Goomba

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Goomba
Mario race
Promotional art by Shigehisa Nakaue (2022)
First appearance	Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Genre	Platform game
In-universe information
Leader	Bowser[1]

Goombas (/ˈɡuːmbə/), known in Japan as Kuribō,^[a] and originally Little Goomba, are a fictional species and enemy from Nintendo's Mario franchise. They first appeared in the NES video game Super Mario Bros. as the first enemy players encounter, part of Bowser's army. There are multiple variants of Goombas, including Paragoombas and Cat Goombas, as well as offshoots like Galoombas and Goombrats. There have also been non-antagonistic Goombas in the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series. They have appeared outside video games, including in film and television.

Gooombas are brown shiitake-like creatures with long black eyebrows, a sharp underbite, a tan stem, dark brown feet, no limbs, and are most commonly seen walking around aimlessly, often as an obstacle. They were included late in the development of Super Mario Bros. as a simple, easy-to-defeat enemy after playtesters found the Koopa Troopa enemy too difficult, creating a sprite and flipping it to convey walking.

The species is considered one of the most iconic elements of the Super Mario series, appearing in nearly every game in the series, and is often ranked amongst the most famous enemies in video games. In 2009, CraveOnline described it as the series' "everyman". The video game incarnation has been made into several plush toys.

Goombas are brown creatures designed to resemble shiitake,^[2] with bushy eyebrows and a pair of tusk-like teeth sprouting from their lower jaw.^[3] They have no arms and two feet.^{[citation needed]} They were introduced in the video game Super Mario Bros., and were the last enemy added after playtesters stated that the Koopa Troopa enemy was too difficult. The designers decided to create the Goomba as a more basic enemy.^[4] Due to limited space remaining, the team created a single sprite that they flipped back and forth to convey walking. It bears a resemblance to the Super Mushroom power-up that Mario can use to strengthen himself, which 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.^[2]

Early concept art for the live-action Super Mario Bros. film showed that the design of the Goombas were originally intended to be for Koopa Troopas, another kind of Mario enemy.^[5] A separate company from the primary makeup departments designed the Goombas in the film.^[6]

The name Goomba is derived from "Goombah"^{[citation needed]} (from Neapolitan cumpà) which refers to an Italian American man.^[7] Also, in Hungarian, gomba means 'mushroom'. In Japan, Goombas are called Kuribō, which loosely translates as 'chestnut person'.^{[citation needed]}

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Goombas debuted in Super Mario Bros.,^[3] and have reappeared in most games in the series. In the 2D games, they walk aimlessly in a straight line, turning only when meeting an obstacle. They can be defeated by jumping on them, which flattens them.^{[citation needed]} In this game, Goombas can come in different colors depending on the setting. In 3D games, including Super Mario 64, they will pursue the player when he is near.^{[citation needed]} In Super Mario Sunshine, Goombas are not present, but an enemy called the Strollin' Stu is described as being the Goombas of the game's region.^{[citation needed]} Goombas come in multiple variants as well, including ones bigger and smaller.^{[citation needed]} Other variants include undead Goombas called Bone Goombas,^{[citation needed]} Cat Goombas,^{[citation needed]} and winged Goombas called Paragoombas.^{[citation needed]} In Super Mario Bros. 3, a variant can be found riding in an item called Goomba's Shoe, which Mario can ride in after defeating the Goomba.^[3] Multiple offshoots of the Goomba have also been created, including the Goombo in Super Mario Land,^{[citation needed]} Galoomba in Super Mario World,^{[citation needed]} Goombrat in New Super Mario Bros. U,^{[citation needed]} and Goombud in Super Mario Maker 2.^{[citation needed]} The Galoomba were added after Nintendo scrapped the inclusion of Goomba in it.^{[citation needed]} In Super Mario Odyssey, a female Goomba called Goombette was introduced, which will flee from the player unless they are in control of a Goomba.^[8]

Multiple characters in the Goomba species have appeared in the Mario series. In the first Paper Mario video game, a village of non-hostile Goombas is introduced, and Mario partners with a playable Goomba called Goombario. This also features a boss Goomba called Goomba King.^{[citation needed]} The sequel introduces multiple other Goombas, including another playable Goomba named Goombella and her mentor, Professor Frankly.^{[citation needed]} Both Goombario and Goombella are able to inform Mario about aspects of the world, non-playable characters, and enemies, including the latter's health and offense.^{[citation needed]} In these games, as well as Super Mario RPG and the Mario & Luigi series, Goombas appear as both enemies and allies.^{[citation needed]} Outside of Mario role-playing games, Goombas appear as bosses multiple times, including Goomboss in Super Mario 64 DS^{[citation needed]} and a large Goomba called Mega Goomba in New Super Mario Bros.^{[citation needed]}

Goomba appears as an enemy in multiple entries of the Super Smash Bros. series, including Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.^{[citation needed]} They are also a playable character in multiple spinoffs, including the Mario baseball games Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers,^{[citation needed]} Mario Party games Super Mario Party and Super Mario Party Jamboree,^{[citation needed]} and Mario Kart World.^[9] In Dr. Mario World, a stack of Goombas called Dr. Goomba Tower was added as a playable character.^[10] Goombas also appear as enemies in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.^[11]

Goombas appear in the 1989 television cartoon series The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.^{[citation needed]} In the Super Mario Bros. live-action film, Goombas were originally inhabitants of Dinohattan who opposed the tyrannical President Koopa's rule, and were transformed by devolving them as punishment turning them into large, reptilian monsters called Goombas. A specific Goomba appears as an ally to the protagonists Mario and Luigi.^{[citation needed]} Goombas reappear as part of Bowser's minions in the 2023 film The Super Mario Bros. Movie.^{[citation needed]}

Goombas have appeared in various pieces of merchandise. Nintendo has collaborated with McDonald's to make Mario-themed Happy Meal toys, including one in 1990, one in 2016 in Japan, and .^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[12][13][14][15][16]} IGN editor Craig Harris described the Goomba as a "household name" along with Koopa Paratroopas and King Koopa.^[17] Video game musician and reviewer Tommy Tallarico commented that many new converts to gaming have "never even made Super Mario smoosh a "Goomba".^[18] 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.^[19] 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.^[20] IGN editor Mark Birnhaum praised the sound effects of Super Mario Bros., giving similar praise to the sound of the Goomba being stomped on.^[21] It was compared to the Met enemy from the Mega Man series, calling them the "Goomba of the Mega Man series".^[22] In 2009, CraveOnline 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 Goomba seen in Super Mario Galaxy.^[23] 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".^[24] GameDaily listed Goomba as the fourth best Mario enemy, stating that every gamer has run into one as Mario before.^[25] 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?"^[26] Nintendo Power listed them as one of their favorite punching bags, stating that while it's hard not to feel bad for them, it is still satisfying.^[27]

The live-action 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.^[28] 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".^[29] The facial design of the character Venom in Spider-Man 3 was compared to the film versions of the Goomba by CraveOnline, describing Venom's face as stupid, short, and rounded.^[30] 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'".^[31]