Tag Barrel

Tag Barrel
First appearance	Donkey Kong 64 (1999)

“I'll just go and wait in the Tag Barrel until you need me.”

—Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong 64

Tag Barrels are objects in Donkey Kong 64. These barrels are used by the player character to toggle between which Kong is their current player character, being either Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Lanky Kong, Tiny Kong, or Chunky Kong. Tag Barrels depict the heads of all five aforementioned Kongs on the side, though any Kongs that have yet to be rescued cannot be selected and are represented by a question mark of their trademark color on both the selection and on the side of the Tag Barrel. Tag Barrels appear in every level and the hub, DK Isles, where there are usually five or seven, but DK Isles has ten of them (one in each of the eight lobbies, one in the main area, and one near Snide's H.Q.). If a Kong jumps into a Tag Barrel, the game shifts to a black character-selection screen with the selected Kong beneath a spotlight. The Kongs all act like they want to be selected and show disappointment if they are not. While Chunky does so, by shouting, "Yoo hoo!" he acts cowardly and unwilling if the player highlights him, and he points to Tiny for the player to select. By highlighting another Kong, Chunky expresses relief. When used, Tag Barrels fully restore the Kongs' health, even if the player selects the same Kong.

A similar type of barrel appears in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, where it spins between the DD, DX, & CK emblems (this barrel appears only in single-player mode, as all DD, DX, & CK Barrels are replaced by the normal DK Barrel).

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
French	Tonneau Équipe	Team Barrel
Italian	Barile di Scambio	Exchange Barrel

Trivia

• When Donkey Kong or Chunky is highlighted, the instruments playing in the background are from the DK Rap (muted trumpets for Donkey Kong, timpani for Chunky), instead of the musical instrument each Kong gets from Candy Kong.
• When Tiny is selected, the saxophone plays the theme of Ticker's Tower from Banjo-Kazooie. Also titled "Jungle" by the composer of both Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64, Grant Kirkhope, this theme was originally composed for Mumbo's Mountain with Ticker's Tower being an area within the level, still keeping its original theme after the level's theme changed.
• Under normal circumstances, it is not possible to see the yellow question mark within a Tag Barrel, because once Donkey Kong presses the switch and leaves the training area, he is considered freed by the game and thus is selectable. However, with the aid of glitches, it is possible to see the Tag Barrel with all five question marks.