Carl Box

A Carl Box is a term coined by the Super Mario Maker internet community to describe a situation where a player stands still while trying to assess the layout of the level they've just entered, only to be bombarded by traps/enemies that punish the player for standing still in the first place.

Mainly used to troll the player and make them lose lives, Carl Boxes come in a wide variety of forms, as the game's build assets allow for a great range of tricks to use. Carl Boxes also serve to prevent the player from successfully analyzing the situation, to lead them through purposely erroneous paths in order to lead them into inescapable traps that forces them to relinquish a life, and/or to do the wrong thing due to desperation. Because of the requirements that allow level makers to publish their levels, they have to be solved at least once, so Carl Boxes can be used as part of puzzles meant for the player to solve through quick action.

Carl Boxes were coined by Twitch streamer and Youtuber CarlSagan42, an avid player of Mario Maker and a Super Mario Bros speedrunner, due to his propensity to fall into them while streaming, so they're a self-deprecating term.

It was a damn Carl Box! You piece of sh...!