Baby Mario

History:

Baby Mario is the same Character as Mario, merely a younger version. In the late 60s Mario and Luigi were attacked by Kamek, Major Domo to Lord Bowser. Kamek was a very powerful Wizard who foresaw (correctly) that the Brothers would spell doom for the Koopa Kingdom and their aspirations of dominating the Mushroom World. When he was still a baby flying over Dinosaur Land Kamek struck and managed to kidnap Luigi, but Mario fell to earth and eventually found Yoshi. Through their teamwork they eventually managed to rescue his brother, but Kamek, seeking to displace them in time launched Baby Mario far into the future. Now Baby Mario has spent time playing sports with his Older Self and has proven to be nearly as adept of a Racer as he would grow to be. He's still seeking a means to travel back to the past in order to avoid a Paradox.

Double Dash:

Baby Mario first appeared in Double Dash, which had a huge cast of new characters to fill out its promise of tons of wacky Partner possibilities. Baby Mario and Waluigi? Yes please. Despite this Double Dash had more insistence on Kart differences than character differences to determine how well they could drive. Each character merely chose the player's weight class and Special Item, but everyone did have a specific Kart, though it could be used by anyone in their weight class. Baby Mario drives the Goo Goo Buggy, a fairly useless Vehicle.

The Goo Goo Buggy actually handles pretty nicely, its turn speed is fairly high and it has average shocks. However, there are so many better Light Karts to choose from. Its Acceleration is 7th in the Game, which seems great until you realise that it's 6th among Light Karts. Despite this it also has one of the worst Top Speeds in the game at 55 mph. It's average in weight for a Light Kart but 17th overall, meaning it's going to get rocked. Its only other outstanding stat may be its High Offroad Speed, which is necessary only because it's going to be knocked all around the course because it can neither accelerate fast enough to escape other Bigger Karts nor maintain a good speed.

Baby Mario and Baby Luigi in this game both use the Chain Chomp as an Item, which at first seems awesome. It creates a huge monster that tows your Vehicle, destroying all in your path and rapidly pulling you along. It's tough though because when the Chomp lets go is basically up to him and could be straight into a nasty Offroad patch or even off a cliff on a turn, which you'll hit at full speed. It will also only come up if you're deep near the back of the pack, meaning if you're a good racer at all you'll never see it. Sometimes it can be tricky too - if you release it at a funny angle or behind you it's possible that the Chomp will actually take you out and then keep going without you. That's awful. I think it's more trouble than its worth but lots of people enjoy it.

Double Dash had Secret Staff Ghosts. Baby Mario always uses the Goo Goo Buggy and partners with Baby Luigi. He takes the lead on their signature track, Baby Park in 1:11:108. He follows Baby Luigi in Sherbert Land though, with a time of 1:25:904.

Wii:

Baby Mario comes back in the huge cast of Wii. This time each Size Class has Six Karts and Six Bikes to choose from, each of which has a very specific set of stats. In addition, each Character adds his or her own Bonuses to each stat, making everything very customizable, although there are still only a few obvious choices. Baby Mario has some great bonuses. His +6 gives him the Best Handling in the Game and even though his +8 Weight is tied with Baby Luigi as the biggest Bonus possible, it still makes most of his rides only barely equal to the lightest Middle Karts. Still, this makes him a powerhouse amidst the other Lightweights. Here are his stats, the Max of any category is 80:

Fearsome.

When using the Bit Bike Baby Mario has the Best Handling in the Game at 73. His weight boost also makes the Tiny Titan and Mini Beast pretty formidable among some of the Middleweights. Baby Mario is basically the king of the Lightweights, his Kart Design is almost always the default for the Little Guys. There are also some interesting results of his colour schemes - his Magikruiser most resembles his nemesis Kamek and his Blue Falcon most resembles its inspiration, Captain Falcon's F-Zero vehicle. He's also most associated with the Baby Booster, his signature Kart.

Baby Mario has two Ghosts in the game, thanks to there being a ton of Mario Circuits. On the 64 Mario Raceway he does a 02:14.799 in the Bit Bike, then the Expert goes 01:59.053 in the Mini Beast. On the SMK Mario Circuit 3 he does a 01:38.880 in the Standard Kart S and then upgrades to the Bullet Bike in 01:26.659.

Royal Tracks

History:

Soon after the young Princess Peach was thrust into the Rule of the Mushroom Kingdom in 1983 after the death of her Father, the Kingdom fell into Financial Ruin. Since the Mushroom People are not naturally capitalistic they remained mostly ignorant however, and their simple farming and trading ways were hardly affected. Some of the larger Banks of Mushroom City and beyond were launched into Crisis though, and many foreclosed. It wasn't until the Racing Grand Prix that began in the early 90s did the economy get a shot in the arm. Not only did more people pay huge sums of cash to see the races, many different parties developed Tracks across the Kingdom, which led to massive Population Movements. It wasn't long then, until with the advice of Toad, her Consigliere, that Peach developed the Royal Raceway on what used to be her Personal Grounds. While later her suitor Mario would develop his own tracks on Private Royal land, Peach also founded the Peach Circuit immediately South of her Official Lands as well as her expansive Private Gardens, the Peach Gardens, which were full of tamed Chain Chomps.

In addition to all this, Daisy, Princess and Ruler of Sarasaland also recently developed a course on the Isle of Delfino, which has proved incredibly popular with both the native Piantas and residents of the Mushroom Kingdom on vacation. We've included it here as the only other Circuit Track sponsored by a Royal Princess.

64:

The Royal Raceway is mostly known for two things: 1) The Enormous Jump and 2) Access to Peach's Castle. This was an early direct link to a previous Mario Adventure Game, in this case, Super Mario 64, where the Castle is identical and that game's primary setting. It's fitting that the final Award Ceremony also takes place here, giving some Center to the Races in the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach's course is also the center for the Award Ceremony in Double Dash, at Peach Beach.

As the third course in the Star Cup, it's one of the more-advanced Circuit tracks, and it proves it. This course has tons of deceptively dangerous turns, taking any too wide on the slopes towards the lake results in instantaneous failure. If the Big Jump is misjudged it may also lead to a crash into the Mountains. Some grassy sections actually prove nice cut-through spots if you have a Mushroom or Star, but ultimately you need trustworthy handling here to succeed.

Super Circuit:

Super Circuit broke tradition by making Peach Circuit the First Course in the Mushroom Cup.Every game since has featured a Luigi Circuit or something very similar. That said, this isn't a whole lot like Royal Raceway. The Castle is close but inaccessible and there is a ton of grassy corners to cut. There isn't really a character who is poor here. It's very straightforward. This track came back in DS along with the first track from SMK, Mario Circuit 1 and the first track from Double Dash, Luigi Circuit to make up the Shell Cup. It was all a conspiracy to not have an all-Luigi Circuit Cup, for sure. The Ghost here is Peach driving the Royale with a time of 1:12:011.

DS:

Peach Gardens is a unique course with lots of possible turns and paths along with some of the nicest Chain Chomps to be found in a Mario Kart game. It's also in the Special Cup, which is extremely tame in DS. There are some hills that aren't too difficult and not a whole lot of danger outside of some moles, a water hazard that is very easy to avoid and the aforementioned Chomps, who don't chase you but rather stay on their own path. There are plenty of right-angle turns, but the path is actually so wide in these places that it's never that difficult. The same goes for weaving between the large Southern Hedge. Go for someone like Bowser with speed here with impunity. The Ghost is Peach in the Royale again with a time of 1:52:989.

This track also came back in Wii without a whole lot of difference. The Ghost here is Baby Peach this time, clearly loving playing in her Big-Ass Garden. The Normal does a 02:34.894 in the Magikruiser, the Expert pulls a 02:16.777 in the Mini Beast. Again, you can take speed here, Funky in the Spear is perfect.

Wii:

Like I said, I've lumped the Daisy Circuit in here because it's one of the only Circuit Tracks in Wii (actually every Original Cup except for the Special opens with a Circuit Track) and it's more similar to be lumped in here than any place else. It does have some unique elements though. Its seaside village aspects may make it more similar to Delfino Plaza and its Sunset Time recalls Waluigi Stadium. It's a Royal Road, though so it ends up here. It opens up the Star Cup here and is pretty straightforward besides some city twists and gentle curves. Actually the more I look at it the more I realise this is a hodge-podge track. The "8" midway through comes back in Wii's Rainbow Road, and the two sections of track right next to each other looks like an Early Luigi Circuit. Like the other recent Royal Tracks though, someone with tons of Speed can make it through here. It's pretty well suited to Daisy herself in the Mach Bike.

The Ghost is exactly that. Daisy goes a 01:56.822 in the Royal Racer, then the Expert does a 01:41.362 in the Mach Bike.

Birdo

History:

Birdo was once a General in the Grand 8 Bit Army of Wart, an evil presence to attempted to wrest control of the Kingdom of Subcon, a world that may interact with the Mushroom Kingdom through Dreams, tho there is a Physical Secret Passage between worlds. Wart attempted a few more insurrections but has never recovered the power he once had and hasn't been a presence in Subcon for the past decade. In his absence Birdo has branched out on her own and found a niche in some of the Sports Events of the Mushroom Kingdom. Naturally getting close to the only other Dinosaur, Yoshi, she has partnered with him a few times and he even gave her a Racecourse, the Dry Dry Desert. Considering her Apparent Gender Crisis, Yoshi's flirtation with her is all the more alarming.

Double Dash:

Birdo first appeared as a Regular Character in Double Dash, teamed up with Yoshi. Her Kart is Unlockable, though. Double Dash put more importance on Karts that players would choose rather than the characters. Birdo is a Middleweight and basically the same as Yoshi except that her Special Item is a Pink Birdo Egg rather than the Green Yoshi Egg. These Special Items were also the only difference between Characters.

Birdo's Ride is the Turbo Birdo. As Middle Karts go it's one of the worst Offroaders, and it's also one of the Bounciest Karts in the game, meaning that for courses with Big Jumps it loses a ton of speed. It also doesn't have great Acceleration tho at 14th overall it beats the Mario Bros. Karts. It succeeds in a decent 57 mph Top Speed and is the 5th Heaviest Kart in the game, #1 among Middle Karts. All in all it's really not that great, there are better options to choose from.

Birdo's Item is the Egg, and it has the same effect as Yoshi. It's beneficial in that 2nd or 3rd Place position because it will seek out the Kart ahead like a Red Shell. When it hits, three Random Items will pop out that could have beneficial or disastrous consequences. The Items range from Shells to Mushrooms to Stars and Bob-ombs. If one of the negative Items emerges and devastates a competitor, all the better. Likewise if you can time it to receive a Star close to 1st place. The opposite may also be true, however. Your competitor could get Mushrooms and Stars after being hit and you end up with a Bob-omb in your face. It's a gambit using this character, it can be pretty good or turn out awful.

Double Dash had Secret Staff Ghosts to be unlocked in Time Trials. Birdo takes the Lead on Dry Dry Desert with a time of 1:50:755. She reverses with Yoshi and sits in the back during his Yoshi Circuit a bit later, with a time of 1:59:886. Both use the Turbo Yoshi. This is the only Staff Ghost of Birdo Ever.

Wii:

How is there debate over what this thing is

Birdo doesn't come back again until Wii, and she's still pretty useless. She's one of the easier characters to unlock, but there's no reason to ever really use her. Wii took Kart-Specific stats a step further and implemented Six Custom Bikes and Six Custom Karts for Eight Characters in each Size Class. Birdo is in the Middle Class, giving her access to some Cherry Rides. Each Character also got added Bonuses in each stat, making the game very individualised. Birdo gets a small Weight and Offroad Bonus but a hefty Mini-Turbo, meaning she's ideal for timing Drifts to cut Offroad Corners. Her biggest Bonus is identical to Diddy's though, who with a Drift and Acceleration Bonus as well, makes him more suited for Driving how Birdo should drive. Also, who can pick Birdo over Diddy? Birdo also shares similar but superior stats to Bowser Jr. Here are her Specific Stats for Each Kart and Bike available to her:

Her best Vehicle is probably the Zip Zip. Birdo, amazingly is the only Character in Wii not to have any Staff Ghosts. None. At all. She has no signature track, no signature vehicle, how did she get in this game anyway?