Block

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This article is about the blocks found throughout the Mario franchise. For other uses of the term "Block", see Block (disambiguation).
Block
Pow Block from SMBWArtwork of a ? Block in Super Mario Party. (Originally from the Nintendo Japanese website) Also used as a profile icon for the Nintendo Switch.
Artwork of a Brick Block from Super Mario Bros. Wonder.Block
Various blocks in the Super Mario franchise
First appearance Mario Bros. (1983)
Latest appearance Hello, Mario! (2025)
Variants
Notable
“Do you know why blocks exist? For smashing, that's why!”
Wario, Wario Land: Shake It!

Blocks in the Super Mario franchise are one of the most recurring and ubiquitous types of objects. Though there are various types, most blocks are suspended in the air or are part of the terrain. Due to their tileable nature, blocks are often used as platforming elements, making up large sections of levels in the 2D platform games in the Super Mario series. When hit from below or the sides, most blocks bump up, hitting objects on top of it. This includes other players and, most commonly, enemies. The first block that appeared in the franchise was the POW Block in Mario Bros., although floors from that game also allow the player to hit enemies by jumping from below.

The appearance and purpose of blocks vary depending on the type of block. Some, such as the ? Blocks, Gold Blocks, and Hidden Blocks, release items such as coins, power-ups, and 1-Up Mushrooms when hit, turning into Empty Blocks afterwards. Others, such as Brick Blocks and Rotating Blocks, can be destroyed, or temporarily disabled, when hit, although some Brick Blocks release items instead. Certain blocks such as Hard Blocks and Donut Blocks act primarily as platforms, while Note Blocks, for example, have special platforming properties and store items within them.

In role-playing games such as those in the Paper Mario series and Mario & Luigi series, blocks largely retain their usual functions, with specific types added to compliment the exploration- and battle-oriented gameplay of those series. Blocks such as Command Blocks in Mario & Luigi are used as the primary way of battling, while Save Blocks and Recovery Blocks, which appear in both series, can save the player's progress and heal their HP, respectively.

While regular blocks appear in the Mario Party series, a special type of block called a Dice Block appears as the primary method players can use to move around boards. Despite usually being six-sided, Dice Blocks can have more than six results, usually the numbers 1 through 10. Different Dice Blocks can have varying effects, such as increasing or decreasing the number of spaces a player can walk, giving or removing items from players and their opponents, or making it easier to land on a specific space.

Gallery[edit]

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[edit]

Paper Mario series[edit]

Mario & Luigi series[edit]

Mario Party series[edit]

Yoshi franchise[edit]

Wario franchise[edit]

Miscellaneous[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ブロック[1]
Burokku
Block
Arabic حجز[2]
Hjz
Block
Catalan Bloc[?] Block The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Chinese (simplified) 砖块[3]
Zhuānkuài
Brick
Chinese (traditional) 磚塊[?]
Zhuānkuài
Brick
Finnish Lohko[4] Block
French Bloc[5] Block
German Block[6] -
Greek Εμποδίζω[7]
Empodízo
Block
Italian Blocco[8][9] Block
Cubo[10] Cube Super Mario World television series, "Ghosts 'R' Us"
Korean 차단[11]
Chadan
Block The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
Polish Blok[12] Block
Sześcian[13] Cube Super Mario World television series, "Ghosts 'R' Us"
Romanian Bloc[14] Block
Cub[15] Cube Super Mario World television series, "Ghosts 'R' Us"
Russian Блок[16]
Blok
Block
Spanish Bloque[17] Block
Spanish (NOA) Cubo[18] Cube Super Mario World television series, "Ghosts 'R' Us"
Swedish Block[19] -

See also[edit]

References[edit]