Goombas , known in Japan as Kuribo, are a species of sentient mushrooms from
Nintendo's Mario franchise. They first appeared in the NES video game Super
Mario Bros. as the first enemy players encounter. They have appeared outside of
video games, including in film, television, and other media. They are
usually brown and are most commonly seen walking around aimlessly, often as an
obstacle, in video games. They were included late in the development of
Super Mario Bros. in order to create a simple, easy-to-defeat enemy.
The species is considered one of the most iconic elements of the Mario
series, appearing in nearly every game in the series, and is often ranked
amongst the most famous enemies in video games. Crave Online described it as the
series' "everyman". It has been compared to other generic enemies in video games,
such as the "Met" enemy from the Mega Man series. The video game incarnation
has been made into several plush toys. Concept and creation
Goombas were first introduced in the video game Super Mario Bros., and were
the last enemy added to the game after play testers stated that the Koopa
Troopa was too tricky as an enemy. As a result, the designers decided to
introduce the Goomba as a basic enemy. When they decided to do this, however,
they had very little space left in the game. They used a single image twice to
convey the notion that the Goombas are walking, rotating it back and forth,
causing it to look lopsided as it walks and giving the appearance of a trot. The
Goomba's resemblance to the Super Mushroom forced designers to change the
mechanics and appearance of the Super Mushroom. They used the Goomba's ability
to be jumped on and defeated to teach players how to deal with enemies and to
not fear the Super Mushroom. Goombas look like shiitake, with bushy
eyebrows and a pair of fangs sprouting from their lower jaw.
Early concept art for the Super Mario Bros. film showed that the design of the
Goombas were originally intended to be for Koopa Troopas, another kind of Mario
enemy. A separate company from the primary makeup departments designed the
Goombas in the film. Name
The name Goomba is derived from "Goombah" which refers to a member of a
usually Italian American secretive criminal organization. Also, in Hungary,
Gomba means "mushroom". In Japan, Goombas are called "Kuribō", which is
loosely translated as "chestnut person". Appearances
In two-dimensional games in the series, their movement is merely walking from
side to side and they are most commonly defeated by being stomped on, which
flattens them. They debuted in Super Mario Bros., described in the manual as
Little Goomba, and have reappeared in nearly all later games in the series. In
contrast to Goombas' behavior in two-dimensional games, in which most
would not pursue Mario, Goombas in Super Mario 64, upon noticing him, will
attempt to crash into him. There are several different variations of the
Goomba; notable ones include the Paragoomba, which is a Goomba with wings
introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3, and the Microgoomba, a tiny variation of the
Goomba introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3, and sometimes found under blocks.
Super Mario Land introduced a smaller variant called the Chibibo. In a single
level in Super Mario Bros. 3, Goombas can be seen wearing a shoe called
"Kuribo's Shoe". Super Mario World introduced a different variation of the
Goomba known as the Galoomba, which is spherical in nature and cannot be
flattened when stomped, but instead can be picked up and thrown into other
enemies. Super Mario Sunshine introduced an enemy called Strollin' Stu and Puffy
Widget, which The Perfect Guide of Super Mario Sunshine describes as the "Isle
Delfino versions of Goombas". Large Goombas called Grand Goombas are
featured in Super Mario Galaxy. Grand Goombas with wings are called Grand
Paragoombas that first appeared in the 1990 DIC Entertainment animated series
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 only in the episode "Princess Toadstool
For President". Grand Paragoombas later appeared in Super Mario Galaxy 2,
alongside the normal variant which is commonly found in levels. Goombas appear
as bosses in multiple games in the series. A Goomba first appeared as a
boss in Paper Mario as King Goomba, and later in Super Mario 64 DS and New Super
Mario Bros. as Goomboss and Mega Goomba respectively. There are also Tail
Goombas that appears in Super Mario 3D Land along with the Goomba Tower. Super
Mario 3D World also includes Cat Goomba. Goombas appear in each of the Mario
role-playing games. Super Mario RPG introduces the first non-hostile
Goombas, while the follow-up game Paper Mario introduces a Goomba village, as
well as a playable Goomba character called Goombario. A second playable
Goomba is introduced in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door called Goombella.
Goombas also appear in the four Mario & Luigi titles: Superstar Saga, Partners
in Time, Bowser's Inside Story, and Dream Team, of which the middle two
feature Goombas who are members of an alien race called the "Shroob". Bowser's
Inside Story also features goomba-form cells who think Mario and company are
viruses, and outside Bowser's body, they are used in one of Bowser's special
attacks. Goombas have appeared in several other spin-off titles in and out
of the Mario series, including the second and third titles of the Super
Smash Bros. series, Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. They
have a playable appearance in Mario baseball video games such as Mario
Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers. Goombas are also obstacles in
various Mario Kart courses. = In other media =
In the 1989 television cartoon The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Goombas are
loyal soldiers in King Koopa's army. The general appearance of the Goomba
resembles the ones found in the Mario video games. In many of the episodes,
the Goombas appear as zombies, pirates, or other themed variations in accordance
with the plot. When the show spun off into The Adventures of Super Mario Bros.
3, they continued their job as soldiers in the Koopa army in some episodes.
However, the Super Mario World cartoon only featured them twice. Goombas were
included in an Ice Capades show featuring characters from the Mario
series. In the Super Mario Bros. live-action
film, Goombas were originally inhabitants of Dinohattan who opposed
the tyrannical King Koopa's rule, and were devolved as punishment for this
disloyalty. In the film, upon being de-evolved, these people became Goombas,
who were large, reptilian monsters with hulking bodies and disproportionately
small, circular heads, who wore trenchcoats.
Goombas appear as enemies in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening in the
underground side-scrolling passages throughout the game, and also in the
seventh dungeon, Eagle's Tower. They can be defeated either by striking them with
a sword or by jumping on top of them with Roc's Feather.
A Goomba can also be spotted as an easter egg on "Basic Run" on Wii Fit
Plus. Reception and promotion
The Goomba has become an icon of the Mario series, both in its appearance and
the concept of "stomping on them", often referenced as one of the key elements of
the original Super Mario Bros. The Goomba has appeared in multiple pieces
of merchandise, including a Happy Meal toy as part of a Super Mario Bros. 3
promotion by Nintendo and McDonald's. A plush Goomba that plays the Goomba
"defeat" noise as well as the Game Over tune at certain points was also
released. IGN editor Craig Harris described the Goomba as a "household
name" along with Koopa Paratroopas and King Koopa. Video game musician and
reviewer Tommy Tallarico commented that many new converts to gaming have "never
even made Super Mario smoosh a Goomba". In a criticism of video game
storytelling, Gamasutra editor Daniel Cook referenced Goombas being mushrooms,
but also that it was a less important fact than them being squat, to-scale
with the world, and able to be squashed. In an article discussing happiness in
video games, Gamasutra editor Lorenzo Wang listed the sound the Goomba makes
when it's squished as one of his pleasures. IGN editor Mark Birnhaum
praised the sound effects of Super Mario Bros., giving similar praise to the
sound of the Goomba being stomped on. It was compared to the Met enemy from the
Mega Man series, calling them the "Goomba of the Mega Man series." Crave
Online editor Joey Davidson described the Goomba as the series' "everyman",
describing it as both defenseless and of little threat, listing such exceptions
as the giant Goombas seen in Super Mario Galaxy. A common enemy in Braid has been
compared to the Goomba, Gaming Age editor Dustin Chadwell calling it a
"slightly skewed version of the Goomba." GameDaily listed Goomba as the fourth
best Mario enemy, stating that every gamer has run into one as Mario before.
Destructoid listed the deaths of Goombas as one of the six sinister things about
Super Mario; saying that "whether or not the Goombas are actually working for
Bowser, they certainly don't seem like killers, or even soldiers. They walk
around aimlessly, and if you touch them, you get hurt. Is that worth killing
over?" Nintendo Power listed them as one of their favourite punching bags,
stating that while it's hard not to feel bad for them, it is still satisfying.
The Super Mario Bros. film version of the Goomba has received negative
reception. IGN editor Jesse Schedeen called Bowser and his Goombas the most
screwed up part of the film, commenting that it would be difficult to create a
live action version of the Goomba that deviates from the original version more
than this. An Entertainment Weekly article called the design creepy,
stating that its "foam-latex skin had to be baked for five hours at 200 degrees
to achieve that lovely reptilian effect." The facial design of the
character Venom in Spider-Man 3 was compared to the film versions of the
Goomba by Crave Online, describing Venom's face as stupid, short, and
rounded. Hal Hinson of the Washington Post called the Goombas "big dumb goons
with shrunken little dino heads", yet also calling them the "best movie
heavies since the flying monkeys in 'The Wizard of Oz'".
References