The Koopa Clown Car is both owned and mainly used by Bowser as a means of transportation. The Koopa Clown Car is depicted with a clown-like smile, with wide, orange lips, and makes use of a propeller on the bottom to fly around. The Koopa Clown Car here is able to blink and show other facial expressions with its eyes, but it is not proven to be sentient. On occasion, the Koopa Clown Car is sometimes used by characters other than Bowser, such as the Koopalings in New Super Mario Bros. 2 or Mario in Super Mario Maker.
Paper Mario has a giant, stone variation of the Koopa Clown Car with several Spiked Balls hanging off of it.
The Koopa Clown Car appears in the final boss fight against Bowser. Whenever Mario or Luigi damages Bowser using Mechakoopas, the Koopa Clown Car becomes angrier and more aggressive. After being hit by Mechakoopas several times, Bowser tries to use the Koopa Clown Car to crush Mario. Bowser also starts to drop Flames from the Koopa Clown Car. After being hit by Mechakoopas six times, Bowser is defeated, and he relinquishes Princess Toadstool from the Koopa Clown Car and flies away in the Koopa Clown Car.
In the intro cutscene, the Koopalings are seen riding in the Koopa Clown Car together, and they use the Koopa Clown Car while kidnapping Princess Peach and escape with her.
Later on, in the corridors of World 6-Bowser's Castle, the Koopalings are using the Koopa Clown Car in the background, following Mario as he progresses through the level. The Koopalings use the Koopa Clown Car's eyes to create a white flashing effect that can turn Mario into stone. Mario can evade the flash by standing behind a pillar when it occurs. At the end of the level, when Mario defeats Bowser in the first half of the battle, the Koopalings arrive in the Koopa Clown Car and use their magic to enlarge Bowser. After this, they and the Clown Car get knocked into the lava when Bowser emerges in a gigantic size.
In the ending credits, the Koopa Clown Car is seen again, where the Koopalings are piloting it while carrying Bowser with by the tail. However, because Bowser's size exceeded the Koopa Clown Car's capacity, the Koopa Clown Car slowly descends before crashing onto the ground offscreen. As a result, the Koopalings and Bowser are seen scattered throughout the trees and floor.
The Koopalings later use the Koopa Clown again in the World Star-Castle, where the Koopa Clown Car is used in the same fashion as before.
Mario or any enemy can ride a Koopa Clown Car, including Bowser and Bowser Jr. themselves. Whenever a Koopa Clown Car is not in use, it bobs up and down in place. When someone rides a Koopa Clown Car, it can be moved around in midair like a Lakitu's Cloud. Because of its size, a Koopa Clown Car moves slower than a Lakitu's Cloud, and there is no limit to how long one can use the Koopa Clown Car. If a Boo is in a Koopa Clown Car, the car closes its eyes whenever Mario looks at it.
If Mario is riding a Koopa Clown Car, he can defeat most enemies by hitting them with its propeller. An enemy cannot hurt Mario while he is in a Koopa Clown Car and only pushes him back. Fire Mario can throw fireballs while inside a Koopa Clown Car, which outputs them as larger fireballs. If a Koopa Clown Car hits against most objects, including another Koopa Clown Car, it bounces against it. If a Koopa Clown Car hits Spikes, it becomes dizzy and uncontrollable for a short while. A Koopa Clown Car is defeated if it is crushed by more than one Bill Blaster or Muncher.
A Koopa Clown Car takes the form of the Junior Clown Car in the New Super Mario Bros. U style, and shaking the Koopa Clown Car transforms it into the Fire Koopa Clown Car.
Koopa Clown Cars, as well as Fire Koopa Clown Cars, make a reappearance, functioning identically as in Super Mario Maker. Although they are non-sentient nor do they act as obstacles, Koopa Clown Cars are under the Enemies category.
In the version 2.0 update, with the addition of Link, if he drops a bomb into a Koopa Clown Car, it displays a sinister expression.
Bowser briefly 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.
During the ending, a Shy Guy is riding the Koopa Clown Car while Bowser and his troops are repairing Bowser Keep, which had been damaged by the Smithy Gang.
The Koopa Clown Car makes a third and final appearance in the credits, in which it emerges from a float made in the likeness of Bowser's Keep when Croco and his flunkies are attempting to loot it. With the Koopa Clown Car, Bowser chases Croco until Booster hijacks the Koopa Clown Car from him.
In the opening, Bowser uses a gigantic, stone version of the Koopa Clown Car to invade Princess Peach's Castle after lifting it into the sky using the Star Rod.
There is also a larger version of the Koopa Clown Car that serves as the final area that Mario and Bowser battle.
After learning about the Crystal Stars and Princess Peach being captured, Bowser uses the Koopa Clown Car to fly away from his castle and to Rogueport. Right before his second trip to Glitzville, Bowser tried to enter the location on his Koopa Clown Car. However, it breaks down in midair, forcing Bowser to swim underwater to get his way out.
When King Olly takes over Princess Peach's Castle, Mario, Bowser, and Olivia escape on the Koopa Clown Car, which is piloted by a Shy Guy. Later on, the Koopa Clown Car is seen in the hangar area of Bowser's Castle, where the Shy Guy tells Mario that he is not allowed to pilot it anymore.
There is an unlockable kart part named the Koopa Clown, which is modeled after the Koopa Clown Car. Actual Koopa Clown Cars appear in the retro Battle Stage, N64 Big Donut, and in the tracks Wuhu Loop and Neo Bowser City, blowing wind above for drivers traveling across while their glider is out.
The glider portion of GBA Ribbon Road features jack-in-the-boxes resembling Koopa Clown Cars, and their box is designed after a ? Block. The Koopa Clown Car in 3DS Neo Bowser City also makes a returning appearance.
Exclusively in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Koopa Clown from Mario Kart 7 returns as a kart body.
In the opening cinematic Bowser uses the Koopa Clown Car, equipped with two Bullet Bill Blasters, to chase down Wario and Waluigi after they accidentally gave Bowser a black eye while golfing.
In Bowser Badlands, Hole 11 takes place on a giant Koopa Clown Car.
Bowletta uses the Koopa Clown Car on two different occasions. After Luigi gains the cure for Mario's Bean Fever, he returns to Little Fungitown, only to encounter Bowletta, who has captured Princess Peach and escapes with her in the Koopa Clown Car. In Joke's End, Bowletta uses the Koopa Clown Car to capture Luigi, whom Bowletta mistook for Princess Peach, as Luigi was disguised as her.
The Koopa Clown Car is used by Baby Bowser a few times. After the four Mario Bros. destroy Swiggler, Bowser Jr. swipes the two Cobalt Star shards while in the Koopa Clown Car and escapes while using it. In the ending, Baby Bowser can be seen in the Koopa Clown Car, returning to his castle with Kamek.
The Koopa Clown Car itself appears in the ending, where Bowser and his minions use it to escape Pi'illo Island. However, the Koopa Clown Car begins to lose altitude as Private Goomp and Sergeant Guy shake it in an attempt to catch the raining coins.
The Koopa Clown Car makes a cameo in the Bowser Jr.'s Journey campaign, where Bowser is seen using it when preparing to leave for Peach's Castle after not being invited to the blorbs conference.
The Koopa Clown Car 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.
Bowser uses his Koopa Clown Car in Superstar Showdown. The battle starts out with just laser gun blasts, and for approximately every four times Bowser is hit with blasts from the Star Rod, he becomes angrier and summons additional weapons, eventually progressing to a full-scale assault, with laser gun blasts and Bullet Bill cannons being fired simultaneously.
Bowser appears in the Koopa Clown Car at the end of a board, where he hosts the second and final boss battle. In the ending, Bowser and Bowser Jr. are seen riding the Koopa Clown Car and Junior Clown Car respectively.
In Yoshi's Tropical Island board, during the Cheep Chomp's Trick event, Bowser arrives on his Koopa Clown Car and hops out to kick the pedestal to the other side as he and Toadette switch positions.
During Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary, there are two occasions when Bowser uses the Koopa Clown Car to escape from the protagonists. Bowser first uses the Koopa Clown Car to escape from Mario, Pit, Yoshi, Link, and Kirby while taking the princess (Peach or Zelda). Later on, he uses it to escape from Falco, after he rescued Fox and Diddy Kong from Bowser.
Breezy Tunnel • Fire Vellumental Cave • Scorching Sandpaper Desert • Scorching Sandpaper East • Scorching Sandpaper Far East • Scorching Sandpaper Far West • Scorching Sandpaper Minor • Scorching Sandpaper West • Shroom City • Sweetpaper Valley • Temple of Shrooms •
• ⋆-Enemy, boss, or stat exclusive to the main game. • ⋆⋆-Enemy, boss, or stat exclusive to Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser. • ⋆⋆⋆-Enemy variants differ in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions.
Midair Stadium • Skyworld • Sea of Clouds • The Jungle • The Plain • The Lake • The Ruined Zoo • The Battlefield Fortress • The Forest • The Research Facility (Part I) • The Lake Shore • The Path to the Ruins • The Cave • The Ruins • The Wilds (Part I) • The Ruined Hall • The Wilds (Part II) • The Swamp • The Research Facility (Part II) • Outside the Ancient Ruins • The Glacial Peak • The Canyon • Battleship Halberd Interior • Battleship Halberd Exterior • Battleship Halberd Bridge • The Subspace Bomb Factory (Part I) • The Subspace Bomb Factory (Part II) • Entrance to Subspace • Subspace (Part I) • Subspace (Part II) • The Great Maze
Other
World of Trophies • Isle of Ancients • Castle Dedede • Subspace