Items

Since Super Mario Kart, items have been used to help and hinder racers. Some items from previous games have been reused in Double Dash!!, and some new items have been introduced to make the game seem unique. The way you get items is by running into an Item Box. By doing so, it gives the rear player the item, to use on the group, throw forward, or lauch it backward. If you run into a Double Item Box, the front and rear players to both get items. The only way to use the front players item is to have the players switch positions. The position the player is in will affect the item the player will get. The people in 4th place and up are more likely to get weaker items, such as Green Shells and Bananas, but players in 5th Place and under are more likely to get more powerful items, like Stars and Lightning Bolts.

Item Classification
Items are classified into 2 categories:
 * Standard: These are regular items that any character can get by driving through a Item Box or Double Item Box.
 * Special: These are special items that only certain characters can get in Item Boxes and Double Item Boxes. Only one Special Item can be held by one character per kart.

Standard Items

 * Green Shell: When you shoot a Green Shell, it goes in a straight line, until it hits a wall and then it bounces. It will hit anything in its path. It can be shoot forwards or backwards,
 * Red Shell: A Red Shell is basically a Green Shell, but it homes in on the nearest kart. Whne you shoot it backwards, it will no bounce when it hits a wall, and will break if it hits a wall.
 * Spiny Shell: When a Spiny Shell is launched, it will automatically lock on to the first place driver. It will create a Blue explosion, and the first place driver will lose his/her items. All other karts that so happen to drive through the radius will spin out. In Battle Mode, this item is absent.
 * Mushroom: When a Mushroom is picked up, a kart will get a brief boost of speed. While using a Mushroom, you can take shortcuts and run into other karts and steal their items.
 * Triple Mushrooms: A Triple Mushroom is basically the same as a Mushroom, but now there are 3 in one bunch. If you get hit while holding Triple Mushrooms, you will lose two of them.
 * Banana: When a Banana is tossed on to the track, it acts as a road block. If an opponent runs into a Banana, they will slide around and spin out. It can also be thrown either forward or backward, and can be placed at the right time behind a kart to block shells aiming at them.
 * Thunderbolt: When the Thunderbolt is used, all characters except the one who used it will shrink. Players holding items will lose them.
 * Star/Starman: When a Starman is used, the character will become invincible, against any item, enemy, or oppenent kart. The opponent kart will get flipped around. If the opposing character has an item, you will steal that item. The kart will also get a speed and handling boost.
 * Fake Item Box: It may look like a normal ? Block, but when you get up close, it is red and with a upside down ? symbol. When hit, the character will flip around, similar to getting hit by a Star.
 * NOTE: If an item is left on the ground for around 1 - 2 laps, it will eventually dissapear.

Special Items
King Boo and Petey Piranha cna recieve anyones Special Items, except Special Items that have been customized for certain characters, such as Luigi's Green Fireballs, or Birdo's Pink Birdo Egg.
 * Fireballs (Mario/Luigi): A set of 5 Red Fireballs for Mario, and a set of 5 Green Fireballs for Luigi. When Fireballs are launched onto the track, they will bounce of walls and eventually hit walls and other karrts. They will eventuallt dissapear if they go too long without hitting another item or kart. They can be shot either forward or backward.
 * Heart (Princess Peach/Princess Daisy): 2 Hearts will surround the players kart, and will give the item that hits the kart to Peach or Daisy. You cannot steal Spiny Shells and Chain Chomps. Also, items on the track can be picked up if used correctly. The Heart can be used until the player crosses the Finish Line. The Heart is able to only recieve 2 hits.
 * Yoshi/Birdo Egg (Yoshi/Birdo): Yoshi has his signature Green Egg, and Birdo has her Pink Egg. When the egg is shot off, it will home in on the closest character, similar to a Red Shell. When it hits another kart, it released three items at random. Either Shells, Bananas, Mushrooms, Stars, or a Bob-omb. Depending on how much time the egg has been searching for a kart to hit, it will eventually randomly break and still release 3 items.
 * Chain Chomp (Baby Mario/Baby Luigi):A large Chain Chomp is attached to the front of the kart, making the kart go insanely faster. The Chain Chomp will also knock over any kart in its way, and get rid of there items. It will eventually break off and run through the track and eventually dissapear. Its very similar to a Bullet Bill in all Mario Kart games after this one.
 * Triple Shells (Koopa Troopa/Koopa Paratroopa): A set of 3 shells, coming in either Green or Red, picked at random. They can either knock over (Green) or home in on (Red) other karts. If you get hit by another item while holding the Triple Shells, you will lose all of them, except for one.
 * Giant Banana (Donkey Kong/Diddy Kong): When a Giant Banana is thrown onto the track, it act like an over sized Banana with a sad face. When hit, it will separate into 3 normal Bananas..It can be considered the replacement for Triple Bananas, seen in previous Mario Kart games. They can be thrown forward or backward.
 * Bowser's Shell (Bowser/Bowser Jr.): A giant Spiny Shell without wings that bounces around the track, like a Green Shell. It will run into any kart, item, or enemy. It can be thrown either forward or backward.
 * Bob-omb (Wario/Waluigi): When a Bob-omb is dropped onto the track, it will sit there. If a kart hits it, or it is left alone after a period of time, it will explode, flipping over karts near it, or karts stupid enough to drive right through the blast radius. It can be thrown forward or backward.
 * Golden Mushroom (Toad/Toadette): When a Golden Mushroom is recieved by the player. It will give the kart many speed boosts, like the Super Mushroom in Mario Kart 64. It will finish giving boosts over a priod of time. It can not be dropped when hit by a Thunderbolt like a regular Mushroom.\