Floater

Not to be confused with Flutter or Flopter.

Floater
Artwork from Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
First appearance	Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994)

Floaters are rare floating creatures that appear in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. They are robotic, statue-like beings that Wario can ride. They move in the direction the arrow in their head is pointing, and Wario can control the direction in which they go by jumping and landing back on top of them, similar to the Directional Lifts with exclamation marks in Super Mario Bros. 3. They are only found in two courses of the game: Course No.11 and Course No.17. If Wario falls off of the Floater, he may fall into a pit and lose a life.

Floaters' design appears to be inspired by the Japanese dogū sculptures of the Jōmon period. These ancient sculptures share the same lidded eyes and general shape as Floaters, and are often referenced in Japanese pop culture — including video games.

Profiles

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3

• Instruction booklet description:
  • English:
    Wario can ride this creature in the air. The arrow on its ball shows the direction that it will float. A knock on the head will change its direction.
  • Italian:
    Wario potrà cavalcare questa creatura in aria. La freccia che compare sulla sua palla indica la direzione verso la quale si sposterà. Gli si potrà far cambiare tale direzione dando a questa creatura un colpo sulla testa.

• Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console manual description:
  • English:
    Floaters are not enemies, but that doesn't stop Wario! You can ride this creature through the air. The arrow on its ball shows the direction it will fly. Give it a knock on the head to change the direction.
  • Japanese:
    ハニハニは敵ではなく、ワリオの移動を手助けしてくれます。その場で浮遊していて、頭の上に乗ってジャンプすると、進行方向を変えることができます。進行方向は、ハニハニの持っている玉に矢印で表示されます。
    (Translation: Floater is not an enemy, but helps Wario navigate. It floats in place and can change its direction of travel if you jump on top of its head. The direction of travel is indicated by an arrow on the ball that Floater is holding.)
  • Italian:
    Questi esseri volanti non sono nemici, ma questo non significa che Wario non possa interagirvi! Sfruttali per spostarti in volo da un luogo all'altro. La freccia sulla sfera indica la direzione di volo: per cambiarla, colpisce questa creatura sulla testa.

Gallery

• 

  Sprite from Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3

• 

  A Floater as depicted in the Kodansha manga

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ハニハニ Hanihani	Probably from a partial repetition of「埴輪」(haniwa)
German	Floater[?]	-
Italian	Galleggiante	Floating
	Fluttuatore	Floater