Iggy Koopa
Iggy Koopa is one of Bowser’s sons and the fourth oldest original Koopaling. He is bespectacled and has a rainbow-colored mohawk (just like his brother Lemmy Koopa). His eyes are blue, but are usually depicted as swirls, perhaps representing reflection, the thickness of his glasses, or moments of dementia. Although somewhat insane, Iggy is a mechanical genius and has invented many robotic monstrosities to aid the Koopa Troop, including the attack mechs used during the invasion of Jewelry Land.
History
During the events of Super Mario Bros. 3, Iggy Koopa and his forces conquered Giant Land, the fourth kingdom in the game. When eventually confronted by the heroic Mario, Iggy attempted to shoot the plumber with his Magic Scepter. In battle, Iggy also displayed impressive jumping abilities. Ultimately, the Koopaling’s efforts were in vain. After three stomps, Iggy Koopa was defeated and Giant Land was liberated.
Later, Iggy was significantly demoted and ordered to occupy Yoshi's Island, the first world of Dinosaur Land. This time, when confronted by Mario, Iggy threw star-balls (like the ones Lemmy used in Super Mario Bros. 3) at the heroic plumber. Additionally, the platform the two combatants were standing on during the battle tilted back and forth over a pit of molten lava. Thus to defeat Iggy, Mario had to jump on the Koopaling when the platform was tilted, sending Iggy flying into the lava below. Fireballs were also effective in battle; a couple of fireballs was enough to knock Iggy backwards into the lava. After Iggy was defeated, Mario placed dynamite near the base of Iggy’s castle and blew up the fortress. In both games (Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World) Iggy fights a lot like his little brother Larry Koopa.
During the events of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Iggy Koopa was demoted even more to a simple mini-boss in Bowser's Castle. In the game, Iggy actually fights for the evil witch Cackletta instead of his father. This is because Cackletta inhabited Bowser’s body and became the monstrosity known as Bowletta. Thinking Bowletta was actually his father Bowser, Iggy agreed to participate in Bowletta’s attack on the Beanbean Kingdom. In battle, Iggy attacked with fire and a hard-to-dodge spin attack. Ultimately, Iggy was defeated once again by the teamwork of Mario and Luigi.
Iggy Koopa is also a boss in Yoshi's Safari.
Other Media
In the Super Mario cartoons, Iggy Koopa was named Hop Koopa. Lemmy, his rainbow-haired brother, was named Hip Koopa. Thus the two Koopalings' names were a play on the music term “hip hopâ€. The only significant difference between Iggy and Hop is that Hop has a much larger overbite. He was voice by Tara Strong.
Interestingly enough, Iggy Koopa is the name of one of King Koopa’s cousins in the live-action Super Mario Bros. movie. Koopa’s other cousin is named Spike.
Name Origin
Iggy Koopa is named after the legendary punk pioneer and rock star Iggy Pop, lead singer of the band Iggy Pop and the Stooges.
