Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge

English logo

Promotional artwork

“Hey MARIO! I challenge you to a RACE! Come to my castle! and DON'T CHICKEN OUT! GWAHAHA”

—Bowser

Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, known as Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge in Japan and simply referred to as Mario Kart in the Universal Studios apps, is an interactive dark ride in all Super Nintendo World locations. It is based on the Mario Kart series and has guests race as Team Mario through a course designed by Bowser, competing against Team Bowser. The ride makes use of augmented reality, as guests are equipped with AR headsets with Mario Caps which allow them to launch shells at obstacles and score points. The ride has a historical average wait time of 92 minutes in Universal Studios Japan, 58 minutes in Universal Studios Hollywood, and 82 minutes in Universal Epic Universe.

Location

The ride's entrance at Universal Studios Hollywood (left)
and Universal Studios Japan (right)

Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge is located inside Bowser's Castle in all three Super Nintendo World locations. In Universal Studios Japan and Universal Epic Universe, the ride's entrance is located on the castle itself, in the upper section of the area, to the left of Peach's Castle. In Universal Studios Hollywood, the castle is located behind Toadstool Cafe, but the ride's entrance is located on a pipe at the base of Mt. Beanpole. The attraction's exit connects directly to the Mario Motors store next to it in Universal Studios Japan and Universal Epic Universe. In Universal Studios Hollywood, it instead leads into the 1-Up Factory shop.

Ride queue

The Bowser statue at Universal Studios Japan

Universal Studios Japan / Universal Epic Universe

The ride queues in the Universal Studios Japan and Universal Epic Universe are almost entirely the same. The queue starts at the entrance to Bowser's Castle, featuring stairs leading up to a large Bowser Statue. The "Castle Theme" from New Super Mario Bros. Wii plays in this area. The following hall features displays of the original eight cups from Mario Kart 8. There is also a large display of the Golden Cup, which is designed after the Universal logo. "Castle BGM" from Super Mario World and "A Boss Approaches" from Super Mario 3D World play here. Bowser's challenge letter can be seen on a wall, reading:

Universal Epic Universe

Hey MARIO! I challenge you to a RACE! Come to my castle! and DON'T CHICKEN OUT! GWAHAHA

Universal Studios Japan

よく聞け、マリオ！わがはいの城に来い！カートでしょうぶだ！待っているぞ、逃げるなよ！ガーッハッハッハ
Yoku kike, Mario! Wagahai no shiro ni koi! Kāto de shōbu da! Matteiru zo, nigeru na yo! Gāhhahhahha
Listen up, Mario! Come to my castle! It's a kart contest! I'll be waiting; don't run away! Gahahaha

Bowser's library at Universal Studios Japan

The queue then goes through two storage rooms adorned with various Mario Kart–themed banners, signs and a Mario Kart TV broadcasting room, with "Neo Bowser City" from Mario Kart 7 playing in the area. It then follows into a cluttered library, winding through bookshelves decorated with books containing various references to the Super Mario franchise in both Japanese and English at Universal Studios Japan and in English at Universal Epic Universe. The walls are lined with blueprints for common enemies and obstacles such as Thwomps and airships. A table containing a diorama of a race course and miniature drivers, along with various sketches and boards, illustrate Bowser's plan. A few screens disguised by the furniture are used to add animated details, such as a Boo hidding in a painting and Lava Bubbles jumping in a fireplace. A throne for Bowser, decorated with pictures of Peach, is seen at the end. "Waltz of the Boos" from Super Mario Galaxy plays here.

The following area consists of an assembly room of Bullet Bills, Bob-ombs and Mechakoopas. The center of the room is taken up by a large furnace with glowing coal, while the sides are lined with props of these enemies and screens depicting their assembly. Guests are given their AR headsets in this room. The following rooms feature various shelves containing Mii Racing Suits of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi and Toad. In these rooms, guests are briefed by Lakitu via various television screens, providing a tutorial for the attraction's interactive elements, demonstrated by on-screen Miis. Here guests also join Team Mario (alongside Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Toad, and Yoshi) against Team Bowser (Bowser and the Koopalings). "Mario Kart TV" from Mario Kart 8 plays in the first briefing room and "Electrodrome" from the same game plays in the second briefing room.

Guests then go through a short hallway leading down to the loading area, where they can board karts on two different tracks. An arrangement of "Bowser's Castle" from Mario Kart Wii plays in this hallway, and an arrangement of the main menu theme from Mario Kart Wii plays in the loading area.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Due to the attraction's entrance being located further away from the entrance to Bowser's Castle, the Universal Studios Hollywood version of the ride's queue begins with an underground section based on the Yoshi franchise before entering Bowser's Castle. This is likely due to the lack of the Yoshi's Adventure attraction in the land compared to the other Super Nintendo World locations. The passage leads to the outside of Bowser's Castle, where the ride's normal queue begins. "Bowser's Lava Lake Keep" from Super Mario 3D World plays here. The inside of Bowser's Castle is reduced in size from its Universal Studios Japan iteration. There are no stairs leading up to the Bowser statue and the rooms following it are missing, with the statue leading directly into the library section. Bowser's message features the same text as in Universal Epic Universe. The cup trophies are arranged differently, now also in the same room. The library and the following assembly rooms are smaller, but feature the same decorations. The briefing and loading rooms are also similar to the ones in Universal Studio Japan.

Gameplay

View of the ride with the AR graphics overlaid on the scenery

The ride begins with guests being seated in pairs of vehicles designed after the Standard Karts from Mario Kart 8, with a steering wheel included with each seat. The ride lasts for approximately five minutes, and each kart can hold up to four people (two rows of two seats). Guests interact with the ride primarily via their AR headsets. Through them, they can aim at obstacles by looking at them, and fire shells color-coded to each of the four riders by pressing a button on their steering wheel. Guests win Coins by hitting enemies on the track and members of Team Bowser, but do not gain or lose coins if they hit a member of Team Mario. The number of shells that can be fired is limited and more can be collected by hitting Item Boxes. Guests can also use their steering wheels to simulate steering and collect coins on the track. If any of the four guests in the kart scores more than a hundred coins, Team Mario wins the race. If a guest has a Power-Up Band, they can tap it on their steering wheel to track their score on their app, allowing them to collect stamps, compete with friends and have their score displayed on leadersboards across the parks and in the app. If the guest holds the trigger button when the number 2 appears in the countdown (similar to a Rocket Start), they get five extra coins.

Layout

View of the room with Piranha Plants, without additional graphics

The layout of the ride itself is identical between all locations. The ride is composed of parallel tracks (commonly known as a dual track ride) which follow similar paths through various environments modeled after several courses from Mario Kart 8. While most of the scenery is real, most enemies and visual effects only appear on guests' AR headsets. The few enemies that appear as practical effects include a Chain Chomp that moves and barks, a Thwomp that drops down with an animated projection for its face, and few Piranha Plants that move their mouths.

The starting area resembles Bowser's Castle and seems to lead into a section resembling Royal Raceway before it is blocked and the karts are forced onto an alternate path with Bowser Statues attacking them. The next section resembles Piranha Plant Slide and features a Chain Chomp, a Thwomp, Goombas, Spike Tops, and Piranha Plants as enemies. Mario Circuit from Mario Kart: Super Circuit is briefly seen through a pipe, but is quickly blocked by a Fuzzy Horde. Karts then pass through an underwater section resembling Dolphin Shoals, with Cheep Cheeps, Clampies, Urchins, Fish Bones, Jellybeams, and a giant Maw-Ray. The following section is based on Twisted Mansion, where King Boo, Boos, and Magikoopas appear as enemies. Paintings of Thwomp Ruins, Dry Dry Desert, Music Park, and Royal Raceway can be seen on the wall, with a Pokey being summoned from Dry Dry Desert's. The karts then fly through a sky section based on Cloudtop Cruise, where Koopa Paratroopas and Ty-foos appear. The following section resembles Grumble Volcano, with the karts being assailed by Bull's-Eye Bills fired from an airship commanded by Boom Boom and Pom Pom. Lava Bowser appears at the end of this section, acting as a final boss and allowing guests to score multiple points on it. Guests then collect a Super Star and are transported to an area resembling Rainbow Road from Mario Kart 64 before being finally transported back to Bowser's Castle, ending the race.

The ride concludes by showing the winners on a podium in front of the castle. Either Team Mario or Team Bowser can win the race. The final scores are then tallied and displayed at the conclusion of the ride, with the top score of each vehicle being highlighted.

Music

In the attraction itself, "Luigi Raceway" from Mario Kart 64, "Piranha Plant Slide" from Mario Kart 7, "Bowser's Castle", "Dolphin Shoals (Underwater)", "Twisted Mansion" and "Cloudtop Cruise" from Mario Kart 8, and "Rainbow Road" from Mario Kart 64 play in their respective areas, while "Mario Kart Stadium" from Mario Kart 8 plays at the finish line. The "Super Star" theme from Mario Kart Wii also briefly plays during the transition to the Rainbow Road segment.

List of stamps

Main article: List of Super Nintendo World stamps

The following stamps can be won in Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, if a guest has scanned their Power-Up Band at the start of the ride:

Icon	Name	Requirement	Repeatable	Coins Earned
	Golden Cup	Take a ride on Mario Kart.	No	65
	Start Coin Bonus	Get the Start Coin bonus at the starting line in Mario Kart.	Yes	65
	Mario Karter	Ride Mario Kart 2 times.	No	55
	Super Mario Karter	Ride Mario Kart 5 times.	No	55
	Expert Shooter	Land 3 consecutive hits on enemies.	Yes	15
	Sharp Shooter	Land 10 consecutive hits on enemies.	Yes	35
	On the Mark	Land 20 consecutive hits on enemies.	Yes	65
	Super Mario Pro	Get to the finish line without hitting any Team Mario racers.	Yes	100
	Bye-Bye, Bowser	Hit Bowser and all the Koopalings in a single race on Mario Kart.	Yes	125
	Bowser Bruiser	Hit Bowser with a shell 10 times total on Mario Kart.	No	65
	Bowser Buster	Hit Bowser with a shell 25 times total on Mario Kart.	No	100
	Boo Who?	Defeat 5 Boos on Mario Kart.	No	25
	Koopa Krunch	Defeat 5 Koopa Paratroopas on Mario Kart.	No	25
	Secret Block 1	Find and hit the secret block in the area where the Piranha Plants are.	No	45
	Secret Block 2	Find and hit the secret block in the underwater area where the Cheep Cheeps are.	No	45
	Secret Block 3	Find and hit the secret block in the area near the school of Fish Bones.	No	45
	Secret Block 4	Find and hit the secret block inside the haunted mansion where the Boos are.	No	45
	Secret Block 5	Find and hit the secret block in the clouds where the Koopa Paratroopas are.	No	45
	Secret Block 6	Find and hit the secret block hidden in the volcanic area where Lava Bowser appears.	No	45
	Secret Block Collector	Find and hit all of the secret blocks.	No	125
	Mega Fish Bone	Hit Mega Fish Bone with a shell 20 times on Mario Kart.	No	100
	Cheep Shot	Defeat 5 Cheep Cheeps on Mario Kart.	No	25
	Lava Bowser	Hit Lava Bowser with a shell 20 times on Mario Kart.	No	100
	Drifter	Successfully drift and achieve the maximum number of coins for three turns in a row.	Yes	15
	Drift Apprentice	Successfully drift each turn in the ride.	Yes	45
	Drift Master	Successfully drift each turn in the ride and get the maximum number of coins on each one.	Yes	45
	Place in the Race	Finished in... not exactly first place in your race in Mario Kart.	No	25
	Pocket Change	Collect 75 or more coins in a single ride on Mario Kart.	Yes	25
	Perfectionist	Collect 150 or more coins in a single ride on Mario Kart.	Yes	65
	Coin Keeper	Collect 500 coins total on Mario Kart.	No	100
	Coin Master	Collect 1,000 coins in total on Mario Kart.	No	150
	First Place	Finish in 1st place on Mario Kart.	No	100
	Top Kart	Get the highest individual coin score in your kart in Mario Kart.	Yes	250
	Top Racer	Get the highest individual coin score between the two Mario Karts in the race.	Yes	65
	Trophy Hunter	Finish in 1st place 2 times on Mario Kart.	No	125
	Pro Racer	Finish in 1st place 5 times on Mario Kart.	No	150

Gallery

• 

  Promotional artwork for Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge

• 

  Promotional artwork for Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge

Universal Studios Japan

• 

  Japanese logo

• 

  The cup trophies

• 

  The Golden Cup trophy

• 

  A hallway in the queue

Universal Studios Hollywood

• 

  The Bowser Statue at the entrance to Bowser's Castle

• 

  Team Bowser's rules and starting grid

• 

  The Mii Racing Suits at the end of the queue

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	マリオカート ～クッパの挑戦状～ Mario Kāto ~Kuppa no Chōsenjō~	Mario Kart ~Bowser's Written Challenge~
Chinese (Simplified)	马力欧卡丁车 ～酷霸王的挑战书～ Mǎlì'ōu Kǎdīngchē ~Kùbàwáng de Tiǎozhànshū~ (Mandarin) Máhleih'āu Kādīngchē ~Houhbawòhng dīk Tīujinsyū~ (Cantonese)	Mario Kart ~Bowser's Written Challenge~	Universal Studios Japan
	马力欧卡丁车：酷霸王的挑战 Mǎlì'ōu Kǎdīngchē: Kùbàwáng de Tiǎozhàn (Mandarin) Máhleih'āu Kādīngchē: Houhbawòhng dīk Tīujin (Cantonese)	Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge	Universal Studios Hollywood
Chinese (Traditional)	瑪利歐賽車 ～庫巴的挑戰書～ Mǎlì'ōu Sàichē ~Kùbā de Tiǎozhànshū~ (Mandarin) Máhleih'āu Kādīngchē ~Houhbawòhng dīk Tīujinsyū~ (Cantonese)	Mario Kart ~Bowser's Written Challenge~
Korean	마리오 카트: 쿠파의 도전장 Mario Kateu: Kupa-ui Dojeonjang	Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge
Portuguese	Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge	-
Spanish	Mario Kart: El desafío de Bowser	Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge

External links

• Universal Studios Japan ride details
• Universal Studios Hollywood ride details
• Universal Epic Universe ride details