Goomba Variations

[Kamikaze Koopa]

I think we've all wondered why SMW goombas are different from the goombas in all the other games. For those who may have forgotten, the standard goomba is mushroom shaped, but the ones in SMW were more of a round shape and kind of looked like the berries that Yoshi eats. I posted a theory on this a long time ago in the Fungi Forums basically saying that I thought the normal goombas looked like mushrooms because there in the Mushroom Kingdom, where as the ones on Yoshi's Island looked more berry-like because they were constantly surrounded by the berries themselves. Simple matter of evolutionary camouflage, I would assume.

[Claws]

Yeah, I've always wondered why that is too. Maybe it's just another variation native to that area, similar to Gloombas being native to underground areas.

[Kamikaze Koopa]

Exactly. ^_^

[Kamikaze Koopa]

Alot of my recent posts have been back up information for statements I've already made, and this one is no different ^_^. Unfortunately I can't find any of the pictures on their own, only in spritesheets and pictures of scenes, but please bare with me.

Observe the Goombas in this spritesheet. These are your typical everyday Goombas:

sprites.fireball20xl.com/NSA/Sheets/sma4bad.gif

Now look at the Goombas from Super Mario World (near the upper lefthand corner):

sprites.fireball20xl.com/NSA/Sheets/marioworld.gif

Obviously not the same creature as before. Now take a look at the berries commonly found on Yoshi's Island and compare them to the shape of the YI Goombas:

sprites.fireball20xl.com/NSA/Sheets/smw.gif


Once again, I believe this is a simply an evolutionary defense mechanism. The Goombas in the Mushroom Kingdom evolved a camoflauge to mimic mushrooms to A) be able to more successfully hide from predators, and B) be able to more successfully launch a hidden attack against prey. The same goes for the YI Goombas; they evolved to look like berries so they could hide as well as attack. I wonder if they actually hang from the bushes with their teeth or if they just lay on the ground and pretend to have fallen from the branch. ^_^

[Claws]

Probably the latter. Wow, how do you find all of this information? All of these screenshots and spritesheets are really awesome.

[Kamikaze Koopa]

I use three sites as my main source of information:

www.vgmuseum.com/

www.gamehiker.com/

and

sprites.fireball20xl.com/

They are all very good sites.

[Yoshi Master]

Claws said:

Maybe it's just another variation native to that area, similar to Gloombas being native to underground areas.

Yes! You are correct sir!

No evolution, just how that breed looks.

And you forgot that regular looking Goombas are in Yoshi's Island. ( the game I mean )

[Kamikaze Koopa]

Hmmm, you're right. I had forgotten about the Mushroom Goombas in SMW2. Perhaps they were some of the first defectors from the Mushroom Kingdom?

[Yoshi Master]

I think it's all just differnt looking breeds.

We need to tie our world together with these mysterys:

Dogs come in many differnt breeds and they look differnt, take a labrador and a poodle, I don't know how their BOTH dogs but they are.

[Kamikaze Koopa]

Hmmm, one thing I just remembered is that there were mushrooms in the underground levels of SMW2. So perhaps the mushroom shaped Goombas evolved in those caves, where as the berry shaped Goombas evolved on the surface.

Could the mushroom shaped Goombas of Yoshi's Island have originally been subterranian?

[Yoshi Master]

I don't really believe in evolution, so I just think it's breeds. And their wernt any Goombas in the underground area.

But their was underground Goombas in SMB, but their probably just doing recon or gaurding the area. Same for paper Mario.

[Claws]

I don't believe in evolution either, but I also don't believe in Mushroom People. So I think evolution is a reasonable explanation for what goes on in the Mushroom Dimension. The different looks of the Goombas are probably just their way of adapting to their surroundings and camoflauging themselves, and since mushrooms are more abundant in the Mushroom Dimension than berries, there are more mushroom-shaped Goombas.

[Rapier]

Hey, I never thoguht about that! I noticed the Goomba were very different looking, but I never really thought of any reason as to why. Now I do believe in evolution, so Goombas that look like berries would help them in an enviroment full of berries. I don't know if it would have protected them from Yoshis and other berry-eating creatures, unless brown berries are unappetizing.

[Kamikaze Koopa]

Perhaps by evolving to me a brownish color it would convince possible predators that they were rotten berries, and thus very unappetizing.

By the way, welcome to the forums Rapier! ^_^

[Rapier]

Well Goombas are naturally brown. They wouldn't have had to become brown. The ones that looked more like berries would have survived while the normal Goomba were eaten. Their brown color made them look like rotten berries so berry-eaters wouldn't them.

Oh and thanks for the welcome!

[Kamikaze Koopa]

You're quite welcome.

[Yoshi Master]

The goombas in SMW are doing a great job of hiding.

[Yoshi Master]

Nothing really contributes to the hiding theory. But it makes sense enough. Yet Yoshi's and other animals that eat Goombas seem too smart to not notice.

[Kamikaze Koopa]

So if the mushroom-like goombas are fungal, are the berry-like goombas plants?

[Yoshi Master]

No, their like Goombas with a paint job.