Fake Item Box

A Fake Item Box is an item found in the Mario Kart series. They resemble regular Item Boxes, but will cause a vehicle to roll on contact. They usually have an ¿ instead of an ? in Mario Kart 64 but the occasional ones are red or do not have ? at all. Nevertheless, they still release the same effect if the player happens to stumble upon one.

Fake Item Boxes are different than Bananas and Shells in that other items can go through the Fake Item Boxes. This makes Fake Item Boxes useless for protection of the rear of a Kart, as they will not block incoming attacks. However, Fake Item Boxes do block incoming attacks in Mario Kart 64, but the player can not throw that item forward; in all the other games, the player can throw the Fake Item Box forward or backward.

Mario Kart 64
The Fake Item Box's first appearance was Mario Kart 64 along with the item block. They appear similar to regular item boxes; however, the fakes have an ¿ instead of a ? inside them. They will cause the player to fly up in the air, more similar to the effect of a Red Shell rather than a Green Shell. They can also be used as shields against other shells, since they will take the hit of a shell, leaving the player protected. However, the player can not throw the Fake Item Box forward. If placed in an area with no safe ground below, the Fake Item Box will float in the air; this is the only game where it acts like this.

Mario Kart Double Dash!!
Fake item boxes were absent in Mario Kart Super Circuit, but they returned in Mario Kart Double Dash!!. Here, not only do they have a ¿ symbol, but are also red, making them more obvious than the ones in Mario Kart 64. They cannot be used to defend against shells as the shells would pass through them. They can, however, be thrown forward. They tend to bounce more than bananas. They are one of the few items a Chain Chomp cannot destroy, as it also passes through the box.

Mario Kart DS
The Fake Item Box's next appearance was in the next game in the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart DS. They have a new set of difference from a real Item Box: they lack a "?" sign entirely, they do not spin around, and they show up as red in the bottom screen's map. Their overall behaviour is much the same as the previous game, though they do not bounce when thrown. Some missions require the player to run through real Item Boxes, but avoid Fake Item Boxes.

Mario Kart Wii
The Fake Item Boxes returned to their original look from Mario Kart Double Dash!! in Mario Kart Wii, with a slight texture change to match the look of the real ones. While they still have a ¿ sign inside, they can hide their red colour at a distance - only on approaching do they turn red. Fake Item Boxes become blue instead if they belong to the blue team in team play. If a team hits their own Fake Item Box, it will vanish without causing any damage.

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2
Strangely, fake item boxes don't make an appearance in Mario Kart Arcade GP. Rather, they appear in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. They look exactly like regular item boxes, except they have a ¿ symbol rather than a ? symbol. This makes them similar to the Mario Kart 64 appearance.

Gallery
''