Talk:Blue shell

Reassess request

I made this article earlier today, but I already feel positive that it deserves to be c-class. I won't put it any higher myself, thus I hope someone could look over it and maybe give some tips for how to improve it :) ~Maplestrip (chat) 20:45, 28 November 2014 (UTC)

Maplestrip, you know you don't have to ask before reassessing an article, right? I reassess my own projects all the time, just to provide a benchmark to myself and others of how close they are to GA. I'll place it at C - I would prefer to stick with Start, but I don't imagine there's really that much out there about blue shells. Obviously so - you're not gonna want to write about them if you get hit by one; you're gonna want a rematch. :^) I'd recommend migrating a significant amount of the intro into the body, though. The intro should summarize existing content, not offer new content, and shouldn't take up half the page's size. Tezero (talk) 22:53, 28 November 2014 (UTC)

Haha, thanks for your help. I'll keep in mind to be more bold when it comes to rating articles (I generally stick with Start>C-class articles anyway, as I quickly get intimidated by larger projects). I'll see if I can do what you suggested tomorrow. Thank you ~Maplestrip (chat) 23:01, 28 November 2014 (UTC)

I did as you suggested simply by adding a History section. the lead is now rather small, but I don't think that's a bad thing. Night ~Maplestrip (chat) 23:04, 28 November 2014 (UTC)

Recent move to Spiny shell

@user:RyDawg96 - I would disagree with this move, as blue shell is the more WP:COMMONNAME for this subject. 505,000 Google results on "Blue shell" compared to 51,400 result on "Spiny shell". Furthermore, eleven of our sources speak of the blue shell, whereas only four secondary sources (five if you count the manual) speak of the spiny shell.

Lastly, if the page gets moved, the way the blue shell is consistently called in the article should also change, though I guess it's better to wait now. ~Mable (chat) 05:54, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with almost everything you said. Yes the shells the blue Koopa Troopas wear are called "blue shells", yes the power-up from New Super Mario Bros. is called the Blue Shell. But this article refers to the Spiny Shell from the Mario Kart series and incorrectly labels it the same as the previous examples. Ever since the item's debut in Mario Kart 64, it has ALWAYS been referred to as the Spiny Shell to differentiate it to the other blue shells in the Mario universe. Just because it is mostly called the "blue shell" by unofficial sources does not mean this information is canon. My suggestion would be to separate the Spiny Shell and the Blue Shell into different articles, with "Not to be confused with etc" in each one. I'm definitely sure Wikipedia isn't a place for false information. SuperWikiBrother (talk) 16:19, 18 December 2022 (UTC)

I've undone the move. Please get a WP:CONSENSUS before moving again. Thanks! Sergecross73 msg me 18:56, 19 December 2022 (UTC)

Okay, how do I get a consensus? SuperWikiBrother (talk) 17:05, 20 December 2022 (UTC)

Start a new discussion (this one is 7 years old), explain your proposal and your reasons/policies backing it. Wait for people to agree or disagree with you. You can always drop a neutral note at WT:VG for additional input too. (Something like "I'd like input on this", not anything that would violate WP:CANVASS.) Sergecross73 msg me 20:22, 20 December 2022 (UTC)

Infobox?

@user:Smuckola The current use of the infobox seems nonsensical, unsightly and has no actual use. Furthermore, the power-up isn't really a character? Is there any reason for it to be used? ~Mable (chat) 11:36, 20 June 2015 (UTC)

@user:Smuckola, why do you keep changing the lead to say that the blue shell is a power-up item in the Super Mario series of video games, while it barely even appears in titles outside of the Mario Kart series and all of the sources refer to it specifically as an item from the Mario Kart series? ~Mable (chat) 12:28, 20 June 2015 (UTC)

Hitting players on the way to 1st

I'm pretty sure it's true that in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Super Circuit the blue shell can hit players on the way to 1st, but I haven't looked for sources. 5a5ha seven (talk) 04:13, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

"Blue Shell of Death" listed at Redirects for discussion

An editor has identified a potential problem with the redirect Blue Shell of Death and has thus listed it for discussion. This discussion will occur at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2022 November 8#Blue Shell of Death until a consensus is reached, and readers of this page are welcome to contribute to the discussion. Pizzaplayer219^Talk_Contribs 13:51, 8 November 2022 (UTC)

Why this article should stay as "Spiny Shell"

I already replied to another section here explaining some of the following reasons, but the section was outdated therefore my statement was invalid. So, I'm saying it again in a recommended format:

Reasons why

• The item has always been referred to as the Spiny Shell, even in the instruction manual for Mario Kart 64 where the item debuted.
• The only times the Spiny Shell was called the "blue shell" was in interviews or unofficial third-party sources, like the ones linked in this article.
• The Spiny Shell is not the same as the Blue Shell from Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. This is even partially stated in the article, contradicting its title.
  • Contradiction is something that the Content section of the policies and guidelines of Wikipedia clearly states not to do.
• Claiming that this subject is something it's not is, in my opinion, the textbook definition of false information. And don't you think that false information is something that should not be on Wikipedia?

What I would suggest doing

• Simply keeping the article as "Spiny Shell", while mentioning the difference between the two.
• Separating the Spiny Shell and Blue Shell into separate articles, with "Not to be confused with etc." at the top.

I'm not entirely sure how the consensus system works yet, but this is the best I can do. If you're a more experienced user, let me know what the best option is or what you think. SuperWikiBrother (talk) 13:45, 21 December 2022 (UTC) SuperWikiBrother (talk) 13:45, 21 December 2022 (UTC)

The core of the issue is that popular usage has overpowered Nintendo's official usage. You're correct that Nintendo is consistent in calling this item the "spiny shell", in contrast with a blue shell of a Koopa. Very few independent sources follow this usage, however. Under WP:COMMONNAME you can see a few examples of where the common name is not quite as accurate, but most of these are all still correct. The Great Pyramid of Giza is indeed the biggest pyramid at Giza. "Spanish Flu" was never really used for any other epidemic. If we had an article on the Koopa Troopa blue shell, I would probably agree that this article here should be "spiny shell." The issue is that other usage of "blue shell" in Mario is extremely uncommon, and this is by far the most famous "blue shell" in the franchise. Maybe we could make the distinction between Spinies and Koopa clearer in this article, but I think the commonly accepted name for the Mario Kart item will remain "blue shell". ~Maplestrip/Mable (chat) 14:02, 21 December 2022 (UTC)

• (Minor note: a Spiny shell is typically red, so it's still unusual in-universe that this Spiny shell is blue. Maybe this affected common usage of the term too?) ~Maplestrip/Mable (chat) 14:04, 21 December 2022 (UTC)

I guess this makes sense. Very well, we'll just have to stay with the most recommended option for now. SuperWikiBrother (talk) 14:09, 21 December 2022 (UTC)

I'm happy to see other opinions on this topic of course, and we definitely don't want to misinform people. Some changes to the article can be appriopriate, to make the distinction clearer if needed. ~Maplestrip/Mable (chat) 15:03, 21 December 2022 (UTC)

I agree with you, and I think the fact that the opening sentence also mentions "spiny shell" helps give proper context. Sergecross73 msg me 15:49, 21 December 2022 (UTC)