Koopa Clown Car
The Koopa Clown Car (sometimes called the Koopa Clown Copter or Koopa Copter) is Bowser's favored mode of transportation. Despite being called a car, it is a helicopter-like vehicle with a large clown face on the front, which has the ability to change its expression. In Japanese, it is simply called the クッパクラウン (Koopa Clown).
History
Super Mario series
Super Mario World
The first appearance of the Koopa Clown Car was in Super Mario World; in the Valley of Bowser, Bowser can be seen flying around his castle in it.
After making his way through Bowser's Castle and onto the rooftop of it, Mario proceeded to battle Bowser, who rode around in the Koopa Clown Car. Attacking Mario by dropping Big Steelies and Mecha-Koopas on him; Bowser could only be injured by having a jumped-on Mecha Koopa thrown at him when he stuck his head out of the Koopa Clown Car.
After being hit by Mecha-Koopas several times, Bowser will try to use the Koopa Clown Car, whose face grows more sinister and manic, to crush Mario. Bowser will also begin dropping fireballs from the Koopa Clown Car.
After being hit several more times by flung Mecha-Koopas, Bowser and the Koopa Clown Car will finally be beaten. Bowser can be seen over his castle in it. After being beaten, he relinquishes Princess Peach from it and retreats.
The Koopa Clown Car here is able to blink and show other facial expressions with its "eyes."
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Bowser Jr. will get his own version of the Koopa Clown Car. It seems to be smaller to fit the size of the young Koopa prince. The clown face on it is slightly different, as well, having a more innocent-looking expression than Bowser's. Bowser Jr. uses his clown car twice in battle, and the third time he uses his dad's clown car, speculating that maybe after Bowser's final defeat with it, he found it useless. Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad also each get a clown car in this game called the Hero Car, making it the first game in which the hero is allowed to use a Koopa Clown Car
Super Mario World television series
"Send in the Clown"
The Koopa Clown Car appeared in the Super Mario World episode "Send in the Clown." In "Send in the Clown," King Koopa uses the Koopa Clown Car to announce to the cavepeople inhabitants of Dome City that they could go to the "Koopaling Bros. Circus" free of charge. Near the end of the episode, after Mario has destroyed King Koopa's fake circus, an enraged King Koopa, having taken Princess Toadstool hostage, begins to attack Mario in the Koopa Clown Car. Attacking Mario by dropping a Big Steely and Mechkoopas on him, King Koopa and his Koopa Clown Car were defeated when Mario hurled a Mechkoopa at it, causing it to crash.
"Rock TV"
In "Rock TV", a later episode of Super Mario World, a flower pot resembling the Koopa Clown Car can be seen in King Koopa's throne room.
Super Mario Adventures
In the Super Mario Adventures comic, Bowser appears riding in his Koopa Clown Car after Mario and Luigi defeat all the monsters he sent to rampage through Princess Toadstool's Castle. After proceeding to tell Princess Toadstool his plans of marrying her and turning dozens of bystanders to stone, Bowser flees the scene in the Koopa Clown Car, with Princess Toadstool and several dozen Toads after him.
Much later in the comic, after Bowser's wedding to Princess Toadstool is crashed by Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and several hundred Yoshis, Bowser tries to flee in the Koopa Clown Car. Using a rope, Mario manages to lasso the Koopa Clown Car and cause it to crash into Bowser's giant wedding cake, apparently destroying it.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Bowser briefly uses the Koopa Clown Car in the Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. In this game, Bowser uses the Koopa Clown Car to abduct Princess Toadstool from Mario's yard. Bowser then uses the Koopa Clown Car to transport himself and Princess Toadstool to Bowser's Keep.
The Koopa Clown Car is seen again during the ending of the game, with a Shy Guy riding inside while Bowser and his troops are repairing the damage done to the castle by the Smithy Gang. The Koopa Clown Car makes a final appearance during the credits, emerging from a float made in the likeness of Bowser's Keep when Croco and his flunkies are attempting to loot it. Bowser, from within the Koopa Clown Car, gives chase to Croco until Booster hijacks the Koopa Clown Car from him.
Paper Mario series
Paper Mario
At the start of Paper Mario, Bowser uses a gigantic, stone version of the Koopa Clown Car to raise Princess Peach's Castle into the atmosphere. This version of the Koopa Clown Car also had several spiked balls hanging off it; it also makes a cameo appearance in Mario Kart Super Circuit, where it can be seen in the background of the Rainbow Road track.
Also in the beginning of Paper Mario, Bowser uses the regular Koopa Clown Car to invade Star Haven and burst through a window in Princess Peach's Castle. Bowser also uses the Koopa Clown Car to temporarily escape after being beaten in Princess Peach's Castle.
Also of note, the platform used by Bowser to power himself up during his final battle against Mario resembles a long, flat version of the Koopa Clown Car, while several smaller versions of the Koopa Clown Car can be found in the hangar of Bowser's Castle.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
After learning from Kammy Koopa that the X-Nauts have kidnapped Princess Peach, Bowser sets off after the Princess in his Koopa Clown Car.
Later on in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Bowser, after failing to get a ride on the Cheep-Cheep Blimp, uses his Koopa Clown Car to get to Glitzville. Unfortunately, the Koopa Clown Car breaks-down in mid-flight and crashes into the ocean, where Bowser apparently left it.
Super Smash Bros. series
A trophy of the Koopa Clown Car can be obtained in the game Super Smash Bros. Melee. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in the Subspace Emissary, Bowser uses this car twice. The first time it is used, Bowser uses it to escape from Mario, Pit, Yoshi, Link, and Kirby while taking the princess (Princess Peach or Princess Zelda) trophy. It is later used to escape from Falco, Diddy Kong and Fox. After that, it is not seen again. When he uses it, it makes a strange beeping noise resembling the noise that plays when Link gets his health restored in Wind Waker.
Mario Golf series
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
In the introduction cinema of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Bowser uses the Koopa Clown Car, which is equipped with two Bullet Bill Blasters, to chase-down Wario and Waluigi, who have ticked-him off severely. There is also a hole in Bowser's course that take place on the Clown Car.
Mario Party series
The Koopa Clown Car has appeared in several installments of the Mario Party series, most notably in Mario Party 5, Mario Party 6 and Mario Party 7 and Mario Party 8. In Mario Party 8, it is depicted as having thicker lips and a green extension attached to its propeller; in addition to summoning cannons, it also has the ability to open its mouth revealing a laser gun.
Mario & Luigi series
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
After gaining the cure for Mario's Bean Fever, Luigi returns to Little Fungitown, only to encounter Bowletta, who has captured Princess Peach and is rapidly escaping with her in the Koopa Clown Car.
Later in Joke's End, Bowletta uses the Koopa Clown Car to capture Luigi, whom Bowletta believed to be Princess Peach, as Luigi was disguised as the Princess.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
At the end of Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Baby Bowser can be seen returning to his castle with Kamek in the Koopa Clown Car. He also uses it after swiping the two Cobalt Star shards after the Marios and babies destroy Swiggler and he and Kamek get away. Unlike in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the Koopa Clown Car Baby Bowser uses is exactly the same as the one Bowser uses later in life.
Trophy Information from Super Smash Bros. Melee
| Name | Image | Game | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Koopa Clown Car | File:Trophy210.PNG | Super Mario World 8/91 |
Bowser's single-seat, personal airship doesn't exactly handle like a dream, but it wasn't designed to be sporty. The Koopa Clown Car was made to carry Bowser's huge weight, not to mention a logic-defying arsenal of massive bowling balls. In Super Mario World, Mario busted the Koopa Clown Car by pelting it with Mecha Koopas. |
Trivia
- Lemmy Koopa's mech in Yoshi's Safari resembles the Koopa Clown Car, but with robotic legs and cannons attached to it. The face on Lemmy's Koopa Clown Car was also designed with the tongue hanging out of it.
- The Hurricane, one of Bowser's karts from Mario Kart DS resembles a plane version of the Koopa Clown Car.
- Medi Guys from Paper Mario uses a flying transport similar to the Koopa Clown Car, but without propellors and with the figure of a heart instead of the clown face.
- Big Bob-Omb rides in a vehicle similar to the Koopa Clown Car at Bowser's Castle in Mario Super Sluggers, but it has no face and has a different, shallower shape to it.
