Spinies are four-legged creatures, first appearing in Super Mario Bros.. They are thrown by Lakitus in unlimited supplies. They both are weapons and enemies, since they also move. The only way the player can defeat them is to shoot a Fireball at them, or run into them while being invincible from a Starman. Spinies are related to Buzzy Beetles, which are very similar, but do not have the spikes that the Spinies have. Spinies do not always come from Lakitus, however, as seen in Mario Bros. remakes and in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga.
Game Appearances
Mario Bros.
Although they never actually appeared in the original Mario Bros. arcade game, they replaced the original Shellcreepers in all of the remakes, excluding direct ports. When they infested the pipes in the game, they had to be hit from underneath, which would flip them over onto their shell. Then the player would have to touch them, which would defeat the Spiny, throwing them into the water. If the player failed to hit the Spiny it would flip itself over and its shell would turn green, making it faster. If a green-shelled Spiny flipped itself over, it would turn blue, making it even faster. Blue Spinies would also appear when a normal Spiny was the last enemy left on a level.
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. was Spiny's true first appearance when Bowser kidnapped Princess Peach. They were always thrown by Lakitus, and this is the first game where Spinies were affiliated with them. These Spinies were only beatable by a Fire Flower or a Star. If they were hit from below, they would be bumped to the side like a Mushroom, instead of being flipped over, like a Koopa. Most levels that had a Lakitu-and-Spiny combination had many long staightaways with very few places to hide. These levels also usually had one or more very high blocks to jump on the Lakitu, thus stopping the Spinies for a time. Eventually, a new Lakitu would appear. As Lakitus were under Bowser's power in this game, so were Spinies.
Spinies also appeared in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, playing the exact same role as in Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 3
While they were never seen in Subcon in Super Mario Bros. 2, they did once again appear under Bowser's rule in Super Mario Bros. 3. Spinies were once again thrown by Lakitus, just like in Super Mario Bros. They could be defeated by Fire Mario, Hammer Mario, and a Starman. Using Racoon Mario's or Tanooki Mario's tail, they could be flipped onto their back and picked up and thrown like a regular Koopa Shell.
Spinies were also in this game in the first Mario Bros. remake. This was a special game, and not a true remake. But it was the first time that Spinies replaced the classic Shellcreepers.
A new subspecies of Spiny was intruduced in this game, called the Spiny Egg. It was a Spiny in an egg that never hatched. It could move around and chase the player until it fell off a cliff or was hit by a Shell, Fireball, Hammer, or Starman. This was the only game that this kind of Spiny Eggs appeared in.
Often in levels where Spinies and Lakitus were prominent, a Starman was available somewhere in the level. Sometimes these Stars were Continuous-Starmen, so if the player got one star, they would get another in the place of a Coin in certain blocks. This would make the entire level beatable with a Starman.
Super Mario World
When Bowser kidnapped Peach on her vacation to Dinosaur Land, Spinies reappeared in Super Mario World. As usual, they were thrown by Lakitus. They could be defeated by a Fire Flower, Cape, Yoshi, or Starman. Unlike the Koopas in Super Mario World, which would hide in their shells after being hit by a Cape, Spinies would be instantly defeated if hit by a Cape, leaving no Shell.
Some Lakitus, called Fishin' Lakitus, would hold a 1-Up Mushroom on a fishing pole for the player. However, if Mario or Luigi collected this Mushroom, the Lakitu would begin to hurl Spinies at them.
A special P-Switch in this game, which had a silver color, would turn all Spinies in the area into Coins for a set amount of time, no matter where they were.
Super Mario 64
When Bowser took over Princess Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64 and in the remake Super Mario 64 DS, Spinies made another appearance, albeit a rather rare one. It could only be found thrown by a Lakitu in Tiny-Huge Island and Rainbow Ride. This was the only game in which Spinies were impossible to defeat, even with a Shiny Shell or by being lured into the water. In the DS version, however, Yoshi could defeat them by eating them and turning them into an Egg.
When these Spinies were released by Lakitu, they would bounce twice and then start walking around slowly. Their appearance in this game inspired their most common appearance, as they are very similar.
Paper Mario
When Huff N. Puff, one of Bowser's henchmen, took over Flower Fields, Spinies once again reappeared in the game Paper Mario. They appear only in Flower Fields, where they could be alone and with Lakitus. The best method to defeat them was to use a POW Block, because that would flip them over and reduce their Defense to 0. A Hammer could also defeat them. One of Mario's partners in Paper Mario, Lakilester, was a Lakitu and could use Spiny Eggs to attack with Spiny Flip and Spiny Surge. These Eggs would not hatch, however.
To attack, Paper Mario Spinies would roll into a ball and charge Mario, causing 4 damage.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Spinies and another classic enemy, the Fighter Fly, infested the sewers of Beanbean Castle. However, instead of their traditional appearance, they had green shells, yellow spikes, and very high defense (at that point in the game). Its main weakness was Luigi's Thunderhand, which was, quite unefficiently, unavailable when the Mario Bros. had to fight them.
A subspecies of Spiny, the Sharpea, also appeared in this game. They were considered a "Beanified" Spiny, with a yellow shell that was molded to their body and green spikes. They were thrown by Lakipeas, which were the "Beanified" versions of Lakitus.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Spinies reappeared in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Just like in Paper Mario, an effective way of defeating them was to use a Hammer or an item. Spinies and a Lakitu were a fighting team in the Glitz Pit, known as Spike Storm. Also, the Dark Lakitus found in the Pit of 100 Trials threw Sky-Blue Spinies, apparently a cross between Spinies and Buzzy Beetles. These were just more powerful Spinies.
Also in this games, Spinies were able to curl themselves into a ball and stay there, making them impervious to all attacks.
New Super Mario Bros.
Spinies made an appearance in New Super Mario Bros. They are treated the same way as in their older side-scrolling games such as Super Mario Bros. or Super Mario Bros. 3. They also have a new ability, however, which is to float in the water by transforming into a Spiny Egg. This ability has yet to appear in another game. Spinies can get defeated by a Fire Flower, a Starman, a Mega Mushroom, or a Blue Koopa Shell.
The boss of World 7, Lakithunder throws Spinies after he is jumped on for the first time, making the battle a little more difficult.
Super Paper Mario
Spinies once again reappear in Super Paper Mario under the control of Count Bleck. They act much like the ones in Super Mario Bros., and are, as usual, thrown by Lakitus. They appear mostly in the Flipside Pit of 100 Trials. A new subspecies appears in this game, the Dark Spiny, which appears in the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials. These are more powerful than their relatives, and appear simply as a silhouette. They are not thrown by Lakitus, which is odd for a species of Spiny.
These Spinies may or may not be under Nastasia's Mind Control like most of Bowser's minions in the game.
Appearances in Other Games
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix had Spinies, but it also introduced Ice Spinies. Both the regular Spinies and the Ice version would make the Dance Meter go down when stepped on. The Ice Spinies, however, were not Spinies at all and were simply a frozen piece of ice with sharp spikes on them. It is unknown why this enemy was named "Spiny."
Spinies have also made some appearances in the Mario Party series.
The first time they are seen is in Mario Party 3. They appear in Ice Rink Risk, which is a game where players must run around on a very slippery ice rink and avoid Spiny's shells. They only appear as the spiked shells, which will disqualify the player by hitting them out of the rink.
They later appear in the Mario Party Advance mini-game Dreadmill. Here, only Spiny Eggs appear, and the player must jump over them so that they don't fall off the treadmill. The goal of the game is to get to the goal in time. The treadmills will speed up, slow down, and even change direction to throw off the player.
They don't appear again until Mario Party 8, where they appear prominently in the game Grabbin' Gold. The goal of this game is to collect as many coins as possible in a basket. Spiny Eggs appear as an obstacle that will temporarily stun a player if they catch it in their basket.
Spinies also appear in the Mario Strikers series. Here, they appear as an item: a huge, spinning, spiked shell. This shell will bounce off walls until it eventually hits a player. When it impacts with a character, it will explode, and possibly hit other players as well. If a player is hit, they will be stunned for a few seconds.
Spinies will also appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where Lakitu, as an Assist Trophy, will throw them to the ground in their 8-bit form. They will walk around and hurt players. When they reach an edge, they fall off.
Appearances in Other Media
Spinies also made a very brief appearance on the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, in the episode "Mario and the Red Baron Koopa". King Koopa had ordered Lakitu to throw several Spiny Eggs down to the people of Pasta Land, which hatched into Spinies, and terrorized the people for a short time. The Spinies seen in this episode were fairly similar to their game appearance.
A single Spiny later appeared very briefly in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "Life's Ruff". A Lakitu tossed a Spiny Egg next to a dog-turned Luigi, which hatched into a Spiny and bit Luigi. This Spiny looked more or less like the ones seen on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.
Alliances
Spinies appear to be loyal to Bowser. They are also somewhat loyal to Lakitu, as Spinies are thrown by Lakitu in almost all games. Whether or not the Spinies are happy about this relationship is unknown, but in Paper Mario games, they will stay to fight Mario, which probably means that their loyalty is good. There is also a strain of Spiny that is loyal to nothing and no-one. These are seen in the Pipe Systems in Mario Bros. and in the Beanbean Castle Sewers.
Paper Mario Stats and Tattle Information
- HP: 5
- Attack: 4
- Defense: 3
- Location: Flower Fields
- Tattle: This is a Spiny. Spinies have spikes on their shells that are pretty sharp. They'll roll into Spiny Eggs and slam into you. It'll be much easier to fight them if you can flip them over. Their defense power falls to 0.
Super Paper Mario Stats and Tattle Information
Tattle Information: That's a Spiny... As its name suggests, it is covered with unpleasant, pointy ends... Max HP is 4, Attack is 2, and Defense is 3. Don't bother trying to stomp it... Whatever you do, don't get surrounded by these beasts... Before they hit the ground, they roll into balls. They must train for midair deployment...
Trivia
- A cry of "Enjoy your Spiny Burgers here!" can be heard during a certain scene in the Super Mario Bros. movie; a Spiny Burger is thought to be a hamburger-like, edible form of the unseen film equivalent of Spinys.
- Although Super Paper Mario has most recently pluralized the word "Spiny" as "Spinys" (a pluralization also used in the comic Super Mario Adventures), most games (such as Super Smash Bros. Melee) tend to use "Spinies".
- Even though true Spinies never appear in the game, a subspecies of Spinies appears in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. This species, the Spiny Shroopa, is the Shroobified version of a Spiny. They are thrown by Lakitufos, which is the Shroobified version of a Lakitu.
| Spinies | |
|---|---|
| Characters | Kyodai Togemetto • Spike Storm |
| Species | Big Spiny • Dark Spiny • Paper Spiny • Piranha Pod • Sad Spiny • Sharpea • Sky-Blue Spiny • Spike Blop • Spike Koopa • Spikester • Spikey • Spiny • Spiny Egg • Spiny R • Spiny Shroopa • Thorny • Urspike |
| Related items | Giant Spiny Shell • Spiny Orb • Spiny Shell (blue) • Spiny Shell (red) |