Arrow Sign

Arrow Signs are a method of directing the player in several Super Mario games. They first appeared in Super Mario World as a sign with an arrow on it and a patch of grass below.

Super Mario World
Arrow Signs made their debut in Super Mario World. The first use of the Arrow Sign was in Yoshi's Island 1 near the Giant Gate. In general, they are placed near the end of levels in which they appear, signaling that the Giant Gate is nearby.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
Arrow Signs make their debut in a 3D Super Mario game in Super Mario 64, first appearing on the Bob-omb Battlefield. Near the giant Chain Chomp is the Arrow Sign directing the character to bypass the Chain Chomp moving on to the next area.

In Super Mario 64 DS, the Arrow Signs are breakable by Wario in his regular form or by any other character when under the effect of a Super Mushroom.

Super Mario Sunshine
In Super Mario Sunshine, arrow signs are usually beige-colored with white arrows and are placed in different locations depending on the Episode selected for the level, pointing Mario in the direction he needs to go to collect the Episode's Shine Sprite. Metallic arrow signs with blue arrows also appear in Ricco Harbor.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, Arrow Signs only appear in World-e. Their appearance is almost identical to their design in Super Mario World.

New Super Mario Bros. series
Arrow Signs appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, New Super Mario Bros. 2, New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U, taking an appearance similar to that of Super Mario 64's.

Super Mario Galaxy / Super Mario Galaxy 2
Arrow Signs are blue arrows with red outlines in these games.

Super Mario 3D Land
In Super Mario 3D Land, the Arrow Sign first appears in World 1-1 in the beginning of the stage. They appear as an orange sign with a white border and red arrow on it.

Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Arrow Signs return in Super Mario 3D World. They can be broken by using a Kick Bomb or any attacking move, such as a fireball, boomerang, claw dive, or roll.

In the Bowser's Fury campaign of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, Arrow Signs decorated with leaves and cat ears can be found throughout Lake Lapcat. Many are located on walls rather than exclusively on the ground; these Arrow Signs cannot be broken. If an Arrow Sign on the ground is broken, it will only reappear if Mario leaves the radius of the island the Arrow Sign was on. In this mode, they can also be broken by Bowser Jr.'s Magic Paintbrush.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS / Super Mario Maker 2
Two kinds of Arrow Signs appear in Super Mario Maker, its 3DS port and its sequel. The traditional Arrow Sign seen in previous Super Mario games always appears at the start of every level, with the Super Mario World, New Super Mario Bros. U and Super Mario 3D World ones retaining their original designs in their respective game styles, and cannot be removed. The second is a course part that can be placed, but unlike regular Arrow Signs, it does not have a post or backboard and instead is just a plain red or wooden arrow, depending on the game style. Arrow Signs can be rotated in eight different directions. A maximum of 100 Arrow Signs can be placed in an area. When an Arrow Sign is shaken in the first game, it turns into a Checkpoint Flag. They cannot be placed in any solid block except Ice Blocks in the Super Mario 3D World style. In the first game, they are unlockable, being one of the later parts unlocked, and in the second, they are classified as gizmos.

Mario Kart series
Arrow Signs are placed on several tracks throughout the Mario Kart series, telling racers which direction to head in. Some Arrow Signs also change depending on the course; for example, the ones in Waluigi Stadium are digital, have eyes, and sway around.

Special kinds of Arrow Signs appear in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in several courses included in the Booster Course Pass. These arrows resemble holographic images, and when driven through, Lakitu carries the player back on the road. They only appear on courses that change route in different laps, such as or.

Yoshi franchise
Arrow Signs can be found in games such as Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, where they are usually placed at the start of levels or new areas to direct players in which direction to move. In Yoshi's Story, they can be found in certain areas to direct players. Yoshi's Woolly World features arrow signs that are made of red fabric with stitched edges set in bobby pins and hanging from transparent strings. All the arrow signs in Yoshi's Crafted World are made of cut cardboard. While the red ones are seen on the front side, the blue ones are shown on the flip side.

Mario Party series
Arrow signs appear in Mario Party 7 in every board and in the minigames Kart Wheeled and Hop-O-Matic 4000.

Arrow signs appear in Mario Party 8 in the boards DK's Treetop Temple and Koopa's Tycoon Town.

Arrow signs appear in Mario Party 9 in every board and in the minigame Snow Go.

Arrow signs appear in Mario Party 10 in every board (including amiibo boards) and in the minigame Revolving Relay.

Arrow signs appear in Super Mario Party in every board.

Super Smash Bros. series
An Arrow Sign appears in the Golden Plains stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Occasionally, it pops up on-screen indicating that the stage starts to scroll in the direction it is pointing.

Mario Sports Superstars
Arrow signs appear in Mario Sports Superstars in a few Horse Racing courses.