Shellcreeper

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Shellcreeper
Shellcreeper
First appearance Mario Bros. (1983)
Latest appearance Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (2021)
Variants
Relatives

Shellcreepers are green-shelled turtles that first appeared in the Mario Bros. arcade game. They are the first turtle enemies to appear in a Mario game, making them the conceptual ancestors of the Koopas, which appeared two years later in Super Mario Bros. It is also shown that Shellcreepers wear undershirts and shorts when outside of their shells; shell-less Beach Koopas first appeared in Super Mario World wearing a shirt, and in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island wearing shorts. Several sources such as the trophy descriptions in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U indicate that Koopa Troopas apparently evolved from Shellcreepers.

History

Mario Bros. series

Mario Bros.

Sprite of a Shellcreeper from Mario Bros.
Sprite of a turtle from the NES port of Mario Bros.
Sprite of a Shellcreeper in the Atari 2600 port of Mario Bros.
Sprite of a Shellcreeper from the Atari 5200 port of Mario Bros.
Sprite of a Shellcreeper from the Atari 7800 port of Mario Bros.
Shellcreepers as they appear in various different versions of Mario Bros.

The Shellcreeper is the first enemy to appear in Mario Bros. They walk out of the Warp Pipes at the top of the screen and walk towards the pipes at the bottom of the screen. The player must hit it from below to flip it over and run into it to defeat it. If the player does not run into it, the Shellcreeper jumps out of its shell (revealing that it wears a white shirt and shorts), flips its shell over, changes color from green to purple and continues moving faster than before. If it flips its shell again, it will turn red, its fastest state. If a Shellcreeper is the last target for the phase, it will automatically turn red. Unlike the similar Koopa Troopa, jumping on Shellcreeper will cause Mario or Luigi to lose a life. Also, Shellcreepers can attack by biting Mario or Luigi with their teeth.

In the NES version, Shellcreepers lack an animation for changing shell colors, and the colors now go from green to red to pink, the last of which also has blue skin. Additionally, in the original NES release they are smaller than in the arcade version, though this is no longer the case in later editions.

Following the Mario Bros.-style battle mode in Super Mario Bros. 3, Shellcreepers have been replaced by Spinies in all subsequent versions, so they would not be mistaken for Koopa Troopas, which are safe to jump on. Despite this, a lone Shellcreeper still makes a cameo alongside a Sidestepper and Fighter Fly on the title screen of the Game Boy Advance remakes of Mario Bros. In Mario Clash, Koopa Troopas are given a similar sprite design to Shellcreepers, and even do the same tooth-baring pose.

Mario Bros. Special

In Hudson Soft's 1984 sequel of sorts to Mario Bros., Mario Bros. Special, Shellcreepers make a return appearance as enemies, though this time they cannot be stunned by hitting them from below; instead, they can be stunned by jumping on a trampoline that they are on (second stage), jumping on a conveyor belt that they are on (third stage), or killed instantly by jumping over or next to them and hitting a platform, though they will respawn if killed this way. They do not change color or move faster after recovering from a stun.

Punch Ball Mario Bros.

Shellcreepers appear as an enemy yet again in Hudson Soft's semi sequel to Mario Bros., Punch Ball Mario Bros.. The game is much closer to the Mario Bros., and thus Shellcreepers play a much more similar role as they did in that game. The only differences are that they cannot be stunned from below and are instead stunned by Punch Balls or the POW Block. If they get back up after being stunned or are the last enemy on screen, they turn red and speed up.

Family BASIC

In the Family BASIC accessory to the Family Computer, Shellcreepers are programmable sprites. They also make a cameo in the Message Board.

Mario Power Tennis / New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis

Shellcreepers in Mario Power Tennis

Shellcreepers, along with the other Mario Bros. enemies, appear in the background of the Mario Classic Court in Mario Power Tennis, where they use their NES sprites. The game's data includes an unused 3D depiction of a Shellcreeper, showing it as a small, quadrupedal Koopa Troopa with clawed flat feet.

Super Smash Bros. series

A Shellcreeper, as seen in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
A Shellcreeper, as it appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Shellcreepers appear on the Mario Bros. stage. They walk out from the pipes at the top of the stage. If knocked over by hitting them from below or from an attack, they can be picked up and thrown at opponents, making them fly sideways off the screen. The Shellcreepers also have their own trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Super Mario series

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

Shellcreepers appear in Luigi Bros., an additional game featured in Super Mario 3D World and its Nintendo Switch port. Like the other enemies in Luigi Bros., Shellcreepers behave in the same way as Mario Bros., which this game is based on.

Super Mario Maker

Mario disguised as a Shellcreeper, standing in front of a Koopa Troopa
A Shellcreeper (left) and a Koopa Troopa (right) in Super Mario Maker

In Super Mario Maker, one of the unlockable playable costumes is a Shellcreeper, using a modified version of its sprite in Kaettekita Mario Bros. It can be unlocked at random after clearing the 100 Mario Challenge on Expert setting or harder. If the player holds +Control Pad up on the GamePad while wearing the costume, the Shellcreeper makes a grimace. While the player runs as the Shellcreeper, its shell turns red.

NES Remix

Shellcreepers appear in NES Remix in the challenges and remixes based on Mario Bros.

Game appearances

Title Description Release date System/format
Mario Bros. Enemy 1983 Arcade
Family BASIC Cameo on the Message Board, programmable sprite 1984 Family Computer
Mario Bros. Special Enemy 1984 PC-8801, PC-6001mkII/PC-6601, PC-9801, FM-7, Sharp X1, Sharp MZ-1500, Sharp MZ-2200, Hitachi S1
Punch Ball Mario Bros. Enemy 1984 PC-8801, PC-6001mkII/PC-6601, FM-7, Sharp X1, Sharp MZ-1500
Kaettekita Mario Bros. Enemy 1988 Family Computer Disk System
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga Cameo on the Mario Bros. title screen. Also in the Super Mario Advance ports. 2003 Game Boy Advance
Mario Power Tennis Cameo as enemy on Mario Classic Court 2004 Nintendo GameCube
Famicom Mini: Mario Bros. Enemy 2004 Game Boy Advance
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Stage hazard, trophy 2008 Wii
New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis Cameo as enemy on Mario Classic Court 2009 Wii
Super Mario 3D World Enemy in Luigi Bros. 2013 Wii U
NES Remix Enemy/objective in Mario Bros. challenges and remixes. 2013 Wii U
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Cameo as a trophy 2014 Wii U
Super Mario Maker Costume Mario outfit 2015 Wii U
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Stage hazard, trophy 2018 Nintendo Switch
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury Enemy in Luigi Bros. 2021 Nintendo Switch

Profiles and statistics

Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten

カメさん
種族 カメ族
性格 さびしがりや
登場ゲーム ブラザー
カメ族のルーツはこのキャラ
すべてのカメ族の元祖。ノコノコなどと違い、踏んでもやっつけられない。床下からひっくり返し、キックでやっつけよう。最後の一匹は、スピードアップするので注意。[1]

Shellcreeper
Tribe: Turtle clan
Disposition: Lonely person
Game appearances: Bros.
The turtle tribe has its roots from this character.
The originator of all turtle families. Unlike Koopa Troopas, they cannot be defeated by stepping on them. Turn them over from under the floor, and then kick them to defeat them. Note that the last one speeds up.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl trophy

Name Image Game Description
Shellcreepers BrawlTrophy538.png NES Mario Bros. Shelled enemies Mario and Luigi faced back when they were plumbers. They had to be bumped from below to flip them over and then kicked off the stage. The last one on a stage turned from green to red and raced really fast. If one got flipped but not sent off, it would eventually right itself and move at high speeds. They were simply called "turtles" in Japan.
GBA Super Mario Advance

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U trophy

Name Image Appears In American English description British English description
Shellcreepers Shellcreepers trophy from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U ARCADE Mario Bros.
GBA Super Mario Advance 		With a name that implies silently sneaking up on its prey, the Shellcreeper might be considered cooler than your average turtle. The Koopa is apparently an evolved form of this veteran of Mario Bros. We'd recommend not jumping on this one like you would a Koopa, though... With a name that implies silently sneaking up on its prey, the Shellcreeper might be considered cooler than your average turtle. A true veteran from way back in Mario Bros., this guy even predates Koopas, which apparently it evolved into. We wouldn't recommend jumping on this one like you'd jump on a Koopa, though...

Gallery

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Japanese シェルクリーパー
Sherukurīpā
カメさん
Kame-san[1]

 Shellcreeper

Turtle-san

French Carapeur
 Pun on carapace (the upper shell of turtles) and peur (fear)
German Schildkröte
 Turtle
Italian Tartaruga
 Turtle
Korean 거북님
Geobuk-Nim
 Translation of Japanese name

Portuguese Tartaruga
 Turtle
Russian Черепашкин
Cherepashkin
 From черепаха (cherepakha, turtle)

Spanish Tortuga
 Turtle

References

  1. ^ a b Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten. Page 55.
[Edit]
Koopas
Characters Bowser, forms, and counterparts Alarm Koopa • Baby Bowser (Mega Baby Bowser) • Black Bowser • Blockhead Bowser • Bowcien • Bowser • Bowletta • Castle Bowser • Dreamy Bowser • Dry Bowser • Fury Bowser • Giant Bowser • Giga Bowser • King Koopa's alter egos • King Tetris • Koopa 3 • MegaDragonBowser • Meowser • Molten Bowser • Paper Bowser • Shiny RoboBowser • Shrowser
Bowser's current game relatives Dry Bowser • Bowser Jr. • Paper Bowser Jr.
Bowser's former game relatives Bowser's Brother • Koopa Kid • Koopalings (Iggy Koopa · Larry Koopa · Lemmy Koopa · Ludwig von Koopa · Morton Koopa Jr. · Roy Koopa · Wendy O. Koopa)
Bowser's adaptation relatives Bowser's father • Bowser's mother • Bowser's sister • Enma Daiō • King Koopa's great-great grandkoop • Poopa La Koopa
Other Bowser X • C. Everett Koopa • Dark Bowser • Darkmess Bowser • Francis Ford Koopola • Gary Koopa • James Fennimore Koopa
Species Fake Bowser • Koopa Kid • Koopa Zombie • Tail Bowser
Facsimiles and other constructs Robots Blasta Mechakoopa • Bowser??? • Bowser's mech • Flying Mechakoopa • Mecha-Bowser • Mecha Hand • Mechakoopa • Mega Mechakoopa • Mekakuppa • Mini Bowser • Mini Bowser Jr. • Rabbid Mechakoopa • Robo-suit • The Great King Bowser • Zappa Mechakoopa
Statues Abominable Snowkoopa • Bowser Monument • Bowser Snow Statue • Bowser Statue • Bowser Stunner • Guard Door • Koopa no Yukidaruma • Papercraft Bowser • Papercraft Bowser Jr.
Buildings Bowser's Castle • Bowser's Galaxy Generator • Koopamart • Temple of Koopa
Vehicles Bone Rattler • Flame Runner • Gilded King • Holiday King • Koopa Cruiser • Koopa King • Silver King
Related items Bowser Bomb • Bowser Candy • Bowser Capsule • Bowser Suit • Bowser's Shell • Grand Spiky Shell • Koopa Kid Orb • Spiky Shell
[Edit]
Mario Bros.
Characters Mario • Luigi
Items and objects ? Blockb • ? Kinokoc • Cardb • Coin • Eggd • Fish Skeletond • Floor • Garbage cand • Heartd • Koopa Shelld • Ladderb • POW Block • Starmand • Super Mushroomc • Wafera
Enemies Booc • Bowserd • Fighter Fly • Fireball • Icicle • Koopac • Shellcreeper • Sidestepper • Slipice • Spinybcd
Other Gallery • Staff
a Atari 2600 port
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