Red Balloon

Extra Life Balloons (also known as Extra-Life Balloons) are items in Donkey Kong Country and the Donkey Kong series that give the Kongs extra lives.

The Red Balloons are more common than the other two types of Balloons. Balloons are often given out as prizes for completing a task (such as Swanky Kong's quizzes and Bonus Levels) successfully.

The balloons are shown differently depending on the game. In Donkey Kong Country, they had Donkey Kong's face on them. In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, they had Diddy's, and in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, they had Dixie's. The first two Donkey Kong Land games had the same balloon designs as their DKC counterparts; although Donkey Kong Land III (which mainly recycled sprites from Donkey Kong Land 2) features Diddy's face on the balloons, though he doesn't appear in the game. Donkey Kong Country Returns also has a red variety but without the character's face.

In all three Donkey Kong Land games, balloons pop upon being collected, but in the Donkey Kong Country games, they just float to the life counter on the upper right of the screen (upper left in Donkey Kong Country Returns).

Unlike the Donkey Kong Country series, the Donkey Kong Land series only features the red variety of balloons, most likely due to lack of color.

In Donkey Kong Country Returns, whenever Donkey Kong loses a life in single-player mode, he will float back to the start of the level or a checkpoint by riding on a balloon which will pop at that point, showing how lives are actually consumed. In two-player mode, Donkey and Diddy share their extra lives. If either one of them dies, he will float back onscreen in a DK Barrel hanging from a balloon after hitting if the remote is held sideways or  if the Nunchuk is attached to the remote, similar to how characters float around in bubbles in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. If both Kongs die at the same time, or if one dies while the other has been dead, they will return to the start or a checkpoint, although this will cost the duo two lives. Sometimes before selecting a file and if the Kongs are low on balloons, Cranky gives the Kongs extra balloons before their adventure again. If the Kongs jumps on enemies eight times in a row, the Banana Coins they receive, will change to the balloons.

Unlike the original trilogy, Donkey Kong Country Returns only features red balloons, although they can be purchased from Cranky Kong's Shop in groups of one, three and seven. Of note is that three balloons are attached to the roof of the shop; one red, one blue, and one yellow.

Trivia

 * Dixie Kong's Extra Life Balloons from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! are the only ones where the eyes are visibly white, as opposed to colored over like Donkey Kong's and Diddy Kong's Extra Life Balloons from Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, respectively.
 * For the icons with the remaining lives on the upper right hand corner of the game screen in each of the first three games, Donkey Kong's in Donkey Kong Country is shaped like an Extra Life Balloon but in his real colors, and animated; although Diddy Kong's and Dixie Kong's icons in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! respectively are just simply heads and are non-animated.
 * Dixie Kong's Extra Life Balloons lack her hair, though her hair is included on her icon next to the number of remaining lives. This is likely due to the fact that balloons can only have a few parts to them.