Cheep Cheep: The Iconic Fish of Mario Levels

EnemyCheep CheepWater levels

On land it's the Goomba; underwater, it's him. Pukupuku in Japan, the Cheep Cheep shows up in world 2-2 of Super Mario Bros. in 1985. This portrait details its most striking variants: the giants Boss Bass and Big Bertha from Super Mario Bros. 3, the gluttonous Cheep Chomp once known as Bubba, plus the Deep Cheeps and other offshoots.

On solid ground, the Goomba leads the charge; underwater, it's the Cheep Cheep that rules. This plump, big-eyed fish, on the scene ever since Super Mario Bros. back in 1985, is the most recurring water enemy of the entire saga. It's impossible to bring up a Mario underwater level without its red silhouette turning up, alone or in a school, endlessly undulating across the screen.

Behind that placid look hides a sprawling family, though: from the peaceful bespectacled Blurp to the terrifying Cheep Chomp able to swallow Mario in a single bite. Origins, cult sub-species, swimming patterns and appearances all the way into Mario Kart: a full dive with the king of water levels.

Contents

• 1985: a fish born in the depths of Super Mario Bros.
• Boss Bass and Big Bertha: the giants of Super Mario Bros. 3
• Cheep Chomp: the purple glutton once called Bubba
• Deep Cheep, Cheep Kipic, Eep Cheep, Blurp: a whole school of variants
• From Galaxy to Mario Kart: the star of every Nintendo water
• Quick recap
• FAQ

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1985: a fish born in the depths of Super Mario Bros.

The Cheep Cheep makes its debut in Super Mario Bros. (1985), right in the middle of world 2-2, the game's first underwater level. Robbed of his usual jump, Mario has to weave between fish that patrol without a break. Two colors, two temperaments: the red Cheep Cheeps swim at a brisk pace, while the gray ones move more slowly, giving the player time to slip past.

But the fish doesn't just paddle around. In worlds 2-3 and 7-3, red Cheep Cheeps shoot up from the bottom of the screen and rain back down on the bridges Mario is crossing. Good news: in mid-air they can be beaten with a simple stomp on the head, something impossible underwater, where you're better off relying on fireballs or on dodging.

Its Japanese name, Pukupuku, is an onomatopoeia, and its puffed-up silhouette calls to mind a pufferfish. That name became the root of an entire lineage: nearly every variant since has worked the word puku into the Japanese version of the games.

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Boss Bass and Big Bertha: the giants of Super Mario Bros. 3

Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988 in Japan) supersizes the fish with the Giant Cheep Cheep (Kyodai Pukupuku in Japanese), split into two forms that are still famous today:

• Boss Bass: red and voracious, it races along the surface of the water in levels 3-3 and 3-8 and leaps up to gulp Mario down the moment he comes close. If it succeeds, that's a life lost instantly, whatever transformation is active — even a power-up offers no protection from that gaping maw.
• Big Bertha: red as well, but far more placid, she patrols underwater in levels 3-5, 4-1, 6-9 and 7-4, carrying Baby Cheep Cheeps in her mouth that she releases whenever Mario or Luigi comes near.

That duo traumatized a whole generation of players: the raft sections of world 3, with Boss Bass snapping its jaws at every jump, rank among the most stressful moments in the game. The giant later came back in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, in a far more modest version (roughly one and a half times the size of a normal Cheep Cheep). Today, the giant versions are all grouped under the single name of Big Cheep Cheep.

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Cheep Chomp: the purple glutton once called Bubba

The spiritual heir of Boss Bass turns up in Super Mario 64 (1996) under the name of Bubba — Bakubaku in Japanese, an onomatopoeia for devouring. The principle is every bit as merciless: if Mario is swallowed, he loses a life immediately, whatever health he had left.

Renamed Cheep Chomp, in New Super Mario Bros. the creature takes on its definitive look: a huge purple body, with a turquoise tail and dorsal fin. Its specialty doesn't change: hunting the player underwater, mouth wide open, to swallow them in one go.

The following installments turn it into an opponent as dangerous as it is profitable: in New Super Mario Bros. 2, beating it earns three coins, and in New Super Mario Bros. U, it takes no fewer than three fireballs to finish it off. A small localization bonus: in Canadian French it goes by Aquavorace, a blend of Aquazo (the Canadian name of the Cheep Cheep) and the word for voracious. Says it all.

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Deep Cheep, Cheep Kipic, Eep Cheep, Blurp: a whole school of variants

Across the games, Nintendo has expanded the Cheep Cheep into a genuine family, each member embodying a different swimming behavior:

• Deep Cheep (New Super Mario Bros., 2006): green, it charges straight at Mario or Luigi the moment it spots them, but gives up the chase if you outrun it or slip behind its back. Its Japanese name, Sāchi Pukupuku, means "searching Cheep Cheep".
• Cheep Kipic (Spiny Cheep Cheep, Super Mario Bros. 3): purple, its back bristling with spikes, it's a fast swimmer; since New Super Mario Bros. Wii, it chases the player without ever giving up, much like the Rip Van Fish from Super Mario World.
• Eep Cheep (New Super Mario Bros. Wii, 2009): orange-yellow and easily spooked, it flees as soon as the player comes near — the exact opposite of the Deep Cheep.
• Blurp (Super Mario World, 1990 in Japan): green and sporting a pair of glasses, it crosses the screen in a straight line with a slight wave, never straying from its path. Its Japanese name, Bukubuku (an onomatopoeia for bubbling), directly echoes Pukupuku.

Chase, flight, fixed path: this reworking of one and the same gameplay skeleton turns every water level into a lesson in reading the screen, where identifying the color of the fish means anticipating its behavior.

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From Galaxy to Mario Kart: the star of every Nintendo water

The Cheep Cheep has followed Mario on every one of his adventures, including the most unexpected ones. In Super Mario Galaxy, you run into it even out in space: some of them bounce around, spinning about a tiny planet. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, it swims near the surface and can be beaten with a spin attack, a jump or a flick of Yoshi's tongue.

It's Super Mario Odyssey (2017) that hands it its finest role: thanks to Cappy, Mario can capture a Cheep Cheep and slip into its scales to swim faster and breathe underwater without a thought for oxygen. You control it in the Lake Kingdom and the Seaside Kingdom, while the Snow Kingdom is home to a purple variety that shrugs off icy water.

The fish even has courses of its own in Mario Kart: Cheep Cheep Beach (Mario Kart DS) and Cheep Cheep Lagoon (Mario Kart 7), the latter having introduced underwater racing to the series. Mario Kart Tour took the nod even further by offering a kart in Deep Cheep colors in 2020. Forty years after its debut, the moment Mario gets his overalls wet, the Cheep Cheep is never far away.

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Cheep Cheep: quick facts

First appearance	Super Mario Bros. (1985), world 2-2
Japanese name	Pukupuku (プクプク), an onomatopoeia
Type	Enemy fish with the look of a pufferfish
Notable variants	Boss Bass, Big Bertha, Cheep Chomp, Deep Cheep, Cheep Kipic
Feared attack	Swallowing you whole: a life lost on the spot (Boss Bass, Cheep Chomp)
Super Mario Odyssey	Capturable: fast swimming and underwater breathing
Mario Kart courses	Cheep Cheep Beach (DS) and Cheep Cheep Lagoon (Mario Kart 7)

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FAQ

• When did the Cheep Cheep first appear?
  In Super Mario Bros. (1985), in world 2-2, the game's first underwater level. The red Cheep Cheeps there swim faster than the gray ones, and others leap out of the water in worlds 2-3 and 7-3.
• What is the difference between Boss Bass and Big Bertha?
  They are the two forms of the Giant Cheep Cheep in Super Mario Bros. 3: Boss Bass, red, races along the surface (levels 3-3 and 3-8) and swallows Mario in one go, which costs a life whatever his transformation; Big Bertha, red as well, swims underwater and carries Baby Cheep Cheeps in her mouth.
• Can the Cheep Chomp really swallow Mario in one bite?
  Yes. Introduced in Super Mario 64 (1996) under the name Bubba, this big purple fish costs you a life instantly if it swallows Mario, whatever health he has left. In New Super Mario Bros. U, it takes three fireballs to beat it.
• Can you control a Cheep Cheep in a Mario game?
  Yes, in Super Mario Odyssey: by capturing one with Cappy, Mario swims faster and breathes underwater. You control it in the Lake Kingdom and the Seaside Kingdom, and a cold-resistant purple variety lives in the Snow Kingdom.
• What does Pukupuku, the Japanese name of the Cheep Cheep, mean?
  Pukupuku is a Japanese onomatopoeia, fitting for its puffed-up pufferfish silhouette. It serves as the root for the names of the whole family: Togepuku (Cheep Kipic), Nigepuku (Eep Cheep) or Sāchi Pukupuku (Deep Cheep).

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