Donut Tracks

History:

The Donut Plains are a wide expanse of grasslands in the Western Tracts of Dinosaur Land. They are some of the Richest Farmlands in the region and provide foodstores for much of Dinosaur Land and the neighboring Mushroom Kingdom. After heavy unseasonal flooding ruined crops in the Summer of 1987 the Purveyors of the Territory started constructing Race Courses in order to attract some attention and tourism to their local economy. Since then it has been a formidable course in Mario Kart History although has not been relevant until the latest incarnation, Mario Kart Wii.

Super:

There are three Donut Plains courses in SMK. They are all dirt tracks surrounded by grassland and all have some lake or water that may be dangerous. The First Circuit comes after the initial Raceway Circuit in the Mushroom Cup, a trend that continued in 64 and Wii. The Second Donut Plains is the third track in the Flower Cup, and the Final Donut Plains is the lead-off for the Special Cup. All three of these tracks reappeared in Super Circuit, which recreated the entire SMK game, tho reorganized the 5-Track/4-Cup into the more standard 4-Track/5-Cup (although admittedly every other game has featured sets of 4-Track/4-Cup). Donut Plains 1 also made an appearance in DS. They are all twisty tracks with Mild Hazards, as any good racer will do. Its DS Staff Ghost is Dry Bones, which doesn't really seem to fit at all. The track is neither dry nor spooky, although it is a relatively simplistic track, perhaps fitting for a simplistic character.

64:

The Spiritual Successor to the Donut Plains courses is Moo Moo Farm. Like the SMK courses, it features a dirty path surrounded by rolling grassland, although this time the Farm Setting is clear and Cows are everywhere. There are also Monty Moles, which featured in Donut Plains 2 and 3. The course itself is a simple loop that is complicated by its vast amount of sloping hills on either side of the track as well as a ton of Monty Moles. Clearly the track designers need to hire someone to deal with the varmint. It also came back in DS. I think this is a course better for middleweights who won't bounce around on the hills, nor lose speed when they drop. Its Staff Ghost in DS is Donkey Kong, possibly due to the clear connection between Apes and Cows.

Wii:

Moo Moo Meadows in the Mushroom Cup of Wii actually combines the natures of the Donut Plains and Moo Moo Farms. It retains the Monty Mole factor that has been present throughout, along with stretches of grassy meridians and a flatter quality reminiscent of Donut Plains, but also the cows, farms and white picket fences of Moo Moo Farms. There are some good Offroad shortcuts although few drifting opportunities. Beyond the obvious Funky Flame Runner I'm digging Toadette in the Tiny Titan for this track. The Staff Ghost here is Baby Daisy in 01:37.856, implying some connection to this track, possibly because of its innocent, idyllic nature.