Lakitu (pronounced /ˈlækɨtuː/), known in Japan as Jugem (ジュゲム, Jugemu?), is a video game creature in the Mario franchise. It was created by Shigeru Miyamoto. It first appeared in the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game Super Mario Bros., where it dropped enemies called Spinies on the stage. It has a striped green shell, wears thick glasses, and rides around in a smiling cloud. It has since appeared in several main Mario titles since, as well as Mario spin-off titles, notably the Mario Kart series where it acts as the referee, signaling the start of the race and battle for the drivers. He has appeared in non-Mario titles, including the Super Smash Bros. series, specifically Super Smash Bros. Brawl. His most recent appearance in the main Mario franchise was in New Super Mario Bros. 2.
Since appearing in Super Mario Bros., Lakitu has received somewhat positive reception. It has appeared in the form of several kinds of merchandise, including on t-shirts, stickers, and a dry erase board. While he has been regarded as one of the best Mario villains by GameDaily, he has been decried by several editors for being a troublesome enemy, including 1UP.com editor Jeremy Parish and G4TV editor Andrew Pfister.
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