Lakitu's Cloud

Lakitu's Clouds, occasionally formatted as Lakitu's clouds, are a type of cloud with a smiley face usually inhibited by Lakitus. In some of the Super Mario titles, Mario can ride around in one.

Appearance
Most Lakitu's Clouds are white. However, in Paper Mario, Lakilulu has a pink-colored cloud; additionally, Dark Lakitus from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door have gray clouds. Lakithunder from New Super Mario Bros. also has a dark gray cloud with glaring, yellow eyes, capable of firing lightning bolts. King Lakitu from Super Mario Galaxy 2, another lightning-firing Lakitu, has a purple cloud. Lakipeas, the Beanbean Kingdom equivalent of Lakitus, have vines covering their clouds.

Many Lakitu's Clouds also have faces. In the Paper Mario series, the clouds share the expressions of their owners; additionally, some Lakitu's Clouds in the Paper Mario series wear sunglasses. The clouds of Fishing Boos and Calm Fishing Boos do not have faces, however. In Super Mario 64, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, and Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!, all Lakitus are portrayed without faces on their clouds. In the latter, Lakitu and Mario are able to control rain, thunder, sun, typhoons, and snow with levers on the cloud.

Similar cloud characters and items have appeared throughout the Mario franchise. In Super Mario World, when Yoshi eats two pink berries in the same stage, a cloud resembling Lakitu's Cloud appears and drops ten striped smiley-faced coins, giving a 1-Up Mushroom if all of them are collected. The Thunder Cloud item in Mario Kart Wii looks like a Lakitu's Cloud, but a bluish-gray color with a Lightning on its head. Ruff Puff's Tattle in Super Paper Mario openly speculates on the relationship between it and the similar Lakitu's Cloud.

Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Lakitu's Cloud (originally named Jugem's Cloud,   with "Jugem" being the romanization of Lakitu's Japanese name, or Cloud Jewel ) can be used by Mario or Luigi on the world map to skip a level and move to the next available space. However, this does not update, so if they lose a life right after using it, they will be transported back to their map position before using it. (This can be avoided by updating the player's saved location as usual, by using a Warp Pipe on the map or clearing a level without losing a life.)

Super Mario World / Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
In Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and subsequent side-scrolling platformers in the Super Mario and Yoshi's Island series, after taking out the Lakitu riding a Lakitu's Cloud, the player can jump on it to temporarily float around and reach places that they could normally not get to. Although Lakitus typically only travel across a horizontal axis, the player's control of the Lakitu's clouds allows for travel in any direction for as long as the cloud lasts.

A glitch exists in Super Mario World that causes the cloud to last indefinitely if the Lakitu on top is defeated with fire power.

New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., sets of 1000 points will accrue from Lakitu's Clouds for as long as they are in collision with Shell Mario or Luigi's sliding ability.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
In New Super Mario Bros. 2, Lakitu's Clouds swell up for a split second when the music makes the "bah" sound). When the player touches a Gold Ring, Lakitus become Gold Lakitus, and their clouds also become golden. When the player rides on the golden cloud and moves, it generates coins.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Lakitus reappear in Super Mario Galaxy 2 riding their clouds, but these clouds cannot be ridden by Mario or Luigi. If a Lakitu's Cloud is eaten by Yoshi, the Lakitu will fall to the ground on its shell and struggle for a few seconds until the cloud reappears.

New Super Mario Bros. U
In New Super Mario Bros. U, Lakitu's Cloud now mouths to the "bah"s in the music. It also appears in the Challenge Mode level Lakitu's Cloud Heist.

Super Mario Maker
In Super Mario Maker, players can shake Lakitus to remove them from their clouds, leaving them for Mario to use or to put other enemies, objects, and power-ups such as Hammer Bros, Cannons, and Super Mushrooms in them. If an enemy is placed in a Lakitu's Cloud, it will move horizontally across the screen. If given Wings, the enemy will move horizontally while moving vertically in a wave-like pattern.

Super Mario Maker 2
In Super Mario Maker 2, a Lakitu's Cloud is used as a part of Peach's Castle during its reconstruction after completing a certain mission.

Mario Kart series
In Mario Kart games, Lakitu's Cloud is frequently seen alongside the recurring Fishin' Lakitu assistant. In Mario Kart 7, the cloud wears goggles in water-themed courses. A kart based on it, Cloud 9, is also introduced in that game. In Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Lakitu's Cloud appears on several flags around the course Dragon Driftway.

Super Mario Bros. 3

 * Wii Virtual Console manual: "Use this item to pass Mario over an uncompleted level on the map screen."
 * 3DS Virtual Console manual bio: "Allows Mario to clear a level not yet cleared."

Super Mario Maker

 * Play Nintendo: "Catch a cloud—Sure, you could bounce up to that extra high platform on a trampoline, but why not travel in style by knocking off Lakitu and stealing his cloud?"