Poltergust 3000

"That’s the vacuum cleaner I engineered to catch ghosts.... It’s the only way to foil ’em! This is the only thing they fear!"

- Professor Elvin Gadd

The Poltergust 3000 is a vacuum invented by Professor Elvin Gadd to catch ghosts. It first debuted in Luigi's Mansion, where Luigi used it as his main weapon. It is the first model in the Poltergust line of devices. It is named after the terms "poltergeist", which is a ghost who makes itself known through things such as noises, and "gust", a reference to wind. The "3000" part of the name is probably present because of the "thousand" numbers after mad scientists' inventions in typical science fiction movies.

Luigi's Mansion
The Poltergust 3000 is a vacuum used by Luigi to hunt down ghosts in Luigi's Mansion. To suck up ghosts, Luigi first has to find their weakness (which usually involves his flashlight in some way) and exploit it. Once the ghost is open, Luigi needs to bring its health down to 0 before it can be sucked into the Poltergust and defeated. By sucking up certain ghosts (which can be found after collecting specific element medals), the Poltergust gains the ability to harness the elements of fire, ice, and water to fight certain ghosts and solve puzzles.

By linking up with E. Gadd's Ghost Portrificationizer, it can upload captured ghosts and turn them into portraits. This is demonstrated by the various portrait ghosts found throughout the mansion.

In the PAL version of Luigi's Mansion, the Poltergust 3000 has wheels, which allow the user to ride it. Luigi can perform this technique in the Boolossus battle, but it is not used elsewhere in the game.

Super Smash Bros. series
The Poltergust 3000 makes a cameo in Super Smash Bros. Melee on the Vacuum Luigi trophy's back, and it has a trophy of its own in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It is absent in future installments, being replaced with newer models of the Poltergust beginning with Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.

In the American English version of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, there is a trophy called "Luigi (with Poltergust 3000)", however Luigi is actually carrying the Poltergust 5000 in said trophy. This error was corrected in the British English version of the game as "Luigi (with Poltergust 5000)". It is likely this error stemmed from each version of the Poltergust that Luigi uses having the same name in Japan, resulting in an oversight during translation.

Super Mario-kun
In volume 26 of Super Mario-kun, Luigi uses the Poltergust 3000 when facing against Huff N. Puff in a Paper Mario arc and King Boo in a Luigi's Mansion arc.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its remake, a newer model known as the Super Poltergust 3001 appears. Luigi is shown to still own the original Poltergust, which he used in various cutscenes in Starbeans Cafe, using it on E. Gadd himself twice, the first time after Gadd taste-tests the Hoohoo Blend in order to prevent him from being forced to use the restroom inside the café (due to his neglecting to add restrooms in the place); the second time due to fear as a result of E. Gadd becoming a "ghost" via a specialized gown after test-tasting the Chuckoccino.

Mario Power Tennis series
The Poltergust appears in Mario Power Tennis and Mario Tennis: Power Tour as a Defensive Power Shot known as the Poltergust Return. Like other Defensive Power Shots, its purpose is to hit the ball when it is out if range. Its offensive counterpart is the Squeaky Mallet.

Mario Sports Mix
The Poltergust 3000 appears in Luigi's Special Attacks in Mario Sports Mix. As there are four different sports in said game, its use varies slightly between each sport. However, each sport has him doing the same thing: Luigi sucks in the ball or puck, then he expels air from the Poltergust at his opponents to cause them to trip. After that, he shoots the ball or puck either toward the goal (in basketball and hockey), toward the open ground (in volleyball), or at the opponents (in dodgeball).

Fortune Street
In Fortune Street, Luigi mentions that he should have brought the Poltergust 3000 with him on the Ghost Ship board.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Unused sprites of Luigi wearing the Poltergust 3000 while a member in the Audience can be found in the files of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

Future models
Throughout the Mario franchise, various upgrades to the Poltergust 3000 have appeared. These include:
 * Super Poltergust 3001 – appearing in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, where it seems to be a more advanced model of the Poltergust 3000. It features a set of wheels similar to the Poltergust 3000 from the PAL version of Luigi's Mansion. However, it is much more optimized for travel and features a rocket booster in the rear.
 * Porta-Gust – a Gaddget, another of Gadd's inventions, from Mario Party Advance appears to be a portable version of the Poltergust 3000 with Game Boy Advance-style controls.
 * Poltergust 4000 – one of Luigi's special karts in Mario Kart DS. Like the Super Poltergust 3001, it is meant to be ridden on. It was originally designed for Professor Elvin Gadd, but he was later removed from the game for unknown reasons.
 * Poltergust 5000 – a vastly upgraded version of the Poltergust 3000 appearing in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, the 3DS successor to Luigi's Mansion. It now includes a Strobulb, which replaces the flashlight from Luigi's Mansion. It can also make hidden objects appear with its Dark-Light Device. Unlike the original Poltergust, this one cannot use the elements or wheels.
 * Super Poltergust 5000 – a stronger version of the Poltergust 5000 which appears as the final upgrade in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.
 * Poltergust G-00 – the latest model, containing the features from the previous versions as well as a “goo” tank and a plunger launcher.

In addition, the main gimmick of the PolterCue browser game is named the PolterGust 1000.

Trivia

 * In Super Mario Sunshine, a Pianta at the Sirena Beach hotel asked Mario to "get rid of these ghosts with a vacuum or something" when the hotel was infested with Boos. This is likely a reference to the Poltergust.
 * The Poltergust shares some similarities to Mario's F.L.U.D.D., as Mario and Luigi use their respective weapons for the entire game and wear them on their backs. It was also made by the same person, Professor Elvin Gadd.