Spike Top

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Not to be confused with Spiky Topman.

Spike Tops are Buzzy Beetles with shells that are red and have a single spike projecting out of the top (hence the name), making them impossible to jump on. They are also still resistant to fire, which makes them one of the most resilient enemies in the Mario franchise. Their defining trait is their ability to crawl along vertical and upside-down surfaces. Despite being a shelled enemy, in the platforming games, any effective method of attack will defeat them instantly instead of having them retreat into their shells.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario World

Spike Top's debut appearance was in Super Mario World, where they would crawl around the walls and ceilings of caves. They could only be destroyed by a Cape Feather, Shell, Super Star, or by having Yoshi eat them. Yoshi could bounce off a Spike Top without ill effect to either creature jumped. They are distinct from Buzzy Beetles in that their eyes are less obscured and their shells are flatter. Instead of having four legs, as they do in later appearances, they have six legs.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3

Spike Tops appear in the e-Reader levels of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, a Game Boy Advance remake of Super Mario Bros. 3. In the game, they act as they did in Super Mario World.

New Super Mario Bros.

Four Spike Tops in 5-2 in New Super Mario Bros.

They return once again in New Super Mario Bros., with the same attack pattern from Super Mario World. A Shell, Starman, or Mega Mushroom could defeat them, as could hitting a block one is on. They only appear in World 5-2, World 6-Tower2, and World 8-Tower.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

They also appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, mostly in World 2-3. They can be defeated by a Star, Shell, hitting a block from below with the Spike Top on top of it, or Ground Pounding the block with the Spike Top on the bottom. Additionally, Spike Tops can be frozen by ice balls and used as weapons against other enemies.

Through hacking methods, it is also shown that Yoshi can completely eat Spike Tops, as well as safely bounce off them.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Spike Tops reappear in New Super Mario Bros. 2, where they act the same as in previous games. They can be defeated with the same methods from the previous games, in addition to swinging Raccoon Mario's tail near them. In Prima's strategy guide, they are referred to as "Red Spike Buzzy" (an alternative name of Red Spike Tops in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door). They appear in World 2-3 and World Flower-A.

New Super Mario Bros. U

Spike Tops reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U. They behave exactly as in the previous games, and they may be eaten by any Baby Yoshi. However, they are invincible to Bubble Baby Yoshi bubbles. They appear in Stoneslide Tower, Shifting-Floor Cave and Rising Tides of Lava.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS

Spike Tops reappear in Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, using the same behaviors as in previous games. They can be used in all four styles, with new sprites for their Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 appearances. The game also introduces a blue variant, which crawls much faster than its red counterpart. Applying wings to one will have it fly in a straight line, similarly to a Para-Beetle, except it will cause damage if stood on without a Goomba's Shoe or Yoshi.

Nintendo Adventures Books

A swarm of Spike Tops appear to attack Mario and Yoshi in Dinosaur Dilemma of the Nintendo Adventure Books, throwing themselves at the plumber and dinosaur as they are traveling through a desert. Depending on how the reader solves the accompanying puzzle, Yoshi will either eat all the Spike Tops, or one will succeed in knocking Mario out for several hours, allowing Bowser to easily conquer Dinosaur Island.

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario

In Paper Mario, Spike Tops appear as enemies in Mt. Lavalava. They are much more like Buzzy Beetles in that they can be flipped over, are resistant to fire and explosion attacks, and attack by Shell Tossing. Appearance-wise, Spike Tops sport "angry" eyebrows to contrast from Buzzy Beetles, who have a more docile look about them.

Spike Tops also appear in Toad Town Tunnels, but only in battle with Dark Koopas.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the Spike Tops have blue shells instead of red, whereas the two red-shelled Spike Tops encountered in the game are specifically called Red Spike Tops.

Regular Spike Tops are found in Creepy Steeple alongside Buzzy Beetles. Additionally, a winged variant called Spiky Parabuzzy makes its debut in this game. Stomping it causes it to lose its wings and turns it into a Spike Top. All these species also make an appearance in the Pit of 100 Trials.

Super Paper Mario

Blue-shelled Spike Tops make a reappearance in Super Paper Mario. Due to this game being more of a 2D or 3D side-scrolling adventure and not a turn-based RPG they have the same attack patterns as in the regular installments of the Super Mario series.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Spike Tops reappear in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, this time with their original red coloration and eye color from Super Mario World and the New Super Mario Bros. series. Spike Tops appear in Rustle Burrow, Holey Thicket, Chomp Ruins and Rumble Volcano. Once again, they cannot be stomped on unless using an Iron Jump sticker or if they are crumpled. Using an normal Jump sticker will cost Mario 3 HP even a First Strike as a jump. They can retreat in their shells if Mario uses a Iron Jump sticker. Their only method of attack is going into their shell and ramming into Mario and if Mario does not block this attack, he will not only take full damage but there is also a small chance that he may get dizzy which can cause his attacks to miss. Also, a sticker based on the Spike Tops' shell called the Spike Helmet can be used. In its artwork it shows that Spike Tops have a nervous face but in the game they have a mad face much like the Spinies do. In this game Spike Tops have much more HP like most enemies do. They are very common in Chomp Ruins since they fight in groups of 4 or 5.

Paper Mario: Color Splash

Spike Top sprite from Paper Mario: Color Splash

Spike Tops return in Paper Mario: Color Splash with the same appearance they had in the previous game. They are found in Redpepper Volcano and Redpepper Crater.

They attack Mario by transforming into a shell and flipping towards him. When they take enough damage, they transform into a shell, though some attacks can defeat them before they go into their shell.

Super Princess Peach

In Super Princess Peach, Spike Tops return as "Mecha-Spike Tops". Despite this new name, the Spike Tops of Super Princess Peach do not appear to be mechanical, merely looking no different than Spike Tops of other games. Super Princess Peach also introduces an angry variety, the Mad Mecha-Spike Top, which can stretch out its spike to attack foes. They can only be defeated by using Rage or Poundbrella.

Mario Party series

Mario Party: Island Tour

In Mario Party: Island Tour, Spike Tops only appear in the minigame Starring Artist on a constellation.

Super Mario Party

In Super Mario Party, a Spike Top makes a cameo appearance in the minigame Absent Minded, where it is one of the characters that can be chosen as a guess.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

A Spike Top in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Spike Tops appear in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS as enemies in Smash Run. They seem to look and behave as they do in the New Super Mario Bros. series.

Mario Family

A Spike Top in Mario Family

A Spike Top appears as a sewing design in Mario Family.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

This section is about an upcoming game. Editors must cite sources for all contributions to this section. Edits that do not follow this standard may be reverted without notice.
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Spike Tops are set to make their debut in the Mario & Luigi series in the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, as allies and presumably enemies.

Profiles and statistics

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario enemy
Spike Top
		Max HP	4	Attack	3	Defense	4 (standing), 0 (flipped)
		Role	Common	Type	Ground, Top-Spiky (standing), Ground (flipped)	Level	17
		Strong	Fire, Explosion (standing), None (flipped)	Weak	None	Moves	Shell Toss (3), Stand Up
		Sleep?	60%, -1	Dizzy?	75%, 1	Shock?	75%, 0
		Shrink?	75%, 0	Stop?	90%, 0	Fright?	60% (standing); 0% (flipped)
		Air Lift?	70%	Hurricane?	65%	Coins	1 + 2-3
		Items	Super Soda	Run	18	Location(s)	Mt. Lavalava, Toad Town Tunnels
Tattle	This is Spike Top. Spike Tops have spikes on top. Duh! Max HP: 4, Attack Power: 3, Defense Power: 4 They're tough, just like Buzzy Beetles, and fire attacks don't affect 'em at all. But their defense power drops if you can flip 'em over.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Spike Top
File:PaperSpikeTop.png	Max HP	5	Attack	3	Defense	4
	Location(s)	Creepy Steeple	Role	Common	Level	17
	Sleep?	75%	Dizzy?	75%	Confuse?	75%
	Tiny?	90%	Stop?	90%	Soft?	95%
	Burn?	0%	Freeze?	75%	Fright?	60%
	Gale Force?	30%	KO?	95%	Moves	Shell Toss (3), Get Up (Stops Being Flipped)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	1 - 3	Items	Slow Shroom
Tattle Log #: 32	Log	This Buzzy has high defense and a pointy spike on its shell. You'll take damage if you stomp on it.
	Tattle	That's a Spike Top. It's a Buzzy Beetle with a spike on its back. Max HP is 5, Attack is 3, and Defense is 4. Like other Buzzies, fire and explosions have absolutely no effect on it. But, you can flip it over to drop its Defense to 0! I'm sure you know this already, but try not to jump on it. That spike hurts.

Super Paper Mario enemy
Spike Top
	Max HP	1	Role	Common	Location(s)	Floro Caverns (5-3 and 5-4), Flipside Pit of 100 Trials (Room 37)
	Attack	2	Card type	Common
	Defense	3	Items		Card location(s)	Card Shop; Catch Card/SP
	Score	300
	Card description	A Buzzy Beetle that's spiked out and ready to go. Try to control your urge to stomp on it.
List of Catch Cards     17      18      19	Tattle	This is a Spike Top. It's a Buzzy Beetle with...well, a spike on top of its shell... Max HP is 1, Attack is 2, and Defense is 3. Even flames won't scorch its hard shell... On top of that, it has a spike. What can we do about this prickly foe...? Throw something at it or use an item... That spike can cause a painful poke... I suggest you just leave it be...

Paper Mario: Sticker Star enemy
Spike Top
	Max HP	13	Role	Common	Location(s)	Rustle Burrow, Holey Thicket, Chomp Ruins, Rumble Volcano, Bowser's Sky Castle
	Attack	6	Stickers	N/A
	Defense	1	Moves	Shell Toss (6)

Paper Mario: Color Splash enemy
Spike Top
	HP	22	Type	Spiny, Shelled	Role	Common	Card
	Strong	Jump, Fire	Weak	POW Block	Card drop rate	5
	Moves	Attack (16), Shell Retreat (acts as if stomped on), Stomped-on Attack (32), Line Attack (16), Group Attack (16), Blowback Attack (16)
	Location(s)	Redpepper Volcano, Redpepper Crater
Quotes	Usual: "Look who grew a spike!" ~ "I'm basically invincible!" ~ "Only got one spike. Only need one." ~ "Jumps welcome." Shell: "It's cozy in here..." ~ "I'm a shell of my former self..." Flipped: "Well, this is awkward..." ~ "Don't threaten me!"
Enemy class
ENEMY_RANDAM_1_5
Dropped items
Hammer Scraps 10 Red paint 39 Yellow paint 10 Blue paint 0 Orange paint 0 Green paint 0 Purple paint 0

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS trophy

Name	Image	Description
Spike Top		These turtles come from the Super Mario series and have one big spike on their backs. Their eyes glow from beneath the edge of their shells, watching you as they approach. In Smash Run, they crawl along walls, floors, and the ceiling. They aren't bothered by projectiles, so you'll have to find other ways to defeat them.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	トゲメット[?] Togemetto	A combination of the Japanese names for Spiny and Buzzy Beetle: the former, Togezō, originates with ｢棘」 toge, "thorn", while the latter, Metto, comes from the English "helmet". Roughly translated as "thorn helm". Officially romanized as "Togemet".
Chinese	刺壳甲虫 Cìké jiǎchóng	Spiky-shelled Beetle
German	Pickelkäfer Pickel-Käfer[?]	Pick Beetle
Italian	Punginella (most games) Template:Nowrap[?]	Combination of pungere (to sting) and nella (Buzzy Beetle) -
Korean	가시하잉바[?] Gasi Haingba	Thorn Fibre. It is probably a combination of the Korean names for Spiny and Buzzy Beetle.
Portuguese	Pico[?]	A not-so common word for "spike".
Russian	Пикожук[?] Pikozhuk	From "Пик" (Spike) and "Жук" (Beetle)
Spanish	Punzón[?]	Awl. Could also be a pun on Pinchón (Spiny's Spanish Name) and punzante (stinging) or punzar (to sting, to prick)