering a monster inactive for a few turns). Unlike the other Mario RPGs, these Hammers serve their purpose for the entire game and are never upgraded.
In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Mario and Luigi gained Hammers much earlier than in the other Mario and Luigi games. Mario and Luigi found Hammers in the Trash Pit. Later, Luigi learns how to turn Mario into Mini Mario by using his hammer.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong series
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
Hammers make an appearance in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. If a Mini-Mario touched one, they would start slamming the Hammer up and down, defeating any enemy nearby. The Hammer music from the original Donkey Kong would play also. The Hammer appeared once again in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!.
DK series
DK: Jungle Climber
The hammer in DK: Jungle Climber looks somewhat like a Barrel. Donkey Kong can take it and, with the help of Diddy Kong, use the hammer to smash barrels, rocks and other solid elements that DK can't break in his own. This item can only be used for a limited time before Diddy drops it.
Super Smash Bros. series
The hammer from Donkey Kong is a powerful item in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee. The player will swing the hammer back and forth repeatedly, and will strike things upward in its path. The character cannot double jump with it. Very rarely, in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the head of the Hammer will fall off, and the character will swing the stick back and forth, leaving him/her completely vulnerable. However, the head will act as an item, and will have the same power as the regular thrown item. In both games, when the hammer is used, the same tune as in Donkey Kong plays. The item returns in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, with the exact same effects. A much stronger variant originating from Wrecking Crew, the Golden Hammer, appears as an item in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as well.
Trophy Information from Super Smash Bros. Melee
If you grab the Hammer, you'll run across the screen swinging it back and forth nonstop. In Donkey Kong, Mario used the Hammer in exactly the same fashion. It's an extremely powerful item, but you have no recovery move when carrying it. Every now and then, the mallet head will fall off, and you'll end up completely vulnerable, swinging just the handle.
Trophy Information from Super Smash Bros. Brawl
An item that, once grabbed, makes you swing nonstop. It's a powerful attack item that does terrific damage and sends opponents sailing. Once in a great while, the hammer's head will fall off, leaving you nothing but the handle. Of course, you can't tell whether the head is securely fastened just by looking. Hammerheads that fall off can be picked up and thrown as weapons.
Trivia
- In Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers, Hammer Bro. uses a Hammer as his baseball bat.
- Also, in Mario Power Tennis, Mario uses a Hammer in his Offensive Power Shot.