Tubba Blubba
- “I smell delicious ghosts! Open the door!”
- —Tubba Blubba, Paper Mario
Tubba Blubba is a giant, blue-colored Clubba with a spiked shell and no weapon (unlike the rest of his species), making him more like a Spike than a Clubba. He is a follower of Bowser who, despite his fearsome appearance, is actually very sensitive, frail, and cowardly. His nickname is "The Invincible Tubba Blubba", although he actually does have a weak point: his heart (similar to Sluggy the Unshaven of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island). Tubba Blubba's name is a corruption of "tub of blubber" (indicating obesity) written in the style of the Clubba species' name.
History
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario
Lady Bow mentions that the Boo inhabitants of Boo's Mansion and Gusty Gulch used to enjoy scaring Tubba Blubba. However, when Bowser obtained the Star Rod and imprisoned the Star Spirits, he made Tubba Blubba completely invulnerable by removing his heart from his body, apparently leaving a crudely stitched patch where it once was, and appointed him as guard of the Star Spirit Skolar. No longer frightened by Boos, Tubba Blubba began steadily devouring all Boos he came across, avenging them and ironically making them scared of him.
Mario arrives at Gusty Gulch right before one of Tubba Blubba's Boo-devouring excursions. Tubba Blubba does not notice Mario due to him using Lady Bow's Outta Sight technique to turn invisible. Later, when Mario sneaks into Tubba Blubba's bedroom to find out his weakness, he is awoken by Yakkey, an anthropomorphic key which unlocks the door to the Windy Mill, the storage place of Tubba Blubba's heart. Tubba Blubba chases Mario through the castle, but his progress is impeded by a group of Boos holding the castle doors shut.
Tubba Blubba breaks through this barrier while Mario is engaged in combat with his sentient heart. Upon its defeat, it flees from Mario and rejoins with its body, which makes Tubba Blubba feel invincible but actually physically weakens him. After his defeat, he reveals that he is actually quite sensitive and begs for forgiveness before releasing all of the Boos he had consumed. He then retreats, claiming that he does not want to be invincible if it means fighting people like Mario. He is not seen again until the game's ending parade, during which three Boos give him a ride through the air while his heart chases after him.
Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, Tubba Blubba is mentioned as being the star of an anime based on him known as The Blubbening; it has run for at least three seasons. The Blubbening involves a princess and robots and also happens to be a favorite show of Francis.
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Tubba Blubba's name sometimes appears on the score card in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour.
Characteristics
Tubba Blubba shows weakness after being defeated by Mario and his allies, attempting to hold back tears and running back to his castle. He appears reserved, spending much of his time sleeping and nourishing himself on a diet of Boos. His castle is poorly maintained, with visible cobwebs in its corners, cracks in the walls and ceilings, and during his pursuit of Mario, a collapsed bridge that connected the hallways to his room and the stairway. He apparently employs or is in command of several Clubbas who, like him, enjoy dozing off into slumber when they aren't active. Tubba Blubba also has several Sentinels patrolling the hallways. It is unknown if these were given to Tubba Blubba by Bowser or if they exist in the castle to ease Tubba Blubba's fear.
Tubba Blubba apparently feels more powerful when separated from his heart, who controls him from a cave. Despite his new abilities, Tubba Blubba is still afraid of Bowser, and worries about upsetting him. With his heart, and according to several Boos in the game, he is very cowardly and sensitive.
Profiles and statistics
| Paper Mario enemy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tubba Blubba (1) | |||||||||
|
Max HP | 10 | Attack | 4 | Defense | ? | |||
| Role | Common | Type | Ground | Level | 1 | ||||
| Strong | Piercing | Weak | None | Moves | Fist Drop (4), Body Crush (6), Confused Search (Leaves Battle) | ||||
| Sleep? | 0%, 0 | Dizzy? | 0%, 0 | Shock? | 0%, 0 | ||||
| Shrink? | 0%, 0 | Stop? | 0%, 0 | Fright? | 0% | ||||
| Air Lift? | 0% | Hurricane? | 0% | Coins | N/A | ||||
| Items | N/A | Run | 50 | Location(s) | Tubba Blubba's Castle | ||||
| Tattle | This is Tubba Blubba. He is one of Bowser's toughest followers and he's the master of this cursed castle. Max HP: 10, Attack Power: 4, Defense Power: ? Hip Attack Power : 6 I don't know his defense power. Everyone says he's invincible because he has never been hurt. I'd say it's a good idea to run from immortal enemies! If you get in deep trouble, Bow can hide you from him. | ||||||||
| Paper Mario enemy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tubba's Heart | |||||||||
|
Max HP | 50 | Attack | 6 | Defense | 0 | |||
| Role | Boss | Type | Elevated | Level | 1 | ||||
| Strong | None | Weak | None | Moves | Tackle (6), Charge Up, Swarm Squeeze (12) | ||||
| Sleep? | 0%, 0 | Dizzy? | 0%, 0 | Shock? | 0%, 0 | ||||
| Shrink? | 90%, 0 | Stop? | 0%, 0 | Fright? | 0% | ||||
| Air Lift? | 0% | Hurricane? | 0% | Coins | N/A | ||||
| Items | N/A | Run | N/A | Location(s) | Windy Mill | ||||
| Tattle | This is Tubba's Heart. You might say it's the "heart" of Tubba's secret. Ha! OK, that wasn't funny. Max HP: 50, Attack Power: 6, Defense Power: 0 He has a terrible attack, so hide when he tells you he's about to unleash it. This attack will take away 12 HP! Whoa! Try to beat him before he can do his huge attack again. Trust me, it's dangerous. This is Bow's turn to shine! | ||||||||
| Paper Mario enemy | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tubba Blubba (2) | |||||||||
|
|
Max HP | 10 | Attack | 4 | Defense | 0 | |||
| Role | Boss | Type | Ground | Level | 70 | ||||
| Strong | None | Weak | None | Moves | Fist Drop (4), Body Crush (6) | ||||
| Sleep? | 80%, 0 | Dizzy? | 80%, 0 | Shock? | 80%, 0 | ||||
| Shrink? | 90%, 0 | Stop? | 80%, 0 | Fright? | 0% | ||||
| Air Lift? | 0% | Hurricane? | 0% | Coins | N/A | ||||
| Items | N/A | Run | N/A | Location(s) | Gusty Gulch | ||||
| Tattle | This is Tubba Blubba, now reunited with his heart. This is finally his true self. Max HP: 10, Attack Power: 4, Defense Power: 0 ...probably. His Hip Attack causes 6 points worth of damage. Be careful, because I'm not exactly sure what his other attacks can do. ...But... I think he's definitely weaker than before... | ||||||||
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ドガボン Dogabon |
Gabon (ガボン) is the Japanese name of Spike and Clubba, despite the name being "Gabon Hei" for Clubba. |
| Chinese | 图巴·布路巴[1] Túbā Bùlùbā |
Tubba Blubba (transliteration) |
| German | Tubba Blubba |
- |
| Portuguese | O "Invencível" Tubba Blubba |
The "Invincible" Tubba Blubba (his nickname) |
| Spanish | Tubba Blubba |
- |
References
- ^ In iQue's Simplified Chinese localization of Paper Mario, found in the video clip offered for download at [1].
| Spikes | |
|---|---|
| Characters | Grubba • Macho Grubba • Paper Macho Spike Outlaw • Tolstar • Tubba Blubba • Tubba's Heart |
| Species | Clubba • Dark Clubba • Fire Spike • Mad Spike • Mega Spike • Mega Stone Spike • Paper Macho Stone Spike • Paper Spike • Snow Spike • Spike • Stone Spike • White Clubba |
