Flippers are a recurring object in the Mario franchise. They first appear in Pinball.
Description[]
A pair of flippers are an essential component of any pinball game, as they launch any balls present toward other parts on the board, allowing the character to score. If a ball falls between the flippers, it goes out of the playing field, taking away a chance at the gameplay.
In Pinball / VS. Pinball[]
Flippers are used in scene A and scene B to bounce the ball. The left flipper is controlled using the 
Control Pad, while the right flipper is controlled using 
or 
. The flippers turn invisible if the player earns 100,000 points, but become visible again if they reach 150,000 points.
In Mario Party 5[]
Flippers are used in the 2-vs.-2 minigame Panic Pinball to launch the balls around, with one teammate controlling the left flipper while the other one controls the right flipper. Each player can press 
to move their flipper up and down.
In Mario Pinball Land[]
Flippers are used to bounce Ball Mario around each board, as well as Yoshi Eggs if one is used. The player can press either 
or left on the 
Directional Pad to control the left flipper, and 
or 
to control the right flipper. Like with a regular pinball, Mario's trajectory changes depending on where and how hard the flippers hit him. Mario loses a life if he falls between the flippers at the bottom of the board.
In WarioWare: Move It![]
Flippers appear in the microgame Mario Pinball Land, although in the form of Joy-Cons, not standard flippers like in the original game. The Joy-Con on the left is colored red, while the one on the right is blue. The purpose of the flippers is to launch Mario and two Yoshi Eggs at the boss.
