Pom Pom
| Pom Pom | |
|---|---|
 Pom Pom, as she appears in Super Mario 3D Land. | |
| Full name | Pom Pom |
| Species | Boom Boom |
| First appearance | Super Mario 3D Land (2011) |
| Latest appearance | Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (2021) |
| Latest portrayal | Lani Minella (2011-present) |
Pom Pom is a boss who first appeared in the Nintendo 3DS game Super Mario 3D Land. She appears to be both the female counterpart and partner of Boom Boom. She is also seen wielding either a boomerang with a ribbon on it or a pink shuriken. Pom Pom often appears on airships where she could fight Mario or Luigi. She is the fourth female member of the Koopa Troop to appear in the Mario series, the first three being Wendy O. Koopa, Kammy Koopa, and Kamella. Pom Pom shares her name with a loose, fluffy material used by cheerleaders and sports fans, or in crafts, the pom-pom.
History
Super Mario 3D Land
At the beginning of Super Mario 3D Land, Pom Pom, Boom Boom, Bowser and the Koopa Troop had invaded the Mushroom Kingdom during a storm, stole the Super Leaves and kidnapped Princess Peach.
After the defeat of Boom Boom in World 3, Pom Pom resides in her pink airship, first seen in World 4. In battle, Pom Pom will throw boomerangs at Mario, a maximum of 2 Boomerangs, and jump a fair distance, similar to a Boomerang Bro. (though she does back flips and front flips). When Pom Pom takes damage, she will hover in her shell and try to land on Mario, unlike Boom Boom. This can be avoided by stepping to the side, and repeatedly jumping on top of her shell during her hover attack will yield a number of 1-Up Mushrooms. After taking three hits from Mario's stomps, Pom Pom is defeated and will vanish while releasing many coins.
Pom Pom reappears in World 6; this time, the arena's floor is covered in fire on the side of the platforms. She will occasionally jump to different platforms in this battle, but otherwise is fought the same. In World 7, Pom Pom will fight her last battle in the regular worlds with Mario, alongside her partner Boom Boom. Unlike the first two encounters, she will throw a maximum of 3 boomerangs instead of 2. After defeating Bowser, she and Boom Boom appear frequently in the Special Worlds, fighting against Mario and Luigi until the last level. For unknown reasons, shortly before fighting the Mario Bros., she winks at them in a somewhat flirtatious manner.
On a side note, both Pom Pom and Boom Boom are referred to in the plural sense on the European and Australian websites of Super Mario 3D Land, the Prima guide refers to them in the singular, and even the Japanese website implies Pom Pom is a unique individual by describing her as 「クッパ軍の紅一点。」, meaning "The Koopa army's lone female.".
Super Mario 3D World
Pom Pom appears again in Super Mario 3D World for the Wii U. She now wieldssome type of shuriken, rather than a boomerang, and she has clones to aid her in her boss fights, who also throw shurikens.
General information
Physical Appearance
Pom Pom appears to be the female counterpart of Boom Boom, though she has a ponytail and a pair of beads on her head, shorter arms than Boom Boom's, and a smoother and smaller shell with dots similar to that of Buzzy Beetles, while other Koopas have shells with plates and grooves. She has magenta and tan skin and head. She has shaped cheeks, a high nose, a low jaw, and deeply curved lips, similar to that of the Koopalings, and has two large teeth like her male counterpart. Unlike Boom Boom, Pom Pom has red eyes instead of black. Her closest resemblance (apart from Boom Boom) is Wendy O. Koopa.
Abilities
Pom Pom's way of fighting is similar to that of a Boomerang Bro. She throws at least two to three boomerangs at Mario, and then jumps away. She also spins in her shell to attack Mario anytime she gets hurt, though in a different manner from Boom Boom and the Koopalings: She hovers in her hard shell and tries to smash on her opponent overhead. Pom Pom can shake her airship just by impacting the floor with her spinning shell. Pom Pom is highly acrobatic as she can perform high jumps and elegant flips after she attacks.
Official Profiles
Super Mario 3D Land
North American website bio:
- "Cruising for a bruising in Bowser's airships, Boom Boom and Pom Pom wait for you in the lower chamber. They may look tough, but they're both of a pushover-three quick stomps to the head will take them out."
Gallery
Artwork
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Boom Boom and Pom Pom together in Super Mario 3D Land. -
Boom Boom and Pom Pom on their airship in Super Mario 3D Land. -
Pom Pom and Boom Boom on a train in Super Mario 3D World.
Names in Other Languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | プンプン Punpun |
State of being furious/intense smell |
| Chinese | 碰碰 Pèng Pèng |
Sound like Japanese Name, Means‘Touch Touch’ |
| German | Pom Pom | - |
| Italian | Poom Poom | - |
| Korean | 푸웅푸웅 Puung-puung |
- |
| Portuguese | Pum Pum | Pum Pum |
| Spanish (Americas) | Pom Pom | - |
| Spanish (Europe) | Pum Pum | Pum Pum |
Trivia
- Pom Pom is widely speculated to be Boom Boom's sister. Whether or not this is true is yet to be confirmed.
