Thwomp

Mario Party 5 artwork of a Thwomp, depicting its blue design introduced in Super Mario 64

Thwomps are sentient stone blocks that serve as enemies and obstacles in the Mario franchise. They first appear in Super Mario Bros. 3.

"Thwomp" is an onomatopoeia referencing the sound of a heavy impact. Comparably, the Japanese name Dossun (ドッスン), stems from the sound effect dosun, representing a thud.

Physical appearance

Thwomps are defined by their cuboid or rectangular shapes, rocky textures, and angry facial expressions. Modern depictions frequently alternate between two primary designs: a gray stone variety with sharp, uneven spikes that hurt on contact, and a milder, chiseled-edge stone variety often devoid of spikes or featuring blunt projections that function as platforms.

20th century

In Super Mario Bros. 3, Thwomps have a distinct single spike centered on their top face, a design trait unique to this title. They are also blue in the original game but were changed to gray in the remakes, adopting a more standard color at the time. Their eyes are depicted as white pupils on a black space.

In Super Mario World, Thwomps adopt a gray, stone-like aesthetic with symmetrical spikes, and they are slightly smaller than before. While descending, a Thwomp's facial animation shifts from a glare to an enraged grimace.

Thwomps look radically different in Super Mario Kart. Here, they are slightly rounded rectangular-shaped stones with a facial expression similar to theirs in Super Mario World, particularly white pupils on a black space. Their Star Thwomp variety looks nearly identical, except it flashes a blue color.

Super Mario 64 introduces a distinct radical redesign often cited as the "Blue Thwomp", and they lack spikes entirely, making them safer to touch. The design would go on to be reused in several Nintendo 64 and some Nintendo GameCube titles until Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Furthermore, the sound effect made by Thwomps in Super Mario 64 is a deep grunt by Charles Martinet, which was modified by sound designer Yoji Inagaki; the sound effect has been reused in most later appearances except the 2D platforming titles of the Super Mario series.

21st century

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! established the current spiked design of Thwomps. The game depicts them with a dark turquoise hue, but they are colored gray in some later games.

Even after the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! design was introduced, various games released in 2004 use the Super Mario 64 design, including Mario Pinball Land and Mario Party 6. Ironically, Super Mario 64 DS is an exception, utilizing the jagged spike design for Thwomps instead. Mario Party Advance, released in early 2005, is the last game to utilize the Super Mario 64 design.

In Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, Thwomps are depicted without spikes and in varying sizes, depending on the galaxy. Unusually, they have a face on both the front and back.

Behavior

Super Mario series

Their typical behavior, especially in the Super Mario series, involves hovering in a fixed position until a target approaches, at which point they accelerate downward to try and crush them before slowly ascending to their original position.

In Super Mario 64, Thwomps move up and down on a fixed timer rather than reacting to player proximity, and they can lift Mario while he is on top of them. This behavior is not retained in later 3D entries of the Super Mario series, where they only slam on the ground when Mario or another playable character approaches. In Super Mario Galaxy, Thwomps do not make a grunting noise upon slamming the ground.

Mario Kart series

In the Mario Kart series, Thwomps either try to flatten incoming racers or slide along a fixed path, slowing whoever drives into them. The behavior depends on the Thwomp, as seen in Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and Mario Kart DS.

In Super Mario Kart, Thwomps are stationary on the first lap, but from the second lap onward, they repeatedly slam the ground before moving back up.

In Mario Kart 64, if a Thwomp crushes a racer, it makes a laughing sound effect that is actually a low-pitched version of Wario's.

In Mario Kart Wii, Thwomps attempt to crush racers in every course they appear in, though N64 Bowser's Castle retains the few that slide left and right from the course's original appearance in Mario Kart 64.

Mario Party series

In the Mario Party series, Thwomps are toll-collectors on some of the game boards, and players are required to pay them a certain number of coins before they can pass the path they are blocking. They are also obstacles in some of the mini-games.

In Mario Party, Thwomps differ in behavior between the two mini-games they appear in. In Running of the Bulb, they move up and down, trying to squish players. In Skateboard Scamper, they are stationary object, lined four in a row.

Mario sports games

In Mario Golf titles like Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Thwomps try and block the movement of the golf ball. Somewhat similarly, in Mario Superstar Baseball, Thwomps can slam down to stop a baseball from getting a homerun.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as an Assist Trophy character, Thwomp spawns above fighters, attempting to squish them.

Role by Mario game

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros. 3

Thwomps have had their typical behavior established in Super Mario Bros. 3, attempting to crush Mario or Luigi upon contact before rising again, although in World 8-Fortress, there are two Thwomps that move diagonally. Mario can defeat Thwomps by either crashing on them as Statue Mario from above, throwing hammers as Hammer Mario, or touching them while under the effect of a Starman. Successfully destroying a Thwomp grants the player 100 points. The Statue form also protects Mario from being harmed by a Thwomp.

Super Mario World

In Super Mario World, Thwomps behave identically as in the previous game, the most major change being the facial expression they make before dropping. None of the Thwomps move diagonally.

Super Mario 64

In Super Mario 64, two Thwomps appear in Whomp's Fortress, around the staircase area, and one in Tick Tock Clock. Thwomps do not have an important role in Whomp's Fortress, although one of them allows Mario to collect a Red Coin. Meanwhile, in Tick Tock Clock, Mario has to make his way to the top of the course and stand upon the lone Thwomp to reach the Power Star for the mission Stomp on the Thwomp. If a Thwomp crushes Mario, this takes away three wedges from his Power Meter.

Despite having jagged spikes in Super Mario 64 DS, the player's character can still stand on the Thwomps. In Whomp's Fortress, the effects of the Super Mushroom can destroy the Thwomps, and it is the only method to defeat them.

New Super Mario Bros.

In New Super Mario Bros., Thwomps appear in the castle levels of Worlds 4, 7, and 8. Thwomps can be defeated by either Mega Mario, the invincibility effects of the Starman, or a shell dash maneuver from Shell Mario.

Super Mario Galaxy duology

In Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, Thwomps appear in several galaxies, and their lack of spikes allows Mario and Luigi to Wall Jump against their sides. Unlike Super Mario 64, if a Thwomp crushes Mario or Luigi, this instantly causes him to lose a life.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker 2

In Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker 2, players can customize Thwomp behavior significantly. They can attach wings to allow Thwomps to flutter, place them on tracks, or use Super Mushrooms to enlarge them into Big Thwomps that can smash through hardened block columns.

In the night theme for ground levels in Super Mario Maker 2, Thwomps imitate Boos by moving slowly toward the player but freezing instantly when looked at directly.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Thwomps return as enemies. They have a turquoise hue with a cork-like texture and circular eyes.

Mario Kart series

Super Mario Kart

In Super Mario Kart, Thwomps appear in the Bowser's Castle courses. They also have a variety named Star Thwomp that appears on Rainbow Road. At first, a Thwomp slows whoever drives into them, but starting from the second lap, if a character is squished by a Thwomp, they become flattened temporarily.

Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 64 features Thwomps as obstacles in the Bowser's Castle course. There is also a Thwomp trapped behind bars in a specific section of this course, nicknamed Marty by the community, and the lighting effect gives it a green tint.

Mario Kart DS

In Mario Kart DS, Thwomps appear in the game's iteration of Bowser's Castle and in the returning course GBA Bowser's Castle 2. Thwomps also appear in Mission 4-5, taking place in GBA Bowser's Castle 2, where Bowser has to collect coins without being flattened by a Thwomp.

Mario Kart Wii

In Mario Kart Wii, Thwomps return as obstacles in the game's Bowser's Castle and two returning courses, GBA Bowser Castle 3 and N64 Bowser's Castle. There is also the Thwomp Desert battle arena featuring a Big Thwomp in the center that generates shockwaves capable of flipping karts.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe introduce the Thwomp Ruins circuit, an ancient ruins inhabited by Thwomps. There are also millstones that function similarly to Thwomps but roll along paths, and players can execute stunts off the heads of ground-pounding Thwomps.

Mario Kart Tour

In Mario Kart Tour, Thwomps appear in various city tracks, such as Tokyo Blur.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars features Thwomps as obstacles in Booster Tower, where Mario stands on them to traverse seesaw puzzles. A unique Thwomp in Monstro Town is jealous of Mario's jumping ability, and pounds the ground when talked to, shaking the room and eventually causing a Temple Key to fall from a high ledge elsewhere in the room.

Mario Party series

Mario Party

In Mario Party, Thwomps are obstacles on Running of the Bulb and Skateboard Scamper. In Running of the Bulb, if a character is squished by a Thwomp, they are slowed temporarily. In Skateboard Scamper, the characters have to jump over the Thwomps, otherwise they get pushed into the lava.

Two Thwomps appear on Yoshi's Tropical Island, blocking paths unless they are paid a fee. The number always starts at one coin, which can increase as players set a higher toll, for a maximum of fifty.

Mario Party 2

In Mario Party 2, a Thwomp is one of the racers that can be chosen at the start of the minigame Day of the Races. It is fast at hopping forward, but it pauses briefly between each jump.

Thwomps block paths on Pirate Land and only move aside once they are paid, having the same behavior as at Yoshi's Tropical Island in Mario Party. The toll begins at one coin, but it can be increased by other players. In Space Land, if the player lands on a Happening Space, a Thwomp chases them and any other character along the path until they reach the other side.

Mario Party 3

In Mario Party 3, Thwomps are featured in Thwomp Pull, a 1-vs-3 mini-game where each side has to press a combination of buttons to move their three Thwomps through the snow while attempting to reach the end first. A Thwomp can also appear in Mario's Puzzle Party and its variation Mario's Puzzle Party Pro, where it can compact the blocks it crushes to about half the original size.

A Thwomp appears on the board Creepy Cavern. It does not act as a toll in the usual sense, as a character can pay it five coins to ride the mine cart. The Thwomp also appears if a character lands on a Happening Space on the tracks, chasing any characters in the way to the other side.

Thwomp is one of the allies in Duel Mode. Its attack is 2, its stamina is 2, and its salary is 4. None of the characters have Thwomp as a default partner, so it can only be obtained through the roulette.

Mario Party 4

In Mario Party 4, a Thwomp hosts the Thwomp's Backroom Ball area. In the mode, Thwomp's likeness is featured as flat textures throughout the Extra Room boards Mega Board Mayhem and Mini Board Mad-Dash, and both also feature Thwomps surrounding the outer sections of the board.

Mario Party 5

In Mario Party 5, Thwomps appear in the luck-based Vicious Vending, they are dispensed inside of capsules and crush any unlucky characters, while other characters receive coins. They appear in one other mini-game, Squared Away, although they serve no gameplay purpose and just spectate from outside the playing field; after the mini-game's conclusion, the Thwomps are seen in the background, chasing the losing side.

A Thwomp is featured on the board Pirate Land, where characters can pay it a fixed toll of 10 coins to be lifted higher on the board.

Mario Party 6

In Mario Party 6, the biggest difference to Thwomp's role is its inclusion within the Thwomp Orb, a roadblock Orb that prematurely ends the turn of any opponent who moves onto the space with the Thwomp Orb. Thwomps appear in more mini-games than before.

Throughout the mini-game Sumo of Doom-o, a nearby Thwomp slams the ground, which first breaks off the ramps to both exits during the opening cutscene. During gameplay, the Thwomp's pounding breaks off segments of the platform that the characters are on, and it stops when only the middle portion remains.

In the mini-game Cog Jog, set in a room similar to Sumo of Doom-o, a nearby Thwomp also pounds the ground, which affects the movement of the cogs.

In the mic mini-game Shoot Yer Mouth Off, the solo character can make three Thwomps fall into the arena where the other three characters are by saying "zero" into the Nintendo GameCube Microphone.

In Tricky Tires, Thwomps along with Whomps impede the characters' path while they attempt to reach the goal at the end.

Thwomps appear in both the Counting Quiz and Comparison Quiz of Speak Up.

Mario Party Advance

Mario Party Advance features a subplot in Shroom City involving a Thwomp who claims to have been robbed.

In the mini-game Chain Saw, there is a Thwomp hanging from a chain above each participant. Both characters must try to saw away their chain first, causing the Thwomp to fall on their opponent and allowing them to win.

Mario Party 7

In Mario Party 7, Thwomp received a redesigned and is included within the Thwomp Orb, which works the same way as before. In the mini-game Take Me Ohm, Thwomps are outside the arena, where they repeatedly pound switches to generate electricity, which eliminates any character who touches it. In Spin Off, Thwomp is one of the pictures that each team of two characters have to match. In Number Crunchers, the solo character can input certain voice commands to send Thwomps to fall onto the numbered platforms and attempt to crush their opponents.

Mario Party 8

Mario Party 8 features another item based on Thwomps, the Thwomp Candy, but it does not involve Thwomps directly. It turns the character into a stone head version of themselves for one turn, during which they can slam opponents in their path to steal half their coins.

Thwomps have various roles in some of the mini-games. In Balancing Act, both characters have to avoid being crushed by a Thwomp while making their way to the end. A Thwomp is among the many racers in Moped Mayhem. In Cardiators, one of the cards features a Thwomp, and it inflicts 10 points of damage to the opponent.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Thwomps are obstacles in the Bowser Badlands course. They fall on the golf ball when it moves toward them, stopping it from moving further.

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, there are two Thwomps in the Hammerhead Bros.' cave that challenge Mario and Luigi to a game where he must destroy a Gray Block or a Black Block containing an item.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Thwomps are featured in large capacities in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. There is a major location called Thwomp Volcano, a mountain that is home to civilized Thwomps. It also has a sub-area named Thwomp Caverns. One of the bosses is Mrs. Thwomp, a short-tempered boulder-shaped Thwomp and the wife of the more mellow Mr. Thwomp.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Thwomps are notably absent in Paper Mario, but Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door features two Thwomps who force Mario to participate in trivia quizzes called the "65th Super Fun Quirk Quiz" and the "66th Annual Quirk Quiz" respectively. Failure results in the party fighting enemies like X-Nauts.

Mario Pinball Land

In Mario Pinball Land, Thwomps are featured in the final boss fight against Bowser during the Fiery Stage. There are two of them, each attached to a chain from the ceiling, and Mario can hit a pulley to lift them upward. The Thwomps are lowered gradually, but if Mario hits a blue button that glows when the Thwomps are at their highest point, they slam the ground, knocking over Bowser and leaving him vulnerable.

Mario cannot defeat Thwomps, but Bowser can destroy them while rolling around the arena. When Bowser destroys a Thwomp, this earns Mario 50,000 points.

Mario Superstar Baseball

In Mario Superstar Baseball, Thwomps appear in the Bowser's Castle stadium, where they can slam down, blocking a player from achieving a potential homerun. One also is also featured in the Star Dash minigame set in the stadium.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3

In Mario Hoops 3-on-3, Thwomps are sometimes spawned from ? Panels around the Bowser's Castle stadium, after which they attempt to crush the characters.

Mario Strikers Charged

Mario Strikers Charged features Thwomps as hazards in The Sand Tomb.

Non-Mario appearances

The Legend of Zelda series

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening includes Thwomps (labeled as Spiked Thwomps) in 2D platforming segments inside dungeons such as the Angler's Tunnel. Link interacts with them using the Roc's Feather to jump over their heads or pass under them. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages feature the Head Thwomp, a boss with four colored face that Link must hit with matching seeds.

Super Smash Bros. series

Since Super Smash Bros. Melee, Kirby's Stone ability allows him to transform into a Thwomp, among some other stone-shaped objects, granting invincibility and dealing heavy damage upon impact. There is also a collectible trophy of a Thwomp.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Thwomp is one of the Assist Trophy characters. There is also a Thwomp featured as a support spirit.

Mario & Sonic series

In the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Thwomps are obstacles in two Dream Events: Dream Figure Skating and Dream Ice Hockey.

During the Adventure Tours campaign in the Nintendo DS version, there is a Thwomp blocking a path in Frostown. Princess Peach is required to lift his mood during the minigame Cheer Up Thwomp! so that the Thwomp can move aside, allowing the characters to pass.

Appearances in other media

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3

In "Never Koop a Koopa," some Thwomps serve as guards of Kastle Koopa.

In "Misadventures in Babysitting," Thwomps are among the inhabitants of the Underground Maze of Pipes. They are dodged by Junior, then later by Mario and Luigi.

Super Mario Bros. film

Although Thwomps do not physically appear in the Super Mario Bros. film, their name is included on the neon sign "Thwomp Stompers".

Variants

• Thwimp: Small jumping stones introduced in Super Mario World that arc through the air rather than slamming vertically.
• Whomp: Tall, slab-like enemies first seen in Super Mario 64 that walk on feet and slam face-first onto the ground.
• Grindel: Mummified Thwomps wrapped in bandages found in the Shifting Sand Land pyramid in Super Mario 64.
• Spindel: Cylindrical stone obstacles that roll across floors. They also appear in the Shifting Sand Land pyramid in Super Mario 64.
• Rhomp: Rolling stones found in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2.
• Tox Box: Hollow metal cubes with perforated faces found in Super Mario 64 that roll along designated paths.
• Walleye: Large stone walls with eyes that block pathways and stagger movement. They first appear in Super Mario 3D World.
• Thwack: A red, rock-like totem enemy in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.
• Tail Thwomp: They use a Tanooki leaf tail to float gently to the ground before spinning. They are featured in in Super Mario 3D Land.
• Konk: A variety in Super Mario Bros. Wonder that attacks horizontally or vertically based on face arrow indicators.
• Shoomp: Another variety in Super Mario Bros. Wonder; it slides along tilting terrain.
• Star Thwomp: Invincible Thwomp varieties featured on various Rainbow Road courses in the Mario Kart series.
• Inflatable Thwomp: Inflatable rubber Thwomps featured in The Great Deflate mini-game debuting in Mario Party 4.