Golden Balloon

Golden Balloons are shiny balloons that appear in Diddy Kong Racing and its Nintendo DS remake, Diddy Kong Racing DS. These items are the game's equivalent to Power Stars from Super Mario 64. Golden Balloons are required to access all five worlds and their race courses. Each of them has its own minimum requirement for entry, which increases for the later courses and worlds.

The game features 47 Golden Balloons, 43 of which are awarded by Taj for either winning at a race, its Silver Coin Challenge (or Balloon Touch Challenge in the DS version), and the three vehicle races against him, either involving a Car, Hovercraft, or Plane.

Timber's Island locations
The remaining four Golden Balloons are scattered in specific locations of Timber's Island. They can be collected in no specific order, and usually require a specific vehicle to reach. The Plane can reach every Golden Balloon.

Race Courses
The Golden Balloons are needed to unlock the worlds and race courses throughout the game. Unlocking a world automatically unlocks the first course of that world. For courses where two or all three vehicles can be used, vehicles listed in bold print are the mandated vehicle during Adventure Mode and other vehicles can only be used in a Time Trial or after the course is completed. The list of the worlds and their courses and the amount needed to unlock them is listed as follows:

{|class="dktable-brown" style="text-align:center"