Fake Item Box



The Fake Item Box is an item that is introduced to the Mario Kart series in Mario Kart 64. It resembles an Item Box, but it flips over racers that touch it. The Fake Item Box is generally obtained by racers near the front of the pack, and it can be used as a trap in a way similar to a Banana. However, in Double Dash!!, DS, and Wii, it can't block items.

Mario Kart 64
The Fake Item Box's first appearance is in Mario Kart 64. They appear identical to regular Item Boxes with a key difference: the question mark inside is upside-down (a ¿ instead of a ?). Karts that collide with one are blasted into the air. Like Bananas, they can be used to block incoming shells, though unlike Bananas, they cannot be tossed forward.

If placed midair, the Fake Item Box floats.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit
The Fake Item Box was going to appear in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, but it didn't make it into the final game.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
While Fake Item Boxes are absent in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Fake Item Boxes appear in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Here, they have a ¿ symbol and are also colored red. However, the color cannot be seen from a distance - only when approaching will they turn red. They can be destroyed by running into them with a Super Star or picked up with Hearts, while other obstacles pass through them, including all shells, eggs, Fireballs, and Chain Chomps.

Mario Kart DS
The Fake Item Box's next appearance is in Mario Kart DS. They have a new set of differences from a real Item Box: they lack a "?" entirely, they do not spin around, and they show up as red on the bottom screen's map. Their overall behavior is much the same as the previous game, though they do not bounce when thrown. Additionally, they get knocked away if a racer collides with them instead of exploding as all other iterations do.

Missions 4-6 and 7-8 involve collecting a number of Item Boxes while avoiding Fake Item Boxes.

Mario Kart Wii
The Fake Item Boxes return to their Mario Kart: Double Dash!! look in Mario Kart Wii, with a style change to match the new style of the real ones, as well as being larger than in the previous games. They can be obtained from 1st to 5th place. While they still have a ¿ sign inside, like in Double Dash!!, they can hide their red color at a distance - only on approaching do they turn red. Fake Item Boxes become blue instead if they belong to the blue team in team play. Much like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Fake Item Boxes can be destroyed only by colliding into them.

Mario Kart 7
Although the Fake Item Box doesn't appear in Mario Kart 7, it was planned to appear in the game because said item has an unused item function.

Mario Kart 8
The Fake Item Box has an unused leftovers for Mario Kart 8, suggesting that it was cut early in development.

Mario Kart Insanity
After eleven years of absence, the Fake Item Box returns as a usable item in Mario Kart Insanity. It retains its appearance from Mario Kart Wii, but it is able to block items, just like it does in Mario Kart 64. It also has a style change to match the Mario Kart 8 style of the Item Box. This item can be obtained from 1st to 6th place, due to the game allowing up to 16 racers on each track.

Mario Kart: Halfpipe Frenzy
The Fake Item Box's next appearance is in Mario Kart: Halfpipe Frenzy, where it returns to its Mario Kart 64 look. It also regains the ability to float in mid=air. It can be obtained from 1st to 7th place, due to the game allowing up to 20 racers on each track. This game also introduces the Triple Fake Item Box, which has three Fake Item Boxes behind the player's kart. The Triple Fake Item Box can be obtained from 1st to 7th place, just like the Fake Item Box.

Mario Kart: Circuit Syndrome
The Fake Item Box was going to appear in Mario Kart: Circuit Syndrome, but IceBro505 abandoned the idea. The game introduces a similar item: the Phantom Item Box.

Information

 * Number of Games It Appears In: 9 games
 * The Games It Appears In: 64 (1996), Double Dash!! (2003), DS (2005), Arcade GP 2 (2007), Wii (2008), Arcade GP DX (2013), Insanity (2019), Halfpipe Fenzy (2021), Arcade GP: Bike Edition (2022)
 * Total Duration: 26 Years