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 toboggans appear in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble. Donkey Kong Land, Donkey Kong Land 2, and Donkey Kong Land III use the same vehicles as their respective SNES counterparts, and Donkey Kong 64 also uses minecarts (called mine carts), as well as Skull Carts (which carry TNT Barrels) in Creepy Castle. Both Kongs and Kremlings use them, and Kremlings known as Krashes would try to attack Kongs from theirs. In the Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Land games, taking damage in these carts merely costs the player a Kong, as in normal gameplay; Donkey Kong 64 instead has the player lose both health and/or coins when hit.

As mentioned above, mine carts appear in Donkey Kong 64. They can be ridden by Diddy Kong in Jungle Japes, Chunky Kong in Fungi Forest, and Donkey Kong in Creepy Castle. Each cart ride requires the Kongs to collect 50 coins (25 in Creepy Castle) in order to achieve a Golden Banana.

Carts reappear in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast only in the Scorching Canyon course. Toboggans also reappear in various courses. They function the same way as they did in previous Donkey Kong games.

They reappear in Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D in a total of 6 levels: Crazy Cart, Rickety Rails, Grip 'n' Trip, Bombs Away, Prehistoric Path, and Roasting Rails. Unlike in previous games, taking damage even once in a minecart (even with both Kongs active) will cost the player an extra life. While the Kongs would normally jump with their minecart, in Rickety Rails, Grip 'n' Trip, and Roasting Rails, the Kongs jump separately from the minecart. In these levels, the player must time their jumps correctly so the Kongs land back in the minecart - if they fall off, they will fall through the tracks and lose a life. The only way to tell is by looking inside the minecarts: if they are empty, the Kongs are free to ride in them, but if blue crystals are in the carts, then the Kongs will jump off of them.

Carts make another appearance in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, operating much like they did in Donkey Kong Country Returns. However, they can now take up to two hits when the Kongs aren't using any Crash Guards, except in Hard Mode, where taking damage even once will cost the player an extra life. Carts only appear at the levels Trunk Twister, Sawmill Thrill, High Tide Ride, and Rocket Rails.

Club Nintendo
A cart-like vehicle referred to as a lorry appears in the Club Nintendo comic "Mario's Picross". Mario finds the lorry in a pyramid after trying to escape from a Chomp Rock that has been released through a trap door. The plumber jumps into the lorry which immediately begin to move very quickly. Though he can escape from the rock, the rails reach 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 consists of two parts: a "3D" maze-like course collecting speed-boosting mushrooms, and a "2D" portion collecting coins. The goal is to clear the mines in the fastest time possible. This marks their first appearance as a minigame in the Mario series.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, another minecart-themed game appears called Mysterious Mine Carts, 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 franchise 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! and they have yet to make another apperance. 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 in the Floro Caverns. This time they are more alike to a roller coaster than an actual minigame. 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".

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Minecarts appear in Paper Mario: Sticker Star in Bowser's Snow Fort, where they are treated like an amusement ride famous within Shy Guys. These carts are red and have a Shy Guy face marked on the sides. Mario can again jump with them to avoid gaps and collect coins. Some scraps of the rails must be collected via Paperization. The music played while riding minecarts is entitled "Go Go Trolley!", and is a remix of Super Mario 64 theme "Slider".

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.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
In the stage The Great Cave Offensive in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the Minecarts from Kirby Super Star make an appearance. The player can ride in them. The player can also push them out of the way.

Mario Kart series
In Wario's Gold Mine of Mario Kart Wii, which comes back as a retro DLC course in Mario Kart 8, minecarts can be seen going along the mine tracks. These minecarts contain gold and have Wario's emblem on the sides. They act as obstacles in some parts of the course, and any player who hits them will be knocked away. However, in Mario Kart 8, they are actually helpful, since they are hovering on anti-gravity rails, and thus the players can gain Spin Boosts upon colliding with their wheels. Some minecarts can also be seen in Wario Shipyard from Mario Kart 7, where they serve entirely as decoration.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Carts reappear in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker acting similarly to how they appeared in previous games. The player is able to throw turnips from these by aiming with the Wii U GamePad's gyroscope sensor.

Mario Party 10
Taking back the aspects it had in the newest Donkey Kong Country installments, one minecart appears in Mario Party 10 on the Donkey Kong Board. The minecart sweeps up and down on an elliptical railway around a rock. It seems to carry some bananas; it is located north to a small oil drum.

Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge
In Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge, minecarts are useful vehicles that carry Mini Diddy Kong throughout his levels. They are spotted on small platforms, and the character can get a ride from these minecarts if fallen inside. However, they cannot be controlled whatsoever, as they follow the paths they are currently preparing to roll on. It is best the player installs girder platforms above the pits encountered on the paths so that the minecarts can follow their ways undisturbed. They stop only after crashing into a ledge, and respawn on the same small platforms aforesaid. Minecarts borrow the appearance they had in the latter Donkey Kong Country games.