Goombas

[kingkoopa]

Are these guys mindless or does Bowser brainwash them because the Goomba enemy seems pretty stupid.
Also, Goombas who don't work for Bowser seem to be smarter (Goombella, Goombario, Prof. Frankly) Goombas seem to be the only enemies that are almost always the same

[shadowgoomba]

...
Ignoring that, there have been Goombas that work for Bowser that have shown intelligence, such as the Goomba Bros., Goomba King, and that shopkeeper at the end of Paper Mario (well technically, it was a Spiked Goomba, but it still counts). No, they intentionally joined to rebel against the Mushroom Kingdom, as it says in the instruction manual for SMB.

[kingkoopa]

Sorry about the insult Shadowgoomba

[shadowgoomba]

It was a joke anyway.

[kingkoopa]

Yea it's not like you are a goomba in real life

[Meta Black Yoshi]

Id just like to say that,...
The less inteligince one has, the more likely it is that he or she will follow some dictator.
So when the goombas joined up with Bowser, it was mostly only the brainless ones anyway.

[kingkoopa]

Yea the smart ones hate Bowser

[Your Buddy Bill]

Goombas may have come from the same ancestor species as Toads, assuming Toads actually have mushroom heads. They likely split when one group went to live in society early on, while the second took to caves. They are weak against jumps because when the cieling is a few inches above your head, you're not gonna need to worry about someone jumping on you...

[kingkoopa]

Toads really are part fungus

[Your Buddy Bill]

And then SMRPG's Amanitas would be a forest offshoot that found arms more necesarry than legs, and found faces to be detrimental to their camoflague ability.

[SMBBQ]

Or, perhaps Amanitas were the original species. I'm no evolutionary expert, but Amanitas could've stayed primitive, whereas Toads and Goombas continued to evolve.

[Your Buddy Bill]

But then why would Goombas lose arms? Arms are generally important. I think none of them are the original.

[SMBBQ]

Goombas appear to have telepathic powers, such as being able to levitate objects. So maybe evolution gave them that, but they had to lose arms in the process?

[Your Buddy Bill]

Wait, where do you see those?

[kingkoopa]

Whenever you see a goomba holding something

[Vent]

Yeah, in both Mario baseball games Goomba's bat floats next to his head.

I'd wager that since Goombas are so puny they evolved to primarily use their brains, which is how they're able to have telekinesis. Heck, a Goomba with a full education could very well be one of the smartest beings in Mario's world.

[Sarisa]

My thoughts:

The connection between Toads and Goombas is absolutely proven - in Japanese they are collectively called Kinoko-zoku, "Mushroom People" (unfortunately my Japanese IME isn't loading).

The Amanitas physically are closer to Toads than either is to Goombas (similar hat coloration, presence of arms on a mushroom - the primitive condition is neither arms nor legs). How did the Amanitas move, though?

Goombas are telekinetic and adaptable, but I doubt they're collectively very intelligent. Goombario, Goombella, Professor Frankly, and probably Goomfrey (the Goomba who makes problems 'disappear') are intelligent, but the average Goomba even in TTYD was a minor thug. There are no natural Goomba leaders, no Goomba advisors, and even the mahjong-playing Goomba is the worst in Yakuman DS. They don't use technology to compensate for biological disadvantages like the Shy Guys do beyond spears and spiked helmets. What they have is large numbers and I suspect an ability to make a living in environments too barren or hostile for stronger, smarter intelligent species - caves, deserts, and other margins.

[Your Buddy Bill]

Yeah, I think that sheer numbers keep them going. And any crature without hands will 'hold' something in that way.

[kingkoopa]

Goombas certainly have numbers, if they didn't they would be extinct by now from Mario jumping on them.

[Your Buddy Bill]

That, or wildlife conservation and rehabilitation programs.