Thanks to Hamada for helping with edits.
Diddy Kong Racing, a spin-off starring the Donkey Kong stalwart, was Nintendo’s big 1997 holiday release. However, despite all the hoopla that transpired during its development—Diddy wasn’t initially the headliner, notably—Rare always had a clear vision for it, one he elevated. Racing unabashedly embraced a cartoony style distinct from earlier Donkey Kong titles: the atmosphere bordered on saccharine and anthropomorphic animals, two of whom soon became headliners themselves, ran rampant. Unlike Diddy‘s last two outings, he isn’t braving dark, hostile territory with only his girlfriend by his side. Alien encroacher Wizpig may be a bully, but Diddy’s got his posse and plenty of fun is inbound! One of his pals, however, probably had less fun than most:
Tiptup, likely seen moments before crashing in Diddy Kong Racing’s opening cinematic (Image: Nintendo / Microsoft)
This may come as a surprise today, but Tiptup was a favorite amongst Rare devotees in the Nineties, especially after his encores in the Banjo-Kazooie series. Fans regularly expressed a desire, ironic or otherwise, to see Tiptup score his own game. And, admittedly, I share that “twisted affection” for the whiny weirdo…
Tiptup’s History
Rare’s most famous canceled game is Dream: Land of Giants, whose impact is still felt in their work. Originally, Tiptup was meant to appear therein, and the turtle did ultimately worm his way into its successor, Banjo-Kazooie. When Diddy Kong Racing, which was developed concurrently with Banjo-Kazooie, “was in need of some names for its racers,” Rare noticed one of them “happened to be a turtle.” Pragmatically, “he was handed down the name of Tiptup.” And when the company realized Banjo-Kazooie wouldn’t be ready for the 1997 holiday season, it was delayed and Racing was released instead. Well, Rare columnist Leigh Loveday has also given another, much more dubious account of Tiptup’s creation.
The lightweight’s stats favor acceleration and handling over speed, implying his cautious nature. Tiptup’s name is likely a play on the phrase “tipped up.” (Image: Nintendo / Microsoft)
Kevin Bayliss was the art director on Diddy Kong Racing, one of his favorite projects. When playing it, he often picks the turtle—er, tortoise, as Bayliss had wanted to avoid comparisons to other, more well-known turtles. Anyway, Tiptup is one of tiger Timber’s close friends and helps him retaliate against Wizpig. He’s available from the get-go and celebrates with everyone after they purge Timber’s Island of the invader’s influence.
Tiptup’s Banjo-Kazooie comeback happened the following year. Having since relocated to Bubblegloop Swamp, the turtle has taken refuge within the massive tortoise Tanktup and heads the Tiptup Choir. Should Banjo and Kazooie want his precious Jiggy collectible, they must pass Tiptup’s three-part music lesson. By the way, his Banjo design is an Ed Bryan original (you can really tell these games were made simultaneously; guy’s got two different designs).
The Grunty’s Furnace Fun endgame gauntlet can potentially force you to replay the Tiptup Choir minigame. (Image: Microsoft)
Unsurprisingly, Tiptup reemerged two years later in Banjo-Tooie. After revealing a hidden passage in Jolly Roger’s Lagoon, Banjo and Kazooie gain access to Turtle View Cave. Here, a distraught Tiptup stands next to an egg housing his unborn child—who he hopes is a boy, as he’s already fathered nineteen daughters. Coming back after separating the bear-and-bird duo allows Kazooie to sit atop and warm it, hatching Tiptup Jr. After helping the lad get on his feet, the elder Tiptup relinquishes another Jiggy and the reptiles depart. According to the ever-serious Loveday, Tiptup then brought his son to “the sea for swimming lessons” and later explained how he “manages to keep appearing in games he’s got nothing to do with.”
A handful of supplemental roles enrich Tiptup’s résumé. He accompanies his friends in Mario no Bōken Land and 4-koma Gag Battle’s loose Racing adaptations. Stock art of him graces Mario Artist: Paint Studio. In Banjo-Pilot, Tiptup cheers from the sidelines along the Clanker’s River course. Grabbed by the Ghoulies gives him a few shoutouts. Although he doesn’t appear in Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge—nor could he, as most of it’s set decades before his birth—we visit the Tip-Tup Suite, a hotel room that infamously shares his name. And Tiptup’s final appearance, Diddy Kong Racing DS, brought his career full circle (notably, Bayliss was uninvolved in the remake and another developer, Climax Studios, independently workshopped their own Racing remake).
A Game Boy Color version of Diddy Kong Racing was once in development. That’s likely a lost Tiptup appearance. (Image: Nintendo / Microsoft)
Some of Tiptup’s post-Nintendo 64 ventures never saw the light of day, however. Climax’s Diddy Kong Racing Adventure was tentatively slated to include him (they were unaware that Rare legally retained the character). The ill-fated Banjo-Kazooie reimagining Banjo-X included a somewhat more realistic take on Tiptup, again by Bryan. And scrapped Xbox Live Arcade game The Fast & The Furriest would’ve let our Avatars cosplay as Tiptup and toss him around.
So, what’re my thoughts on Tiptup?
Comparisons between Diddy Kong Racing and Mario Kart 64 were inevitable. Not only did they share a then-nascent genre and console, but Rare’s work—Donkey Kong Country and Banjo-Kazooie, specifically—built off ideas Nintendo established. Now, Mario Kart 64 helped refine its series and, by extension, the deluge of kart racers that came after it. And Diddy Kong’s crack at the genre proudly stands alongside it; both games were immensely popular amongst my classmates back in elementary school.
As a kid, I often wondered what my favorite characters did between adventures. Now I had an answer: they socialized! Diddy met most of these greenhorns off-camera. (Image: Nintendo / Microsoft)
One big difference between the two, however, is in their star power. Everyone in Mario Kart 64 was already an industry staple, a household name; Mr. Video Game himself was the headliner! And, yes, Diddy Kong absolutely was (and is) a big draw, something the success of his standalone spin-off proves. None of his bizarre buddies shared that status in 1997, however. Although that’s a disadvantageous position, Rare took the opportunity to create a surprisingly memorable cast, even if they’d admittedly look more at home roaming an iHops kids’ activity sheet than Donkey Kong Island. A game lacking in dialogue isn’t inherently fertile ground to nurture prospective new mascots, and the Racing cast is admittedly rather one-dimensional. But they were more than sufficient—everybody had distinct appearances, attributes, and attitudes.
And Tiptup immediately grabbed my attention due to his bold green body. With no disrespect to him or Bayliss, that’s always been my least favorite color (though I have gradually softened towards it). Thankfully, it is a perfect match for Tiptup. Historically, green is associated with calming qualities, an amusingly ironic fit for the twitchy, timid turtle. Calling someone green means they’re inexperienced, so the color also sincerely suits this racing-adverse newcomer. Meanwhile, two of Tiptup’s accent colors, yellow and orange, allude to his devotion to his loved ones by conveying his warmth. Plus, the fact his shell was orange meant he didn’t look too green from behind; only on the character select screen did Tiptup make little Cart Boy recoil. The white streaks along his shell also give it texture while complementing his creepy, large, bulging eyes—which, in turn, nicely complement his fearful demeanor, as he looks perennially startled. Altogether, Tiptup’s design is solid!
Long before hiring professional voice actors became the industry standard, Rare staff voiced their creations. That gave them an earnest, if unrefined, quality. (Image: Nintendo / Microsoft)
More importantly, Tiptup made the most of his limited screen time by making me laugh. Where Mario’s crew viciously competed for the gold and most of Diddy’s were eager to fight the good fight, this cowardly chap would probably be happiest withdrawing into his shell! The opening cutscene portrays him as less skilled than most of his peers. Even artist Johnni Christensen’s performance enriched Tiptup, whose subdued scream remains my favorite voice clip in the game. That Diddy Kong Racing DS recast him with a much squeakier actor is hardly its most pressing issue, but it’s a shame nevertheless (though it led to speculation that Tiptup Jr. was appearing in his dad’s stead, not dissimilar to how the current Donkey Kong inherited his mantle).
And, honestly, it was nice seeing a heroic turtle character with agency in the broader Nintendo canon. Mario’s arch-nemesis is a giant turtle who rules over an army of turtles, and this was also before his adventures began more frequently featuring friendlier, sympathetic Koopa Troopas. A handful of Pokémon are turtles, though they’re pets who act as an extension of their owners. But Blastoise is consistently portrayed in an antagonistic light: the anime designated it rival Gary’s ace, his game counterpart Blue often uses one, and Blastoise was likewise my ultimate challenge in Pokémon Blue.
Kremling Krunch conveys that one’s species doesn’t define them, that good people exist in any community. Tiptup unintentionally touches on that beat, too, while looking exotic next to his Nintendo contemporaries. (Image: Microsoft)
Admittedly, it took a while until I experienced Banjo-Kazooie; I rented it a few times, watched friends go through it, and only years after that beat it myself. But its links to Donkey Kong were fun to discover, few though they may be. Of course, the biggest one was discovering that Banjo adopted Tiptup. Taking shelter and going about a presumably normal day, we witness a fresh side of the Racing refugee: he loves music! He teaches it, even! Reuniting with Tiptup was akin to being away from home, perhaps on vacation or in college, and you happen to bump into someone you know, an old friend. The world really isn’t that big, and Rare humoring such relatable, unexpected comforts adds a touch of realism to theirs, a welcome sense of community. This was long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe brought the concept of a shared universe into the mainstream vernacular, too.
Well, okay, a few holes in the execution caught my eye. Tiptup’s design wasn’t a touch-up of his Racing look but a wholly different one; he even had a massive growth spurt. But I could overlook that. He’s still a green, orange-shelled turtle whose revamp suits his new home series. Besides, it didn’t confuse or bother me when Sonic Adventure’s flashbacks to the Genesis games used its redesigns in lieu of the cast’s classic looks; a character’s design can change without requiring a narrative justification. Also, Banjo characters speak with cutesy, fantastical mumbles, but Tiptup’s cadence didn’t match his Racing grunts. Again, not a dealbreaker; stylistic differences can arise across different games, even those made under the same studio.
By this point I had also heard three people portray Sonic the Hedgehog; fictional characters’ voices can change. Heck, our voices change with age; it’s normal. (Image: Microsoft)
What breaks the illusion is the simple fact that neither Banjo nor Tiptup acknowledge their history. Sure, their assault on Wizpig was a covert operation, but surely they could act friendly to each other without mentioning it (or even only alluding to it; Banjo later vaguely references the pig in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts)? When I bump into an old friend, we never list everything we’ve ever done together, but our camaraderie informs our conversation. Meanwhile, Tiptup and Banjo come across as strangers here, with the former being yet another NPC to appease for a collectible.
Coincidence or not, the color green has another pertinent historical association: fertility. And Banjo-Tooie introduced the green guy’s third character-defining trait: dude’s a dad! Twenty times over, even! Him asking Banjo and Kazooie for help does come across as a small regression, even if he quips about it and was admittedly never Rare’s most go-hung hero. Still, Banjo-Tooie is a game where people get nuked and zombified—don’t worry; they make a full recovery—and Banjo’s a franchise whose jokes can border on being mean-spirited. Watching the Tiptups joyously dash into the ocean is an uplifting scene, one of my favorites in the series.
Sadly, Tiptup’s grown more withdrawn. Nuts & Bolts lacks him (though there’s a Tanktup nod), nor did he join his Banjo stablemates as a Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Even the RareRacer merchandise banner hasn’t yet honored him. (Image: Nintendo / Microsoft)
Surprisingly, I even discovered an odd kinship in Tiptup. We’re both products of the Nineties. Far less superficially, high school was an anxious, clumsy period in my life (emotions SEGA’s NiGHTS into Dreams later drew upon more profoundly)—which, incidentally, is when I properly went through Diddy Kong Racing and Banjo-Kazooie. That silly reptile of theirs previously amused me, but now I could kind of identify with him; Tiptup was one of the first characters in this medium I could relate to. Diddy Kong is my favorite Diddy Kong Racer, but Tiptup firmly comes in second place!
And “everyone’s favorite talentless turtle” made out pretty well, honestly. Most of his pals remain locked to Diddy Kong Racing, a purgatory he escaped. And even though Tiptup’s fifteen seconds of fame are long over, the silly fascination surrounding him remains an honor most characters never attain. He’s probably still kicking around—or, perhaps more likely, getting kicked around—Rare headquarters in some capacity, too. Unless he scores another encore, though, Tiptup’s been left in a wonderful place: he has friends, a large family, and I trust he’s enjoying a peaceful retirement. After fending off space swine, raising twenty kids, and, worst of all, tolerating the abusive Kazooie, he’s earned it.
Congratulations, Tiptup! You’re magnificent! A true masterpiece!
Truthfully, I’d like Tiptip to randomly reemerge elsewhere à la Roysten. Let him bump into Banjo and Conker, cower as the Battletoads fight baddies, or let Joanna Dark shoot a doll in his likeness for target practice. Or maybe he can finally headline a rhythm game or something. (Image: Microsoft)
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