Monty Mole

"Monty Mole" is also the name of the title character in a series of games for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum computers.

Monty Moles (Choropoo in Japan) are a species of mole that appear throughout the Mario franchise. They are characterized by hiding and waiting for Mario to pass by, and then attempting to attack Mario by jumping on his head or throwing projectiles at him. Monty Moles appear in several Mario games in varying forms. Monty makes his first appearance as a playable character in Mario Superstar Baseball. They apparently have an odd fascination for explosives, because many Monty Moles pilot cannons or tanks. He has only been playable in a game twice. His characterization mostly consists of speed along with power whenever he's playable.

Super Mario World

Monty Moles first appear in Super Mario World, and in that game they come in two varieties. In some above ground worlds, Monty Moles burst forth from the sides of hills and mountains. They are easily defeated by jumping on them or swallowing them with the help of Yoshi. In some underground levels, a giant variant of Monty Moles are encountered, they are called Mega Moles (Indy in Japan). These gargantuan moles are substantially bigger than Mario even when he has used power-ups. The giant moles are also faster than their normal-sized cousins. The giant variant can only be destroyed by gobbling them up with the help of Yoshi.

This design of Monty was re-used in the SNES remake of Super Mario Bros. 3, in which the king of World 6 is transformed into one. Similar creatures appear on the Koopalings' airships, which hide in manholes and throw wrenches. These are called Rocky Wrenches. In Japan, Rocky Wrenches are called "Puu" (プー), furthering the connection to Monty Moles with their Japanese names.

On television, their only appearance on the Super Mario World cartoon was "Gopher Bash" where John Stocker does their singing voices when they sing "Cheatsy's Life".

Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS

Monty Moles can be found in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS, and they inhabit two of both game's fifteen courses. They can be found in Course 6, Hazy Maze Cave, as well as Course 12, Tall, Tall Mountain. Unlike in Super Mario World, Monty Moles in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS attack by throwing ill-defined projectiles. They can be attacked and defeated in one of several ways, including kicking, punching, or a simple jump to the head. Unlike most other enemies in the game however, they do not yield coins when defeated. They do, however, yield 1-UP Mushrooms if you run very quickly into them repeatedly with the Metal Cap (mostly in circular manner).

Mario Kart series

In this series Monty Moles first appeared in Super Mario Kart. On certain courses they jump up from holes in the ground, attaching themselves to any racers unfortunate enough to be close to them. Upon attaching themselves, they greatly slow down the afflicted kart, and may only be removed by the Starman item or by driving off-course. Monty Moles make a small appearance in Mario Kart 64 on the Moo Moo Farm course, the second track on the Mushroom Cup. On certain points of the track there are small holes, from which there are Monty Moles which jump up, causing any kart that is not using a star that hits them to crash. They also appear in Mario Kart DS on the Moo Moo Farm course copied from Mario Kart 64, as well as in the new Peach Gardens. Rocky Wrenches, a related mole-like creature introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3, make an appearance in this game as well.

Paper Mario

Monty Moles appear as enemies in two chapters of this game's eight chapters. They are found on Mt. Rugged in Chapter 2: The Mystery of Dry Dry Ruins as a common enemy. They also appear in Chapter 6: Dark Days in Flower Fields as Hyper Moles (although they are still classified as Monty Mole), attacking Petunia the petunia.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Monty Moles appear in this game as friendly characters. They are golden in colour and wear sunglasses and a bow tie. They reward either Mario or Luigi with a Golden Mushroom, peppers, or an item of clothing for completing a particular challenge.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Monty Moles appear in the Gritzy Desert and challenge you to a minigame which you must pass in order to proceed.

Super Mario Sunshine

There are two Monty Moles in Super Mario Sunshine. They appear briefly in just two areas (one Monty Mole per area) of the game:

1. Southern Pinna Island, where they use cannons to prevent Mario from gaining access to an amusement park
2. Noki Bay, where a Monty Mole has blocked a waterfall and fires projectiles fired from a cannon to provide defense of its position. Considerable care must be taken to destroy Monty Moles in this case.

Mario Superstar Baseball

Monty Mole is a secret character in the game Mario Superstar Baseball. Players unlock him by defeating Bowser with Mario's team. He has Ball Dash, a rare ability that he shares with Goomba to run extremely fast while in possession of the ball. Nintendo and Namco probably put this in reference to his fast running in Super Mario World and other platformer titles. He is under the speed category.

Yoshi Touch & Go

In Yoshi Touch & Go, Monty Mole appears, once again, as a regular enemy, behaving in a very similar fashion as in Super Mario World. He may be defeated by a jump to the head, an egg thrown at him, or being encircled with a bubble by the player. He has the equivalent value of two coins.

New Super Mario Bros.

In New Super Mario Bros., a Monty Mole in a tank (referred to as Monty Tank) appears as a boss in World 6. He rides a vehicle which looks a little like the beach cannon from Super Mario Sunshine and shoots out Bullet Bills. Every time you jump on it, the tank will grow a new turret. Monty Tank will be defeated after three hits. The regular Monty Mole likewise appears in a Whack-a-Mole-style minigame.

Mario Strikers Charged

Monty Moles are one of the sidekicks in Mario Strikers Charged and a power character. Their ability consists of superior shooting power, but they have a lack in speed (unlike in Mario Superstar Baseball, where they run fast). Their skill shot enables them to burrow underground and push back the goalkeeper.