Plum
A plum is an oversized fruit that is found throughout the Rayman series. It is purple in colour, and grows at a very fast rate. It can be knocked down from its plant. Plums, along with cages, are some of the very few items that have appeared in all three major Rayman platformers.
In the original Rayman game, plums are used to float through swamps and can also be thrown at Livingstones, making them harmless: then, it will be possible to jump onto them. When the plum is on the ground (where it keeps bouncing), Rayman must hit it with his first to move it, whether he's in front of it or on it (in this case, he'll have to shoot and then to duck so that his fist's comeback hits the fruit he's on). Once in water, it floats in whichever direction Rayman is looking in, allowing him to control it with ease.
In Rayman 2, they're used to travel through rivers of lava but can also be thrown at Gorilla Pirates, who will also become harmless and static. Rayman can move plums by shooting at them if they're in front of him, or by shooting anywhere if he's on it, which will move it in the opposite direction. It's also possible to throw them onto posts, permanently or temporarily (in this case, the goal is to take the plum to a precise place), allowing Rayman to reach places he couldn't. Plums keep bouncing, even on lava.
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Plums also appear in the Game Boy Color adaptation of Rayman 2, in which they are only used to travel through bodies of lava. They are mostly purple, but, notably, they can also be green in this game.
In Rayman 3, plums do not bounce any more, and their sole purpose is to be thrown onto posts to reach high places. It's also possible to carry them, and thus doing so the background music will change until they have been thrown onto a post. Rayman can kick them as well.
They also make an appearance in the Game Boy Advance version of Rayman 3, but only in the level River of Fire, where their only purpose is for Rayman to jump on them and sail them across the lava to progress through the level. They cannot be picked up.
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Plums reappear in the Game Boy Advance version of Rayman Raving Rabbids, where they can be used in a number of ways. They are much larger here; they do not bounce any more, and Rayman can carry them again. He can either throw them against spiky walls to create platforms or in the water to sail through the swamps. Thrown plums can also kill enemies, as can walking into enemies while holding a plum.