Weapon Balloon

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Artwork of a red Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing Artwork of a blue Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing Artwork of a green Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing

Artwork of a yellow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing Artwork of a rainbow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing

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

A Weapon Balloon,[1] also referred to simply as a balloon,[2][3] is a type of balloon in Diddy Kong Racing and its Nintendo DS remake, Diddy Kong Racing DS. As their name suggests, Weapon Balloons, when touched, 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 the Octopus's and Smokey the Dragon's optional touch challenges, automatically granting a homing missile.

Items

Red - Missiles[4]
Number Weapon (Nintendo 64) Weapon (Nintendo DS)
A sprite of a red Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 1 item from a red Weapon Balloon.
A missile 		Level 1 missile from a red Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
A missile
A sprite of a red Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a red Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 2 item from a red Weapon Balloon.
A homing missile 		Level 2 missile from a red Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
Five missiles
A sprite of a red Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a red Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a red Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 3 item from a red Weapon Balloon.
Ten missiles 		Level 3 missile from a red Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
A homing missile
A sprite of a red Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. + Poweruptoken.png N/A Three missiles circle the racer and launch themselves at nearby opponents.
Blue - Speed boosts[4]
A sprite of a blue Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 1 item from a blue Weapon Balloon.
A speed boost, with an orange blast 		Level 1 boost icon from the blue Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
A speed boost, with an orange blast
A sprite of a blue Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a blue Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 2 item from a blue Weapon Balloon.
A stronger speed boost, with a light blue blast 		Level 2 boost icon from the blue Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
A stronger speed boost, with a light green blast
A sprite of a blue Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a blue Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a blue Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 3 item from a blue Weapon Balloon.
An even stronger speed boost, with a purple blast 		Level 3 boost icon from the blue Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
An even stronger speed boost, with a purple blast
A sprite of a blue Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. + Poweruptoken.png N/A Activates auto-pilot and enables the racer to gain up to three speed boosts from the Touch Screen.
Yellow - Shield[4]
A sprite of a yellow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 1 item from a yellow Weapon Balloon.
A short-lasting shield that protects the user against items. It also spins out other racers. 		Level 1 of a shield from a yellow Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
A short-lasting shield that protects the user against items. It also spins out other racers.
A sprite of a yellow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a yellow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 2 item from a yellow Weapon Balloon.
A longer-lasting shield 		Level 2 of a shield from a yellow Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
A longer-lasting shield
A sprite of a yellow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a yellow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a yellow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 3 item from a yellow Weapon Balloon.
A shield that lasts even longer 		Level 3 of a shield from a yellow Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
A shield that lasts even longer
A sprite of a yellow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. + Poweruptoken.png N/A Makes the racer invisible with a long lasting shield
Green - Dropper[4]
A sprite of a green Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 1 item from a green Weapon Balloon.
An oil spill (Cars and Hovercrafts)
Gas cloud (Planes) 		Level 1 of an oil slick from green Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
An oil spill (Cars and Hovercrafts)
Gas cloud (Planes)
A sprite of a green Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a green Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 2 item from a green Weapon Balloon.
A land mine (Cars and Hovercrafts)
Floating land mine (Planes) 		Level 2 of an oil slick from green Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
A land mine (Cars and Hovercrafts)
Floating land mine (Planes)
A sprite of a green Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a green Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a green Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 3 item from a green Weapon Balloon.
A bubble that traps a racer that rides into it, floats upward, and pops 		Level 3 of an oil slick from green Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
A bubble that traps a racer that rides into it, floats upward, and pops
A sprite of a green Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. + Poweruptoken.png N/A Five fake Silver Coins
Rainbow - Special[4]
A sprite of a rainbow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 1 item from a rainbow Item Balloon.
A weak, yellow magnet that pulls the user towards a nearby racer 		Level 1 of a magnet from a rainbow Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
A weak, yellow magnet that pulls the user towards a nearby racer
A sprite of a rainbow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a rainbow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 2 item from a rainbow Item Balloon.
A stronger, red magnet 		Level 2 of a magnet from a rainbow Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
A stronger, red magnet
A sprite of a rainbow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a rainbow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing.A sprite of a rainbow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. A level 3 item from a rainbow Item Balloon.
A powerful magnet that pulls back opponents to the user 		Level 3 of a magnet from a rainbow Weapon Balloon in Diddy Kong Racing DS
A powerful magnet that pulls back opponents to the user
A sprite of a rainbow Weapon Balloon from Diddy Kong Racing. + Poweruptoken.png N/A A homing missile that the player can choose the target of from the Touch Screen

Gallery

  • Missiles

    Missiles

  • Speed boosts

    Speed boosts

  • Shield

    Shield

  • Dropper

    Dropper

  • Special

    Special

  • Red balloon

    Red balloon

  • Yellow balloon

    Yellow balloon

  • Rainbow balloon

    Rainbow balloon

  • Green balloon

    Green balloon

  • Blue balloon

    Blue balloon

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

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

Merchandise

  • Shield balloon pin alongside a Timber pin

    Shield balloon pin alongside a Timber pin

  • Missile balloon pin alongside a Banjo pin

    Missile balloon pin alongside a Banjo pin

References

  1. ^ Diddy Kong Racing instruction booklet (UK), page 23.
  2. ^ Leung, Jason, Pelland, Scott and Shinoda, Paul. Diddy Kong Racing Player's Guide. Page 11.
  3. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/19981203111637/http://www.dkr.com/dirtytricks.html
  4. ^ a b c d e Diddy Kong Racing enclosed reference card
[Edit]
Diddy Kong Racing / Diddy Kong Racing DS
Playable characters Diddy Kong • Krunch • Drumstick • Bumper • Tiptup • T.T. • Pipsy • Timber • Banjoa • Conkera • Tiny Kongb • Dixie Kongb • Tajb • Wizpigb
Vehicles Car • Plane • Hovercraft
Bosses Tricky • Bluey • Bubbler • Smokey • Wizpig
Worlds Dino Domain • Snowflake Mountain • Sherbet Island • Dragon Forest • Future Fun Land • DK Islandb
Tracks Ancient Lake • Fossil Canyon • Jungle Falls • Hot Top Volcano • Everfrost Peak • Walrus Cove • Snowball Valley • Frosty Village • Whale Bay • Crescent Island • Pirate Lagoon • Treasure Caves • Windmill Plains • Greenwood Village • Boulder Canyon • Haunted Woods • Spacedust Alley • Darkmoon Caverns • Spaceport Alpha • Star City • Thunder Coveb • Meandering Mountb • Splashdown Passb • Strangled Shrineb
Boss tracks Tricky Challenge • Bluey Challenge • Bubbler Challenge • Smokey Challenge • Wizpig's First Strike • Wizpig Strikes Back
Challenge levels Fire Mountain • Icicle Pyramid • Darkwater Beach • Smokey Castle
Items & objects Bananaa • Coinb • Discovery Cardb • Golden Balloon • Power-Up Tokenb • Silver Coin • Taj Tokenb • Tree • T.T. amulet • Weapon Balloon • Wish Key • Wizpig amulet • Zipper
Other Gallery (N64 · DS) • Glitches • Media • Quotes • Timber's Balloon Pop • Trophy Race • Wish Race
a Exclusive to Diddy Kong Racing
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