Chomp
It has been requested that this article be rewritten. Reason: define appearances of a Chomps and of chainless Chain Chomps
- This article is about the unchained variety of Chain Chomp. For information about other uses of the word "Chomp", see Chomp (disambiguation).
- Not to be confused with Chain Chomp or Chomps.
| Chomp | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 A Chomp from Yoshi's Story | |||
| General information | |||
| Variant of | Chain Chomp | ||
| Appearances | |||
| First appearance | The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993, The Legend of Zelda series) Mario Kart 64 (1996, Mario franchise) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020) | ||
| Similar entities | |||
| |||
Chomps are a variant of Chain Chomps without a chain attached to them. They first appear in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, in which they are named BowWows, before making their debut in a Mario title, Mario Kart 64. Even prior to this, two variants of Chomps, Incoming Chomps and Chomp Sharks, were introduced in the Yoshi's Island series title Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
The name "Chomps" has been used as an umbrella title for Chain Chomps and their variants. It has also been used to ambiguously refer to Chain Chomps, which have appeared in some games without a chain, essentially giving them the same appearance and identity as a regular Chomps.
In early appearances, Chomps bite while moving forward uninhibited, though in later appearances, they instead roll around like boulders.
History
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
In The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and its reissues, Madam MeowMeow owns two small BowWows (later named ChowChow and CiaoCiao in the Nintendo Switch version respectively). Both of them can be found in Madam MeowMeow's house.
Mario Kart series
Mario Kart 64
In Mario Kart 64's Rainbow Road, Chomps serve as obstacles as they roam up and down the track. If a racer hits a Chomp, they will be launched into the air as if they hit a Fake Item Box. Visually, they are nearly identical to the Chain Chomp in Super Mario 64 other than the lack of chain, though they are given a shinier texture.
Mario Kart DS
In Mario Kart DS, chainless Chain Chomps[1][2] appear as obstacles at Peach Gardens. They bounce along while holding their mouths open, and trail an Item Box behind during normal races. In mission 5-1, the player must race a Chain Chomp around the track. In Mario Kart Wii, they are replaced by ones that have chains.
Mario Kart Wii
An unchained Chain Chomp also appears as a stage hazard in Chain Chomp Wheel in Mario Kart Wii. After being shot out of a cannon at the beginning of the battle, it rolls around in the mid section of the roulette wheel, and squishes any racers who it runs into it. It looks exactly the same as the Chomps in Super Mario Galaxy. They also appeared in the May 2nd 2009 tournament.
Mario Kart 7
Chomps also appear on Mario Kart 7's Rainbow Road. They appear on the moon portion of the track, rolling around the area. Players who run into a Chomp are knocked back and, like with every other hazard in the game, lose coins.
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Unchained Chain Chomps also appear in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in N64 Rainbow Road. This time, they bounce in place on the circuit while spinning in the air, creating shock waves which racers can use to perform tricks. Racers who drive into a Chain Chomp will get knocked back and lose three coins.
Mario Kart Tour
Chain Chomps reappear in Mario Kart Tour in 3DS Rainbow Road.
Yoshi's Story
In Yoshi's Story, Chomps only appear in Jungle Hut, World 4-1, where the Baby Yoshis must avoid three of these enemies to collect certain fruit within one of the huts. They are enormous, being one of the largest enemies in the game, and constantly move side-to-side, chomping as they move. Each appear on a different vertical level of the hut. If one manages to hurt a Yoshi, it will turn to the screen and make a growling laugh-like sound. Despite their in-game size, their in-engine sprite size is only 42x42 pixels.
Mario Party series
Mario Party 3
Chainless Chain Chomps appear in Mario Party 3 as a partner in Duel Mode. They are not a default partner and must be earned in the lottery. They attack both the player and their partners. Their salary is six coins, they have 2 health, and they have 1 attack. Also, on the Spiny Desert board, a chainless Chain Chomp can be seen near the start of the board, chewing on a bone.
Mario Party 4
In Mario Party 4, chainless Chain Chomps appear in the 4-player minigame Long Claw of the Law as one of the possible characters the player must catch.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, just as Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi are heading through the Warp Pipe to get to the top of the Princess Shroob statue in Shroob Castle, a Chomp leaps out of the basement's sewer water and bashes the pipe, redirecting its destination to the basement.
Later, as the brothers are about to hit an Exclamation Mark Block to cross a pit of spikes and leave the basement, the Chomp leaps out of the water, eats the block, and heads into one of the five Warp Pipes visible on the map. The player must use the Star blocks that appear to damage the Chomp four times. However, on the final attempt, Chomps fill up all the pipes. The player can tell the correct Chomp apart from the others by looking at which one is barking the fastest. When it is defeated, the Chomp is destroyed and the block heads back to its original position.
Unlike most depictions of Chomps, this one has the chain holder in back rather than the back being smooth and round.
Super Mario series
Super Mario Galaxy
Chomps appear in Super Mario Galaxy and roll straight off the planetoid, without trying to hurt Mario or Luigi in a similar way as Piranhabons from Super Mario Sunshine. If Mario or Luigi is to step in front of the Chomp, he will be knocked over and hurt. In the Single Player Mode, Chomps can only be defeated with the use of a Rainbow Star, a rubbery bulb, or a Bob-omb. In the Cooperation mode, one player can hold one Chomp's back still while the other player spins it in the front, or one player makes one Chomp stunned while the other collides with it, which will make them explode into many Star Bits.
A new variety of Chomp, known as Mini Chomp, come out of doghouses and are found only in the Dreadnought Galaxy.
A Gold Chomp also appears in the Gusty Garden Galaxy; defeating it gives Mario a Power Star. A Rainbow Star can be found nearby.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
In Super Mario Galaxy 2, Chomps reappear, first in the Flip-Swap Galaxy as the common obstacle there. They later reappear in the Chompworks Galaxy, where they make their most prominent appearance, the galaxy being focused on them. Chomps behave the same way as they did in Super Mario Galaxy.
Two varieties from Super Mario Galaxy return: a Gold Chomp, as part of a mission, and Mini Chomps.
A new variety called the Silver Chomp appears as well. They home on Mario or Luigi, and appear in the Rolling Masterpiece Galaxy, the Slipsand Galaxy, and the Battle Belt Galaxy.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ワンワン[3] Wanwan |
Chain Chomp |
| Chinese | 汪汪 wāngwāng |
Bark Bark (the barking sound of dogs) |
| French | Chomp | - |
| Italian | Categnone | From "Categnaccio" (Chain Chomp) and "cagnone" (big dog) |
| Spanish | Chomp | - |
Trivia
- On the Chomp Saucer planet in the Good Egg Galaxy, one of the holes that the Chomps come out of is much smaller than the rest. However, the Chomps coming out of this hole are still too large to be Chomp Pups, and bark the same way that normal Chomps do, as opposed to a Chomp Pup's distinctive bark, despite being smaller than normal Chomps.
References
- ^ Peach Gardens North American website bio: "Peach's tranquil gardens are the perfect backdrop for a tight race. Don't drive through the flowers, and keep an eye peeled for Chain Chomps on the loose!"
- ^ Peach Gardens European website bio: "After Wario Stadium's dirty tricks, Peach's peaceful gardens are a breath of fresh air. That is, until you run into a Chain Chomp's snapping jaws, plop into the pond water or get stuck in the numerous flower beds. Oh, and keep off the grass or Peach will get most upset..."
- ^ 「ヨッシーストーリー 任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Yoshi's Story Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook), page 5.
