Spike: the Koopa enemy who spits his spikes back out

EnemySpikeSuper Mario Bros. 3

He doesn't throw his spikes: he pulls them straight out of his own mouth. Gabon in Japan, Spike is a Koopa created by Hiroyuki Kimura who debuted in Super Mario Bros. 3 in 1988. This profile covers his anatomy and his undersized shell, his family tree of variants — stone, snow, fire —, his move into playable character and the mix-ups to avoid.

In the Mario universe, Spike (ガボン, Gabon in Japan) is that curious Koopa who pulls spiked balls straight out of his wide mouth to hurl them at the plumbers. His official name in France is still Spike, exactly as is, untranslated anywhere in Europe.

A mere rank-and-file enemy at first, he still landed an unlikely promotion to playable character: here is his full profile.

Contents

• A spike-spitter born in Super Mario Bros. 3
• The undersized shell and the character's anatomy
• The family tree of variants: stone, snow and fire
• From basic enemy to playable star
• Don't mix them up: Foreman Spike and Spike Bass
• Quick recap
• FAQ

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A spike-spitter born in Super Mario Bros. 3

Spike makes his grand debut in Super Mario Bros. 3, released in Japan on 23 October 1988 (well before Europe). His design is the work of Hiroyuki Kimura, at Nintendo, who gave him an instantly recognisable gimmick.

His method is as brutal as it is comical: Spike pulls a spiked ball out of his own belly, brings it up into his mouth, then flings it at Mario while ambling along. In that first game he is not that common: you only run into 25 of them in total, concentrated in a handful of levels in worlds 3 and 6.

Toughness-wise, he is no bruiser: any attack at all is enough to beat him — a stomp on the head, a fireball, a thrown shell or invincibility — for 100 points. Fun fact: he comes back later in Yoshi's Story under his Japanese name, Gabon, in a single hidden level.

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The undersized shell and the character's anatomy

The detail that gives away his place in the wider Koopa family is his small black shell perched on his back. It calls to mind the one worn by the Buzzy Beetle (Bruyinsecte in French), the shelled bug from Super Mario Bros.

Except that on Spike this shell is purely decorative: it is far too small for him to take shelter inside. Where a Buzzy Beetle tucks itself away to soak up the hits, Spike stays completely exposed, which explains how fragile he is in a fight.

The rest of his silhouette rests on that huge maw his projectile comes out of, and on a lumbering walk. It is that oversized mouth, far more than his shell, that gives the character all his visual punch and makes him impossible to mistake for an ordinary Koopa.

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The family tree of variants: stone, snow and fire

Over the years, Spike has spawned a whole range of cousins, each with its own ammunition. The principle stays the same — spitting out a projectile — but the material and the trajectory change completely.

• Stone Spike: a bluish variant introduced in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which drops its spiked balls straight downwards from the ledges where it stands.
• Snow Spike: introduced in New Super Mario Bros. on DS, he throws snowballs that grow bigger as they roll down the slopes, like an icy bowling ball.
• Fire Spike: the red recruit from Super Mario Bros. Wonder, who swaps the spikes for fireballs that shoot straight ahead at high speed, a nod to the original trajectory from 1988.

The family also includes more obscure members, such as the Paper Spike from the Paper Mario series, proof that the concept has travelled far beyond its starting level.

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From basic enemy to playable star

This is the most unexpected part of his career: Spike left the villains' camp to join the heroes'. That switch to playable character is still rare for such a minor enemy.

The turning point comes in Mario Party 10, where he becomes an unlockable playable character (Spike's first appearance in that role within the main series). He then joins the roster of Mario Tennis Aces, this time available from the start and filed among the Power-type characters, built for heavy hitting.

That gulf between his original status and his sporting cameos sums up Nintendo's logic perfectly: even a bit player can become a mascot as soon as its design is striking enough.

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Don't mix them up: Foreman Spike and Spike Bass

The name "Spike" is a trap in the Mario universe, because it refers to three completely different things. Best to tell them apart so you don't mix up their profiles.

• Foreman Spike is the antagonistic foreman from Wrecking Crew: a bearded human in sunglasses who sabotages Mario and Luigi's work. Nothing to do with our Koopa.
• Spike Bass is an aquatic pufferfish from New Super Mario Bros., bristling with spines, that leaps out of the water to charge at the player.
• Spike, meanwhile, is that ground-walking Koopa who throws spiked balls, the only one of the bunch to have landed a playable role.

The rule is easy to remember: as soon as a character coughs a projectile up out of its mouth, it really is our Spike, and nobody else.

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Spike at a glance

Japanese name	ガボン (Gabon)
French name	Spike (untranslated)
First appearance	Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988, Japan)
Creator	Hiroyuki Kimura (Nintendo)
Type	Koopa enemy that throws spiked balls
Notable variants	Stone Spike, Snow Spike, Fire Spike
Playable in	Mario Party 10, Mario Tennis Aces
Not to be confused with	Foreman Spike, Spike Bass

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FAQ

• What is Spike's real name in Japan?
  In Japan, Spike is called Gabon (ガボン). In Europe, his official name is simply Spike, with no translation, even though he went by other names in older instalments.
• Which game does Spike appear in for the first time?
  He debuts in Super Mario Bros. 3, released in Japan on 23 October 1988. Only about twenty of them turn up there, spread across a few levels in worlds 3 and 6.
• What is the difference between Spike and Fire Spike?
  The classic Spike spits out spiked balls, whereas the Fire Spike, a red variant introduced in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, launches fireballs that shoot straight ahead at high speed.
• Is Spike playable in any games?
  Yes. He is unlockable in Mario Party 10, his first appearance as a playable character, then available in Mario Tennis Aces, where he is one of the Power-type characters.
• Are Spike and Foreman Spike the same character?
  No, they are two separate characters. Foreman Spike is the human foreman from Wrecking Crew, whereas Spike is a Koopa enemy who throws spiked balls.

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