P-Wing

The P-Wing is a special item which first appears in Super Mario Bros. 3. The "P" stands for Paratroopa or Patapata (the Japanese name for that enemy).

Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Bros. 3, the P-Wing allows Mario or Luigi to fly in the air with their Raccoon forms for an unlimited amount of time. However, if the brothers are hit while flying, or receive a non-flying-based power-up within a level, they will lose the power of the P-Wing. Additionally, the effects of the P-Wing only last until the level ends. After that, the brothers are left with their basic Super Leaf abilities.

If a P-Wing is used from the map screen, the letter "P" on Mario or Luigi's body (as shown in the sprite on the left) indicates that they have P-Wing abilities. The letter "P" isn't seen in the actual level or on the map screen after the level is completed.

The P-Wing can be combined with the Tanooki Suit. However, in order to do this, one must use a P-Wing upon entering a level that has a Tanooki Suit hidden within it (4-5, 5-5, 6-3, or 7-F) and collect that Tanooki Suit.

P-Wings are commonly found in chests left behind after defeating certain Hammer Bros. on the map screen. They can also be found in secret white Toad Houses (blue in the game's remakes) accessible via collecting a certain amount of coins in a certain level of a world. However, P-Wings can only be found in the white Toad Houses of odd-numbered worlds (i.e. World 1: Grass Land, World 3: Sea Side, World 5: The Sky, and World 7: Pipe Maze) - the even-numbered worlds' white Toad Houses contain Anchors.

Super Mario 3D Land
In the Nintendo 3DS game Super Mario 3D Land, the P-wing functions differently. If Mario loses 10 lives in a level, a block with P-Wings printed on it will appear. When Mario hits this block, a P-Wing will pop out. If he touches the P-Wing, it will go into storage to use later. Tapping it will teleport him to the end of the course. Some Mystery Boxes also hold P-Wings in them. However, Luigi is only able to earn the P-Wing through Mystery Boxes. The same happens to Mario after the level is already conquered.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
The P-Wing makes a cameo appearance in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. It appears on the side of some trucks in Mushroom Bridge and Mushroom City. Additionally, the license plate of the truck that has the P-Wing on it says "SMB3", a common abbreviation of Super Mario Bros. 3.

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
The only appearance of P-Wings in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 was in the episode "Up, Up, and a Koopa", where, instead of being used by Mario or Luigi, they are used by Toad and Princess Toadstool.