Editing Koopa Troopa (section)

== Concept and creation ==
After the release and success of the [[arcade game]] ''[[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]]'' (1981), [[Nintendo]] began work on a follow-up game more prominently focusing on the character of [[Mario]], which released as ''[[Mario Bros.]]'' (1983).<ref name="KTorigins">{{cite web | url=https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/nsmb/0/1/ | title=Iwata Asks - New Super Mario Bros: Volume 1 - Page 2 | access-date=August 28, 2023 | archive-date=August 28, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828211919/https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/nsmb/0/1/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The idea of creating a [[turtle]] enemy came as a result of developing its core gameplay mechanics. After designers [[Gunpei Yokoi]] and [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] established that the game would revolve around Mario possessing [[superhuman]] jumping abilities that were to be used to jump between different floors of platforms, they approached how enemies would be attacked.<ref name="KTorigins"/> They came up with the idea of the player attacking enemies from one level below, making Mario hit his ceiling so that it would bump the enemy's floor and defeat them.<ref name="KTorigins"/> However, this method of defeating enemies was deemed too easy in playtesting, so they instead implemented a two-step approach of having to stun the enemies first. When thinking about what types of enemies it would make sense to stun like this, they came up with the idea of a turtle getting stuck after getting knocked upside down on its shell.<ref name="KTorigins"/> So the gameplay was set up so that the player would now hit the turtle from below, knocking it on its back, and then jump directly on it to defeat it before it was able to correct itself.<ref name="KTorigins"/>

With the premise established, they turned to creating the turtle character itself.<ref name="KTorigins2"/> Miyamoto initially dictated what he wanted it to look like to a Nintendo designer, but the initial draft came out looking like a very realistic looking turtle that Miyamoto felt did not fit in well with the rest of the ''Mario'' art style.<ref name="KTorigins2"/> Instead, Miyamoto drew the concept art himself, emphasizing a cartoonish large head and more of a [[tortoise]]-like shape.<ref name="KTorigins2"/> With discussing the anatomy of turtles with fellow Nintendo staffer [[Hirokazu Tanaka]], they came up with the idea of the turtle character getting knocked out of its shell entirely. While conceding that this is [[turtle shell|not how turtle shells work]], Miyamoto liked the idea because it helped with visualizing when the turtle was still in a stunned state; out of its shell, it was stunned, and once it returned, it was active again.<ref name="KTorigins2"/> While initially wondered if this was a form of "lying to children", in the end, he decided that the ability to entirely remove the body from the shell would be a key difference between a turtle and a Koopa Troopa.<ref name="KTorigins2">{{cite web | url=https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/nsmb/0/2/ | title=Iwata Asks - New Super Mario Bros: Volume 1 - Page 3 | access-date=August 29, 2023 | archive-date=May 21, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521102054/https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/nsmb/0/2/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

For the ''Mario Bros.'' game the character would be named "Shellcreepers", but in subsequent ''[[Super Mario]]'' games, the character would be renamed Koopa Troopa.<ref name="MTVMultiplayer"/> Up until very late pre-release builds of its follow up game, ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' (1985), Koopa Troopa was the only enemy in the game; however, playtesting found that his 2-step process of defeating him was too difficult for early stages of the game.<ref name="KTSMB">{{cite web |title=Iwata Asks: New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Applying A Single Idea To Both Land And Sky |url=http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/nsmb/vol2_page5.jsp |website=Nintendo Wii |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091217145506/http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/nsmb/vol2_page5.jsp |archive-date=17 December 2009}}</ref> Rather than change Koopa Troopa, this led to the creation of another long-running ''Mario'' character – the [[Goomba]].<ref name="KTSMB"/> Similarly, when developer [[Takashi Tezuka]] wished to create a new enemy character that could fly, he found himself unable to due to size and memory restrictions of the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] hardware.<ref name="KPT"/> Instead, to save on memory he decided to build off of the established Koopa Troopa design by adding wings to the top of his shell.<ref name="KPT"/> While Miyamoto expressed hesitation at first, he was convinced when he saw the final design, and thus, the '''Koopa Paratroopa''' was born and implemented into the game.<ref name="KPT">{{cite web |url=http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/nsmb/vol2_page1.jsp |title=Iwata Asks: New Super Mario Bros. Wii |publisher=Nintendo Wii |access-date=April 8, 2010 |archive-date=December 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091217145552/http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/nsmb/vol2_page1.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref> As Nintendo progressed with developing games for more powerful hardware, this allowed for further developments on the evolution of Koopa Troopas. ''[[Super Mario World]]'' (1991), the first ''Super Mario'' game for the more powerful [[Super Nintendo]] platform, allowed for more advanced movement and animations, including unshelled Koopa Troopas who flew around in capes and slid down hills. This later influenced the development of ''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]'' (2023) as well; when developers were looking for ways to update old character designs with new animations and designs, the '''''Rolla Koopa''''' – a Koopa Troopa who moves around on [[roller skates]], was created.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-11-super-mario-bros-wonder-part-2/ |title=Ask the Developer Vol. 11, Super Mario Bros. Wonder—Part 2 |publisher=Nintendo |access-date=April 23, 2024 |archive-date=April 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423163954/https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-11-super-mario-bros-wonder-part-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref> More powerful hardware also lead to a more vibrant yellow and green color scheme for the character.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thegamer.com/super-mario-kart-every-original-character-version-comparison/ |title=Super Mario Kart: Every Original Character Compared to Their Actual Version |date=April 28, 2023 |access-date=April 23, 2024 |archive-date=May 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505012142/https://www.thegamer.com/super-mario-kart-every-original-character-version-comparison/ |url-status=live }}</ref>