Plessie

Plessie is a large, friendly nothosaur that debuted in Super Mario 3D World. He helps Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad ride through certain levels, similarly to Dorrie in earlier Super Mario games.

History
Plessie first appears in Plessie's Plunging Falls, where Mario and company must ride him through a river to reach the Goal Pole. He also make subsequent appearances in Sunshine Seaside, Plessie's Dune Downhill (where he slides through sand), Deepwater Dungeon, and Rainbow Run. He also makes a cameo at the end of Champion's Road alongside other friendly NPCs, who gather to congratulate the player. Also, he appears in the game's title screen and in the credits scene.

To control Plessie, players can tilt the control stick or the control pad, depending on the controller. To speed up, players can tilt up, and to slow down, players can tilt down. Players can also press the jump button to jump, which can be used to defeat enemies and reach higher ground. If more players are riding him, they can cooperate to tilt Plessie further. If Plessie falls off course, however, the lives lost is dependent on the amount of players riding him.

Trivia

 * Plessie's name is a reference to plesiosaurs, an extinct group of reptiles that typically looked like underwater sauropods and are often confused as dinosaurs themselves, and Nessie, the nickname given to the Loch Ness Monster.
 * However, Plessie is a nothosaur, as evident by him possessing hind legs that enable him to traverse onto solid ground.
 * Before and after riding him, the player can pet Plessie by rubbing him on the GamePad. Doing so makes Plessie laugh and give the player five coins.
 * The music played while riding Plessie is a remix of the music played in The Princess's Secret Slide in Super Mario 64.