Taj

"I have something special for you!"

- Taj the Genie

Taj the Genie is a large blue elephant who lives on Timber's Island and is, as he says, "the genie of the island."

Diddy Kong Racing
Taj appears during the events of Diddy Kong Racing, where he helps Diddy Kong and his pals in their quest to kick the evil Wizpig out of Timber's Island. In the game, players can race Taj up to three times in the three vehicles; the boat, the car, and the plane. If defeated, Taj awards his opponent with a Golden Balloon. Taj can also change the vehicle being used currently for a different one.

In the original Diddy Kong Racing, he has an Indian accent, and speaks much more often. He was also voiced by Nintendo in the game. When the player summons his attention, he always says "Hello, friend" and asks what the player what they would like to do. In the Nintendo DS remake, he speaks less (he says nothing during the victory cutscene for each track and doesn't appear at all for the Wish Races) and what he says when the player summons his attention changes all of the time. Once the player selects something for him to do, he disappears without asking if he can help any further. He also has a British accent in Diddy Kong Racing DS where he was presumably voiced by Rareware.

It is unknown if Taj was going to appear in Diddy Kong Racing's canceled Game Boy Advance sequel, Diddy Kong Pilot.

Donkey Kong Racing
Taj was to make a reappearance in now apparently canceled Nintendo GameCube game Donkey Kong Racing. Here he was apparently going to be a playable character as he was seen participating in a race with Donkey Kong where the two were racing through a forest-like area on Zingers. He can also be seen on a small red Rambi in the trailer where he can be seen racing Donkey and Diddy on a regular Rambi and a giant Rambi.

Diddy Kong Racing DS
Taj makes a return appearance in Diddy Kong Racing DS as an unlockable racer in this game along with Wizpig, unlike the original. Here, he is unlocked by completing the first Adventure Mode. Taj has high top speed, but low acceleration and turning. He is the fastest character in the game while in a car. He also only helps the player with one thing at a time in this game, unlike the original version, where he asks if he can help any further.

Trivia

 * The first use of the name "Taj" in the Mario franchise actually appeared on Tetris Attack's high score board.
 * A taj (تاج, from the Arabic word for "crown") is a brimless hat worn by people from Muslim countries. However, it may be a reference to the Taj Mahal, a palace in India.
 * An unused music file in the data for Diddy Kong Racing features the player select theme played on Indian instruments. This could mean that Taj was planned to be a playable character at one point in development.