Bumper (item)

The Bumper is an item that appears in the Super Smash Bros. series of video games, debuting in the original installment for the Nintendo 64. It took Mêlée off (with the Flipper from Balloon Fight apparently intended to be its replacement), but returned in Brawl and has been a staple of the series since.
The item is intended to be picked up and thrown. Once thrown, it will either float in the air, or get stuck to the ground, and will bounce fighters who hit it away from it. The item does no damage, but it does insane knockback to anyone hit, even to fighters at 0%. In Smash 64, the item did 1% to anyone hit and could not be placed in the air, and hitting a Bumper would push it back, potentially leading to a never-ending cycle in which two fighters essentially "play tennis" with it. The Bumper cannot be pushed in any other Smash Bros. game.
The Peach's Castle stage from Smash 64, as well as some Break the Targets and Board the Platforms stages and Race to the Finish from the same game, also have naturally-occuring Bumpers. Re-issues of Peach's Castle in later Smash games have preserved its Bumper, warts and all.
==Fanon appearances==
===Mario Kart Silver===
The Bumper appears as an item in Mario Kart Silver. In the game, it acts similarly to it's Super Smash Bros. counterpart. Racers in fourth, fifth, ninth or tenth can obtain it as a common item, or as a rare item in sixth-eighth. Once thrown, the Bumper will stick to the ground, and will bounce all racers who come in contact with it. Like in the Nintendo 64 installment of Super Smash Bros., the Bumper will be pushed back according to where racers hit it from. Using the Bumper in strategic locations, can allow for a quick getaway, as placing it on bridges or blocking certain paths will cause mayhem in trying to get rid of the Bumper. The Bumper will despawn, however, after six people have hit it, or if it goes a minute without being hit once.
===St. Clair Publications===
Bumpers appear on Super Smash Stadium, functioning just like they do in canon. They debuted late in Season 4, alongside Infinite Glacier and the MF-ing Wobblers. Peach's Castle also had its natural Bumper until the fall of 1982, when it changed from the Smash 64 layout to the Mêlée one.
==Gallery==
BumperSSBB.png|The Bumper as shown in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Category:Items
Category:Super Smash Bros. (series)