Poochy

Poochy is a dog that has appeared throughout the Yoshi series. He occasionally shows up in levels to serve as a rideable platform of sorts as he can walk over terrain such as spikes and lava that Yoshis usually cannot walk on without being damaged. He has a spotted coat with a long red tongue, duck lips and a red (yellow in Yoshi's Woolly World) ball at the end of his tail. He barks constantly while he walks.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
Poochy makes his first appearance in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and reappears in the remake, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 with only a graphical update. He can run on hazardous forms of terrain and charge though any enemies in his path. Yoshis ride Poochy by jumping on his head and looking in the direction they want to travel. He attempts to follow his rider after it dismounts and waits under them if he cannot jump to their location yet he cannot enter Warp Pipes or doors. He can swim through water while carrying Yoshi. If Poochy reaches a wall, he crosses through a gap if one is present (which usually only fits him and not Yoshi) and otherwise tries to jump over it even when he cannot make it across. Yoshi can jump off of Poochy's head while he is jumping. He can be distracted by throwing an egg at his head. He will play with it and not pay attention to anything else.

Poochy only appears in three levels: 1-Extra, Poochy Ain't Stupid, 2-1, Visit Koopa And Para-Koopa, and 3-2, Jungle Rhythm....

Tetris Attack
Poochy appears in Tetris Attack alongside a Grinder as one of Yoshi's opponents. He was originally Yoshi's friend, but went against him due to a brainwashing spell cast by Bowser and Kamek. Once Yoshi defeats him (which involves playing the game's panel-based puzzles against him), he is broken from the spell and joins Yoshi in the fight against Bowser. He is then unlocked as a playable character that can fight against the other brainwashed characters. There is no difference in gameplay as the only changes are the appearance of the player's side and the sounds that play as panels are matched (cheerful barks as opposed to Yoshi's voice).

Yoshi's Story
Poochy also appears in several levels of Yoshi's Story, helping the Baby Yoshis along the way. Although the Baby Yoshis are not able to ride on top of him, Poochy is able to find hidden fruits and hearts. In the levels in which he appears, Poochy is usually chained to a post that can only be released by Ground Pounding on it, which breaking the chain and frees Poochy. After being released, Poochy runs through the level and sniffs out hidden items. When Poochy discovers something, he stands by the spot and barks. The item can be revealed by ground pounding its location. After the item is revealed, Poochy moves on to sniff out other hidden items.

Yoshi's New Island
Poochy returns once again in Yoshi's New Island, regaining his ability to walk on hazardous obstacles from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. He acts the same way as in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, except that he can now smash through certain types of blocks and pick up items (such as keys) which the Yoshi can use. He makes only two appearances in the game: first in 3-5, Don't Fear the Spear, which lets him demonstrate his new abilities, and then in 4-S, See Poochy Run!, where he must be used to clear the stage while avoiding maces and spikes.

Yoshi's Woolly World
Poochy returns in Yoshi's Woolly World where he appeard in numerous levels and functions nearly the same as in previous installments although two Yoshis can ride him now sitting on his back rather than standing. As part of the game's wool motif, Poochy has a knitted appearance. A buyable Power Badge makes him available in any stage; however, since his usefulness is very situational, it only costs 500 beads to use the badge, which is the cheapest badge price in the game.

Club Nintendo
Poochy makes a cameo in the Club Nintendo comic Rummelplatzquatsch. He appears on the screen of Mario's Game Boy Camera, which supposedly tells the future. After Poochy shows up on the screen, a herd of dogs comes running towards Luigi and urinates on him.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Poochy makes a cameo in the background decoration of the Baby Park racetrack but does not make a physical appearance otherwise.

Mario Party Advance
A gaddget named Poochy Pal appears in Mario Party Advance. It involves Poochy walking (and sometimes sleeping) around a backyard and interacting with the various objects in it, such as a Warp Pipe that he can enter. The player has no control over what Poochy does.

Super Mario-Kun
Poochy appears as a supporting character in volumes 19 and 20 of the Coro Coro Comics manga Super Mario-Kun. When he first appears, Red Yoshi mistakes him for an enemy and eats him. Red Yoshi releases him in an egg after Mario reprimands him, and Poochy emerges unharmed. He accompanies Mario and the six baby Yoshis on their quest to retrieve the Super Happy Tree, and also forms a special friendship with Yellow Yoshi.

Poochy appears in volume 19 chapter 5, 愛犬ポチ！みんあのためにかんばるワン！！ (Beloved Poochy! The dog who does his best for everyone!!), and is the central figure in the events of that chapter.

A different Poochy made his first appearance in the volume 4 of Super Mario-Kun.

Trivia

 * Poochy appears in a pre-release screenshot of Paper Mario, but he is absent from the final game.