Bubbles (Clu Clu Land)
- This article is about the character who first appears in VS. Pinball. For uses of the word "bubble", see Bubble (disambiguation).
| Bubbles | |
|---|---|
 The Bubbles spirit from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
| Species | Bubble fish |
| First appearance | VS. Pinball (1984, international version, overall) Clu Clu Land (1984, Clu Clu Land series) |
| Latest appearance | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (spirit cameo) (2018) |
Bubbles, also known as Groopy[1] or Gloopy,[2] is a crossover character from Clu Clu Land. She is a red bubble fish who has made various appearances in the Super Mario franchise.
History[edit]
VS. Pinball[edit]
Bubbles appears in the international version of VS. Pinball, replacing the red Achilles from the Japanese version as the character that returns the ball into play if the player hatches three pink chicks and the ball falls below the bottom of scene B. This appearance predates her appearance in Clu Clu Land by about a month. She is depicted wearing no gloves and blue or green shoes instead of red gloves and orange shoes.
Since Arcade Archives Pinball only emulates the original Japanese version of VS. Pinball, Bubbles does not appear in that rerelease.
Super Smash Bros. series[edit]
Bubbles makes a cameo in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a trophy. An Unira, which is an enemy from Clu Clu Land, is an item in the games Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Bubbles appears as a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
According to series director Masahiro Sakurai, before the Ice Climbers were chosen to represent the "retro" gaming era, Bubbles was considered as a potential character instead, among other candidates such as the fighter from Urban Champion, Balloon Fighter from Balloon Fight, an Excitebike racer, and Ayumi Tachibana from the Famicom Detective Club series. Sakurai decided against Bubbles because he did not know how she would fight.[3]
WarioWare series[edit]
Bubbles is featured in a few microgames of the WarioWare series. In WarioWare: Twisted!, she appears in Clu Clu Land, where the player must rotate the screen to guide Bubbles to the item, though if Bubbles misses the item, the player loses. In WarioWare: Smooth Moves, Bubbles appears in a different microgame titled Clu Clu Land, where she must navigate through the level while avoiding Uniras and black holes. In WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase, Bubbles appears in another microgame titled Clu Clu Land, where the player must press 
while pointing a turnpost near Bubbles to have her grab the turnpost and change her direction, all while avoiding Uniras until time runs out.
DK: King of Swing[edit]
Bubbles ends up on Donkey Kong Island during the events of DK: King of Swing. Bubbles is the most well-rounded character in the game, and she has balanced stats of four in both Jump and Attack. To unlock Bubbles, the player must clear Diddy Kong Mode and collect all 24 medals. Bubbles can only be used in Jungle Jam Events.
Super Mario Maker[edit]
Bubbles appears as an unlockable Mystery Mushroom costume for Costume Mario in Super Mario Maker. The costume was added in version 1.40, and can be unlocked by clearing 100 Mario Challenge on Super Expert difficulty.
List of Super Mario appearances[edit]
| Title | Description | Release date | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| VS. Pinball | Cameo in international version | 1984 | VS. System |
| Super Smash Bros. Melee | Cameo as trophy | 2001 | Nintendo GameCube |
| WarioWare: Twisted! | Cameo in microgame | 2004 | Game Boy Advance |
| DK: King of Swing | Unlockable playable character | 2005 | Game Boy Advance |
| WarioWare: Smooth Moves | Cameo in microgame | 2006 | Wii |
| WarioWare: D.I.Y. | Character stamp | 2009 | Nintendo DS |
| WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase | Cameo in microgame | 2009 | Wii (WiiWare) |
| Super Mario Maker (version 1.40) | Unlockable costume for Costume Mario | 2016 | Wii U |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Cameo as spirit | 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
Profiles and statistics[edit]
Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
| Trophy Bubbles | ||
| ||
| Game/move: Clu Clu Land 10/85 | ||
| The mysterious Bubbles can only move straight ahead and has problems stopping: she changes paths by sticking out her hand and grabbing a post on the way by. If Bubbles makes contact with a Sea Urchin, she'll pop and deflate like a balloon. Bubbles protects herself by shocking Sea Urchins and pushing them into walls to destroy them. | ||
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
| Spirit #1121 Bubbles | ||
|---|---|---|
|
|
Series/game | Clu Clu Land Series |
| Type | Support | |
| Slots | 2 | |
| Class | Novice | |
| Strength / effect(s) | Screw Attack Equipped | |
| How to obtain | World of Light (The Light Realm); Spirit Board | |
| Spirit battle | Opponent(s) | PAC-MAN |
| Conditions |
Rule: Item: Unira
| |
| Stage | 75 m (Battlefield) | |
| Song | Clu Clu Land |
Gallery[edit]
Screenshot from WarioWare: Twisted!
Character select from DK: King of Swing
P2 sprite from DK: King of Swing
P3 sprite from DK: King of Swing
P4 sprite from DK: King of Swing
Screenshot from WarioWare: Smooth Moves
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | グルッピー[?] Guruppī |
Groopy / Gloopy |
References[edit]
- ^ VS. Clu Clu Land / Clu Clu Land D "All Star Casts" attract mode
- ^ Arcade Archives Clu Clu Land manual
- ^ Soma (April 29, 2016). The Definitive Unused Fighters List in Smash. Source Gaming. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
