Item of the Week #10

Dark Seraphim · 01-25-2010, 01:43 PM

Kart

First Appearance: Super Mario Kart (SNES, 1992)
Latest Appearance: Mario Kart Wii (Wii, 2008)

The Mario Go-Kart, or just Kart for short, stands as the epicenter of the Mario Kart sub-series in the Mario franchise. First introduced in the Super Nintendo era with Super Mario Kart, the Mario-themed racers have stood for nearly 2 decades as the major mode of recreational transport for the Mushroom Kingdom.

Flying Turtleshells of Death, Theiving Boos, and Nitro-laced Mushrooms aside, the most basic of all items in the Mario Kart series have been the Karts themselves. In the original Mario Kart, the Karts themselves were little more than an extra life system, if you ran out of extra karts you were effectively out of the race. However, as the games progressed, the Karts started to be become more specialized, from humble starts of Light, Medium, and Heavyweight sizes to effect speed, endurance, and acceleration, to becoming even more diverse, having Karts specifically made for improved Drifting, Handling, Off-Road Skill, Mini-turbo, and even Item Rarity.

FUN FACT: (If one doesn't count Donkey Kong Jr. and DK as the same character) Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser, and Toad have been the only 6 characters to be featured in every single incarnation of Mario Kart.

The use of Karts has not even been exclusive to Mario Universe characters, besides similiar games like Diddy Kong Racing, various characters from other franchises have appeared to use Mario Karts, including characters from Donkey Kong Country, Pac-Man, and even R.O.B. from the NES generation. Even the design of the Kart itself has evolved through the years, and instead of a strict Go-Kart design, any vehical in the series with 4 or more wheels seems to fall under the 'Kart' classification, including Dune Buggies, Towncars, Race Cars, Baby Buggies, Trains, Corvettes, Bullet Bills, and even Warp Pipes on Wheels, the only exception to this are two-wheelers, which as of Mario Kart Wii are now classified as 'Bikes' instead of Karts.

ONE MORE FUN FACT: The Kart appears in Nintendo Monopoly, where it replaces Reading Railroad as a purchasable station. It costs $200.

Item of the week #1: Hammer
Item of the week #2: Boo Mushroom
Item of the week #3: Metal Cap
Item of the week #4: Tanooki Suit
Item of the week #5: Ice Flower
Item of the week #6: Thunderbolt
Item of the week #7: Coconut Gun
Item of the week #8: F.L.U.D.D.
Item of the week #9: Bob-omb

01-25-2010, 01:43 PM	#1
Dark Seraphim Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Gender: Posts: 431 Thanks: 4 Thanked 20 Times in 15 Posts	Item of the Week #10 Kart First Appearance: Super Mario Kart (SNES, 1992) Latest Appearance: Mario Kart Wii (Wii, 2008) The Mario Go-Kart, or just Kart for short, stands as the epicenter of the Mario Kart sub-series in the Mario franchise. First introduced in the Super Nintendo era with Super Mario Kart, the Mario-themed racers have stood for nearly 2 decades as the major mode of recreational transport for the Mushroom Kingdom. Flying Turtleshells of Death, Theiving Boos, and Nitro-laced Mushrooms aside, the most basic of all items in the Mario Kart series have been the Karts themselves. In the original Mario Kart, the Karts themselves were little more than an extra life system, if you ran out of extra karts you were effectively out of the race. However, as the games progressed, the Karts started to be become more specialized, from humble starts of Light, Medium, and Heavyweight sizes to effect speed, endurance, and acceleration, to becoming even more diverse, having Karts specifically made for improved Drifting, Handling, Off-Road Skill, Mini-turbo, and even Item Rarity. FUN FACT: (If one doesn't count Donkey Kong Jr. and DK as the same character) Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser, and Toad have been the only 6 characters to be featured in every single incarnation of Mario Kart. The use of Karts has not even been exclusive to Mario Universe characters, besides similiar games like Diddy Kong Racing, various characters from other franchises have appeared to use Mario Karts, including characters from Donkey Kong Country, Pac-Man, and even R.O.B. from the NES generation. Even the design of the Kart itself has evolved through the years, and instead of a strict Go-Kart design, any vehical in the series with 4 or more wheels seems to fall under the 'Kart' classification, including Dune Buggies, Towncars, Race Cars, Baby Buggies, Trains, Corvettes, Bullet Bills, and even Warp Pipes on Wheels, the only exception to this are two-wheelers, which as of Mario Kart Wii are now classified as 'Bikes' instead of Karts. ONE MORE FUN FACT: The Kart appears in Nintendo Monopoly, where it replaces Reading Railroad as a purchasable station. It costs $200. Item of the week #1: Hammer Item of the week #2: Boo Mushroom Item of the week #3: Metal Cap Item of the week #4: Tanooki Suit Item of the week #5: Ice Flower Item of the week #6: Thunderbolt Item of the week #7: Coconut Gun Item of the week #8: F.L.U.D.D. Item of the week #9: Bob-omb Last edited by Dark Seraphim; 01-26-2010 at 09:02 AM.