Pinch Crane

The Pinch Crane (nicknamed Mr. Pinch by one of Bowser's Koopa Troopa minions) is a feature of the Koopa Cruiser seen only in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. As its name implies, it is a somewhat small crane tipped with a pinching device used to pick things up.

Although a similar lifting machine appeared to snatch Luigi (then thought to be one of the Bowser Baddies) up into the Koopa Cruiser earlier in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, the Pinch Crane itself does not appear until Mario and Luigi reach the second hold of Bowser's monstrous vehicle. Here, they find their destination of the Koopa Cruiser's deck blocked off by excess cargo, but one of Bowser's Koopa Troopas suggests that they use the Pinch Crane, or "Mr. Pinch", as he calls it, to move the crates blocking their way. Striking a ! Block, the Mario Bros. manage to activate the Pinch Crane, although it targets Luigi rather than the cargo. Once another Bowser Baddie notices Luigi caught up within the crane, he proposes that they use him (what with his boosted position) as a lookout. The others (sans Luigi) agree, and, when Mario and Luigi finally reach the Koopa Cruiser deck by unknown means, Luigi does indeed watch over the path of the cruiser. As he does this, he eventually spots Cackletta, who attacks him and knocks him off of the Pinch Crane. Throughout the scenes that follow (which include a simple battle with Fawful), the Pinch Crane simply acts as a background element, and it, along with the Koopa Cruiser itself, ultimately crashes into an unknown location.

However, Luigi has yet another run-in with the Pinch Crane during his solo quest to retrieve the Beanstar in Bowletta's poorly-repaired version of the Koopa Cruiser. Here, Luigi (partially disguised as Princess Peach) once again hits a ! Block to activate the Pinch Crane while running away from Bowletta and Fawful, and things work out better this time, as the crane moves a collection of crates in the path of the villains, allowing Luigi to save the Beanstar and complete his mission. The Pinch Crane is not seen again in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and, even though a past version of the Koopa Cruiser does appear in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (and even retains some of its recognizable features), the Pinch Crane is nowhere to be seen.