Bony Beetle

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Bony Beetle

Artwork fromNew Super Mario Bros. U

First appearance

Super Mario World (1990)

Latest appearance

Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV (cameo) (2025)

Variant of

Buzzy Beetle

Variants
Big Bony Beetle

Comparable
Dry Bones Spiny

Bony Beetles are undead skeletal versions ofBuzzy Beetles that are uncommon enemies throughout theSuper Mario franchise. This variety of Buzzy Beetle can extend spikes out of its shell temporarily. When it is stomped, it falls apart instead of hiding in its shell. It is able to reassemble itself given time.

History[edit]

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario World /Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2[edit]

Bony Beetles first appear inSuper Mario World andits remake; they mostly appear incastles andfortresses, with their first appearance being in the depths ofVanilla Fortress. They appear as bipedal skeletal creatures with red shoes, though the blue-tinged one shown in the credits cutscene has blue shoes. Bony Beetles simply walk around, then stop and stick out spikes. They can be defeated with the swing of acape, but are immune tofireballs. Unlike most spiky enemies, if Mariospin-jumps on a Bony Beetle while it has spikes, he will get hurt instead. IfMario stomps one, it will fall apart and reassemble seconds later, similar to aDry Bones. Due to graphical limitations, Bony Beetles appear to turn into Dry Bones whenever they collapse.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

Bony Beetle sprite from Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3

InSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, Bony Beetles appear in theWorld-e levelsSwinging Bars of Doom andBowser's Last Stand. They look and act nearly the same way as inSuper Mario World. However, their falling apart animation has been edited to no longer be exactly the same as theSuper Mario World design of Dry Bones. Additionally, if it is on a block, it cannot be defeated by hitting it from below, unlike most enemies.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe[edit]

A screenshot from Ludwig's Clockwork Castle in New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, featuring two Bony Beetles. One is retracted into its shell, the other is not.

Two Bony Beetles, one retracted into its shell while the other is not, inNew Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

Bony Beetles reappear inNew Super Mario Bros. U andNew Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, making their first HD appearance. Their behavior is exactly the same as inSuper Mario World; they walk around and suddenly stop to stick out their spikes. When stomped, they fall apart and reform a few seconds later; immediately after reforming, they will always stick their spikes out before walking around again. Notably, they now resemble theirPaper Mario: Sticker Star appearance, and are quadrupedal, making them closer in appearance to Buzzy Beetles; when they extend their spikes, they more closely resembleSpinies as a result of their shell's bony appearance.

They typically appear in latertowers andcastles, but they can also appear in volcanic and subterranean levels as well. Bony Beetles can be defeated by turning them to ice with anIce Flower, crushing them, or by hitting elastic platforms underneath them. A temporary way to dispatch a Bony Beetle is to let its head get crushed between a moving platform and a wall inLudwig's Clockwork Castle after stomping it. This only lasts as long as the Bony Beetle remains on screen, meaning it will reassemble if the player moves away far enough and returns to where the enemy is found.

InNew Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, they have sound effects when they stick out or retract their spikes.

Super Mario-kun[edit]

Bony Beetle. Page 25, volume 4 of Super Mario-kun.

A Bony Beetle inSuper Mario-kun

A giant Bony Beetle appears in volume 4 ofSuper Mario-kun, based onSuper Mario World. Unlike in the games, it can shoot spikes to form a prison-like structure and shoot lasers from its eyes. When it rams into Mario, it sends him flying into a block, releasing aDragon Coin. WhenYoshi grabs the Dragon Coin, his tongue swirls out of control and defeats the Bony Beetle.

Paper Mario series[edit]

Paper Mario[edit]

A sprite of a Bony Beetle from Paper Mario.

A spiked and normal Bony Beetle.

Bony Beetles appear inPaper Mario as enemies inBowser's Castle. If they spot Mario, they will try to land aFirst Strike with aShell Toss attack. They attack in different ways depending on if their back spikes are extended: If their spikes stick out, they jump onto Mario, dealing 5 points of damage, and cannot be jumped on; if their spikes are retracted, they simply use a basic Shell Toss attack like aKoopa Troopa for 3 points instead. They will retract or extend their spikes after being attacked by Mario and his partners. While their spikes are retracted, Mario canJump on them to flip them over, setting theirDefense to 0 and causing them to waste a turn correcting themselves.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star[edit]

Bony Beetles appear as enemies inPaper Mario: Sticker Star. Their appearance now closely resembles the standardBuzzy Beetle design more than their previous iterations. Just like inPaper Mario, Bony Beetles can protrude and retract their spikes at will, and are also immune to fire-based attacks. They cannot be jumped on unless Mario uses anIron Jump sticker; if he uses one when the spikes are not displayed, they simply repel the attack by extending their spikes. A Bony Beetle's only attack is protruding their spikes (if they have not already) and then headbonking Mario; much like aGoomba, the Bony Beetle will roll over if the attack misses.

Their appearance in this game was later used inNew Super Mario Bros. U, as stated above.

Paper Mario: The Origami King[edit]

While Bony Beetles do not appear physically inPaper Mario: The Origami King, concept art at theMusée Champignon depicts them asFolded Soldiers. Additionally, there is unused sound data and a glossary string for Bony Beetles in the game's data.^[1]

Mario Party series[edit]

Mario Party: Island Tour[edit]

Bony Beetles appear inMario Party: Island Tour on theStar-Crossed Skyway board. In the second and third Star Stages, a Bony Beetle gives out twoMini Ztars. When idle, it has its head out and its spines retracted, but when it first appears and when the player receives the Mini Ztars, it pulls its head into its shell and sticks out its spikes.

Super Mario Party[edit]

A Bony Beetle is one of the possible guesses in the minigameAbsent Minded inSuper Mario Party.

Super Mario Party Jamboree[edit]

InSuper Mario Party Jamboree, artwork of a Bony Beetle can appear on a ball in the minigameBig-Top Quiz.

Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition[edit]

Bony Beetles appear inPuzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition, as uncommon enemies. They are Dark-attributed enemies and are mainly found in towers and castles.

This game also introduces their larger counterparts,Big Bony Beetles. They appear inWorld 5-Castle,World 6-Tower 1,World 6-Tower 2,World 6-Castle,World 7-Tower 2,World 8-Tower 1,World 8-6,World 8-Tower 2,World 8-11, andWorld 8-Tower 3.

As teammates, Bony Beetles have an HP rating of 4/6, an ATK rating of 3/6, and a RCV rating of 1/6. Their Beetle Shield Skill reduces the damage received by half for two turns, and their Awoken Skill, Dark Boost, raises the ATK of the player's Dark team members if a horizontal line of Dark orbs is cleared.

Dr. Mario World[edit]

Bony Beetles appear inDr. Mario World as assistants. In stage mode, their effect is to increase the score that resulted from a capsule match if that match eliminated four or more viruses simultaneously, where the percentage of the score increase is greater at higher levels, where it is 15% at the first level and 75% at the maximum level. In versus mode, their effect is to eliminate the lowest row of objects when the player's play area shrinks to only three rows left, meaning that the area would need to have nine rows ofEmpty Blocks for this effect to activate, where it is only 20% at the first level and 100% at the maximum level. The Bony Beetle assistant can be obtained as a reward for clearing the first area inWorld 13.

Mario Golf: Super Rush[edit]

Bony Beetles make theirMario Golf series debut inMario Golf: Super Rush, where they appear as NPCs in Golf Adventure. They are found inBalmy Dunes. This is the first game where they are capable of speech.

Profiles and statistics[edit]