Poochy

Poochy (ポチ) is a dog and an ally in the Yoshi series. He first appears in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Not too many Mario players notice that although Poochy is similar to a dog, he has no visible ears or nose, the main assets of any dog. He looks very little like a dog, and even a little like a duck. It should also be noted that Chain Chomp is also similar to a dog, with no dog like qualities except for his leash and his barking. According to the bio provided for him in Tetris Attack, Poochy likes monkeys.

Yoshi's helper
Poochy first shows up in level 1-9 of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island "Extra 1: Poochy Ain't Stupid". After that, he shows up in subsequent levels throughout the game. Poochy is an excitable little dog who looks quite happy to see Yoshi and Baby Mario. Yoshi can hop on Poochy's head and allow Poochy to transport him through whatever section they happen to be in. Controllable in a sense, Poochy will run whatever direction Yoshi faces. By jumping onto higher-up platforms, Yoshi can also make Poochy jump. Riding around on Poochy is preferable because he can walk on surfaces Yoshi can't — spikes, for example — and also because Poochy can plow through many enemies that Yoshi would otherwise have to fight himself. A developer favorite, Poochy even gets his own stage: an unlockable and especially difficult one called "Poochy Ain't Stupid". This is the first secret map of Yoshi's Island. If Yoshi throws an egg at Poochy, the egg will bounce off, land in front of him and he will start playing happily with it.

Poochy shows up again in the sequel, Yoshi's Story. In this game, Poochy appears to be much smaller, but still helps Yoshi by sniffing out hidden items and the right path — notable especially because in any appearance Poochy has made in any game, Nintendo has never depicted him as having a nose.

Poochy was oddly absent from Yoshi's Island DS, the direct sequel to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Other appearances
Poochy appears in Tetris Attack as a character that Yoshi must initially beat in a one-on-one match of the game's panel-flipping puzzles. After Yoshi beats him, the player can select to play as Poochy, though the difference ultimately amounts to cheerful barks as opposed to Yoshi's mutterings. Poochy replaces the earth fairy Thiana from Panel de Pon, the Japanese title that Nintendo remade to create Tetris Attack.

Poochy also appears in Picross NP Vol. 2, the character mode puzzles are based on the game Yoshi's Story, Poochy is one of the puzzles in the game.

In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Poochy makes a cameo in the background decor of the Baby Park racetrack. All of the amusement park rides in the background are themed with characters from the Yoshi games, and Poochy is not exempted.

In Mario Party Advance, Poochy is featured in the Poochy Pal Gaddget.

Early screenshots for the Nintendo 64 title Paper Mario depicted Poochy as a character, but he was cut before the game's final release.