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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/waddling_enemies.png]]
2[-[[caption-width-right:350:Clockwise from top left:\
3A [[Franchise/{{Kirby}} Waddle Dee]], a [[VideoGame/DigDug Pooka]], a [[VideoGame/WarioLand Pirate Goom]], and a [[Franchise/MegaMan Met]][[InconsistentSpelling /Metool/Mettall/Mettaur]].]]-]
4
5-> ''First you draw a circle\
6Then you dot the eyes\
7Add a great big smile\
8And presto! It's Kirby!''
9-->-- ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'' intro
10
11There are a large number of video game enemies and creatures which physically resemble giant heads with eyes and feet. These bizarre creatures are commonly TheGoomba in their respective games and may become [[MascotMook associated with their franchise]] if they appear in multiple installments.
12
13Where or [[BizarreAlienBiology what]] these strange creatures' internal organs are is a mystery. The most they have with regards to other limbs are stretchy, stubby stumps or flippers in place of arms or hands. Otherwise, expect them to lift and manipulate objects, if they must, with InvisibleAnatomy. Occasionally they lack any arms or legs at all having to bounce or roll to get from place to place.
14
15The reason for this is partly [[RuleOfCute because it's cute]] but mostly because of [[SerendipityWritesThePlot practicality]]; back in the 8-bit era, most video game sprites had to fit in 16 x 16 squares. The easiest way to design a recognizable yet harmless-looking character with that many pixels is to just draw a big-eyed face, and put feet on the bottom to justify its ability to walk.
16
17Although most commonly associated with enemy creatures PlayerCharacter examples are certainly not unheard of; again, due to system constraints an easy way to design a recognizable character in low resolution is to make their head as [[GraphicsInducedSuperDeformed big as possible]] with this trope being the logical conclusion.
18
19A subtrope of {{Cephalothorax}}, CartoonCreature, and OurMonstersAreWeird. See also SuperDeformed. The exact opposite is TinyHeadedBehemoth.
20
21----
22!Examples:
23
24[[foldercontrol]]
25
26!!Enemy and NPC examples:
27
28[[folder:Action Adventure]]
29* The ghosts in ''VideoGame/{{Ufouria}}''/''VideoGame/{{Hebereke}}''.
30* ''VideoGame/InexistenceRebirth'': One of the enemy types [[PlayerCharacter Hald]] can encounter in the game looks like a little brown head on feet with green hair (which may or may not be grass).
31* Bubbles in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' are [[DemBones skull]] versions of this. They either hop around or use tiny wings to fly.
32* Balrog from ''VideoGame/CaveStory''. Though he's not exactly an oval, really. Interestingly, in the early version of the game, this character design was a common level enemy, rather than a specific character. (Perhaps [[PaletteSwap Puu Black]] is a remnant from this stage of development?)
33* ''VideoGame/TheTwistedTalesOfSpikeMcFang'' has enemies that are waddling ''heads of garlic''.
34[[/folder]]
35
36[[folder:Pinball]]
37* The Dread Heads from ''VideoGame/CrueBall'' are skulls with sandaled feet that wander the playfields.
38[[/folder]]
39
40[[folder:Platform Games]]
41* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''[='=] [[TheGoomba Goombas]] are the TropeCodifier for Waddling Head enemies. They're supposed to be stout mushrooms. Or maybe chestnuts. [[FlipFlopOfGod Try not to think too hard about it]]. The Galoomba variety introduced in ''Videogame/SuperMarioWorld'' are a better example, being more explicitly chestnut-like and lacking anything but feet below the head. Bob-ombs are another example, walking {{Cartoon Bomb}}s with eyes, feet, and (later) a windup key. Goombrats, a variety of Goombas introduced in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU'', are persimmons that act like Red Shelled Koopa Troopas, with the Goombuds introduced in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker2'' being the Goombrat version of the Galoombas.
42** Shy Guys started out this way in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'', but developed torsos in the SNES era. Compare [[https://www.mariowiki.com/images/6/6e/Bigshyguy.PNG this]] to [[http://www.mariowiki.com/images/f/fb/ShyTennis.png this.]]
43* ''VideoGame/{{Braid}}''[='=]s grumpy-looking Monstars. (No relation to certain ''Film/SpaceJam'' characters.)
44** These guys went through some [[http://www.destructoid.com/art-attack-friday-the-braid-that-almost-was-part-2-foes-149839.phtml freaky design phases.]]
45* ''Franchise/MegaMan''[='=]s Metools are just helmets with feet. They are also much tougher than most examples on this page being protected by their helmets until they are just about to attack.
46* The main character of ''VideoGame/{{Eversion}}''. Also the regular enemies, although they end up being footless Slithering Heads by the end of the game.
47* The Moos from ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}.''
48* Most minions in ''VideoGame/BillyHatcherAndTheGiantEgg''.
49* The Undergrounders from ''VideoGame/MrDriller''.
50* The Pookas from ''VideoGame/DigDug''.
51* ''[[VideoGame/DisneysMagicalQuest The Great Circus Mystery starring Mickey and Minnie]]'' features different versions of the waddling head in each level.
52* ''Ninja-kun: Majou no Bouken'' has daruma dolls that lack legs but shuffle around all the same.
53* Like the series it's a spinoff of, the ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' series has a variant of this in every game:
54** In ''VideoGame/WarioLandSuperMarioLand3'' and ''VideoGame/WarioLandII'', there are Gooms, which are a Goomba subspecies found in the Wario series.
55** ''VideoGame/WarioLand3'' has Spearheads and Para-Gooms.
56** ''VideoGame/WarioLand4'' has the slightly more bird-like Marumen, who are found in the Hall of Hieroglyphs and Palm Tree Paradise.
57** Finally, ''VideoGame/WarioLandShakeIt'' has Bandineros, which also act as the Shake King's main minions.
58[[/folder]]
59
60[[folder:Puzzle Game]]
61* ''VideoGame/NumberMunchers'' and the hostile Troggles.
62* The various enemy characters in ''Fruity Frank''.
63[[/folder]]
64
65[[folder:Role-Playing Game]]
66* Rabites, icons of the ''VideoGame/WorldOfMana'' series, are essentially furry blobs with puffy tails and rabbit ears. Though they are generally regarded as [[TheGoomba pitifully weak]], there are [[KillerRabbit some terrifyingly formidable variants]].
67* ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994''[='=]s Mr. Saturns, and the generic enemy Foppy and its orange PaletteSwap counterpart, Fobby.
68* Starlow, the ExpositionFairy from ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'' and subsequent games in the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series, doesn't actually do any waddling, as she flies everywhere, but still she's a yellow sphere with feet.
69* [[TheGoomba Seedlings]] in ''VideoGame/BugFables'' are basically heads with feet.
70[[/folder]]
71
72[[folder:Shoot 'Em Up]]
73* ''VideoGame/RenderingRangerR2'' have a boss called the Skull Crab - a gigantic robotic skull on four crab-like legs, waddling around the area while shooting projectiles at you.
74* Yukkuris in ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' fanon are essentially these, though "bodied" versions do exist. PrehensileHair may or may not be included.
75* The true form of the final boss from the arcade game ''VideoGame/{{NARC}}'', Mr. Big, was a giant head.
76[[/folder]]
77
78[[folder:Tower Defense]]
79* The Minirobots from ''VideoGame/MiniRobotWars'', who bear a huge resemblance to the above-mentioned Metools from ''Franchise/MegaMan''. They're not so much waddling heads as they are standing heads, however, because they are not shown walking in-game.
80[[/folder]]
81
82[[folder:Other Video Games]]
83* In ''VideoGame/{{Chulip}}'', Michio Suzuki. Also, [[spoiler:your dad]], though you don't find that out until almost the end.
84* ''VideoGame/{{Littlewood}}'': Wompers, the creatures with whom the the PlayerCharacter must avoid contact to not have their mining session cut short, consist almost entirely of big heads with a toothy mouth and have barely noticeable feet.
85[[/folder]]
86
87!!Playable Characters:
88
89[[folder:ActionAdventure]]
90* Dizzy of the ''VideoGame/{{Dizzy}}'' series is an egg with boxing gloves, as are the other Yolk Folk.
91** The monsters from the arcade spin-off ''Fast Food'' go even further: [[ArmlessBiped they have no arms]].
92* Both the titular characters of ''Head Over Heels''.
93[[/folder]]
94
95[[folder:First-Person Shooter]]
96* ''VideoGame/PencilWhipped'' has the recurring Dooby Dummy enemies, gigantic oval cartoon heads on spindly legs.
97[[/folder]]
98
99[[folder:Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game]]
100* The [[http://www.kmobile.co.kr/report_img/vegatable.bmp titular Koongya characters]] that appears in the Korean online games ''Koongya Adventure'' (Now defunct) and ''Green Village'', as well as a [[TheAnimeoftheGame animated series based on the games]]. They are small lifeforms who are like a cross between {{Anthropomorphic Food}} (although there are Koongyas that are not based on food such as dung Koongya.) and Kirby.
101[[/folder]]
102
103[[folder:Maze Game]]
104* ''VideoGame/PacMan'' and ''Ms. VideoGame/PacMan'' are probably the {{Ur Example}}s. Although the official artwork has always shown them with arms and legs, their earliest games took it a step further by showing them as "pizza shaped" heads in-game. His ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' appearances actually incorporated this into his character. He can switch between his anthropomorphic form and his "pizza" form freely depending on what attacks he uses.
105[[/folder]]
106
107[[folder:Platform Game]]
108* The titular character of ''VideoGame/{{Armillo}}'', and his brother, have round bodies that are mostly taken up by their heads, with four stubby legs on the bottom. Armillo doesn't do a lot of "waddling," though, as he mostly moves around by curling into a ball and rolling.
109* The main character and many enemies in ''VideoGame/Gimmick1992!''
110* Kirby of the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' series is a rare PlayerCharacter example, but his foes include such quintessential waddling heads as Waddle Dee.
111* [[VideoGame/TheLegendaryStarfy Starfy]] resembles a Waddling Head more than a five-limbed aquatic creature rightfully ought to.
112* In ''VideoGame/MegaManTheSequelWars'', playing as the character "Man" [[SillinessSwitch reduces all major characters]] to being heads with feet like the Metool enemies.
113* Most characters in ''VideoGame/{{Purple}}'' are waddling heads, including the player character.
114* BLOB, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Starquake}}''.
115* Miss Chack'n & Mr. Chack'n from ''Chack'n Pop''. They have three-fingered hands, but no arms. Mr. Chack'n does have legs but shows it only when he jumps.
116* ''VideoGame/TheNewZealandStory'' has a neckless, legless, tiny-winged player character that is supposed to be a kiwi bird.
117* ''VideoGame/SoManyMe'': [[PlayerCharacter Filo]] and all of his Mes are little green blobs with legs.
118[[/folder]]
119
120[[folder:Puzzle Game]]
121* From ''VideoGame/AdventuresOfLolo'' we have Lolo and Lala.
122* Nuts, Milk and Yogurt from ''[[VideoGame/NutsAndMilk Nuts & Milk]]''.
123* The ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' and ''VideoGame/BadPiggies''.
124* The protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Dweep}}'' is a purple ball of fur with eyes and tiny feet, who moves by hopping around.
125* The titular Zoombinis in ''VideoGame/LogicalJourneyOfTheZoombinis''
126* In ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'', Arle has a pet named Carbuncle whose body shape is nothing more than a yellow sphere with stubby arms and legs and a pair of bunny ears.
127* An old computer game called ''[[http://takegame.com/logical/htm/zeek.htm Zeek the Geek]]'' features a little red alien who fits this trope.
128[[/folder]]
129
130[[folder:Role-Playing Game]]
131* Cube from ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' is a robot with a round head and skaters.
132* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
133** Many Pokémon are like this. In the fourth generation games, there's a new section in the Pokédex for body-types. Oddish, Poliwag, Bonsly, Seedot, Azurill, Shroomish, and Tangela are amongst the many.
134** As of ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' this is a common body shape for the newly introduced [[OurFairiesAreDifferent Fairy]] type with Jigglypuff, Clefairy, and Marill all becoming part Fairy type.
135** Falinks combines this trope with TheWormThatWalks in that it consists of a leader Waddling Head and five assistant ones that stand and walk in tight single-file formations that result in them looking like a big caterpillar.
136[[/folder]]
137
138[[folder:Rhythm Game]]
139* The Patapons (and their enemies) of ''VideoGame/{{Patapon}}''
140[[/folder]]
141
142[[folder:Run and Gun]]
143* ''VideoGame/AtomicRoboKid'' have you playing as one, a robotic head on stumpy legs while shooting enemies with your {{Arm Cannon}}s. You can even fight a few MirrorBoss enemies, robots with your design and attacks with your same weapons.
144[[/folder]]
145
146[[folder:Survival Games]]
147* The Trebhum from ''VideoGame/TheEternalCylinder'' are this trope by default. Those who gain body mutations, however, tend to move closer to being generic {{Armless Biped}}s, as these mutations give a more defined separation between body and head.
148[[/folder]]
149!!Non-video game examples:
150
151[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
152* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': While Guts and co. are looking for Casca and Farnese in Qliphoth, one of the many strange creatures they pass resembles a bald, waddling head with a GagNose.
153* In ''Anime/DogDays'', because of some protective enchantments, when someone is wounded or "killed", they temporarily turn into one of these rather than dying.
154* The Pao Pao, a race of alien elephants resembling a giant elephantine head on two legs, shows up in two ''Anime/{{Doraemon}}'' movies, ''Anime/DoraemonTheRecordOfNobitaSpaceblazer'' and ''Anime/DoraemonGreatAdventureInTheAntarcticKachiKochi''.
155* ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasChronicleOfTheMoonExploration'' have Nobita and Doraemon creating a race of MoonRabbit critters, which resembles fluffy rabbit heads on two legs. They're as fluffy and as adorable as they sound.
156* Don Patch from ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo'' (and his Kopatch lackeys).
157* Most baby and in-training form ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}''. Very few of them have any sort of limbs at all and most are generally constrained to bouncing around.
158* Yubaba has 3 of them in ''Anime/SpiritedAway''. They get turned into a copy of Yubaba's baby by Zeniba later.
159[[/folder]]
160
161[[folder:Asian Animation]]
162* In ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', Buding's pet dinosaur, Qiuqiu, is nothing more than a round sphere shape with stubby claw arms, feet, and a tail.
163[[/folder]]
164
165[[folder:Comic Books]]
166* In ''ComicBook/CastleWaiting'', AffablyEvil demon Leeds usually manifests as a demonic humanoid head directly attached to a pair of short goats' legs.
167* In ''ComicBook/{{Saga}}'', the two ladies who welcome The Will to Sextiliion have bodies consisting of large heads and long legs.
168* ''Floating'' head might be more accurate, but other than that, the madman [[Characters/MarvelComicsAIM M.O.D.O.K.]] fits the bill nicely.
169[[/folder]]
170
171[[folder:Films - Animation]]
172* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'': Mike Wazowski. He is a spherical monster with arms and legs.
173* In ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolfTheSuperAdventure'', the various bacteria from the White Bull and Black Bull Kingdoms are nothing but heads with feet, tails, and stubby arms.
174[[/folder]]
175
176[[folder:Literature]]
177* ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland'': Often left out of adaptations including Tenniel's illustrations and the Disney [[WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland feature]] [[Film/AliceInWonderland2010 films]], Alice became one from eating the size-changing mushroom for the first time abbreviating her proportions until her foot pressed against her chin. She is sometimes depicted as still having hands in this form [[DependingOnTheArtist depending on the artist]], such as in Lewis Carol's own original drawing.
178[[/folder]]
179
180[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
181* ''Series/MythBusters'': Jamie Hyneman once made an (adorable) army of Waddling Head robots in order to see if a platoon marching in lock-step across a bridge could collapse it.
182* "The Head Detective" sketches on ''Series/InLivingColor'' featured your typical CowboyCop who happened to be one of these. He'd bring down the baddies by getting his partner to toss him at them.
183* A common [[AmusingInjuries Amusing Injury]] on ''Series/SuperDave'' involved the titular inept stuntman being smooshed into his helmet, leaving only his head and feet. This was also the series mascot and was briefly available as a plush toy.
184[[/folder]]
185
186[[folder:Mythology]]
187* The gryllus was a comical grotesque who fit this trope give or take extra or even chimeric body parts popularized in ancient paintings by Antiphilus. Though the exact features of the original grylli are lost to time, they would appear over the centuries in medieval artwork all the way into the Renaissance such as in works by Hieronymus Bosch. Not to be confused with one of [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Circe's named victims]], supposedly they are also victims of a [[ForcedTransformation disfiguring curse]].
188[[/folder]]
189
190[[folder:Toys]]
191* Toys/MrPotatoHead might be one of the oldest examples of this trope. He is a Waddling Potato-Head.
192* Toys/{{Furb|y}}ies are waddling [[MixAndMatchCritters hamster-owl]] heads.
193* Poppin' Hoppies, a mushroom-like head and almost circular feet {foot) with toes, connected by a spring and suction cup. Pushing down on the head turned them into this trope; they would pop up randomly when the suction cup lost its suction. These were originally part of a board game but expies may also have had an independent existence.
194* ''Franchise/{{Tamagotchi}}'' has too many to count, but Oyajichi from the Japanese and [[OddNameOut Bill]] from the internation versions of the original stand out. However, artwork and later versions of Bill show he has a body that's obscured by his enormous bonce.
195[[/folder]]
196
197[[folder:Webcomics]]
198* The webcomic ''Webcomic/KidRadd'' has Bogeys as the [[TheGoomba Goomba]]s of the fictional Kid Radd game.
199* ''Webcomic/UserFriendly''[='=]s Dust Puppy.
200* In ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob,'' Molly's pet tentacle bunny Snookums is basically this, although he hops instead of waddling.
201* ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' has [[http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_850.php Fluffy]]. Fluffy is actually a dog. The same comic also has creatures called mows, which were the result of a failed attempted to clone Mab. They look like Mab deformed into this style, looking like a cuter version of Mab's head with a stubby version of her wings.
202* Deconstructed in ''ComicBook/BuckGodotZapGunForHire''; the Beemahs are a race of digitigrade Waddling Heads, and as a result require assistance with vital life functions, which is used to force them into slavery.
203[[/folder]]
204
205[[folder:Web Original]]
206* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DZDN8lo5rww Fuzzy]] fits the bill.
207* The characters in the ''Tales of the Blode'' flash animations.
208* ''Music/{{Vocaloid}}'': Tako Luka, which can be described as a SuperDeformed version of Luka's head with octopus tentacles.
209* [=JubJub=]s in {{Website/Neopets}} (cute fluffballs with humanlike feet) and Kikos (inexplicably bandaged spheroids with clawed hands on the ends of two bendy arms). [=JubJub=] feet seem dexterous enough to serve in the office of hands. Kikos are aquatic creatures that use their arms to swim or paddle; on land they bounce.
210* The mascot for the Youtube Channel ''Be Amazed'', Bartholomew Eggbert Amazed.
211[[/folder]]
212
213[[folder:Western Animation]]
214* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': Marvin the Martian temporarily became this trope whenever his doomsday devices backfired, reducing him to a helmet waddling around on oversized shoes.
215* Many of the characters from ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales,'' such as Bob the Tomato. Though in his case it's more of a Bouncing Head since they also have no feet.
216* The title character of ''WesternAnimation/FatDogMendoza''.
217* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': The Bat Queen's babies are a trio of semi-realistic humanoid baby heads with bat legs and wings. The Queen herself has the same basic design, but is the size of a minivan.
218[[/folder]]
219
220[[folder: Real Life]]
221* Cephalopods could be considered a real life equivalent of this (their name literally means "head foot" in Ancient Greek).
222* [[https://www.twofishdivers.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Painted-Frogfish.png Some species of frogfish resemble these]], as their pectoral and pelvic fins have evolved to function as legs and feet, helping them walk along the sea floor.
223[[/folder]]

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