Item storage

The Item Stock (also referred to as the Item Reserve Box, or Item Storage) is a feature in Super Mario World allowing the Player to keep an additional item in reserve. If Super Mario gathers a Cape Feather, for example, he will turn into Cape Mario and his former Power-Up, the Super Mushroom, will move into the Item Stock (pictured). After taking damage, Cape Mario will turn into Small Mario, and the stocked item will drop down automatically. It will not stop on the ground or platforms, however, so the Player is supposed to collect the stocked item immediately. The player may also make the stocked item drop down whenever he wants pressing , allowing him to constantly change from Cape Mario into Fire Mario and vice versa. The stocked item, when used, will not bring any extra Points, unless it's the Cape Feather, which still brings 1000 points (in the SNES version only). Collecting Super Mushrooms in Super, Cape, or Fire form will always replace the stocked item when collected, regardless of the Item Stock's contents.

The Item Stock was reintroduced in New Super Mario Bros. It is similar to its Super Mario World version. For example, if the player is Super Mario and the player has a Fire Flower in the Item Stock, he or she can tap the item with the and it will automatically appear on the top screen. Unlike in Super Mario World, however, Super Mushrooms won't become stocked unless Mario grabs one while powered-up, or earns one from a Toad House; they also don't replace higher-tiered power-ups in the Item Stock (like the Blue Shell), instead simply giving 1000 points to the player. Dropped items will also act as if they were knocked out of blocks normally. The Item Stock also will not drop its contents unless the player uses it. The Power-Up and Mega Mushroom Toad Houses also give power-ups that go straight to the Item Stock.

It later appears in Super Mario 3D Land, acting in the same manner as in New Super Mario Bros. However, due to the game being a 3D Mario game, the stocked item pops out of Mario/Luigi and falls in front of him.

It was present again in New Super Mario Bros. 2, where it behaved exactly as it did in its predecessor.

It appeared once more in Super Mario 3D World, acting the same as in its handheld predecessor, and now appearing on the near bottom-left corner of both the TV and the GamePad screens. It is used by pressing or tapping it on the GamePad screen. Depending on the number of players present in gameplay, the Item Stock can be capable of holding up to a maximum of four different items.