Koopa Troopas, known in Japan as , are fictional footsoldiers of the turtle-like Koopa race from the Mario media franchise. They are commonly referred to generically as Koopas, a race that includes Bowser, King of the Koopas, the Koopalings, Lakitu, and others. Predecessors to Koopa Troopas, , appeared in the 1983 game Mario Bros., with Koopa Troopas debuting in the first Super Mario game, Super Mario Bros. (1985). Koopa Troopas have appeared in some form in most of the Super Mario games and many of the spin-off games. When defeated, they may flee from or retreat inside their shells, which can usually be used as weapons. Koopa shells are a recurring weapon in the franchise, particularly popularized in the Mario Kart series, in which they can be fired as projectiles against other racers. Despite making up the bulk of Bowser's army, known as the , Troopas are often shown to be peaceful, some teaming up with Mario. A skeleton of a Koopa Troopa is a . Concept and creation A tortoise-like enemy called Shellcreepers (simply called "turtles" in Japan) first appeared in the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros., set in the sewers of New York. Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto had a fellow designer draw the enemy, but the result was far too realistic to fit in with the tone of the game, so Miyamoto designed the enemy himself. While the design had quite a large head, Miyamoto validated it by suggesting it looked like a tortoise. In Mario Bros., Shellcreepers could only be defeated by hitting the platform on which they stood from underneath, thus flipping them on their backs allowing Mario or Luigi to kick them off the screen. In Mario Bros., the color of a Shellcreeper's shell indicated how fast it was - green being the slowest, purple being faster, and red being the fastest. Koopa Troopas ("Nokonoko" in Japan), named as such in 1985's Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System, are the troops in Bowser's (known as "Koopa" in Japan) army. The design of the Koopa Paratroopa ( in Japan), a Koopa Troopa with wings which jumps up and down or flies, came from Mario developer Takashi Tezuka in an attempt to add a flying character to Super Mario Bros., but there was not enough space to include such a character. Tezuka suggested that they put wings on the Koopa Troopa, which Miyamoto did not