Trophy

Trophies are collectable figures the player can find in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. They are collected by finding them in some Adventure mode stages, by getting them in a Classic mode bonus stage, by getting them in a lottery, by completing certain event missions, or by completing Classic, Adventure, or All-Star mode. Additionally, trophies can be collected in the Mario Strikers series, Mario Tennis 64, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Golf series, Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and Mario Sports Mix. Trophies are also awarded to the best three drivers in a Grand Prix race at the award ceremony in the Mario Kart series.

Mission
In the world of Super Smash Bros., the trophies exist for only one reason: to fight. When they are returned to a trophy, they cannot fight and this state is similar to death. Trophies return in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as collectible items that give a detailed description of a character, just like they did in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Brawl also features a new type of trophy called Assist Trophies, which will temporarily call another character into battle. Brawl's Subspace Emissary mode also depicts the Trophies as the main characters. They are revived when another character touches the edge of their trophy base, and get turned back into trophies when they are defeated or shot with a Dark Cannon. Trophies do not make an appearance in the original Super Smash Bros. in any form and the characters in the game are actually just dolls.

List of Trophies in Melee
There are a total of 293 trophies in Super Smash Bros. Melee. However, there are three trophies that the player can only get through an Action Replay device in the American version, while they are completely removed in the PAL version.

List of Trophies in Brawl
There are a total of 544 trophies in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Mario Kart series
When the player ranks in the top three in a Grand Prix, they will see a unique trophy based on the cup.

Mario Golf series
In the Mario Golf series (except for Toadstool Tour), there are Gold, Silver, Bronze trophies. Players can earn these trophies by placing in the top three in a Tournament. In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, the player only receives a trophy if they get 1st place.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3
In Mario Hoops 3-on-3 there are trophies for each cup. The cups are: The Mushroom cup, the Flower cup, the Star cup, and the Rainbow cup.

Super Mario Strikers
In Super Mario Strikers, trophies are awards won by achieving a certain number of special actions. Additionally, all cups of the game are trophies, including the Mushroom Cup, the Flower Cup, the Star Cup, the Bowser Cup, the Super Mushroom Cup, the Super Flower Cup, the Super Star Cup, and the Super Bowser Cup. The cups' trophies are won by winning the cup. These special trophies can also be unlocked:

Winning a gold trophy also unlocks certain cheats available in the Options menu.

Mario Strikers Charged
In the sequel to Super Mario Strikers, Mario Strikers Charged, players can earn one of three trophies, the Fire Cup, the Crystal Cup, and the Striker Cup. To win the cup, players must beat the champion of the cup in the best 2-out-of-3 series. If the player wins two games, then the cup is theirs.

Mario Sports Mix
In Mario Sports Mix, if players beat tournaments for any sport, they will receive a trophy for finishing the final match of that specific tournament.

Trivia

 * A Trophy featuring Mario, Luigi, & Bowser (along other images) was used for the Nintendo 3DS demo at E3 2010 and StreetPass Mii Plaza.
 * Being turned back into a trophy is very similar to fainting in the Pokémon series.