- For the lookalike Item, see Fake Item Box.
The Item Box is the quintessential representation of the Mario Kart (series): They are the unique, rotating boxes or panels which give players various types of Items to secure or take the lead.
Uses[]
Item Boxes give an Item to any player who runs into them. The Item is randomly determined, but players who are generally in lower places will receive more useful Items, such as a Star or Bullet Bill, and players who are in higher places will get Items that do not help as much as those, such as a Green Shell or a Banana. Racers in middle places will receive Items that are in the middle, such as a Mega Mushroom or a Spiny Shell.
In Balloon Battle or Shine Runners for Mario Kart DS, once a player is eliminated, they can still drive around, and they get Item Boxes themselves as Items. They can be thrown out in front of the Kart and even dragged behind it, and they work exactly like regular Item Boxes.
History[]
Super Mario Kart[]
While Item Boxes didn't originate in Super Mario Kart, there were instead blocks called Question Blocks that gave the driver an item when they run over it. Every course in the game has a set of twelve Question Blocks, but two courses have 10 in one set and fifteen in another. Courses such as Ghost Valley 1 and Koopa Beach 1 have Question Blocks set in different locations.
When used, the Question Block turns into a red block with a smiley face and cannot be used for the rest of the race. If every Question Block in a course has been used, all of the Question Blocks reset to their normal state and offer items once more.
Mario Kart 64[]
The Item Box's real first appearance was in the Nintendo 64 game Mario Kart 64. Here, they are octahedron-shaped blocks with a large question mark (?) in the center and have multiple colors. Unlike the Question Blocks, Item Boxes respawn a little after they get used.
It is impossible to tell from a distance if a Fake Item Box is really an Item Box due to their similar appearances, except for a barely noticeable upside-down question mark for the Fake Item Box. There are still question marks in the middle, and the boxes rotate. They must be driven through rather than over.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit[]
The Item Boxes in Mario Kart: Super Circuit take on a different appearance. In this game, they look like cubes that flash in a rainbow of colors. The cube shape in question was carried over to later installments. Most Item Boxes are found in groups of 3, but there are some Item Boxes found in isolated locations, such as Mario Circuit 1. Despite the aesthetic change, the Item Box's function is no different.
In Super Circuit's Single-Pak Mode, the Item Boxes do not rotate due to the limited sprite animations. Instead, they grow and shrink in place.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!![]
The Item Box, while retaining its cube design from Mario Kart: Super Circuit, got a significant visual update in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. They have a checkerboard-like pattern on all of them, much like a race flag. Along with single Item Boxes, there is a new variety called Double Item Boxes, which are two Item Boxes stuck together that give both the front and rear players items. The question marks seen inside the Item Boxes now bounce around while the box in question rotates.
In addition, Item Boxes can also move on their own in this game. Such a case being in Mushroom Bridge and Mushroom City, where the Item Boxes go in the same flow as the traffic, and in Peach Beach and Sherbet Land, where they move to the left and right.
In multiplayer mode, the Item Boxes have a brighter checkerboard texture to make it easier to see them from a distance. In Bob-omb Blast, the question marks inside the item boxes have been replaced with Bob-ombs.
In later Mario Kart games (with the exception of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe), Double Dash!! courses with Double Item Boxes have them replaced with single Item Boxes.
Mario Kart Arcade GP/Mario Kart Arcade GP 2[]
Item Boxes appear in both Mario Kart Arcade GP and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 with the same function as its console appearances. Unlike the console releases, Item Boxes in these games have a honeycomb-like shape instead of cubic.
Mario Kart DS[]
Item Boxes appear once more in Mario Kart DS. While they retain their Double Dash!! appearance, they are more square, have white borders, and are transparent. The question mark inside the Item Boxes now rotate.
In Mario Kart DS's Mission Mode, there are some missions where the objective is to break a certain amount of Item Boxes within the allotted time. They often grant the player Mushrooms to give them a slight boost of speed so they can reach the next row.
Unusually, on DK Pass, there is an Item Box located on a large hill that, regardless of place, will always give a Star, Triple Mushrooms, a single Mushroom, or very rarely, a Red Shell. This is referred to as a "Super Item Box". It also appears in Missions where the player has to cross the finish line first before a certain character or obstacle.
In multiplayer Battle, eliminated players are given an infinite amount of Item Boxes to deploy on the field similarly to a Banana that other players can pick up. If left alone for a while, the item boxes disappear.
Mario Kart Wii[]
The Item Boxes underwent another visual update in Mario Kart Wii, instead appearing like crystalline blocks with rainbow dots surrounding them. As with Double Dash!!, the Item Boxes rotate, but the question marks are static (except in Multiplayer modes).
Unlike the previous iterations, Item Boxes reappear at a slower rate. It is seen in Toad's Factory that the Item Boxes are made out of normal Brick Blocks. When a Crusher lands on a Brick Block, it becomes an Item Box.
The "Super Item Box" concept returns in the Battle stage Chain Chomp Wheel. There is a giant ring in the middle of the stage with floating Item Boxes in the shape of a star. If the player touches them, they will get a Star or, occasionally, a Mushroom.
Mario Kart 7[]
The Item Boxes in Mario Kart 7 reuse most of the same design and purpse as their Mario Kart Wii appearance, but with a rainbow-colored texture that's more tolerable toward the red area. Unlike Mario Kart DS, they do not appear on the touch screen.
While the "Super Item Box" in DK Pass remains the same, the Item Boxes in Luigi Raceway and Koopa Troopa Beach that gave only Spiny Shells have been replaced with a regular Item Box and a Coin respectively.
Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[]
The Item Boxes now have a crystalline grey color instead of a rainbow color and the question mark is larger. The triple items players get from these and the Crazy Eight item, are now activated automatically. The biggest differences between this iteration and Mario Kart 7's version is that players can no longer hold two items at once, and that items appear in the driver's hands. Unlike the previous Mario Kart titles, it has a new sound effect for both obtaining and the item roulette.
On certain tracks, the Item Box has different effects or behaviors. In Animal Crossing, there are Item Boxes held up by balloons after the glider ramp, which can obtained by gliding through the physical Box, or popping the balloon, and the item roulette plays a variant of the music when a profile is loaded or saved; the Item Boxes on Hyrule Circuit play the chest opening jingle when cycling the roulette, and the Item Boxes on Urchin Underpass play the stat slot sound from Splatoon when cycling the roulette.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe brings back the Double Item Boxes from Double Dash!!. Like in said game, players can hold up to two items at once, even if they aren't dragging one, though the second item is held in reserve while the first one is in use.
Gallery[]
