Small heart

Small hearts, also referred to as Hearts or Growth Hearts, are items found in Super Mario Bros. 2. A small heart floats up from the bottom of the screen every time eight enemies are defeated. When Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, or Toad grabs it, they replenish an empty slot in their Life Gauge. Small hearts have somewhat the same function as a Mushroom in this game, with two exceptions: Mushrooms both extend and fully replenish the Life Gauge, while small hearts do not.

In the Game Boy Advance version, Super Mario Advance, hearts are larger. They are also much more common, usually appearing when a thrown object takes out two enemies in a row, from enemies defeated by shells, from beaten Ostros, and from Big Shy Guys and Big Ninjis thrown to the ground or beaten; they fly out of the enemies in these cases. They are also found floating in midair and under grass, referred to as Heart Radishes.

Small Hearts also appear in Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. When one is used, it refills half of Mario or Luigi's dance meter if it empties. It can be bought at any shop in Story Mode for 70 coins.

Super Mario Bros. 2

 * Wii Virtual Console manual: "Beat lots of enemies to make one of these appear. Small hearts replenish one mark of your life meter."