Note Block

A Note Block (originally called a Jump Block and also known as a Music Block ) is a type of bouncy block introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3, usually appearing as a white cube with an animated quarter note (♩) on each lateral side. Mario bounces up and down infinitely while on top of one, and he can achieve greater vertical movement if the jump button is pressed as he is being launched upward.

Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Jump Blocks first appear in World 1-2. They occasionally hold a power-up for the player if they bounce on it or hit it like a ? Block. Certain Jump Blocks, also known as hidden note blocks or invisible note blocks, are not seen until hit from below.

Also in Super Mario Bros. 3, there is a special variety of salmon-colored Jump Blocks called Magic Note Blocks hidden in some courses that catapult Mario or Luigi to Coin Heaven, where many coins and a 1-Up Mushroom can be found. Two of the e-Reader card levels in the GBA remake consist entirely of Jump Blocks: Magical Note Blocks and A Musical Trek.

Super Mario World
Jump Blocks reappear in Super Mario World, and behave the same as in the predecessor.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Jump Blocks are redesigned with a white-green checkered pattern, although they act the same. These checkered blocks are uncommon and can be found in stages such as World 7-5, Lakitu Enemy Courses, and Iggy's castle, with the last having them on the lower floor in the boss stage. As of this game, Jump Blocks do not hold power-ups.

Super Mario 3D Land
Note Blocks later appear in Super Mario 3D Land (making their first appearance in a 3D Super Mario platformer game) under their current name, where they serve the same purpose. However, they retain their original designs, and most of them are two blocks wide (though in the box art and in certain courses, they retain their earlier proportions). They also make musical sounds and notes appear when they are jumped on; in a pre-release trailer, they can be heard making the orchestral hit noise used for Yoshi's voice in older games, but this was removed from the final game. Magic Note Blocks return and are renamed Super Note Blocks; they once again send Mario to a Coin Heaven area, but now are twice as long, flash colors, and have a white note on their sides.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Note Blocks also appear in New Super Mario Bros. 2. Here, they all retain their appearance from most other 2D platformers. However, the musical notes and sounds (now based on the chords of the game's music) return from Super Mario 3D Land.

Similar blocks known as Trampoline Blocks make an appearance. Unlike Note Blocks, they do not have the music aesthetic, are blue with a black diamond shape imprinted, and the player cannot control how high Mario bounces off the block.

New Super Mario Bros. U / New Super Luigi U / New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
Note Blocks later appear in New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U, as well as their shared port. They behave mainly the same as in previous installments, except they now play a fixed note when bounced on.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS / Super Mario Maker 2
Note Blocks return in Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2, where they can be used in all of the styles, excluding Super Mario 3D World. While it retains its appearances in Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U, it features a new sprite for its Super Mario Bros. appearance. Pink versions called Music Blocks also appear, using an ♪ eighth note instead of a ♩ quarter note.

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
These blocks also appear in the TV series The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, where some have an ♪ eighth note or ♫ two beamed eighth notes instead of a ♩ quarter note.

Mario Party 5
Jump Blocks are in the Mario Party 5 minigame Bound of Music, where each player has to jump and hit the most Jump Blocks. However, the Jump Blocks are invisible.

Mario Party 9
In Mario Party 9, Jump Blocks appear in their New Super Mario Bros. Wii design in the minigame Upward Mobility.

Mario Party: Island Tour
In Mario Party: Island Tour, Jump Blocks return with their New Super Mario Bros. Wii design in the minigame Trounce 'n' Bounce.

Mario Party 10
In Mario Party 10, Note Blocks with their usual design appear in the minigame Bouncy Bounty.

Mario Superstar Baseball
Jump Blocks also appear in Mario Superstar Baseball, in the Peach Garden field. If a baseball bounces on top of it, the batter may score a homerun.

Mario Kart series
Note Blocks appear in Music Park in Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, however, they are unreachable and simply decoration.

Wide Note Blocks appear in Mario Kart Tour in Squeaky Clean Sprint T and R/T. This time, they play a gameplay role, acting as bouncy platforms similar to Mushroom Trampolines.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Three Note Blocks appear during the final segment of Mario's Figure Skating Spectacular in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, where the skaters perform a set of jumps across them.

Mario Golf: World Tour
Note Blocks appear in Mario Golf: World Tour as usable item shots. It causes a Note Block to appear during the ball's course, causing it to fly high into the air over obstacles or with increased shot distance.

Super Smash Bros. series
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a Note Block appears on the 3D Land stage, having the same function as in the Super Mario games.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, when Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario are rescuing Paper Toads in Sunbeam Plains in the mission Paper Toad Rescue, a row of five Note Blocks can be found. A purple Paper Toad can be found jumping on the blocks, and he can be rescued by hitting one of the blocks while he is on it. Another Note Block can be found in the mission Fly Guy Flyby, where it can be found behind a crack that only Paper Mario can fit in. A Fly Guy holding a Paper Toad can be found above it, and hitting the Note Block causes the Fly Guy to fly away. In the mission Paper Toad Shuffle, two more groups of Note Blocks can be found, each with a purple Paper Toad jumping on them.

Super Mario Bros. 3

 * 3DS Virtual Console manual bio: "If your timing is right, you can use these to jump very high."

Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2

 * North American instruction booklet (page 19): "These blocks bounce along and sometimes drop items."
 * European instruction booklet (page 9): "These blocks help Mario bounce along and sometimes drop items."

Super Mario 3D Land

 * European website bio: "Bouncing on these blocks will allow Mario to jump higher and higher. Bouncing on a rainbow-coloured Note Block will take Mario high into the clouds, where there are countless coins to be picked up!"

Trivia

 * In the Super Mario Mash-up in Minecraft, the traditional Note Blocks take on their look from the Super Mario titles.