Bumper
- For the stage in Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll, see Bumpers (stage).
A Bumper is a type of obstacle found in both Main Game and Monkey Race throughout the Super Monkey Ball series.
Purpose
If a monkey touches it, they will bounce back away from it, sometimes knocking them off the edge or falling off the stage. Sometimes they're useful for going another direction. Bumpers can also sometimes be mobile, moving in a set pattern; an example is Middle Jam in Super Monkey Ball.
Only in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (HD), GonGon has the capability of destroying bumpers on contact, which awards 1000 points.
Super Bumpers
Exclusive to Super Monkey Ball 3D, these are red glowing bumpers that propel the player forward quickly. Generally, the monkey will be flung off the stage if touched. One of the few times the monkey stays on after contact is Smart Ball, where the bumpers mimic a pinball starter.
Appearance
In Monkey Ball
The original bumpers seen in Monkey Ball are entirely blue. They are small poles with a ring around them.
In Super Monkey Ball 1, 2, and Deluxe
Bumpers in Super Monkey Ball, Super Monkey Ball 2, and Super Monkey Ball Deluxe are small poles with a ring around them. Much like the goalposts, they have different designs for each world in which they appear.
In Touch & Roll
Bumpers in Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll are small, brown cylinders with beige tops. They also lack the ring seen in other games. From here on out, bumpers have a uniform design for all worlds in which they appear.
Banana Blitz (HD) to 3D
The bumper design remained consistent starting with Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (along with its HD remaster) up until Super Monkey Ball 3D. In these games, the bumpers are wood-colored poles with a dark brown ring, with beige domes on them.
Super Bumpers
Super Bumpers are brown poles with two blue rings and a warning light on top. There are still the beige domes on the side.
In Banana Splitz
Bumpers in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz have, once more, unique designs for each of the worlds that they appear in.
In Banana Mania
Bumpers in Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania share the same design with Banana Blitz bumpers, except they are made out of metal instead of wood.