Invincibility Barrel

An Invincibility Barrel (also called an Exclamation Point Barrel in the manual for Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and an Invincible Barrel in an issue of Nintendo Power ) is a rare type of Barrel that has appeared in the Donkey Kong Country series. These wooden barrels feature an exclamation mark, and instantly break when they are touched. Upon being broken, the barrel grants the Kongs temporary invincibility for a few seconds, similar to the effects of a Star from the Super Mario series. While invincible, the heroes are not only invulnerable, but can also defeat most enemies just by touching them. Invincibility Barrels appear infrequently throughout the games that feature them.

Invincibility Barrels first appear in Donkey Kong Country 2, and later in Donkey Kong Land 2. They also appear in a few levels of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!.