Mine Cart

Carts, also referred to as Minecarts, are vehicles found in several Donkey Kong and Mario games.

Donkey Kong series
Donkey Kong Country marks the first appearance of Minecarts. They are used as a mode of transportation in several levels. Skull Carts appear in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and a sled like cart in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble. Donkey Kong Land and Donkey Kong Land 2 offer the mine cart, as well as Donkey Kong 64. Both Kongs and Kremlings use them, and Kremlings known as Krashes would try to attack Kongs from theirs.

Carts reappear in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast only in the Scorching Canyon course. They function the same way as used in previous games of the Donkey Kong series.

They reappear in Donkey Kong Country Returns in a total of 6 levels: Crazy Cart, Rickety Rails, Grip 'n' Trip, Bombs Away, Prehistoric Path, and Roasting Rails. While the Kongs would normally jump with their minecart, in Rickety Rails, Grip 'n' Trip, and Roasting Rails, the Kongs can jump off their minecarts.

Club Nintendo
A cart-like vehicle referred to as a lorry appeared in the Club Nintendo comic "Mario's Picross". Mario found the lorry in a pyramid after trying to escape from a Chomp Rock that had been released through a trap door. The plumber jumped into the lorry which immediately began to move very quickly. Though he could escape from the rock, the rails reached a dead end, making Mario crash through the pyramid's wall.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, the Minecarts are featured in Moleville Mines. The track consisted of two parts: a "3D" maze-like course collecting speed-boosting mushrooms, and a "2D" portion collecting coins. The goal was to clear the mines in the fastest time. This marked their first appearance as a mini-game in the Mario series.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, another minecart-themed game appears, in which the brothers split up trying to collecting red and green diamonds while avoiding obstacles all at the same time.

Yoshi's Island DS
Cart were introduced to the Yoshi series in the game, Yoshi's Island DS, though the vehicles appeared in only two levels: High-Speed Cart Race and Quit it Already, Tap-Tap!. When a Yoshi gets on a Cart, it rides the track on its own. Yoshi can jump, but with the momentum of the cart he will always land back in it unless he lands on another platform. A cart is seen in a village hut in Spear Guys' Village Found!, but is blocked off by walls.

Super Paper Mario
As a nod to their Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga appearances, Minecarts are present in Chapter 5-3 of Super Paper Mario. This time they were more alike to a roller coaster than an actual mini-game. One of the Minecarts requires the player to flip into 3-D while riding it to move on through the level. According to The InterNed, the music that plays during the minecart ride is "Truck GO".

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Minecarts also appear in certain levels of the Subspace Emissary in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. To activate them, one must jump inside them. The arrow on it indicates the direction it's moving in.

Mario Kart Wii
In Wario's Gold Mine of Mario Kart Wii, Minecarts can be seen going along the mine tracks. They act as obstacles in some parts of the course, and any player who hits them will be knocked away. These minecarts contain gold and have Wario's emblem on the sides.