vovat | Cloud Talk

In the first Super Mario Bros. games, a lot of the clouds in the background are simply recolored bushes. There are also the smiling clouds, however, which my brother always said looked like teeth. You can walk on these clouds, and beanstalks lead to hidden treasure troves of coins in the clouds. This is also the game that introduces Lakitu, a turtle who rides on a cloud and tosses Spinies at you, while the whole time the cloud is smiling as if it's just thrilled to be carrying this homicidal maniac around.

Later games not only let you walk on the smiling clouds, but sometimes the softer, fluffier clouds as well. SMB3 not only has the beanstalks to coins in the clouds, but also pink note blocks that can bounce you up to fluffy clouds with even more money. Also, a significant part of World 5 takes place in the sky, in a country ruled by a monarch whom the SMB3 cartoon called Emperor Ed. The game also has an item called Jugem's Cloud, which can be used on the map screen to skip a stage. I'm sure the name caused many English-speaking players to wonder who Jugem was, but it turns out simply to be the Japanese name for Lakitu.

Super Mario World lets you knock a Lakitu off its cloud and ride on it yourself, but like the Pidgits' flying carpets in SMB2, it will only hold you for a few seconds. Maybe there's a weight limit on these things or something. Super Mario RPG brings in another sky kingdom in Nimbus Land, a country inhabited by marshmallow-like people. I have to admit that I've always liked the idea of cities in the clouds, so this aspect of the Mario series has a definite appeal to me.