Double Cherry: The power-up that clones Mario

ItemDouble CherrySuper Mario 3D World

A power-up born from a development mistake. Introduced in Super Mario 3D World on Wii U in 2013, the Double Cherry duplicates the hero every time you pick one up. This guide breaks down how the cloning works, the development accident that gave birth to it, the level design of Double Cherry Pass and its much-noticed return on Switch.

Some items in the Mario universe turn the hero into a fireball thrower or a wall-climbing cat. The Double Cherry (Double Cherry ), meanwhile, does something far stranger: it duplicates him. Pick one up and a second Mario appears at once, mirroring your every move. Collect several and you find yourself leading a small squad of perfectly synchronized heroes.

Introduced in Super Mario 3D World on Wii U in 2013, this pink power-up quickly became one of the most memorable things in the game. Its story is all the tastier because it was never meant to exist: the Double Cherry was born from a simple development mistake, spotted by chance and then turned into a stroke of genius. Here is everything you need to know about the item that clones Mario.

Contents

• A cherry that puts you double
• How the cloning works
• A power-up born from a development mistake
• Double Cherry Pass and its level design
• A much-noticed return on Switch
• Quick reference
• FAQ

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A cherry that puts you double

The Double Cherry looks like a pair of bright pink cherries joined at the stem, sitting in plain sight in the levels. Unlike the Super Mushroom or the Fire Flower, it changes neither the size nor the abilities of the character: it creates a double, a perfect clone that pops up right beside you.

And it is not reserved for Mario. In Super Mario 3D World, every playable character can grab one, whether it is Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad or Rosalina. The resulting clone keeps the exact state of the original hero and takes on its appearance. In other words, a Peach who touches a Double Cherry gets a second Peach, not a spare Mario.

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How the cloning works

The idea is as simple as it is tricky to master. Once you have grabbed the Double Cherry, the clone mirrors, exactly and simultaneously, every one of your movements: it runs, jumps and attacks at the same time as you, like a reflection shifted through space. You are holding a single controller, yet steering several characters at once.

• Stacking: each new Double Cherry you pick up adds another clone. You can end up with a small crowd of characters on screen, often up to six in the busiest situations.
• Fragility: a clone vanishes if an enemy hits it, if it falls into a pit or if it lags too far behind. Losing a double shrinks the group by one.
• End of the level: all the clones fade away as soon as the main character reaches the goal flag.

The whole art lies in moving the troop around without dropping a member along the way, because every clone counts when it comes to solving the puzzles.

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A power-up born from a development mistake

The most surprising part of its story is where it came from. The Double Cherry was never designed on paper: it is the fruit of an accident. During the development of Super Mario 3D World, a team member made a mistake with the element placement tool and, without meaning to, inserted two Marios both playable, in the same level.

The game's director, Kenta Motokura, told the story: on seeing this second Mario spring up out of a slip of the hand, the team immediately found the effect brilliant. Rather than fixing the bug, the developers decided to turn it into a full mechanic. That accidental duplication was polished up, dressed in a pink cherry and officially folded into the game. A fine illustration of how sheer chance can become one of the flagship ideas of an entry in the saga.

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Double Cherry Pass and its level design

The item made such an impression on the team that it gave its name to an entire level: Double Cherry Pass (Double Cherry Pass), stage 2-5, tucked into World 2 of Super Mario 3D World. This is where the player discovers the power-up and learns to tame it, across plains carpeted with pink grass.

The cloning is not just a visual gimmick: it shapes a great many puzzles. Since the characters all act at the same time, you can:

• press several switches at once, something impossible with a single hero;
• hold down seesaw platforms or mechanisms that need more than one weight;
• cover several paths at the same time to snag well-hidden green stars.

Managing your little army of clones then becomes the key to tracking down the collectibles and clearing the nastiest sections.

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A much-noticed return on Switch

The Double Cherry did not vanish along with the Wii U. It came back in 2021 in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, the expanded version released on Nintendo Switch. The port carries over the whole of the original adventure, so the item and its famous Double Cherry Pass are all there, with a faster movement speed that makes juggling clones even more frantic.

The power-up has also spread beyond its home game as a nod to fans. The cherry turns up as a decorative emblem in the world of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, proof that this cult fruit has left a lasting mark on the series. From a slip of the hand to an instantly recognizable symbol, the Double Cherry perfectly showcases Nintendo's inventiveness, able to turn a bug into one of its most original power-ups.

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The Double Cherry at a glance

French name	Double cerise
English name	Double Cherry
Japanese name	ダブルチェリー (Daburu Cherī)
Type	Item / duplication power-up
First appearance	Super Mario 3D World (Wii U, 2013)
Related level	Double Cherry Pass (World 2-5)
Effect	Creates a clone that copies your movements
Return	Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch, 2021)

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FAQ

• What does the Double Cherry do in Super Mario 3D World?
  It creates a clone of the character that mirrors its movements exactly and at the same time. Stack several Double Cherries and you get a group of characters all playable simultaneously.
• Was the Double Cherry really born from a bug?
  Yes. A team member made a mistake with the placement tool and dropped two Marios into one level. Director Kenta Motokura and the team liked the effect so much that they turned it into an official power-up.
• How many clones can you have with the Double Cherry?
  Every Double Cherry you pick up adds one clone. Depending on the situation, you can end up with several characters on screen, often up to six in the busiest sections.
• How do you lose a clone?
  A clone disappears if an enemy hits it, if it falls into a pit or if it lags too far behind. All the clones also fade away when the main character reaches the goal flag.
• Which games does the Double Cherry appear in?
  It debuts in Super Mario 3D World (Wii U, 2013) and returns in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch, 2021). The cherry also shows up as a decorative emblem in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

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