Swaphopper
| Swaphopper | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork fromSuper Mario Galaxy 2 | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2025) | ||
| |||
Swaphoppers[1] areenemies appearing exclusively inSuper Mario Galaxy 2 and itsNintendo Switchport. They resemble a highly abstracted insect, bearing two suction-cupped legs, a pair of cartoonish eyes, and two antennae. Their oval-shaped body features a blue shell with a single upwards-facing spike on it, as well as a tan underbelly.
Swaphoppers slowly hop towardsMario (orLuigi). They are immune tospins, and their spike protects them from beingstomped. However, they exclusively appear ingalaxies wheregravity can flip; when this happens, their body's orientation does not change, leaving their underbelly on "top" and their spiked shell on the "bottom". While in this state, their expression changes from frowning to worried, and they can be easily defeated with a stomp. When they are stopped by theCo-Star Luma, they are not affected by gravity changes.
Swaphoppers appear inRightside Down Galaxy,Upside Dizzy Galaxy, and a planet inBattle Belt Galaxy; they are exclusive to 2D sections. Battle Belt Galaxy features a single Swaphopper whose alignment is inverted from the rest, being vulnerable during regular gravity and protected during upside-down gravity.
A similar enemy calledFlophopper appears inSuper Mario 3D Land. Due to the lack of gravity flipping, they instead flip around to move, similar to aBramball.
Gallery[edit]
Screenshot fromSuper Mario Galaxy 2 (Battle Belt Galaxy)
Naming[edit]
"Swaphopper" is a portmanteau of "swap", referring to the constant gravity changes in the places they inhabit, and "grasshopper".
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Galaxy 2 | ObjectData/GrapyonBody.arc ObjectData/GrapyonHead.arc | GrapyonBody GrapyonHead | Grapyon; transliteration of below |
| SystemData/ObjNameTable.arc/ObjNameTable.tbl | グラピョン (Gurapyon) | Possibly from "grasshopper" and「ピョン」(pyon, onomatopoeia for bouncing) |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ハンテンムシ[2] Hantenmushi | 「 | |
| French | Versopic[3][4] | Fromverser ("to turn") andpic ("spike") | |
| German | Gravistachler[5] | Portmanteau betweengravitieren ("gravitate") and anagentive form ofStachel ("stinger") | |
| Italian | Saltignotto[6][7] | Portmanteau ofsalti ("jumps") andgnotto, the dialectal variant ofgnocco ("goofy") | |
| Spanish | Saltapúas[8] | Portmanteau betweensaltamontes ("grasshopper") andpúas ("spikes") |
References[edit]
- ^Browne, Catherine (May 23, 2010).Super Mario Galaxy 2: PRIMA Official Game Guide. Roseville:Random House Inc. ISBN978-0-30746-907-6. Page 29.
- ^Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). "Super Mario Galaxy 2" in『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo:Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN978-4-09-106569-8. Page 161.
- ^Browne, Catherine (2010).Super Mario Galaxy 2 Prima le Guide Officiel. Translated by Yellow Media. Ligugé:Prima Games (French). ISBN978-2-952-67394-5. Page 32.
- ^Ardaillon, Joanna, and Victoria Juillard-Huberty, editors (2018). "Super Mario Galaxy 2" inSuper Mario Encyclopedia. Translated by Fabien Nabhan. Toulon:Soleil Productions (French). ISBN978-2-3020-7004-2. Page 161.
- ^Scholz, Sabine, and Benjamin Spinrath, editors (2017). "Super Mario Galaxy 2" inSuper Mario Encyclopedia - Die ersten 30 Jahre : 1985-2015. Translated by Yamada Hirofumi. Hamburg:Tokyopop (German). ISBN978-3-8420-3653-6. Page 161.
- ^Browne, Catherine (2010).Super Mario Galaxy 2 Guida Strategica Ufficiale (Multiplayer.it Edizioni). Translated by Christian La Via Colli, Francesca Noto, and Virgina Petrarca. Terni:Multiplayer Edizioni,Prima Games (Italian). ISBN9788863551198. Page 30.
- ^Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), and Marco Figini, editors (2018). "Super Mario Galaxy 2" inSuper Mario Bros. Enciclopedia. Translated by Marco Amerighi. Milan:Magazzini Salani (Italian). ISBN889367436X. Page 161.
- ^Sakai, Kazuya (ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2017). "Super Mario Galaxy 2" inEnciclopedia Super Mario Bros. 30ª Aniversario. Translated by Gemma Tarrés. Barcelona:Editorial Planeta, S.A. (European Spanish). ISBN978-84-9146-223-1. Page 161.
