Baby Park
- This article is about the race course fromMario Kart: Double Dash!! For its musical theme, seeBaby Park (theme).
| Baby Park | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Appears in | Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003) Mario Kart DS (2005) Mario Kart 8 (DLC Pack 2) (2015) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) Mario Kart Tour (2022) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cups | Mushroom Cup (Double Dash!!) Banana Cup (DS) Crossing Cup (8,8 Deluxe) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Baby Park is the thirdrace course of theMushroom Cup inMario Kart: Double Dash!!, serving asBaby Mario andBaby Luigi's home course. Being a short track-style, unbanked oval with no hazards (except for the flowerbeds on the inside of the turns in theMario Kart 8 andMario Kart Tour versions), it is the shortest course in the series, excluding the unused "Test Circle" course found inMario Kart DS andDK Jungle fromMario Kart Arcade GP, only taking around ten seconds to complete a whole lap. This course also uses the most laps in the series, with theMario Kart: Double Dash!! andMario Kart 8 iterations having seven.
The course takes place in an amusement park which includes various elements from theYoshi franchise. The track is a platform hanging from a large support complex, where a roller coaster runs above and around the course and a pinktrain runs over the rails. It is possible to collide with the roller coaster, though it is very difficult to achieve. The roller coaster obstacle was removed in the DS version and it returned in the Wii U and Switch version of the track as an aesthetic effect.
Baby Park reappears inMario Kart DS as the fourth and final course of theBanana Cup, inMario Kart 8 (as part of theAnimal Crossing ×Mario Kart 8 DLC) andMario Kart 8 Deluxe as the first course of theCrossing Cup, and inMario Kart Tour starting with the2022 Cat Tour.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!![edit]
Baby Park was inspired by the2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics: game director Kiyoshi Mizuki had happened to catch a short-track speed skating event on television, and thought that making an ice rink track would be interesting. The course was also inspired by slick track karting, a type of kart racing set on an oval-shaped track where the surface is made slick to allow for easier drifting.[2]
Baby Park was originally planned as just a test level forDouble Dash!!, but the developers found the chaos of the course to be so enjoyable that it was made into a track for the final game.[2]
Course layout[edit]
A short, simple course with two turns, Baby Park's main feature is the ease of overlapping trailing racers, making all racers susceptible to getting hit by each other. Compounding this, items such asGreen Shells,Bowser Shells, andFireballs can pass over the center separator of the track. Due to its short length and to facilitate overlapping other players, this course has seven laps instead of the traditional three, making it one of only two courses inMario Kart: Double Dash!! to not be a three-lap course (the other beingWario Colosseum, which has two laps).
The track is divided in half in two colors: pink and blue. Due to being themed after Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, who have made their first appearance inSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the track has decorations styled after theYoshi series on it, including Baby Mario and Baby Luigi.DK Mountain can be seen in the background.
Baby Park's music is also used in BalloonBattle onTilt-a-Kart, though with more cymbals.
The file names for this course, including ghost data, use "BabyLuigi" as a prefix or suffix.
Mario Kart DS[edit]
Baby Park makes its classic course debut inMario Kart DS as the fourth and last race of theBanana Cup. The course's map has been rotated 180 degrees. This time around, it has five laps instead of seven, due to the increased scale of the track, and lacks the roller coaster obstacle. Shells also cannot pass over the center divider. It was one of the courses that could be played overNintendo Wi-Fi Connection. On the final lap, the music starts playing in F#/G♭ major instead of A major.
This version of Baby Park and theMario Kart 8 iteration ofN64 Rainbow Road are the only courses to differ in lap count as a classic course, excluding courses originating inSuper Mario Kart and almost all of the classic courses in or fromMario Kart Tour.
Missions[edit]
There are twomissions that take place on Baby Park:
- Mission 2-8: The player controlsPeach, who must perform 6power-slidemini-turbos before finishing three laps and before 55 seconds has passed. EachItem Box contains aStar.
- Mission 3-Boss: The player controlsToad, who must beatGoomboss in a three-lap race.Goomboss will regularly drop bothGoombas andMushrooms onto the track during the race. On the third lap, Goomboss cheats by jumping over part of the middle divider to gain an advantage.
Mario Kart 8 /Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
Baby Park also reappears inMario Kart 8 as a heavily-revamped DLC classic course and the first course of theCrossing Cup.
One of the major changes made to the race course is that the entire track is now slanted, making it entirely ananti-gravity race track. Flowerbeds were added on the inside of the turns as a hazard and potential shortcut. The pink and blue parts of the floor are now split across the track's length instead of its width (with the colors on the turns instead of the parallel tracks). The park background has received many changes, such as the addition of a "Baby Castle" (which is a nod toCinderella's Castle at theMagic Kingdom), new rides added like a redesignedLuigi's Mansion as a haunted house attraction, and some of the returning background rides being heavily redesigned, like the Bowser's Ship ride and the Ferris wheel, now resembling thePinna Park Ferris wheel fromSuper Mario Sunshine. Thehot-air balloons fromN64 Royal Raceway appear in the background of the course. The starting banner now shows Baby Mario and Baby Luigi with their shirts, overalls and shoes on as opposed to being solely in diapers like the previous versions. They also have been given slight animations that are found on rides, where they move back and forth. The roller coaster makes its return, though unlike the original, it is impossible to collide with it.
The race on this course has seven laps just like in the original. On the final lap, the guard rails start to flash and light up in multiple colors, and like with3DS Rainbow Road andN64 Rainbow Road
Baby Park andWii Rainbow Road are the only classic courses and one of five courses overall (along withMute City,Big Blue, andSky-High Sundae) to be entirely an anti-gravity race track. This is the shortest track in the game and the only track that does not have exactly three laps or sections. It is also the only track inMario Kart 8 where players cannot performtricks, and it is the only course aside from thethreedifferentRainbow Roads to have its map in colors aside from blue. It is also one of only two tracks in the Wii U version ofMario Kart 8 that had previously appeared as a classic course (not counting the SNES tracks), the other beingGCN Yoshi Circuit. Coincidentally, both originate fromMario Kart: Double Dash!! and returned inMario Kart DS.
A statue resembling the one in the courseToad Harbor can be seen in the background, but instead of Peach in a Statue of Liberty pose, a pink gold version ofBaby Peach can be seen holding a star (referencing thePartners statue seen in front of Cinderella's Castle inDisneyland).
This track, alongside the other DLC content, is available in the core game ofMario Kart 8 Deluxe. However, the map colors are now gray to resemble maps seen on other courses. InMario Kart 8 Deluxe, this is one of two tracks not to have Double Item Boxes, the other beingDS Shroom Ridge.
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
Baby Park returns inMario Kart Tour starting from the2022 Cat Tour, being the third course fromMario Kart: Double Dash!! to reappear inMario Kart Tour and the first sinceGCN Yoshi Circuit andGCN Dino Dino Jungle at the game's launch in theNew York Tour seventy tours prior. LikeGCN Yoshi Circuit,N64 Royal Raceway, andN64 Yoshi Valley, the course is based on itsMario Kart 8 iteration, but uses the music from its original appearance inDouble Dash!! (though it still goes up a key and increases in tempo at each lap like inMario Kart 8) and has five laps like inMario Kart DS (lap 1 in F major, lap 2 in F#/G♭ major, lap 3 in G major, lap 4 in A♭ major, and lap 5/the final lap in A major). Unlike the previous iteration, the course is no longer in anti-gravity and appears as a flat course. The Baby Mario and Baby Luigi pictures on the starting banner have been removed, and the banner's poles have now been redesigned. Like this game's iteration of N64 Royal Raceway, the hot-air balloons are no longer princess-themed, instead taking their design from the ones seen in this game's iteration of3DS Daisy Hills. The roller coaster has once again been removed, likely to allow players to go outside the loop in the T variation. The guardrails are now colored blue. The Baby Peach statue is now fully golden, the Luigi's Mansion attraction now uses its original design, resembling the mansion's design from this game's iteration ofDS Luigi's Mansion, and the Koopa Paratroopa gift shop has been removed. The course's minimap has also been rotated 90° and is positioned off-center in-game, likely also to accommodate the T version.
The course also appears asBaby Park R (reversed),Baby Park T (with ramps), andBaby Park R/T (reversed with ramps). The former two debuted alongside the regular variant in the 2022 Cat Tour, while the latter debuted in the2023 New Year's Tour. In the R variant, there are several ramps that raise and lower depending on what lap the player is on. In the T variant, racers are taken outside of the loop on two occasions, significantly extending the length of the track. As a result, it has only three laps (lap 1 in F major, lap 2 in F#/G♭ major, and lap 3/the final lap in G major), making it the only course in the game with a lap count difference between variations. Also, there is aglide ramp the first time racers return to the loop on each lap. In the R/T variant, the course is now a figure-eight: Racers useKanaami Road to cross over the middle of the loop on two occasions.
Unlike most courses, all of Baby Park's bonus challenges feature more than one lap. This is likely due to the short length, which would cause the bonus challenge to end too quickly.
Appearances[edit]
For this course's tour appearances, seeList ofGCN Baby Park tour appearances inMario Kart Tour.
Top-tier and middle-tier items[edit]
Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for whichGCN Baby Park and its variants are alwaysfavored or favorite courses. For instances in which additional drivers, karts, and gliders temporarily had this course and its variants as favored or favorite courses, seeList ofGCN Baby Park tour appearances inMario Kart Tour.
| Course | Three-item drivers | Bonus points ×2 karts | Combo bonus ×3 gliders | Two-item drivers | Bonus points ×1.5 karts | Combo bonus ×2 gliders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Normal variant |           |                  |                 |  **    **     |           *** **          ***  |  **          ***      |
   |  |    |  | |||
 R variant |        |             |     |           * |  **   ***   *   |    **    ***     ** ** |
 |  * |  |  | |||
 T variant |       |     |      |  ***    ** |   *** * *** *   ** |    *   ***  |
  |  | |||||
 R/T variant |    |        |      |  ***     | **    ***     |  ** ***        |
|  | * |   | |||
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| * indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3. ** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6. *** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8 for High-End items. | ||||||
Bonus challenges[edit]
| Ring Race | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Baby Peach |  Pipe Frame |  Pipe Frame |
| Cat Tour (2022) |  Mii Cup |
| Animal Tour |  King Boo Cup | |||||
| Vacation Tour |  Poochy Cup | |||||
| Do Jump Boosts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Baby Luigi |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| Sundae Tour (2022) |  Cat Peach Cup |
| Yoshi Tour (2023) | King Boo Cup | |||||
| Big Reverse Race | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Opponents | Tour appearances | Cup | ||||||||
| 7th | 6th | 5th | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | Extra | |||||
 | Regular | Driver |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | Sundae Tour (2022) |  Toad Cup |
| Kart |  |  |  |  |  | |  | | ||||
| Glider | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | ||||
| Steer Clear of Obstacles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Obstacles | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Baby Daisy |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |  Piranha Plant (aggressive)  Piranha Plant (passive) | Yoshi Tour (2023) |  Birdo Cup |
| Smash Small Dry Bones | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Bowser Jr. |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| Vacation Tour |  Diddy Kong Cup |
| Snap a Photo | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Other driver information | Objectives | Tour appearances | Cup | ||
| Driver | Kart | Glider | ||||||||
 | T |  Cat Mario |  Cream Cat Cruiser |  Cream Toe-Bean Balloons |  Cat Peach |  Cat Cruiser |  Toe-Bean Balloons |
| Cat Tour (2022) |  Morton Cup |
 Cat Toad |  Black Cat Cruiser |  Black Cat Parafoil | ||||||||
Cameos[edit]
Several characters that are important to theYoshi franchise appear to have their own rides around Baby Park. They are listed below.
- Baby Bowser appears on a ship attraction called "Bowser's Ship". InMario Kart 8 andMario Kart 8 Deluxe, he is replaced withBowser Jr.
- Kamek appears above a sign reading "Kamek's Magic Show".
- APink YoshiTrain inMario Kart: Double Dash!! appears to ride around on an orange track, as if it were a roller coaster. It is seen in various parts of the park, and sometimes it can appear above it. If it does do this, it may actually reflect off shells. InMario Kart 8 andMario Kart 8 Deluxe, this is replaced with a Standard Kart coaster riding on a red track.
- A largePoochy-like house appears far in the background.
- AHelicopter Yoshi just like the one fromSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island can be seen at the background, flying around the track.
- Two largeShy Guys can be seen.
- AKoopa Paratroopa can be seen. InMario Kart 8 andMario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Paratroopa has been converted into a shop selling merchandise named "Shop Paratroopa".
Profiles[edit]
Mario Kart: Double Dash!![edit]
- North American website bio: "It may look easy, but Baby Park is a 7-lap cage match with fourteen monster power slides! There are plenty of items to pick up, and the long straightaways make easy targets out of everyone."
- European website bio: "It’s Mario Kart: the theme park ride! The track is a simple oval, but the power-ups are plentiful, so you’ll have a battle on your hands to finish in first place."
Mario Kart DS[edit]
- European website bio: "It's the shortest and simplest track of them all, but Baby Park isn't child's play. Because of the circuit's great size you're given five laps instead of three, but make sure you put petal to metal from the word go, as it'll be over in seconds rather than minutes."
Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack liner notes[edit]
"On this title, the pitch of the music goes up after every lap. It'll really make your head spin! The horn and guitar parts give this arrangement tons of energy."
Brands[edit]
Mario Kart 8 /Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
- Moo Moo Meadows Milk (Trackside banners)
- Peach & Daisy Royal Patisserie (Trackside banners)
- Princess Orange (Trackside banners)
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
- Peach & Daisy Royal Patisserie (Trackside banners)
Gallery[edit]
Mario Kart: Double Dash!![edit]
The course logo
The course icon
The starting line
The start of the race
Mario Kart DS[edit]
The course icon
Wario, racing on the course
Dry Bones, racing on the course
Race withGoomboss, in Mission Mode
Mario Kart 8 /Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
The course icon
The full course icon
Results screen
Overview of the course
Alternate view of the starting line
Baby Mario,Baby Luigi, andBaby Peach racing on the track
MaleVillager racing on the track
Mii is ready to start the race
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
Course icons[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:Mario Kart Tour race course icons (GCN courses) § Baby Park.
The course icon
The course icon of the R variant
The course icon of the T variant
The course icon of the R/T variant
Screenshots[edit]
Another view of the starting line
Overview of the course
View of the course featuring the gold statue ofBaby Peach
View of Baby Park R/T
Cat Mario andBaby Mario (Koala) racing on the course
Cat Luigi driving past the Luigi's Mansion attraction on the course
Naming[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | BabyLuigi.arc | Baby Luigi (there is no "BabyMario.arc") | |
| Mario Kart DS | old_baby_gc | Old BabyGameCube | |
| Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Dgc_BabyPark | DLC GameCube Baby Park | |
| Mario Kart Tour | Ggc_BabyPark | Grand Prix GameCube Baby Park |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ベビィパーク[3] Bebī Pāku | Baby Park | |
| Chinese(Simplified) | 宝宝公园[3] Bǎobǎo Gōngyuán | Baby Park | |
| Chinese(Traditional) | 寶寶公園[3] Bǎobǎo Gōngyuán | Baby Park | |
| Dutch | Babypark[3] | Baby Park | |
| French | Parc Baby[3] | Baby Park | |
| German | Baby-Park[3] | Baby Park | |
| Italian | Baby Park[3] | - | |
| Korean | 베이비 파크[3] Beibi Pakeu | Baby Park | |
| Polish | Bobo Park[4] | Baby Park | |
| Portuguese(Brazilian) | Parque Bebê[5][6] | Baby Park | |
| Portuguese(European) | Parque Bebé[3] | Baby Park | |
| Russian | Луна-парк Малыш[3] Luna-park Malysh | Baby Amusement Park | |
| Spanish | Parque Bebé[3] | Baby Park |
References[edit]
 | Wikipedia has an article onBaby Park. |
- ^Mario Kart: Double Dash!! § Staff Ghost Initials.The Cutting Room Floor. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^abDidYouKnowGaming (July 14, 2024).NEW Nintendo GameCube Game Facts Discovered.YouTube.
- ^abcdefghijkString1490 in fileUI/<language>/message.sarc/Common.msbt.Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017). Nintendo EPD et al.
- ^Music track title inMario Kart World (Ver. 1.5.0). Nintendo. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
- ^In-game name inMario Kart Tour.
- ^Nintendo Music
