Mario Kart 64/Items

Most of the items featured in the original Mario Kart game were recreated in this version and a few new items were also added. Items are gained by driving through a floating question mark block.

Note: The symbol means an item can be thrown forward or backward.

Weapons

These are items that are directly used against other racers to cause them to crash or slow down.

Green Shell	Triple Green Shell	Red Shell
These are fired in a straight line and can bounce off walls. They can be fired either forward or backwards or they can be held behind the kart to defend from other projectiles. They cause an opponent to tumble when hit. They cannot be fired across large gaps, lava or deep water. If a green shell hits a banana skin, a fake item box, or another shell, it will be destroyed. The Green Shell is the only shell in Mario Kart 64 which can be fired backwards.	A bunch of three green shells which, once activated, circle the player's kart to act as a barrier against other weapons. The player can then either fire these shells as normal or choose to use them as a defensive barrier. Unlike the single Green Shell, these shells cannot be thrown backwards. This item is new to Mario Kart 64	Simply put, this is a "homing-missile" version of the green shell. When fired it homes in on the racer in front of the player. It is vulnerable to all the same things as a green shell with the additional weakness that it cannot bounce of walls -- if it hits a wall it will be destroyed. Unlike the Green Shell, a racer who is hit by a Red Shell will go flying in the air. If fired in 1st place, the Red Shell will travel around the center of the track until it hits a racer or item left in its path, and will not lock onto any racer. If fired in 6th, 7th or 8th place, it will also travel around the center of the track, locking onto the racer once it catches up. Sometimes, a Red Shell fired 'on tracks' will accidentally leave the track, which can cause the player to actually shoot themselves with it. A Red Shell can send a racer off the edge of a track, even if it has a small barrier around it. An oddity occurs when a computer controlled racer is hit off-screen -- they will simply stop dead and recover instantly. Racers who are hidden with a Boo are immune to a Red Shell attack, and unlike a Green Shell, a Red Shell will simply disappear when it reaches their position.
Triple Red Shell	Spiny (Blue) Shell	Thunderbolt
A bunch of three red shells which, once activated, circle the player's kart to act as a barrier against other weapons. The player can then either fire these shells as normal or choose to use them as a defensive barrier. This item is new to Mario Kart 64	The most powerful of all the shell items. When fired, the Spiny Shell chases after the racer in first place. It follows the center of the track, crashing through anyone that gets in its way, until it finally crashes into the race leader. It causes the same type of crash as a Red Shell. The Spiny Shell is invulnerable to most kinds of defense or weapon, however it will be destroyed if it is fired into a wall or is blocked by another Spiny Shell. Racers who are invincible with a Starman, hidden by a Boo, or being rescued by Lakitu are not affected by the Spiny Shell; racers who are way off course will not be affected either, until the racer has returned to the track or another racer reaches first place; the Spiny Shell will simply do laps around the track until this happens. This item is new to Mario Kart 64	Possibly the most destructive item in the game, the thunderbolt is available to all racers except the first place driver. However, the farther back from the leader a driver is the higher chance of a lightning bolt there is. The Thunderbolt causes all other racers to skid then they become tiny -- and much slower -- for a few seconds. This is very handy for catching up with other racers. Tiny racers can also be "squashed" by normal sized racers or even collisions with other shrunken racers, causing them to stop dead in their tracks until they recover to full size. Racers who are invincible with a Starman, hidden by a Boo, or being rescued by Lakitu are not affected by the Thunderbolt.

Traps

These are items that are primarily dropped on the track in order to make a competitor crash into them.

Banana Peel	Bunch of Banana Peels	Fake Item Box
Sits on the track and causes any kart that drives over it to skid. They can either be dropped behind the kart or fired forwards. Bananas can also be held behind the kart to provide defense from shells. A Banana is most dangerous on tight corners without edges, as well as near jumps, as spinning out negates the use of a speed strip (such as on Royal Raceway). A computer controlled racer will stop dead and spin on the spot when hitting a Banana, whereas a human player will usually continue sliding in the same direction while spinning out; spinning out can also be avoided by braking if the Banana is hit head on (without turning).	A bunch of five Banana Peels which trail behind the kart. They can be dropped or fired in the normal way, or they can just be left trailing behind the kart to provide defense from shells. These trailing peels will also cause other racers to skid if they drive into them. If a Banana String is hit by another kart or item, all bananas will be dropped at the same time. Unlike other items, when deployed, the Banana String will trail behind the kart without needing to hold down the fire button. This item is new to Mario Kart 64	Similar to Banana Peels, in that they can be dropped or held behind the kart, however they cannot be tossed forward. They look identical to a normal item box except the question mark logo is upside down. When a racer hits one of these they will be crash similar to the effect of a Red Shell. Like Bananas and Shells, they provide protection from green and red shell attacks, as well as any kart who gets too close (provided they aren't invincible). Fake Item Boxes are most dangerous when dropped in amongst normal item boxes. This item is new to Mario Kart 64

Power-ups

These are items that affect the user in some way (e.g., increasing kart speed).

Mushroom	Triple Mushroom	Super (Golden) Mushroom
Gives the user a brief boost of speed when used. Useful for performing shortcuts and recovering from attacks.	A bunch of three mushrooms allowing the user three separate short speed boosts.	Gives the user unlimited speed boosts for a set period of time.
Starman	Boo
Causes the user to become invincible in classic Super Mario Bros. style (i.e. flashing with the invincibility music playing) for a few seconds. It also causes the player's kart to be faster and handle slightly better, with no speed loss when driving off-course. The only thing that can harm an invincible kart is deep water, crashing into the side of a wall, or being picked up by Lakitu. While invincible, a player can also drive through hazards like Thwomps and pipes and will cause any racer that touches them to crash. Being hit by an invincible racer has the same effect of a Red Shell.	Makes the user invisible to other players and invulnerable to weapons for a short time. In Grand Prix mode, using a Boo will randomly generate an item, relative of the position the racer is in; sometimes it will generate nothing at all. In Vs. and Battle modes, using a Boo will steal an item from a nearby racer. Boo can be used tactically in multiplayer games.