Mine Cart
It has been requested that this article berewritten andexpanded to include more information.Reason: Information on appearance fromThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
- "Mine Car" redirects here. For the minigame also referred to as "Mine Car" inSuper Mario RPG, seeMoleville Mountain.
- "Cart" redirects here. For the vehicles from theMario Kart series, seeKart. For the object and player's form inDonkey Kong's Crash Course inNintendo Land also referred to as a "cart", seeRoller (Nintendo Land).
- This article is about rail-bound freight cars. For the Yoshi transformation fromYoshi's New Island, seeMine-Cart Yoshi.
| Mine Cart | |||
|---|---|---|---|
![]() A Mine Cart fromDonkey Kong Bananza | |||
| First appearance | The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! – "The Great Gold Coin Rush" (1989) | ||
| Latest appearance | Donkey Kong Bananza (2025) | ||
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- “While riding a mine cart, you canjump orcrouch to avoid obstacles. In some mine cartlevels,Donkey Kong jumps separately from the mine cart. In these stages you must time your jumps so you can land back on the mine cart.”
- —Donkey Kong Country Returns manual
Mine Carts (also formatted asmine carts andMinecarts), also referred to ascarts, in theSuper Mario franchise are interactive vehicles that characters can ride in a roller-coaster fashion while avoiding any incoming obstacles, as well as sometimes being background elements.
History[edit]
Donkey Kong Country series[edit]
Donkey Kong Country[edit]
Mine Carts inDonkey Kong Country are made of metal, and are the main feature of twolevels,Mine Cart Carnage andMine Cart Madness. After jumping into a Mine Cart,Donkey Kong andDiddy Kong lose control of the Mine Cart's speed and can only jump with it, having to cautiously dodge any obstacle,pit, or enemy along the way, including abandoned tipped Mine Carts. In Mine Cart Carnage, only one Mine Cart is ever used, with them carrying it with them when they jump. Due to the Mine Cart's weight, the jumps are lower and harder to control than normal. In Mine Cart Madness, theKongs instead use several Mine Carts throughout the level, meaning that they leave the Mine Cart when they jump. As such, they must land back into the same Mine Cart or into the following Mine Cart at the start of the next railing, though the jump physics are normal and there are no track obstacles aside from pits. Both levels featureKrashes, a type ofKremling that rides a Mine Cart. In the former stage, they ride in the opposite direction of the Kongs to try to ram into them. In the latter stage, they sit motionlessly at the starting point of the rail during a few instances of jumping over pits to the next Mine Cart. By jumping on the Krash, the Kongs can hijack its Mine Cart and ride it.
According to designerGregg Mayles, the Mine Cart levels were inspired by the minecart chase scene fromIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.[1] The tall, metallic design of the Mine Carts in this game reflect the ones in that movie.
Mine Carts are replaced byRoller Coasters inDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest andToboggans inDonkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Donkey Kong Country Returns (3D /HD)[edit]
Mine Carts inDonkey Kong Country Returns are rideable vehicles in six levels:Crazy Cart,Rickety Rails,Grip 'n' Trip,Bombs Away,Prehistoric Path, andRoasting Rails, most of them being in theCave world. The concept of having mine carts the player jumps with and mine carts the player jumps out of have been retained. The latter has been differentiated by being filled with blue crystals.
The Kongs ride inside the cart and jump with the cart in the levels Crazy Cart, Bombs Away, and Prehistoric Path. The player cancrouch while inside a minecart so that the Kongs avoid hazards just above the track. Mine Carts are able to run across non-rail terrain, taking after the Toboggan, though all applicable terrain is far into their level so there is no way to reach it without already riding a Mine Cart. Unlike the previous game, a Mine Cart hitting any obstacle or hazard is destroyed. This also happens if the player does not crouch below enemies, hazards, or solid objects. A Mine Cart being destroyed causes the Kongs lose a life immediately. At the end of these levels, damaged rails throw the Kongs off the cart and onto the concluding platforms.
The levels Rickety Rails, Grip 'n' Trip, and Roasting Rails instead have the Kongs stand on top of crystal filled carts. They can crouch to evade certain hazards, but jumping off of the cart is more common. Sometimes this is to jump over something that would damage the Kongs or collect items, so they have to land back onto the cart. Other times they have to land on different carts or on nearby platforms to collect items and progress when the original cart is about to crash into something or fall down a pit. When jumping from these carts, the Kongs can be moved while airborne. As such, the player has to carefully move them back into a Mine Cart, as like in the prior game the track rails are not platforms for the Kongs. The player stays in alignment with the cart they jump from by default, and this is maintained when theystomp enemies, but moving left or activating Diddy'sBarrel Jet reduces their speed and therefore unaligns them.Blast Barrels that aim at moving Mine Carts of this type delay firing such that the player lands on the target. Similarly, if a non-Blast BarrelBarrel Cannon is shooting at a non moving Mine Cart and Diddy Kong is in the process of warping to Donkey Kong's back, the cannon does not fire until Diddy Kong arrives.
Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong take normal damage while standing on a Mine Cart, though the stun animation in this case allows them to continue standing on the cart. Taking damage while jumping off a Mine Cart offers no such leniency and inevitably has the Mine Cart drive away without the Kongs. These Mine Carts also break when they collide with obstacles and enemies. Standing on top of a Mine Cart as this happens is an instant KO. In Roasting Rails, Mine Carts can drive throughlava safely but they splash some of it upward so the player has to jump off or take damage.
Some Mine Carts are being ridden byMole Miners andSkellirexes, serving as obstacles. Some levels haveMole Guards riding carts on different tracks that attack using explosives. Mine Carts with blue crystals cannot be ridden by the Kongs, since they bounce off of the crystals.
In the boss level of the Cave,The Mole Train, theMole Train's Mine Carts are filled to the brim withbananas. Instead of being vehicles, these carts are normal moving platforms for the boss fight againstMole Miner Max and the other Mole Miners.
InDonkey Kong Country Returns 3D andDonkey Kong Country Returns HD, in the newCloud world, the levelMischievous Moles incorporates crystal filled Mine Carts, being split more half and half between cart riding and standard platforming. The player can equipCrash Guards while inNew Mode in the former game and Modern Mode in the later game. A Crash Guard takes two instances of damage in place of a Mine Cart, granting standard mercy invincibility. LikeBanana Juice, this protection is not replenished after losing a life. Crash Guards have no effect for a crystal filled Mine Cart that collides with an obstacle.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit]
Mine Carts inDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and itsNintendo Switch port are rideable objects ported over fromDonkey Kong Country Returns. They can now take up to two hits under normal circumstances, with a third being added with the use of aCrash Guard or in the Nintendo Switch port's Funky Mode. Hard Mode, however, reverts Mine Carts to theirReturns incarnation, where taking damage even once will cost the player a life. More camera angles are utilized while riding a Mine Cart, such as a behind-the-back perspective, and unlike before, Mine Carts can be carried intoArrow Barrels. Mine Carts are used in the levelsTrunk Twister,Sawmill Thrill,High Tide Ride, andRocket Rails; unlike inDonkey Kong Country Returns, there are no levels where Donkey Kong jumps separately from the cart.
Club Nintendo[edit]
Alorry in theClub Nintendo comic "Mario's Picross" is found byMario in a pyramid after he tries escaping from aChomp Rock. Mario jumps into the lorry which immediately begin to move very quickly. Though he manages to escape from Chomp Rock, the rails reach a dead end eventually, causing Mario to crash through the pyramid's wall.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[edit]
Trolleys (also referred to asmine cars ormine-cars in theremake) inSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars appear in theMole Mines, where partway through the mines, ifMario takes a lower path with tracks, he will be knocked back by a trolley ridden by aShy Guy, who runs off leaving aFrog Coin behind after crashing. Another trolley appears inMoleville Mountain, where it is ridden on a track consisting of two parts: a "3D" maze-like course collecting speed-boostingmushrooms, and a 2D portion collectingcoins. The goal is to clear the mines in the fastest time possible.
Donkey Kong 64[edit]
Mine Carts inDonkey Kong 64 appear during theMine Cart Ride challenges inJungle Japes,Fungi Forest, andCreepy Castle, done byDiddy Kong,Chunky Kong, andDonkey Kong respectively. The main objective of each challenge is for the Kongs to collect 50 coins (or 25 in the final Creepy Castle challenge) while riding their Mine Cart for aGolden Banana reward at the end. If the Kong takes damage while in the Mine Cart, they lose some health and a few of their obtained coins. From the Mine Cart, they can also lean either left or right to activate a switch. Krashes fromDonkey Kong Country return in the Mine Cart Ride challenges, retaining their role of riding Mine Carts. Mine Carts in theminigameMinecart Mayhem! have to be ridden by the Kongs around the different rail paths while making sure to not crash into a cart with aTNT Barrel.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga /Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions[edit]
Mine Carts inMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga andits Nintendo 3DS version are the focus of the minigameMysterious Mine Carts, where the brothers split up trying to collecting red and green diamonds, all while avoiding obstacles.
Yoshi's Island series[edit]
Yoshi's Island DS[edit]
- “Tired of hoofing it? Then to hop in that cart and go for a ride! You can even jump in it when it's moving!”
- —Message Block,Yoshi's Island DS
Carts inYoshi's Island DS are objects thatYoshis can enter in two levels:High-Speed Cart Race andQuit it Already, Tap-Tap!, and a Mine Cart rides the track on its own when entered. Yoshi can jump, but with the momentum of the cart he will always land back in it unless he lands on another platform. A cart inSpear Guys' Village Found! appears in a village hut, although is blocked off by walls.
Yoshi's New Island[edit]
- Main article:Mine-Cart Yoshi
A Mine Cart inYoshi's New Island is the transformation that the Yoshi takes on by entering aWhirly Gate in certain levels; this form is controlled using theNintendo 3DS's gyroscope, while pressing any button causes the Yoshi to jump.
Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast[edit]
Minecarts inDonkey Kong: Barrel Blast appear in theScorching Canyon course, as environmental objects that characters can ride in.
Paper Mario series[edit]
Super Paper Mario[edit]
Minecarts inSuper Paper Mario are present in Chapter 5-3 of theFloro Caverns and function similarly to rollercoasters. One of the minecarts requires the player toflip into 3-D while riding it to move on through the level. According toThe InterNed, the music that plays during the minecart ride is "Truck GO".
Paper Mario: Sticker Star[edit]
Minecarts inPaper Mario: Sticker Star are treated like an amusement ride famous withinShy Guys. They appear inBowser's Snow Fort. These carts are red and have a Shy Guy face marked on the sides. Mario can again jump with them to avoid gaps and collect coins. Some scraps of the rails must be collected viaPaperization. The music played while riding minecarts is entitled "Go Go Trolley!", and is a remix ofSuper Mario 64 theme "Slider".
Super Smash Bros. series[edit]
- SmashWiki article:Minecart (vehicle)
Minecarts in theSuper Smash Bros. series have sometimes appeared, most commonly as interactable objects. InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, Minecarts appear in certain levels ofThe Subspace Emissary, and to activate it, one must jump into the Minecart, which has an arrow that indicates the direction it is moving. InSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U, Minecarts fromKirby Super Star appear inThe Great Cave Offensive, which also appears inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, and the player can both ride in them as well as push them out of the way. InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate,Steve uses aMinecart fromMinecraft for his side special move, which can be used to move faster or trap players.
Mario Kart series[edit]
Mine Carts in theMario Kart series (which spells them "minecarts") appear mainly in theWario's Gold Mine course introduced inMario Kart Wii and returning inMario Kart 8 and itsNintendo Switch port. Minecarts can be seen going along the mine tracks, contain gold, and haveWario's emblem on the sides. InMario Kart Wii, Minecarts function as obstacles in some parts of the course, and anyone who hits them will be knocked away. This would no longer be the case in theMario Kart 8 iteration, since this game features minecarts hovering onanti-gravity rails, allowing players to performSpin Boosts upon touching them.
Minecarts sometimes appear in the background of a course, and in such cases are not interactable objects. InWario Shipyard fromMario Kart 7, also returning inMario Kart Tour, some minecarts appear near the sunken ship. Minecarts inMario Kart Arcade GP DX are ridden byMole Miners in the background ofBananan Labyrinth.
Minecarts inMario Kart Tour have threekarts designed after them, including theClanky Kart, theClackety Kart, and theGold Clanky Kart, all based on the Mine Carts fromCaptain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker[edit]
Mine Carts inCaptain Toad: Treasure Tracker and itsports function similarly as usual, but with a new gameplay mechanic where players can throwturnips from one by aiming with theWii U GamePad's gyroscope sensor. In the Nintendo Switch version, the player cannot use the gyroscope sensor to aim in TV or tabletop mode. During normal gameplay, this section disables the pointer interaction of the game in every version; however, using co-op mode with two Joy-Con allows Player 2 to interact with the environment on screen normally, and can still fire red turnips from the same place Player 1 can. This allows players to collect more coins that were not previously possible to collect in Mine Cart-based levels.
During the credits ofEpisode 1 andEpisode 3,Captain Toad andToadette ride a Mine Cart together as they return home from their adventures. The Mine Cart travels through many locales based on previous levels the player has played in either episode, before landing in either theMushroom Kingdom or theSand Kingdom (Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS only).
Mario Party 10[edit]
A Mine Cart inMario Party 10 is a noninteractive object moving on a circular rail while carryingbananas on the eastern side of theDonkey Kong Board. It sports a similar design to the Mine Carts inDonkey Kong Country Returns.
Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge[edit]
Minecarts inMini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge carryMini Diddy Kong throughout his levels. They are spotted on small platforms, and the character can get a ride from a minecart if fallen inside. However, they cannot be controlled whatsoever, as they follow the paths they are currently preparing to roll on. It is best the player installs girder platforms above the pits encountered on the paths so that the minecarts can follow their ways undisturbed. They stop only after crashing into a ledge, and respawn on the same small platforms aforesaid. Minecarts borrow the appearance they had in the latterDonkey Kong Country games.
Minecraft[edit]
In the Super Mario Mash-up inMinecraft,Minecarts are retextured to resemble the Mine Carts fromCaptain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
Yoshi's Crafted World[edit]
Mine-Carts inYoshi's Crafted World are rideable objects that Yoshi can stand on top of to ride. Some Mine-Carts also containsprings on them. Mine-Carts appear inMine-Cart Cave, where their main purpose is to be pushed into certain parts of the level in order to fill up gaps, defeat some enemies and allow Yoshi to jump up to higher areas. If a Mine-Cart reaches a dead end, it can no longer be pushed. While the Mine-Carts in the level have green wheels, a Mine-Cart with red wheels and a flag appears in the background as acraft, and another as a costume.
Tetris 99[edit]
InTetris 99, theartworkMedia:DKCRHD DK Diddy minecart artwork.webp of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong riding a Mine Cart inDonkey Kong Country Returns HD is used in the background of the theme based on that game, which was released alongside the 45th Maximus Cup.
Donkey Kong Bananza[edit]
Mine carts reappear inDonkey Kong Bananza and act identically as they did in theDonkey Kong Country series, though Donkey Kong is able to store and throwBoom Rocks and salt rocks while in one. The mine cart is more mechanical and resembles a quadruped and a train, with the wheels acting like legs when jumping and featuring exhausts on its sides emitting rainbow smoke.Crockoids in certain Challenge Courses and Battle Challenges are seen riding similar-looking mine carts. In theFeast Layer, the mine carts are themed after lions. In thePlanet Core, mine carts are gold-colored and have a drill attached at the front. A small figurine of a mine cart can be found in the recreation ofDK's Tree House in the Challenge CourseNostalgia Country, and is attached to two other, standard mine carts with glass figurines ofBanandium Gems inside. These standard mine carts are also used as decoration.
In theDK Island & Emerald Rush DLC, mine carts onDK Island use their design fromDonkey Kong Country Returns. There are also mine carts using their originalDonkey Kong Country design buried in certain parts of the layer, specifically on the western shore of the main island and in the eastern mineshaft.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park[edit]
This section isreferring to a subject in an upcoming or recently released game. When the game is released, or more information about this subject is found, this section may need major rewriting.
This notice should be removed after a month has passed since the game was first released.
Mine Carts appear in theCamp Central overworld map inSuper Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park, where they have a similar design to the ones fromCaptain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
Profiles[edit]
Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge[edit]
- Electronic manual: "Can be ridden by a Mini Toy."
- Play Nintendo: "Your Mini can travel in safety and style with the Mine Cart. Just tap the red button to start the cart moving. Place Girders in the right spots to help guide the cart along the right path."[2]
Gallery[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:Mine Cart.
Yoshi's Island DS sprite
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker artwork
LEGO Super Mario set
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | トロッコ[?] Torokko | Truck, a general term for a trolley or cart in Japanese, from the English loanword「トラック」(torakku, truck) | |
| Chinese(Simplified) | 采矿车[?] Cǎi Kuàng Chē | Mine Cart | |
| 矿车[?] Kuàng Chē | |||
| Chinese(Traditional) | 採礦車[?] Cǎi Kuàng Chē | Mine Cart | |
| 礦車[?] Kuàng Chē | |||
| Dutch | mijnwagen[?] | mine cart | |
| French | Chariot de mine[3] | Mine Cart | |
| Wagonnet[?] | Cart | ||
| German | Wagen[?] | Cart | |
| Italian | Carrello[?] | Cart | |
| Carrello minerario/Carrello della miniera[?] | Mine cart | ||
| Vagoncino[4] | Little wagon | ||
| Korean | 광차[?] Gwangcha | Mine Car | |
| Spanish | Vagoneta[?] | Cart | |
| Spanish(Latin American) | Carro de mina[5] | Mine cart | |
| Vagoneta minera[6] | Mining wagon |
References[edit]
- ^"I based the #DKC minecarts on the amazing scene from #TempleofDoom, but the simple, fast and exciting fun it ended up being could have been a far more complicated (and almost certainly worse) experience. The #DKCArchives #7 reveals the original design #WorldDonkeyKongDay #DKC25" – Gregg Mayles.Post by Gregg Mayles.X. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^Nintendo (April 14, 2020).Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge Items.Play Nintendo. (Archived August 16, 2020, 21:52:14 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^Ensemble d'extension Course de chariot de mine de Diddy Kong 71425 | LEGO® Super Mario™.Boutique LEGO® officielle FR (French).
- ^Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge Italian e-manual, section 9
- ^Club Nintendo (Chile)La Jungla de Donkey Kong: Edición Especial. Italian. Page 45.
- ^2010.Donkey Kong Country Returns instruction booklet.Nintendo of America (Latin American Spanish). Page 61.
- Trains
- Hazardous objects
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker objects
- Club Nintendo
- Donkey Kong 64 objects
- Donkey Kong Bananza objects
- Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast
- Donkey Kong Country objects
- Donkey Kong Country Returns objects
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze objects
- LEGO Super Mario objects
- Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga objects
- Mario Kart Wii objects
- Mario Kart 8 objects
- Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge objects
- Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars objects
- Super Paper Mario objects
- Super Smash Bros. series objects
- Yoshi's Island DS objects


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