For more information about this character, see Chomper.
Chomper can devour most types of zombies, instantly killing them in the process. However, after eating an enemy, Chomper will require 42 seconds before he can eat another, making him vulnerable to any remaining threats.
When faced with inedible targets such as a Gargantuar, its tougher variant - the Giga-gargantuar, and Dr. Zomboss, Chomper will instead attempt to bite them, dealing 40 damage per bite.
Chomper is based on the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), with a design similar to Audrey II's from Little Shop of Horrors. This is referenced in his Almanac Entry, and implied that Chomper failed to be a stunt double for Audrey II.
His name is related to the verb "chomp", meaning the act of chewing and munching something loudly or heavily.
Audio
Sound
Description
Chomper devours a Zombie
Almanac entry
Chomper
Chompers can devour a zombie whole, but they are vulnerable while chewing.
Damage: massive
Range: very short
Special: long delay between chomps
Chomper almost got a gig doing stunts for The Little Shop of Horrors but it fell through when his agent demanded too much on the front end. Chomper's not resentful, though. He says it's just part of the business.
Cost: 150
Recharge: fast
Strategies
General
As the first reusable single-target instant-kill obtained by the player, Chomper has the ability to instantly get rid of any one zombie, except Gargantuars.
Chomper's main strength is his ability to be reused. Unlike most instant-kills, which can only be used once, Chomper can devour multiple zombies, as long as he is given enough time to do so.
However, this also comes at a price. Chomper takes a very long time to chew a zombie, at 42 seconds, during which he is inactive and vulnerable.
Additionally, Chomper always takes the same amount of time to fully chew and swallow his victim. This means that a basic Zombie takes an equally long time to digest as a Football Zombie.
While Chomper is a decent choice for levels where not many dangerous zombies are present, he struggles immensely against larger hordes. Therefore, Chomper is a very poor choice in Survival levels, especially Survival: Endless.
His inability to deal with larger crowds is a great detriment to any defense. This can be remedied to a certain extent, but to varying degrees of efficiency. It is generally advised against using Chompers to deal with hordes of zombies, and opting for plants which are capable of dealing area-of-effect damage instead.
What's more, Chomper always runs the risk of not prioritizing dangerous targets, and wasting time devouring basic Zombies instead.
His inability to dispose of Gargantuars is another reason not to use him in late-game levels.
To make up for Chomper's weakness, defensive and stalling plants are excellent choices.
Defensive plants, like Wall-nut and Tall-nut, can be planted in front of Chomper, blocking zombies while Chomper chews and swallows his current victim. Pumpkin can be planted directly on top of Chomper to protect him for similar effect.
Stalling plants, such as the Snow Pea and Winter Melon, can slow down zombies, making them take longer to reach and eat Chomper, before he could eat them.
It is suggested to use Digger Zombie to eat a Chomper from the back, as he cannot eat zombies behind him.
However, if Chomper is planted in the first column, he is still able to eat any Digger Zombie that emerges.
Therefore, unless the player can afford to use multiple Digger Zombies in one go (and no better method is available), it is generally not a good idea to use Digger Zombies against Chompers in the first column.
When used in an adjacent lane to Chomper himself, Dancing Zombies are useful in countering Chomper, as they can summon Backup Dancers as cannon fodder.
This is especially useful when multiple instant-kills are present in one lane (i.e., Potato Mines, Squashes, Chompers in the same lane). Dancing Zombies will regularly summon more Backup Dancers as long as he is on the lawn, effectively allowing the player to deal with multiple instant-kills at once.
Please note that only official translations are used.
Language
Name
Description
English
The Little Shop of Horrors
Russian
Маленький магазин ужасов
Simplified Chinese
恐怖小店 Kǒngbù Xiǎodiàn
lit. "Little Shop of Horrors"
Traditional Chinese
恐怖小店 Kǒngbù Xiǎodiàn
lit. "Little Shop of Horrors"
Trivia
If Chomper is crushed, his flattened sprite will always have no zombies or arms, and will have an open mouth regardless of whether he was chewing a zombie or not.
If Chomper is planted directly in front of a bobsled and Chomper eats the bobsled before it breaks, he will instantly devour all four zombies in one gulp.
According to the old Plants vs. Zombies website, Chomper costs 175 sun, while in-game, he actually costs 150.
Chomper's Almanac entry states that he was going to be a movie star, explicitly referencing the movie Little Shop of Horrors. This may be due to the fact that Chomper resembles Audrey II, the carnivorous monster plant from that movie.
On the Nintendo DS, iOS, Android, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Plants vs. Zombies, his Almanac entry says "Hollywood" instead of "The Little Shop of Horrors."
This version of Chomper has three spikes on his head, while the in-game Chomper has four.
When a Pole Vaulting Zombie that has its pole runs into a Chomper that isn't chewing, he will attempt to chomp, but will always fail to catch the vaulting zombie.
This is not the case if the Pole Vaulting Zombie is frozen or buttered.
An Imitater Chomper chewing a zombie. Notice the paler color on the zombie's hand and jacket sleeve.
If player pauses the game and exits to the main menu while Chomper tries to devour a Gargantuar then loads the saved game, the Chomper will appear as if he is already "devouring" a zombie: this is most likely a programming glitch.
In the PC demo version, when Chomper eats a zombie, the player will hear the noise when a zombie eats or crushes a plant alongside his normal biting sound.
According to the Tree of Wisdom, Chomper and Wall-nut were roommates in college.
This is an obvious reference to their efficient synergy.
If an Imitater is transformed into a Chomper, the zombie arm in his mouth will appear monochrome, as it's part of his sprite.
The idea of Chomper was inspired by the movie Swiss Family Robinson, Plants vs. Zombies creator George Fan's favorite movie. The idea was from a tiger in a hole that would eat pirates.
Chomper is the only instant-kill that cannot kill a Gargantuar in 2 hits, or a Giga-gargantuar in 4.
This is due to Gargantuars being too big for Chomper to eat and chew whole, as well as for obvious balancing reasons.
