Lift

It has been requested that this article be rewritten and expanded to include more information. Reason: have information on Flatbed Ferries' appearance in Super Princess Peach

"Elevator" redirects here. For the object in Donkey Kong's Crash Course in Nintendo Land, see Automated elevator. For the object in Super Mario Land also referred to as an Elevator, see Lift Block.

Lift
Artwork from Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
First appearance	Donkey Kong (1981)
Latest appearance	Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) (2024)

Lifts (also known as elevators) are thin platforms that appear throughout the Super Mario franchise. They typically are suspended in the air and move, enabling the player character or to reach different heights and cross gaps. Some move by themselves, while others are controlled by the player.

Lifts that move along wire-like tracks in the Super Mario and Yoshi's Island series are sometimes referred to as Flatbed Ferries.

History

Donkey Kong

In Donkey Kong, two sets of lifts appear in 75m: one set going up, the other set going down. Lifts appear to work via a chain-like mechanism. When an elevator reaches the end of its path, it disappears, and a new one appears at the beginning of the path, as opposed to a single elevator going up and down.

Lifts also appear in the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong. Levers can be pulled in certain levels to make them change direction.

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros. / Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

Mario riding a lift in Super Mario Bros.

Lifts are common in some levels of Super Mario Bros. Vertical Lifts first appear in World 1-2, where they continuously move upwards or downwards with new ones being dispensed from the bottom or top. World 1-3 introduces a version of this lift that remains onscreen and simply moves up and down, as well as Horizontal Lifts that move back and forth. World 3-3 introduces Flimsy Lifts, which are stationary lifts that move downwards if Mario or Luigi stands on them, as well as Balance Lifts. Balance Lifts consist of two platforms attached to a pulley, where if Mario/Luigi stands on one of them, that lift is weighed down, while the other is hoisted upwards. However, if Mario/Luigi stands on said lift too long, and the lift he is on moves too far down due to his weight, then both lifts will break off the pulley and fall into the void below, causing Mario/Luigi to score 1,000 points, oddly enough. The lifts are solid, meaning Mario and Luigi cannot land on top by jumping through them. Their original visual appearance in Super Mario Bros. is likely derived from the appearance of the platforms that make up 100m in Donkey Kong, while, in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, they are made of mushrooms. However, in the Super Mario All-Stars version, both games feature them in their normal form.

Super Mario Bros. 3 / Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3

In Super Mario Bros. 3, lifts are made of wood, much like Hard Blocks in the game. Two new varieties are introduced: Rail Lifts, which travel along a track, first appearing in World 1-6, and moving Flimsy Lifts, which fall all the way to the bottom of the screen as soon as Mario or Luigi lands on one, first appearing in World 1-4.

In Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Bros.-styled metallic lifts of various types are found in the World-e levels Wild Ride in the Sky, Caped Escape, Koopaling Confusion, Classic World 1-2, Classic World 1-3 and Classic World 1-4, while several stationary lifts in their Super Mario World design can be seen in the level Rich with Ropes. In A Towering Tour, some fast-moving gray-colored lifts also appear. They behave similarly to the metal lifts, only being shaped like the normal lifts, and the aforementioned color difference. They also follow a shorter path compared to normal lifts, which adds to the difficulty of staying on top of them. These blocks also have a line-guided variant, which move even faster than their non-line-guided variants.

Super Mario World / Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2

Lifts reappear in Super Mario World and its reissue, this time with a gray or cream color. The Rail Lift is back under the name Pulley Lift (or Pully Lift). A platform on a swing is known as a Single Swing Lift, coming with a brown version that activates and rotates around a central pivot point when a player steps on it and a gray version that swings in perpetual motion, as well as a set of three swinging gray platforms known as a Triple Swing Lift. A set of gray Rotating Blocks that cannot spin with wings is known as a Flying Platform. A raft of skulls on lava is known as a Skull Raft. An orange, diagonal-facing lift with a grassy top is known as a diagonal platform, and a thicker, upright grassy platform with a countdown timer in the middle is known as a Count-Lift. Additionally, a mushroom variant of the Balance Lift is known as a Piston Lift.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins introduces a Bone Lift that rises upward when jumped on, which is a hazard as the sole section of the game that includes them features spikes above them. They basically act as the opposite of the Flimsy Lift, although the Bone Lift freezes in place when Mario is off of it, unlike the Flimsy Lifts in this game.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS

Mario on a lift in Super Mario 64

Mario on an elevator in Super Mario 64

Most lifts in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS have a tan-and-green checkerboard pattern on them. In some courses, such as Whomp's Fortress and Vanish Cap Under the Moat, pairs of lifts move along and rotate around both sides of a vertical beam, flipping when they reach the top. In the Hazy Maze Cave and Lethal Lava Land, lifts move along chains of black spheres when stepped upon. Additionally in the Hazy Maze Cave, large orange lifts with yellow and black trim appear to take the player between floors, and a unique controllable lift called the Work Elevator appears in one part of the course. Special lifts called Arrow Lifts appear in Wet-Dry World, moving back and forth when stepped upon. Also in Wet-Dry World, an Express Elevator appears embedded into some metal mesh. Stepping on the portion outside the mesh causes it to lower, at which point the player has a limited time to reach the portion inside the mesh and ride it to a Power Star. In Tick Tock Clock, yellow rectangular lifts move up and down; the speed and direction vary depending on the time Mario enters the course. Also, a brown cube that moves up and down serves as an obstacle during The Pit and the Pendulums, and Mario can step on it.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Mario on a lift in Super Mario Galaxy 2

In Super Mario Galaxy 2, lifts appear as yellow platforms that raise Mario up, then flash blue and disappear. They cannot be controlled by the player. They appear in Sky Station Galaxy, while giant versions of them are found in Supermassive Galaxy.

Super Mario 3D Land / Super Mario 3D World / Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

Lifts in Super Mario 3D Land, Super Mario 3D World, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury have the same design and function as in Super Mario Galaxy 2. However, they never disappear, unlike in the previous game.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS

Lifts in Super Mario Maker and its Nintendo 3DS version function as tools, and the direction in which they initially move can be pre-set, and they can move in a set path when placed on a track. When shaken, they turn into Flimsy Lifts, which are colored blue this time and will start moving on a track once stepped on. In the Super Mario World style, when placed on a track, the lift uses the same tile as the Chainsaw from that game, albeit with minor differences.

Super Mario Run

Lifts in Super Mario Run move on tracks in several levels. When Mario stands on a Lift, he stops moving until he jumps. After Mario gets off of a Lift, it disappears. The lifts' designs are similar to the falling platforms in the final Bowser battle in New Super Mario Bros. 2.

Super Mario Odyssey

A lift leading to Moe-Eye Habitat

A lift in the Ice Cave

Lifts (referred to as moving platforms in the Prima guide) appear in varying designs and sizes in Super Mario Odyssey.

In the Tostarena Ruins in the Sand Kingdom, large stone ones depicting the Inverted Pyramid appear above a canyon after Mario collects the Power Moon for the mission Atop the Highest Tower and move along a track after he steps on them. These lifts transport Mario to Moe-Eye Habitat, which features smaller stone lifts that Mario must use to collect Moon Shards. Larger versions of these stone lifts appear in the sub-area with the Power Moon for the sidequest Jaxi Driver. The Inverted Pyramid lifts also appear in the Ice Cave sub-area, except they are darker-colored and topped with ice. Unlike other lifts, these ones rotate while moving.

Lifts that use their Super Mario Bros. sprites also appear in 2D segments. They appear prominently in the Cascade Kingdom sub-area with the Power Moon for the sidequest Past the Chasm Lifts, where they behave similarly to the lifts in World 1-2 of Super Mario Bros. while similarly shaped stone lifts appear outside the 2D segments and move continuously on tracks.

Super Mario Maker 2

A Cloud Lift in Super Mario Maker 2

Lifts also appear in Super Mario Maker 2, where this time, their length can be changed. In the Super Mario 3D World style, they take the form of Cloud Lifts.

Donkey Kong Country series

Donkey Kong Country

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong in the Elevator Antics level of Donkey Kong Country

Elevators in Donkey Kong Country seemingly filled with coal appear abundantly in the latter half of Elevator Antics. They move either up or down from a steel pole.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!

Lifts in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! are made up of wooden planks. Some are activated when Dixie Kong or Kiddy Kong ride them, and some are activated automatically. They are found primarily in mills, but also appear in Fire-Ball Frenzy and Rocket Rush. Additionally, a single horizontally moving lift appears during the first boss fight with Baron K. Roolenstein. In the Game Boy Advance version, lifts also appear in Dingy Drain-Pipe.

Yoshi's Island series

Flatbed Ferries, a special kind of lift, appear in every game of the Yoshi's Island series. When jumped upon, they typically follow a preset path marked by a track. When a Flatbed Ferry reaches the end of the line, blocked by a little red sphere, it switches its direction of movement; if the line ends without a sphere, the Flatbed Ferry falls down, but it may be "caught" by another track if it falls on one, and it starts following it.

Flatbed Ferries appear in a variety of colors, such as green, yellow, and red, with each getting progressively faster; in the isometric sections found in certain fortresses, the colors are a pale pink, periwinkle, and cyan. Magenta ones appear as part of paddle wheels. The liquid lift and Blarggwich carry green Flatbed Ferries.

Game & Watch Gallery 2

On the first and second stages of the Game & Watch Gallery 2 rendition of Donkey Kong, Flatbed Ferries appear as the last platforms Mario must use to reach the goal. In both instances, they are activated temporarily by flipping a switch. On the first stage, the Flatbed Ferry revolves around a point, similarly to a paddle wheel, and makes four 90-degree turns before completing one rotation. On the second stage, the platform swings from side to side on a chain in three positions. Flatbed Ferries are replaced in the Game & Watch Gallery 4 version by more thematically fitting platforms.

Yoshi's Story

Lifts in Yoshi's Story are featured in the form of smiling cloud platforms that move along tracks in the level Rail Lift. If a Baby Yoshi hits a switch present along the tracks by throwing an egg, the cloud platform can move to different tracks. Flatbed Ferries also return in the game.

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. Melee

A smiling cloud platform appears in the Yoshi's Story stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee, where it retains its appearance from Yoshi's Story, as well as its function as a lift. The cloud cycles across the stage along a dotted line, moving behind the center of the stage and emerging from the left and right sides of the stage. A fighter can use the cloud as a platform to recover from falling off of the stage.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

A lift in the World 1-2 version of Mushroomy Kingdom in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, lifts from Donkey Kong appear in the stage 75 m, which also reappears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. They act same as they do in the original Donkey Kong due to the stage being an exact remake of the original level. Lifts also appear in the Mushroomy Kingdom stage, with the same placement and function as in World 1-2 of Super Mario Bros., though they are pass-through platforms and appear as rusted, due to the stage's aged appearance.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, lifts from Super Mario 3D Land appear as platforms in the auto-scrolling 3D Land stage. The match begins on three stationary lifts. During the second portion, players fight on four multi-colored lifts as they transition them to the third portion of the stage; on the way there, some platforms may collide into protruding rocks, altering their angle. In PictoChat 2, one of the drawings that may appear is a row of blocks between a pair of continuously moving lifts from World 1-2 of Super Mario Bros.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the smiling cloud platform returns in the Yoshi's Story stage, functioning identically to its appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its Nintendo 3DS version, a lift that connects to Little Fungitown can be found at the end of Teehee Valley, and a couple of Lifts can be found in Guffawha Ruins. Also, the Spin Blocks, which can be found in Gwarhar Lagoon, were introduced in this game as well.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong series

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Lifts similar to the ones from Donkey Kong appear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong. They continuously appear at one end of a track and move in a direction before disappearing at the other end. Sometimes, the direction of all lifts in a level can be changed at once by pressing a Direction Switch. They also appear in its Nintendo Switch remake.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis

Mini Marios riding an elevator in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis

Two types of lifts, elevators and Moving Platforms (also known as Path Platforms), appear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis.

Elevators are introduced in Room 1-5 of Mushroom Mayhem, and continue to appear in later levels in the game. They are platforms attached to a pole. A control panel is attached to a wall next to each elevator, with two red buttons resembling arrows pointing up and down. Up to two Minis can walk on an elevator's platform. The player can tap the buttons on the elevator's control panel using the stylus to raise or lower the elevator's platform. Once a button is pressed, it turns green and the platform starts moving. The platform's direction cannot be changed again until it reaches the end of the elevator's pole or a height where it is adjacent to ground. Minis will remain on an elevator's platform until their direction is changed using the stylus.

Moving Platforms are introduced in Room 6-3 of Toadstool Castle. They move automatically along a predetermined path. Whenever they reach a ledge, they stop for a short time and their platform extends slightly. A single Mini can board a Moving Platform while its platform is extended. Unlike elevators, only one Mini at a time can board a Moving Platform.

WarioWare series

Lifts on tracks from Super Mario Bros. 3 appear in the microgame Super Mario Bros. 3-Lift in WarioWare: Twisted! and WarioWare Gold (renamed to simply "Super Mario Bros. 3" in the latter). The player has to rotate the system to move the platforms and make Mario avoid the multiple enemies coming for him. In the third level, another lift appears along with Luigi on it, who also needs to be protected.

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy

Lifts can be used by Yoshi in Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, along with a small version called Half Lifts (ハーフリフト). They come in a green zig-zag pattern and a brown rocky pattern and are attached to chains, sometimes along rails. When the player tilts their Game Boy Advance system, the lifts will swing back and forth and move along the rails. The brown ones are old and worn-out, causing them to fall at the end of a rail.

Super Paper Mario

In Super Paper Mario, lifts adopt the yellow and orange zigzag pattern found on loading zones from the previous Paper Mario entries. Horizonal and vertical lifts serve as platforms to reach high or far away areas in Yold Desert, the Floro Caverns, The Overthere and other locations. A variation of these platforms appear in The Bitlands, where they are pixelated and resemble the design from Super Mario Bros. The underground segment also features vertical lifts which mimic the scrolling behavior from said game. Black lifts with white outlines appear in the Castle Bleck Inner Sanctum.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Nintendo Switch)

Lifts reappear in the Nintendo Switch version of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, replacing the Propeller Platforms due to the lack of the microphone.

Mario Kart series

Mario Kart Tour

In Mario Kart Tour's Battle Mode, any opponents that are eliminated ride on lifts that move around the course and throw projectiles such as Green Shells, Bananas, and Bob-ombs onto the course.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

A pink Flatbed Ferry, with a Yoshi sitting on it, appears near the starting line of Yoshi's Island in the Booster Course Pass DLC pack for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Lifts make an appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, where they resemble and behave the same way they do in Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World.

List of lifts

Lifts in the Super Mario franchise are the basis of many other platforms. For many of them, this is apparent with the inclusion of リフト ("Lift") in their Japanese name, which is not always carried over during localization. Most derived lifts are suspended in the air and move, either on their own or when a player character steps on them.

• Arrow lift (New Super Mario Bros. series)
• Arrow Lift (Super Mario 64)
• Arrow wheel
• Ball on chains
• Balloon Bully
• Big Windmill
• Blarggwich
• Blarggwich (sandwich)
• Bolt Lift
• Bone Lift
• Chairlift
• Cloud Lift
• Count-Lift
• Cross Lift
• Diagonal platform
• Directional Lift
• Disappearing platform
• Donut Lift
• Dropdown Countdown Lift
• Elevator lift
• Eye Beamer
• Flimsy Lift
• Floating barrel
• Floating couch
• Flying Platform
• Hip Drop Move Lift
• Lava Lift
• Liftoglobin
• Limited Lift
• Linking Lift
• Liquid lift
• Moving block
• Multi-Vator
• Paddle Platform
• Pendulum Platform
• Pinwheel
• Propeller Platform
• Puffy Lift
• Raft
• Remote-Control Platform
• Remote-Controlled Lift
• Rotary Lift
• Rotating Panel
• Scale Lift
• Screwtop Lift
• Screwtop Shroom
• Seesaw
• Segmented platform
• Single Swing Lift
• Sky Move Lift
• Slide Lift
• Slow falling platform
• Spine Coaster (Super Mario 3D Land)
• Star Lift
• Stretch Shroom
• Swing
• Tilt Lift
• Transparent Lift
• Triple Swing Lift
• White box
• Wire Net Platform
• Work Elevator
• Zipline lift

Profiles

Rail Lift

Super Mario Bros. 3

• 3DS Virtual Console manual bio: "Travel along rails."

Gallery

Artwork

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  Super Mario 3D Land

Sprites and models

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  Super Mario Bros.

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  Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

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  Super Mario Bros. 3

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  Super Mario World (Pulley Lift)

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  Super Mario All-Stars (Super Mario Bros.)

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  Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Flatbed Ferry)

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  Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Flatbed Ferry)

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  Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Flatbed Ferry)

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  Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Flatbed Ferry)

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  Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Flatbed Ferry)

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  Super Mario 64

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  Super Mario 64

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  Super Mario 64 (Express Elevator)

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  Yoshi's Story (Flatbed Ferry)

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  Yoshi's Story (Flatbed Ferry)

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  Yoshi Topsy-Turvy (Flatbed Ferry)

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  Yoshi Topsy-Turvy (Flatbed Ferry)

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  Yoshi Topsy-Turvy (Flatbed Ferry)

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  Yoshi Topsy-Turvy (Flatbed Ferry)

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  New Super Mario Bros.

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  Super Paper Mario

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  Super Paper Mario

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  Super Mario Galaxy (Spike)

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  Super Mario Maker (Super Mario Bros. 3-style)

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  Super Mario Maker (Super Mario World-style)

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  Super Mario Maker (New Super Mario Bros. U-style)

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  Super Mario Run

Screenshots

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  Donkey Kong

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  Donkey Kong (Game Boy)

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  Mario vs. Donkey Kong

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  Super Mario Galaxy

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  Super Mario Galaxy

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  Super Mario Galaxy

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  Super Mario Galaxy 2

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  Super Mario 3D World

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  Super Mario Odyssey

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  Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Names in other languages

Lift

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	リフト Rifuto	Lift
	エレベーター Erebētā	Elevator (Mario & Wario)
Chinese	升降梯[?] Shēngjiàngtī	Lift
	升降台 (Super Mario Maker 2)[?] Shēngjiàng Tái
Dutch	Platform[?]	Platform
French	Plateforme[?]	Platform
	Ascenseur	Elevator
German	Lift	-
Italian	Ascensore[?]	Elevator
	Piattaforma[?]	Platform
Russian	Платформа[?] Platforma	Platform
Spanish	Ascensor[?]	Elevator
	Elevador

Flatbed Ferry

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	せんリフト[?] Sen Rifuto	Track Lift
	線リフト Sen Rifuto
	レールリフト Rēru Rifuto	Rail Lift (Super Mario Bros. 3)
Korean	줄리프트[?] Jul Ripeuteu	Line Lift
Spanish (NOE)	Transbordador[?]	Ferry