Taj

"I have something special for you!"

- Taj the Genie

Taj the Genie is a blue elephant and a genie who lives on Timber's Island. He only appears in Diddy Kong Racing and its Nintendo DS remake, Diddy Kong Racing DS.

Diddy Kong Racing
In Diddy Kong Racing, Taj's role is assisting Diddy Kong and his friends in banishing Wizpig from Timber's Island. At the start of the game, Taj introduces himself to the player, as the "genie of the island". His main purpose is providing the player with a Golden Balloon after winning a challenge for the first time, either a course, a Silver Coin Challenge, or one of his own vehicle challenges. He also provides a T.T. Amulet piece after the player completes a specific world challenge. Taj rides on a red, magic carpet for transportation. He also provides a hint to the player after obtaining the first two Wizpig Amulet pieces, from Tricky and Bluey respectively.

Each of Taj's vehicle races occur later in the adventure. The first challenge involves the player racing him in a Car, then in a Hovercraft and lastly in a Plane.

Taj is always seen walking around a grassy patch in the center of Timber's Island. The player can get his attention by either bumping into him or honking their horn nearby. By getting Taj's attention, he gives two options on a menu: changing the current vehicle on Timber's Island or retrying one of his vehicle challenges.

Diddy Kong Racing DS
Taj also appears in the remake, Diddy Kong Racing DS. Aside from his usual role, Taj also appears as a newly unlockable racer along with Wizpig. He can be unlocked after completing the first Adventure Mode. Taj has maximum top speed, but low acceleration and turning.

Taj originally had an Indian accent, which was changed to British in the remake. Taj also has less dialogue, as he does not talk when introducing himself at the start or while rewarding a Golden Balloon. Originally, from his options menu, Taj would offer to further assist the player after they selected an option. However, in the remake, Taj only allows them to select one option before vanishing. He also hosts the Wishes Menu, which is where the player can purchase unlockable features.

Donkey Kong Racing (cancelled)
Taj was set to reappear in the cancelled Nintendo GameCube title, Donkey Kong Racing. At first, he is shown to be riding on a small red Rambi, then a later segment shows him and Donkey Kong racing on a Zinger through the forest. At the end of the trailer, the slogan "Let's Ride" displays, and Taj flies past it while on a Zinger.

Trivia

 * Taj could have possibly have been inspired from the real world, considering his basis from Indian culture.
 * The first use of the name "Taj" in the Mario franchise actually appeared on Tetris Attack's high score board.
 * A taj (تاج, from the Arabic word for "crown") is a brimless hat worn by people from Muslim countries. However, it may be a reference to the Taj Mahal, a palace in India.
 * An unused music file in the data for Diddy Kong Racing features the player select theme played on Indian instruments. This could mean that Taj was planned to be a playable character at one point in development.

Taj