Trip

In the Pikmin games, a Pikmin that is moving can randomly fumble, and either fall down face-first (referred to as tripping), or careen forward a bit (referred to as stumbling). When this happens, the Pikmin is usually unusable until it recovers. A Pikmin that trips or stumbles runs the risk of being forgotten, hurt by enemies, or flung into an obstacle, making it important for the player to pay attention to the whole group and use whatever tools they have to get the Pikmin back to normal quickly. How likely a Pikmin is to trip, or if it can trip at all, depends on its type, and what it is doing.

Tripping was introduced in the first game, where it is fairly common. It carried over to, where the chances for a Pikmin to trip got reduced, but stumbling was added. Both mechanics were removed entirely in. Tripping was later re-added for but it has been made less punishing – Pikmin only trip in specific spots, and they get up faster.

Details
In Pikmin, a Pikmin that trips lands face-first, stays there for a while, shakes its head, and gets up. It stays in this tripped state for roughly 4.5 seconds, from the moment it begins falling forward to the moment it starts moving again. All throughout, the Pikmin is considered a normal part of Olimar's group, so the player is able to pick up and throw the Pikmin, or even dismiss to cause it to instantly get back up and join its type's group. The player can use these two actions to get back into action faster, instead of waiting for the Pikmin to get up.

In Pikmin 2, tripping is roughly the same as in Pikmin. Stumbling makes the Pikmin jut forward in whatever direction it was moving, for a roughly fixed distance, and for some seconds. In this game however, nothing can be done to return the Pikmin to normal faster, for either tripping or stumbling. While the Pikmin is still considered a part of the group, it is actually in a special state where the leader cannot interact with it. Dismissing will keep that Pikmin in the group, spraying will not affect that Pikmin, and the HUD's standby icon calculation will skip over that Pikmin (meaning the icon can even show the "no Pikmin" symbol if that was the only member of the group).

Triggers
Pikmin can only trip or stumble if they are following the leader somewhere, or if the player is swarming. The chances for a Pikmin to trip or stumble, as well as the moment the game decides that, are not known.

Although unconfirmed, it is rumored that swarming increases the odds of a Pikmin tripping.

Purple Pikmin have a lower chance of stumbling compared to other Pikmin types, and Bulbmin cannot trip at all.

At least in Pikmin, cutscenes do not make the Pikmin immune to tripping, since it is possible for a Pikmin to trip in the sunset gathering cutscene. Pikmin carrying bomb rocks are also unable to trip.

Hey! Pikmin tripping spots
In, during gameplay, Pikmin are only able to trip in very specific places. These are sections of an area where there is a lot of room to walk in, and there are no real dangers nearby. These spots are purposely chosen by the area designers, by placing a  object on top of the line of terrain they want. The following is a list of all such objects:
 * Cavern of Confusion:
 * The stretch after the dirt block, below the Sparklium Seeds.
 * The stretch where the Spornet attack cutscene takes place.
 * Mushroom Valley:
 * The stretch after the Crested Mockiwi, after climbing up a small ledge.
 * Back-and-Forth Road:
 * The stretch where the Yellow Spectralids cutscene takes place.
 * Serene Stream:
 * The stretch after going up a ramp, after the scared Crumbug cutscene.
 * The Shallow End:
 * On top of the pre-built bridge after the Blue Pikmin that are playing with a ball.
 * Crystal Tunnels:
 * The stretch of land under the Rock Pikmin headbutt cutscene.
 * The stretch immediately after the previous one, after going down a ledge.
 * The stretch after the large fall with angled crystals.
 * Echo Cavern:
 * The floor where the Seedbagger roams.
 * The stretch above the first Crammed Wraith, after climbing the vines. (3 objects total.)
 * The flat ground with a bush, below the Numerical Monument.
 * The two sticks that are blocked by several cobblestone blocks and bomb rocks. (2 objects total.)
 * The floor after climbing down the vines next to the Gigaton Bag. (2 objects total.)
 * The stretch to the left of the first Rock Pikmin stone.
 * Springpetal Cave:
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * The Burning Sky:
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * Steel Pipe Forest:
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * Pollution Pool:
 * In the flat section with the first electric gate.
 * TBD
 * Drenchnozzle Den:
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * Downpour Thicket:
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * Scorched Earth:
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * Lights in the Darkness:
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * Terror Trench:
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * Barriers of Flame:
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * Sizzling Precipice:
 * TBD
 * Below the Ice:
 * TBD
 * Frozen Hazard:
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * Septic Swamp:
 * TBD
 * TBD
 * Burning Bog:
 * TBD

Outside of gameplay
Tripping is also used in other parts of the franchise outside of a random gameplay mechanic.

In the Pikmin Park, a Pikmin that is following a line while heading towards an obstacle to clean up may trip. This temporarily slows the line down behind it, but the Pikmin will get up on its own shortly after, and speed up to catch its place. This is purely aesthetic, and has no impact on the progression of the park's cleanup.

Oddities

 * In Pikmin, a Pikmin that is ordered to work on a task with the swarm functionality will get up and go to it, if it had tripped. Given unknown circumstances, it can go to the task whilst lying down.