== Concept and description ==
Lakitu is a [[Koopa Troopa|Koopa]] who rides in a cloud and drops creatures called [[...|Spinies]] on the ground. It has a green turtle shell and yellow skin like most Koopas, but is differentiated by a thick pair of glasses. Its [[cloud]] vehicle has a smiling face on it. Lakitus come in several varieties as well. Some Lakitus can be seen coming out of pipes, while others use a fishing pole for a variety of things, such as holding a 1UP or a [[traffic light]]. An early variation of the Lakitu features Lakitu riding a plane. Lakitus frequently also utilize the ability to produce electricity. A variation of the Lakitu is the Fishin' Boo, a ghost that rides a cloud. Mario series creator [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] commented that Lakitu was the game character who represented him best. He described Lakitu as "very free, floating in the air, going anywhere. And that's me, that is."ref The Spinies that it drops are typically red turtles with spikes on their backs that hatch from "Spiny Eggs."
== Appearances ==[[File:Mario-Kart-64-Battle.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Lakitu as seen in [[Mario Kart 64]], signaling the start of a two-player Balloon Battle match with its .]]
Lakitu first appeared in [[Super Mario Bros.]] for the [[...|NES]], where it appears as an enemy that drops Spinies on the player-characters. While it did not make an appearance in the western [[Super Mario Bros. 2]], he did appear in the third game [[Super Mario Bros. 3]], besides being an enemy, its cloud appears as an item called "Jugem's Cloud" that the player-character can use to skip levels. An enemy bearing a resemblance to Lakitu called Roketon appears in [[Super Mario Land]] for the [[Game Boy]], where it uses a plane. In [[Super Mario World]] for the [[Super NES]], its cloud can be stolen by the player-character and used as a flying vehicle for a period of time. Lakitu made an appearance in [[Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2]], where it had several variations, including the first occurrence of an electricity-producing Lakitu. [[Super Mario 64]] features two characters called the "Lakitu Bros." in a friendly capacity, where they act as the [[cameramen]] for the player to control during Mario's adventure. However, Lakitus appear as enemies as well. It would not appear in a primary Mario title afterward until [[New Super Mario Bros.]], which featured a [[video game boss|boss]] encounter with a Lakitu called "Lakithunder." Lakitu also appeared in his very own minigame called "Lakitu Launch," where players throw Spiny Shells at the baskets Lakitu is holding. It appeared in [[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]] in roughly the same capacity as in New Super Mario Bros. Most recently, it appeared in [[Super Mario Galaxy 2]], with a boss encounter called "Giga Lakitu." He also appeared in [[New Super Mario Bros. U]].
