Springboard

The Springboard is an item in the Mario series. It first appeared in Donkey Kong (game) and appeared in most of the platformers since. When bouncing on it in the platformers, you can press the jump button at the right time to jump super high.

Donkey Kong
This game marks the first appearace of the Springboard. It appears on the 75m stage, after 50m. Donkey Kong makes it bounce up and down until it falls off the edge he is standing on. However, once the Springboard falls off, another one is sent. If one of these touch Mario, he will be killed.

Super Mario Series
In Super Mario Bros., the Springboard makes a return with it actually helping him on his adventure. If you pull off a perfect timed jump on it, you can jump much higher. In Super Mario Bros. 2 (The Lost Levels), when you jump on some Springboards, you can stay in the sky for more than 5 seconds. Introduced in Super Mario World, Springboards can be placed in Question Blocks and can be picked up. They also can be placed on their sides, making them really tricky to deal with.