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Not to be confused with Shy Guy's Toy Box, a location in Paper Mario.

Tox Boxes (also spelt as Tox-Boxes) are Thwomp-like cubic enemies that appear in various 3D Mario games. They first appear in Super Mario 64.

Profile[]

Physical description[]

Tox Boxes are large metal boxes with faces spray-painted on five sides in Super Mario 64 and its sequel, while the bottom has an opening that the player can hide in. In Super Mario 64 DS, only Wario can destroy Tox Boxes by jumping while inside one. In Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, they appear to be stone-carved, rather to be spray-on, and the opening is colored red to resemble a mouth.

Behavior[]

Tox Boxes have the ability to flip around set paths, the paths they go on are usually just large enough for them to move on, making it hard for the heroes to get by. All but one of the sides of a Tox Box each have a face that crushes anyone caught underneath. The last side is only a hollow square hole. This hole is for anyone to stand in as the Tox Box passes over the tile the character is standing on, thus letting him/her survive without being crushed. Tox Boxes are commonly indestructible and cannot be destroyed by most attacks so the heroes must time the Tox Boxes movements in order to get by unscathed, in most appearances, Tox Boxes are made of stone however in their earliest appearances, they were actually made of metal.

History[]

Super Mario 64[]

Tox Box Classic

Mario near a flipping Tox Box.

Tox Box DS

Wario nearing a flipping Tox Box.

Tox Boxes make their debut in Super Mario 64 appearing exclusively in Shifting Sand Land. Five of them are seen traveling along the central maze north east of the course above a dangerous pit of muddy Quicksand. If Mario is caught underneath a Tox Box, he will be crushed so it is imperative to time their movements and avoid the spaces where their solid faces cross over (the Tox Boxes do three damage to Mario unless he is capless in which case they will do four damage to him). Luckily, the Tox Boxes also possess a hollow hole on one of their sides allowing the heroic plumber to hide under as it crosses over him harmlessly (Mario can still be harmed if he is crushed by the sides however so be careful of this). The Tox Boxes always follow set paths so as long as Mario times their movements or sticks at areas where they don't cross over, he will have a good chance of being safe. Tox Boxes are effectively indestructible and cannot be destroyed in any way.

Super Mario 64 DS[]

In Super Mario 64 DS, the Tox Boxes retain their behavior from before and once again only appear in Shifting Sand Land however this time, they can be destroyed by Wario. If Wario is inside a Tox Box's hollow side and jumps, the Tox Boxes will be flung into the air and smash upon hitting the ground thus being destroyed, alternatively, if Wario punches or kicks while inside one, it will be flung off. If the Tox Box lands in the quicksand, it will slowly sink however if it lands on the regular sand, it will remain on the sand harmlessly and stay there until the course is exited.

Tox Boxes are also seen in the minigame Tox Box Shuffle where one of them traps a Yoshi and shuffles with two other Tox Boxes, the player has to guess which Tox Box is holding Yoshi and once they guess correct, they win but they only have two chances to do so or else it's game over, later levels add some extra challenge by speeding up the shuffling and also add in a Blue Yoshi in this case, the player will have to select the Tox Box holding the correct Yoshi displayed above.

Super Mario Galaxy[]

Tox Box Thwomps

Mario near some Tox Boxes in Super Mario Galaxy

Tox Boxes reappear in Super Mario Galaxy, these redesigned boxes usually appear alongside Thwomps and are commonly seen on cylindrical planets such as those in the Beach Bowl Galaxy and the Toy Time Galaxy. The Tox Boxes behave as they did previously however they are naturally slightly slower. This time, being caught underneath the solid side of a Tox Box is an instant-kill so avoid this at all costs. Just as before, there is a safe hollow spot for the plumbers to duck under while the Tox Boxes cross over. The plumbers must time the movements of the Tox Boxes in order to survive however they still must avoid the "teeth sides" of the hollow parts or else they will still be crushed. Timing the movements of the Tox Boxes is very crucial in order to survive. Tox Boxes are always seen in Galaxies that become affected with the Fast Foe Comet. When under the effects of these yellow comets, the Tox Boxes (alongside other enemies, obstacles, and platforms) move much faster forcing a new method of timing when approaching a Tox Box.

Unlike past games, Tox Boxes actually resemble Thwomps rather than having faces spray-painted on each side, also this time, they appear to be made of stone rather than metal. Tox Boxes are completely invincible and cannot be destroyed in this game.

Super Mario Galaxy 2[]

Tox Box Oni

Mario follows the flipping Tox Box to time it's movements.

Tox Boxes return in Super Mario Galaxy 2 retaining their behavior and appearance from Super Mario Galaxy (obviously). In this game, they only appear in the Stone Cyclone Galaxy (which is essentially a remake of the Cyclone Stone from the Beach Bowl Galaxy in the previous game). They retain their behavior from before however this time, they are much faster than before (even faster than when under the effects of the Fast Foe Comet) and as a result, are far more dangerous. These Tox Boxes are seen moving along the same paths as before but due to them moving every second, it gives one less time to react so always be sure to wait for them to pass completely before advancing. Just as before, Tox Boxes are completely invincible and cannot be destroyed in any way.

Mario Party: Island Tour[]

Tox Box Game

Players make their moves by avoiding the Tox Boxes.

Tox Boxes make their Mario Party debut in Mario Party: Island Tour retaining their appearance from the Super Mario Galaxy games. In this game, they appear in the minigame Tox Box Shocks. During the minigame, the players are in a small metallic ruins chamber with two Tox Boxes which slowly flip around the room, players need to either avoid the Tox Boxes are hide underneath their hollow side in order to survive, any players caught underneath a Tox Box will be eliminated from the game effective immediately. As the minigame progresses, extra challenge is added in several ways ranging from the Tox Boxes getting faster as well as adding an additional Tox Box to watch out for. The winner is either the last player remaining or whoever outlasts the Tox Boxes once time is up. Upon the minigame ending, the Tox Boxes disappear, the Tox Boxes are also notably smaller in this game.

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Trivia[]

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