Weapon Balloon

Artwork of the five types of Weapon Balloons—red, blue, green, yellow, and rainbow—from Diddy Kong Racing

A Weapon Balloon, also referred to simply as a balloon, is an obtainable item in Diddy Kong Racing and its remake. When touched, Weapon Balloons grant the racers items to attack their opponents or improve the racers' performance. Many Weapon Balloons appear in every course in the game. When touched, the balloons break and disappear for a short amount of time, but they appear soon after for another player to grab.

Weapon Balloons come in five different colors: red, blue, yellow, green, and rainbow, and the type of item given by them depends on their color. For example, green balloons give the player an oil slick, while blue balloons give them a speed boost. When a racer picks up a second balloon of the same color, their item is upgraded. A third balloon of the same color upgrades the item again to its maximum level. Battle stages allow only up to the first upgrade. Most kinds of Weapon Balloons have printed stars on them. While the red, blue and green balloons have yellow stars on them, the yellow balloon has purple stars on it.

If a differently colored Weapon Balloon is hit, its weapon replaces the previous item, downgrading it. In the Nintendo DS version, the Weapon Balloon only breaks without replacing the item. The blue balloons collected once, twice or three times can allow the driver/pilot to speed up with green fire and rainbow smoke if the player lets go of the A button.

In the DS remake, red balloons marked with a large white "H" appear during Bubbler's and Smokey's optional touch challenges, automatically granting a homing missile.

Items

Red - Missiles (aka Patroller Missile)
Number	Weapon (Nintendo 64)	Weapon (Nintendo DS)
	A missile	A missile
	A homing missile	Five missiles
	Ten missiles	A homing missile
+	N/A	Three missiles circle the racer and launch themselves at nearby opponents.
Blue - Speed boosts (aka Boost Vortex)
	A speed boost, with an orange blast	A speed boost, with an orange blast
	A stronger speed boost, with a light blue blast	A stronger speed boost, with a light green blast
	An even stronger speed boost, with a purple blast	An even stronger speed boost, with a purple blast
+	N/A	Activates auto-pilot and enables the racer to gain up to three speed boosts from the Touch Screen.
Green - Dropper (aka Trickster Mine)
	An oil spill (Cars and Hovercrafts) Gas cloud (Planes)	An oil spill (Cars and Hovercrafts) Gas cloud (Planes)
	A land mine (Cars and Hovercrafts) Floating land mine (Planes)	A land mine (Cars and Hovercrafts) Floating land mine (Planes)
	A bubble that traps a racer that rides into it, floats upward, and pops	A bubble that traps a racer that rides into it, floats upward, and pops
+	N/A	Five fake Silver Coins
Yellow - Shield (aka Hide-me Shield)
	A short-lasting shield that protects the user against items. It also spins out other racers.	A short-lasting shield that protects the user against items. It also spins out other racers.
	A longer-lasting shield	A longer-lasting shield
	A shield that lasts even longer	A shield that lasts even longer
+	N/A	Makes the racer invisible with a long lasting shield
Rainbow - Special (aka Magna Missile)
	A weak, yellow magnet that pulls the user towards a nearby racer	A weak, yellow magnet that pulls the user towards a nearby racer
	A stronger, red magnet	A stronger, red magnet
	A powerful magnet that pulls back opponents to the user	A powerful magnet that pulls back opponents to the user
+	N/A	A homing missile that the player can choose the target of from the Touch Screen

Gallery

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  Missiles

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  Speed boosts

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  Shield

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  Dropper

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  Special

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  Red balloon

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  Yellow balloon

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  Rainbow balloon

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  Green balloon

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  Blue balloon

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  Pipsy driving her car while holding red, yellow and blue balloons attached to strings

Merchandise

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  Missile balloon pin alongside a Banjo pin

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  Shield balloon pin alongside a Timber pin

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  Rainbow balloon pin alongside a Conker pin