Dry Bones (Mario)
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- This article is about the Mario series character. See Dry Bones for other uses of the word.
| Dry Bones | |
|---|---|
 Dry Bones as he appears in Mario Party 7 |
|
| Game series | Super Mario series |
| First game | Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990) |
| Creator(s) | Shigeru Miyamoto |
Dry Bones (カロン Karon?) are a fictional species of undead koopa in Nintendo's Mario series of video games.
Dry Bones are the skeletal remains of Koopa Troopas that have been re-animated. They are immune to most of Mario's attacks and will fall apart when stomped on, only to reassemble moments later. However, they can be defeated with certain special attacks (such as with the Cape Feather, Hammer Bros. Suit or Starman). Dry Bones usually prefer dark places, mainly castles, but have been known to live in other areas like the desert or sunken ships.
According to Goombella's Tattle in Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Dry Bones are former Koopas whose spirit animates its bones.
[edit] Appearances in the Mario series
[edit] Super Mario Bros. 3
Dry Bones' first appearance was in the Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario Bros. 3. Much like Koopa Troopas, they walked on all four feet. Dry Bones could only be defeated by Mario with a Hammer Bros. Suit or a Starman.
[edit] Super Mario World
Dry Bones' later appear in the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game, Super Mario World. Like Koopa Troopas, they walked on two feet instead of on all fours like in past Mario titles. Early on in the game, they only walked back and forth and regenerated, but later in the game, they would gain the ability to throw bones at you. They can only be defeated by the Cape Feather or a Starman, or by knocking the block that they are standing on from underneath (provided that said block is knockable).
[edit] Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the Super NES, Dry Bones appeared as an enemy in the Sunken Ship. It also had a more powerful version named Vomer, who is found inside the Barrel Volcano. Both enemies could only be defeated with Special Attacks or the "Pure Water" item, as normal attacks would inflict damage, but they would never kill them--their HP count in fact read as zero, and the game uses a unique script produce the effect.[citation needed]
In addition to being an enemy, a Dry Bones was one of three members of the "Three Musty Fears", a trio of undead creatures which also included a Boo and a Greaper (a Shy Guy variant). The name, The Three Musty Fears, is a parody of The Three Musketeers.
[edit] Paper Mario
Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64 featured Dry Bones as an enemy in Bowser's Castle. They would attack Mario by throwing bones at him, both in and out of battle. If a normal attack knocks out Dry Bones, it might revive itself a few turns later. However, a fire attack such as Kooper's Fire Shell can defeat them instantly.
[edit] Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Dry Bones return in the Game Boy Advance video game Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, although instead of being undead variations of the Koopa Troopa, they are undead versions of the Troopea, a bean themed Koopa Troopa. Unlike recent Mario games, Dry Bones went back to walking on all fours and attacked Mario and Luigi by throwing its head. There are two versions of Dry Bones in this game; the first is located on Hoohoo Mountain and appears to have a rib cage instead of a shell. The second version is found in Teehee Desert during Mario's second visit and looks similar to the original Dry Bones.
[edit] Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Dry Bones reappeared in the GameCube sequel to Paper Mario. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. There are many variants of the Dry Bones, including the Dull Bones, the Red Bones and the Dark Bones. Dry Bones is found in the Shadow Palace (the final area of the game) and the Pit of 100 Trials, and fights similar to the previous Paper Mario game, but have gained the ability to build more Dry Bones. Dull Bones (the weakest version) are the victims of the Koopa-eating dragon Hooktail, and as such, are commonly found inside her castle. Both Red Bones and Dark Bones are minibosses at Hooktail's Castle and the Shadow Palace respectively.
[edit] Mario Superstar Baseball
Dry Bones appeared in the game with a new, redesigned look. Dry Bones' were generally weak characters in the game, appearing on Bowser's baseball team in the Challenge mode of the game. They were also on Bowser Jr.'s team if you were to encounter him in the Challenge mode overworld.
[edit] Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
In the Nintendo DS sequel to Superstar Saga Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Dry Bones is an enemy inside the belly of a giant Shroob Yoshi, Yoob. In this game, they stood on two feet again and threw bones at Mario and Luigi. They were also statues in the Gritzy Desert.
[edit] Mario Kart DS
Dry Bones appeared in the Nintendo DS installment of the Mario Kart series as an unlockable player.
[edit] Mario Party 7
Dry Bones appeared in the seventh installment of the Mario Party series as a playable character. He will also be back for Mario Party 8.
[edit] Super Princess Peach
Dry Bones reappear in the Nintendo DS platformer Super Princess Peach. They have the ability to throw their bones at Princess Peach, and can only be defeated by using the Rage and Joy Vibes or using the Poundbrella attack. Like several other enemies in the game, there is a special depressed, crying variation of the Dry Bones. It meanders forward with tears streaming from its eyes, and throws a trio of bones in one attack.
[edit] New Super Mario Bros.
The Dry Bones' most recent appearance is in the Nintendo DS video game, New Super Mario Bros., which features two sizes of Dry Bones. The regular sized Dry Bones can be caused to fall apart by merely jumping on them, while the larger Dry Bones (called Big Bones) can only be caused to fall apart by using a Ground Pound on them. As usual, they will reanimate soon afterwards. Mario can permanently defeat either by using the Mega Mushroom, Blue Shell or Starman.
Bowser is turned into a Dry Bones-like creature after he falls into lava at the end of World 1. Mario later fights him in this form. In this form, he is similar to Dry Bones, in that he is immune to flame and can throw bones. When he jumps up to meet Mario, he collapses into a pile of bones in a similar manner to Dry Bones, before reassembling. In the final boss battle, Bowser Jr. throws the broken skeleton Bowser into a magic cauldron, causing him to come back to life and grows bigger and badder than he had been.
[edit] Mario Party 8
Dry Bones is scheduled to return in the upcoming installment of the Mario Party series.
[edit] Mario Strikers Charged
Dry Bones is also scheduled to appear in the upcoming sequel to Super Mario Strikers, Mario Strikers Charged as a playable sidekick like (most recently) Toad, Koopa Troopa, and Boo.
[edit] Playable appearances
In 2005, Nintendo began to put Dry Bones in a playable role in many of their spinoff titles. Its first role as a playable character was in the GameCube game, Mario Superstar Baseball. It was a technique character, meaning it was best used for pitching and fielding. This was also the first 3D appearance of a Dry Bones.
Dry Bones later appears in the GameCube party game, Mario Party 7. It could be unlocked by collecting 1,000 mileage points and then bought at the Duty-Free Shop. Dry Bones was also Boo's partner in Mario Party 7.
Dry Bones became playable once again in the Nintendo DS racer, Mario Kart DS. It could be unlocked by winning a gold trophy on every cup in the Nitro Grand Prix on 50cc. Its Dry Bomber kart is very good at acceleration and handling, and is unlocked upon winning the 100cc Special Cup.
He will be playable in the upcoming games Mario Strikers Charged, and Mario Party 8.
[edit] Other media
Dry Bones made appearances in the Super Mario Bros. television series.
