Cargo truck
- This article is about the pickup trucks that typically carry surfboards for racers to drive on in the Mario Kart series. For the car haulers that act as ramps, typically with Dash Panels on them, see Dash panel ramp truck.
In the Mario Kart series, trucks[1] appear as obstacles in urban- or highway-themed courses, driving along the main roads with all of the other traffic. In most games, if the player gets hit by a truck, it will have the same effect as driving over a Banana, causing the player to spin out. There is no way to destroy a truck, but they can be launched into the air by driving into them with a Super Star, Bullet Bill, Chain Chomp or Mega Mushroom, or by throwing a Bowser Shell at them. If a truck is hit by anything, it honks its horn at the player. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, if a truck is lifted into the air, it stops moving, whereas in future games, it continues to move even while in the air.
Two types of trucks appear most commonly across the series: pickup trucks, which often drag along a surfboard that racers can use as a ramp, and cargo trucks[2], which are larger.
History
Mario Kart series
Mario Kart 64
In the Mario Kart series, cargo trucks first appear in Mario Kart 64, where they are only present in the course Toad's Turnpike. The game features a plain grey cargo truck, a flatbed truck carrying white boxes, another flatbed truck carrying planks of wood and a pale turquoise oil tanker. The flatbeds and cargo trucks share the engine sound of Donkey Kong's Kart, and the oil tankers share their engine sound with Wario and Bowser's Karts.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Cargo trucks reappeared in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, where they appear in both Mushroom Bridge and Mushroom City. There are three different cargo trucks in this game. One of the trucks is an Express truck, which has a letter and a parcel on the side alongside a P-Wing, and SMB3 on the number plate, referencing the game in which the P-Wing first appeared. There is also an orange Super Chocolate truck, which has the name styled similarly to the logo of the first Super Mario Bros. game, two 8-bit jumping Mario sprites on the back doors, an 8-bit Koopa Troopa and two 8-bit Goombas on the side and W1-1 on the number plate. There is also a light-green Moo Moo Farm truck, with a Moo Moo depicted on the side, and "1-UP" on the number plate.
Mario Kart DS
Cargo trucks appeared again in Mario Kart DS, where they appeared in Shroom Ridge and the retro course GCN Mushroom Bridge. Two types of trucks appear in this game, one which is blue and apparently transports fruits, and one for the company Fresh. These new cargo trucks replace the old ones from the original Mushroom Bridge.
Mario Kart Wii
Cargo trucks also appeared in Mario Kart Wii, where they only appear in the course Moonview Highway. As well as causing the player to spin out if hit, if the player hits the truck head on they will be flattened and will travel at a lower speed for a short while. There are three different trucks that appear in this course, a blue cow print truck for Moo Moo Dairy, a green building block patterned one for Factory and an orange pineapple patterned one for Coconut Fruit. Their number plates are SMB3, 1UP and W1-1 respectively. These trucks have the same front body and license plates as the trucks from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
Mario Kart 7
Cargo trucks appear in the course Wuhu Loop in Mario Kart 7, however they have a significantly different appearance in this game. The trucks that appear in Mario Kart 7 are three wheeled yellow pick up trucks, and are about the same size as the Cars, much smaller than its appearances in previous games.
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Cargo trucks also appear in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, where they appear in the redesigned retro courses N64 Toad's Turnpike, DS Shroom Ridge, and Tour Berlin Byways, alongside a few other types of truck, including the dash panel ramp truck. The cargo trucks in this game each display a different sponsor, namely Burning DK, Iggy's Glass, Moo Moo Meadows Milk, Propeller Toad Transport, Shell Cup, and Mario Kart 8; however, all of them feature Wario Motors logos on the front. In N64 Toad's Turnpike only, some cargo trucks also include ramps on the roof which can be accessed after using a dash panel ramp truck. The unlockable Stamp for N64 Toad's Turnpike is a cargo truck.
Pickup trucks appear in the same courses listed above. They are absent during Battle Mode in Mario Kart 8. Each of them has a surfboard atop them that they drag along, which functions as a ramp that players can drive up and Jump Boost off of, like with a dash panel ramp truck. A parked truck can also be seen in the background in the outdoor portion of Wii Coconut Mall, though this one cannot be interacted with. The vehicles themselves are purple with Super Marine World, Waluigi Sea Bed, and Cheep Cheep Beach stickers on them, while the surfboards are yellow with a red flame pattern at the end and a Red Shell Strike Equipment sticker on them.
Mario Kart Tour
In Mario Kart Tour, cargo trucks and pickup trucks simply act as walls instead of knocking the player over when driven into. While some trucks are found moving on the road like in previous games, most instances are stationary. Only the moving trucks can be tossed into the air, either by hitting them with a Spiny Shell, a Bowser's Shell, a Super Horn, a Giga Bob-omb, or a Super Bell, or by driving into them while under the effects of a Frenzy, a Super Star, a Mega Mushroom, or a Bullet Bill. When a player takes out a truck, they obtain bonus points.
Moving cargo trucks appear on GCN Mushroom Bridge. Stationary cargo trucks appear on the road in GCN Mushroom Bridge R, GCN Mushroom Bridge R/T, New York Minute T, New York Minute 4T, and Bangkok Rush; they also appear on the sidelines in Tokyo Blur 3, Tokyo Blur 4, New York Minute 3, New York Minute B, Los Angeles Laps, Los Angeles Laps 3, Bangkok Rush, and Bangkok Rush 2, as well as in these courses' R, T, and R/T variants where applicable. They retain their appearances from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Pickup trucks appear on Berlin Byways 3, DS Shroom Ridge, and their variants. As with their Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe appearances, most pickup trucks found on Berlin Byways 3 and the singular truck found in the course's T variant carry a surfboard that acts as a ramp, with one or two additional coins on top of it for drivers to collect. These trucks are orange, and their surfboards are white with two arrow decals near their tip, pointing forward. In Berlin Byways 3 and DS Shroom Ridge, a pink-colored truck carries a Piranha Plant which lunges at racers from a pipe casing. In Berlin Byways 3R, trucks do not have any cargo and drive against racers. Stationary pickup trucks with surfboards appear on Bangkok Rush 3 and DS Shroom Ridge R/T. In the former course, they are used as ramps to reach the roof of parked tuk-tuks. Their design is different from that of the trucks in Berlin Byways 3, and it is closer to their Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe design; the vehicles are pink-colored and the surfboards have a yellow color fading to black with a white flame pattern at the top.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Cargo trucks appear in Roller Coaster Bobsleigh in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, where they function similarly to how they do in the Mario Kart series. If the player hits one, they will spin out and slow down. Stationary trucks also appear as platforms in the side-view segments of the event.
Gallery
Cargo trucks in Toad's Turnpike from Mario Kart 64
Cargo trucks in Toad's Turnpike from Mario Kart 64
A cargo truck in Toad's Turnpike from Mario Kart 64
A cargo truck in Toad's Turnpike from Mario Kart 64
An Express cargo truck from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
A cargo truck in Mushroom City in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
A cargo truck in GCN Mushroom Bridge from Mario Kart DS
Cargo trucks in Moonview Highway from Mario Kart Wii
Cargo trucks in Moonview Highway from Mario Kart Wii
Cargo trucks in Moonview Highway from Mario Kart Wii
Cargo trucks in Moonview Highway from Mario Kart Wii
A cargo truck in Moonview Highway from Mario Kart Wii
Cargo trucks in Moonview Highway from Mario Kart Wii
A cargo truck in Wuhu Loop from Mario Kart 7
A cargo truck in N64 Toad's Turnpike from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Cargo trucks in N64 Toad's Turnpike from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Cargo trucks in N64 Toad's Turnpike from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
A cargo truck in N64 Toad's Turnpike from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Cargo trucks in N64 Toad's Turnpike from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
A cargo truck in N64 Toad's Turnpike from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Cargo trucks in N64 Toad's Turnpike from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
A surfboard truck on N64 Toad's Turnpike in Mario Kart 8
A surfboard truck on N64 Toad's Turnpike in Mario Kart 8
A surfboard truck on N64 Toad's Turnpike in Mario Kart 8
The unlockable cargo truck stamp from Mario Kart 8
A surfboard truck on Berlin Byways 3 in Mario Kart Tour
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | トラック[1] Torakku |
Truck | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 卡车[1] Kǎchē |
Truck | |
| Chinese (traditional) | 卡車[1] Kǎchē |
Truck | |
| French | Camion[1] | Truck | |
| German | Lkw[1] | Truck | |
| Italian | Camion[1] | Truck | |
| Korean | 트럭[1] Teureog |
Truck | |
| Portuguese | caminhão[1] (cargo truck) Caminhão[1] (pickup truck) |
Truck | |
| Spanish | Camión[1] | Truck |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Mario Kart Tour in-game name
- ^ Musa, Alexander (May 30, 2014). "It’s possible to land on top of some cargo trucks and Jump Boost off the ramps at the front of the cargo container." Mario Kart 8 PRIMA Official Game Guide. Page 164. Prima Games. Originally retrieved December 6, 2017 on the Cargo truck article.
