Grinders are Monkey enemies that first appear in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, sharing their name with a certain sawblade enemy from Super Mario World. They have the ability to climb vines, and are one of the enemies who can directly steal Baby Mario from Yoshi. However, some Grinders may run away from Yoshi upon sighting him. There are also several sub-types of Grinders called Seedy Sallys (which spit Melon seeds at Yoshi) and Short Fuses (which drop grenades on Yoshi). They are commonly found in World 3.
History[]
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island/Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3[]
Yoshi approaches two fleeting Grinders.
Grinders are first seen in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and later appear in Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3. Grinders are usually found hopping around and often times flee from Yoshi as he approaches them (using the terrain to their advantage), Grinders can also climb vines and they tend to climb as high as possible to escape Yoshi. Some Grinders can also hop towards Yoshi and steal Baby Mario from him forcing Yoshi to retrieve the baby. Some Grinders are also seen swinging in chain forms attempting to hit Yoshi as he comes by. Grinders are also capable of swimming in water, upon falling in a lake of water, they attempt to float up to the surface and from here, they start swimming to land (Grinders cannot be beaten in water (unless Yoshi swallows one)). Grinders themselves can be beaten by being swallowed, a Grinder can also be stunned with an egg toss or a stomp and from here, Yoshi can beat the KO'd Grinder by running into it (upon being hit, the Grinder will turn a darker brown), there are two other types of Grinders called Seedy Sallies and Short Fuses (which spit Watermelon seeds and drop Needlenoses/Grenades respectively, Grinders can be found all over World 3.
Tetris Attack[]
A Tetris Attack Grinder.
Grinders appear in Tetris Attack, in this game, they are seen alongside Poochy as Yoshi's opponents. Due to Kamek brainwashing them with his magic, they tried to stop Yoshi on his adventure to beat Kamek. Once the Grinder is defeated, he and Poochy are freed from Kamek's dark magic and are unlocked as playable characters that help Yoshi on his mission.
Yoshi's Island DS[]
Yoshi near some Grinders.
Grinders also appear in Yoshi's Island DS. In this game, they can be found in levels of World 2. They have a major role in Baby DK, the Jungle King! where they kidnap Baby Mario and Baby Peach forcing Yoshi and Baby Donkey Kong to rescue them. In this game, Grinders don't try to attack Yoshi instead, they constantly run away from him (sometimes climbing vines), additionally, running into them does nothing this time. In game, they also don't try to steal the baby from Yoshi at all, rather constantly running away from him making them more as an egg-supply in this game rather than an actual enemy. Grinders can be beaten immediately with swallows or DK Dash Attacks and can also be stunned with eggs (stunning a Grinder once again makes it a darker brown). A KO'd Grinder can be beaten by running into it. Grinders can also swim in lakes of water however this time, they can also swim below the water's surface. Grinders can also be made to appear in the Museum by hitting them with an egg, they appear in the Land Enemy Exhibit.
Yoshi's New Island[]
A Grinder hoppingon the slippery sands as Yoshi approaches.
Grinders return in Yoshi's New Island retaining their behavior from previous games, in this game, they once again attack by jumping at Yoshi and attempting to steal Baby Mario from him, they can also run away from him and climb across the vines to escape. Like in earlier games, Grinders can swim in lakes of water however this time, upon falling in, they will act like they're drowning before regaining momentum and swimming back to land. Grinders can be stunned with egg tosses and stomps and from here, they can be ran into for a quick defeat. Grinders can be slurped as well but unlike earlier games, they cannot be completely swallowed and turned into an egg similar to a Bumpty. Grinders commonly appear in World 3. Seedy Sallys and Short Fuses also return in this game.
Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World[]
Yoshi (right) blends in with two Grinders.
Grinders are seen again in Yoshi's Woolly World and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World. In these games, they can commonly be found in tropical-themed levels such as Junge of the Apes. They once again flee from Yoshi as he approaches them using the terrain to their advantage, Grinders once again cannot be swallowed and turned into an egg (but they can still be slurped). Grinders can be beaten with Yarn Balls or stomps, their relatives the Seedy Sallys and Short Fuses also return in this game.
Yoshi's Crafted World[]
Yoshi approaching a Grinder.
Grinders also appear in Yoshi's Crafted World. In this game, they can be seen in levels such as Jumping to Victory and Bombs Away on Pirate Island, Grinders retain their behavior from previous games (fleeing from Yoshi as he approaches) and are commonly seen climbing on vines, Grinders can be beaten with egg tosses, stomps, or swallows. Short Fuses also return, new sub-types of Grinders (resembling a Kong) called Uckykongs and Snow Ucky Kongs appear. Unlike earlier games, Grinders can be beaten by being spat into water.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- A larger type of Grinder that wears a tie and throws barrels (a strong reference to Donkey Kong) is seen in the files of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, said Grinder went unused in the game's final build, it's unknown if this Grinder was intended to be a boss or merely a regular enemy.
