Giant Banana

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Giant Banana
Giant Banana from Mario Kart Tour.
A Giant Banana from Mario Kart Tour
First appearance Captain N: The Game Master – "Kevin in Videoland" (1989)
Donkey Kong Country (1994, Super Mario franchise)
Latest appearance Mario Kart Tour (2019)
“I can't believe it. You trampled all over Gnawty. Give me that giant banana. I will take care of it for you. Come on, get going. You can't rest yet.”
Cranky Kong, Donkey Kong Country (GBA)

Giant Bananas[1] appear predominantly in the Donkey Kong Country series and the Mario Kart series, both featuring them as larger versions of Banana.

History[edit]

Captain N: The Game Master[edit]

A Giant Banana in Captain N: The Game Master
A giant banana in Captain N: The Game Master

A Giant Banana first appears in the episode "Kevin in Videoland" of Captain N: The Game Master, where the Eggplant Wizard fires the banana bullet out of his Banana Gun and hits Kevin, trapping him in a giant banana peel until he peels out of it himself.

In "The Most Dangerous Game Master", there is an in-universe show titled "Donkey Kong Jones and the Last Banana," a parody of Raiders of the Lost Ark, where a giant banana is discovered by Donkey Kong, who is wearing khaki clothes, in a cavern. However, Donkey Kong steps on a trap button accidentally, and the giant banana begins to roll after him. Donkey Kong jumps off of a cliff and lands in an enormous ice cream sundae, with the giant banana landing on top of it, and Donkey Kong laughs at the pun of "banana split."

Donkey Kong Country series[edit]

Donkey Kong Country[edit]

Giant Banana

In Donkey Kong Country, a Giant Banana is rewarded to Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong after they defeat a world boss. Giant Bananas have a sticker of the Nintendo logo wrapped around them. They also make cameo appearances, such as one appearing near Cranky's Cabin when visited and also in Gang-Plank Galleon. Cranky Kong takes care of any Giant Banana recovered,[2] so no bananas appear in the banana hoard until King K. Rool is defeated.

The Giant Banana had no cosmetic changes in the first remake, other than spinning slowly upon descent. In the second remake, the Giant Banana was made slightly smaller and thinner, and it no longer has the Nintendo logo.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest[edit]

Diddy Kong in Swanky's Bonus Bonanza.
A Giant Banana is in the background of Swanky's Bonus Bonanza in the original Donkey Kong Country 2, but not the remake.

Giant Bananas make background appearances in Swanky's Bonus Bonanza and The Flying Krock in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. For the Flying Krock, only four Giant Bananas appear in artworkMedia:The Flying Krock DKC2 interior art.png and the remake. No Giant Bananas are seen in the Bonus Bonanza in the remake.

Mario Kart series[edit]

Mario Kart: Double Dash!![edit]

The Giant Banana is the special item of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. It is usable by Petey Piranha and King Boo, as with most other special items, but it is not classified as their special item. When a driver touches with the Giant Banana Peel, they spin out, longer than when driving into a regular Banana as well as leaving behind three regular Bananas on the ground. The Giant Banana can be destroyed with a Bob-omb, Chain Chomp, Yoshi's Egg and Bowser's Shell, but it still causes the Bowser's Shell to be deflected. The Giant Banana can be picked up by driving into it while using the Heart.

The Giant Banana is the result of when the developers maximized the value of a normal Banana to see how big it would get. The developers found it amusing enough to turn it into a separate item with its own mechanics.[3][4]

Mario Kart Arcade GP subseries[edit]

The Giant Banana is Donkey Kong's special item in Mario Kart Arcade GP and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, functioning much like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. However, in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, the Giant Banana was made into a regular item that can be dropped only from behind, but it still divides into three regular bananas when slipped over by the player.

Mario Kart Tour[edit]

The Giant Banana reappears in Mario Kart Tour and works the same way. It is the special item of Morton, Donkey Kong, Yellow Toad (Pit Crew), Mario (Sunshine), Rosalina (Chef), White Tanooki Mario, Toad (Tourist), Pink Shy Guy (Ninja), Wiggler, and the Donkey Kong, Yellow, Morton and Wiggler Mii Racing Suits. When Giant Banana+ is used, the chances of getting a Giant Banana is increased, and it will drop more Bananas than usual after being hit, splitting into five Bananas rather than three. Bowser can also use Giant Bananas in Take them out quick! bonus challenges where he appears as the opponent.

Additionally, Banana Barrels+ can sometimes launch Giant Bananas alongside regular Bananas.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat[edit]

Giant Banana Bunches appear in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat at the end of each stage in the Banana Kingdom.

Mario Strikers Charged[edit]

The Giant Banana is an item in Mario Strikers Charged. It slips anyone over from running into it, not unlike Bananas, except the Giant Banana has a larger range, giving it the ability to hit more than one player, and does not split into multiple bananas. The Giant Bananas have the smiling expression of a regular Banana, unlike in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

Profiles[edit]

Mario Kart Tour[edit]

  • Tips & Tricks: Not only does this big banana spin out karts that hit it, but after being struck it breaks into three regular-sized Bananas. The only banana split you'll be sad to see!
  • Mario Kart Tour Twitter: Special item introduction: Giant Banana
    A giant banana that spins out karts that hit it. After being struck it breaks into three regular-sized Bananas, so not only is it hard to avoid, but it leaves behind even more chaos in its wake!
    [5]
  • Driver info: This particularly stern-looking Giant Banana splits into three Bananas when hit.
  • Driver info (Giant Banana+): Boosts your chances to get a Giant Banana. And when you do, it splits into even more bananas!

Gallery[edit]

Artwork[edit]

Screenshots[edit]

Sprites[edit]

Scans[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ジャンボバナナ[?]
Janbo Banana
Jumbo Banana
Chinese (traditional) 巨型香蕉皮[?]
Jùxíng Xiāngjiāopí
Giant Banana Peel
German Megabanane[?] Mega Banana
Italian Banana gigante[?] Giant banana
Korean 자이언트바나나[?]
Jaieonteu Banana
Giant Banana
Portuguese Banana gigante[?] Giant banana
Spanish Plátano gigante[?] Giant banana

References[edit]

  1. ^ 2003. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! instruction manual. Nintendo of America (English). Page 19.
  2. ^ "Give me that giant banana. I will take care of it for you." – Cranky Kong (2003). Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Advance). Kongo Jungle: Nintendo (English).
  3. ^ December 6, 2003. Nintendo DREAM Vol. 102. Page 29.
  4. ^ DidYouKnowGaming? (July 14, 2024). NEW Nintendo GameCube Game Facts Discovered (18:29). YouTube. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  5. ^ mariokarttourEN (September 4, 2019). Post. Twitter. Retrieved March 10, 2020. (Archived September 16, 2019, 06:22:16 UTC via Wayback Machine.)