John Coulter
Art & Games University
Mario Kart DS
January 2026
Mario Kart DS: Art Analysis
Video Games are an art form. They have stories, just like books, and stylized representational subjects and settings just like films, sculptures, or paintings. While every single element of a game, such as a tree branch in the background is carefully crafted art, made by creative developers and designers; Art and Games University catalogues and analyzes the quantity, type, in-game meaning, and real-world art historical references of all art objects and cultural content found within the virtual worlds of video games.
Art and Games University explores the art and cultural content found in video games and has collected data from a diverse pool of games, from AAA to indie, with many systems sampled and decades of content scoured. To do so, over three hundred games have been documented through one hundred percent exploration and completion, and then the data was carefully compiled for fifty of these: with the list of documented and dissected games growing regularly. The research found the data and evaluation of art objects in games are under-studied. This research is important to document.
Mario Kart DS is a fine example of art prominently included in a gaming virtual world. This entertaining game was released in 2005 from developer Nintendo EAD and publisher Nintendo. Mario Kart DS is the product of the hard work and talents of many artists. Producers Shigeru Miyamoto, and Hideki Konno oversaw course designers Hiromu Takemura, Hirotake Ĺtsubo, Yoshihisa Morimoto, and Taeko Sugawara; just to highlight a few that had a crucial role in bringing the style, visuals, and worlds to life. Many of which have experience with map and course design on iconic games such as Zeldas (1986-2026) and other Mario Karts (1996-2005).
Mario Kart DS (2005) features thirty-two courses in the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond with sites boasting collections of architecture, sculptures, modern media, paintings, stained glass, and gardens. In an overview of the statistical makeup of the media in Mario Kart DS, there was found a whomping four hundred and sixty-four art subjects. For some perspective, out of fifty games catalogued, the average amount of art per game is 188.8. Mario Kart DS has the fifth most art this season, behind Duke Nukem 3D (1996), and ahead of F-Zero GX (2003).
The majority of Mario Kart DS’s (2005) content is contemporary mass media and mechanical designs, with frequent appearances of architecture, sculptures, and paintings as well. Mario Kart DS has the third most contemporary media objects, behind Horizon Chase 1 (2015), and GoldenEye 007 (1997). With thirty-three art objects, Delfino Square has the ninth most art in a single stage from our data set sampled in season one. The courses and settings alone have three hundred and seventy-three art objects, with concentrations of art found in Bowser’s and Peach’s Castles, Luigi’s Mansion, the Desert Hill Pyramids, and Delfino Square (Mario Kart DS, 2005).
Bowser Castle is an iconic location throughout the Mario franchise and while King Koopa has presided over many castles over the years, they are almost always, Medieval Gothic stone brick fortresses (Super Mario Bros.1, 1985). Bowser Castle makes two separate appearances in Mario Kart DS (2005), one brand new course, and the second, a remake from the GBA course of the same name.
Bowser’s DS course features a Gothic or Medieval gray stone brick fortress with round towers, simple square brick stone columns, a lava moat, drawbridge, interior garden, and sculptural facade. Many of these elements are common on castles built in the 1300’s. The monolithic stone portrait sculpture of Bowser’s face on the facade door is similar to Gothic gargoyles. Several of Bowser’s castles (Mario Kart 64, 1996) feature a green garden area, a strange feature for a wartime fortress. Other than the garden, the fortress is not decorated as a palace, and is more of a military fortress. While no castles have been built with a lava moat, Riegersburg Castle is a medieval castle, from 1100 AD, built atop a dormant volcano in Austria. The pointed red orange roofs resemble Peach’s castle more than Bowsers.
The GBA Bowser Castle (Mario Kart Game Boy Advance, 2001) is a lava-filled dungeon. The interior is surrounded by a stone arcade, stone-brick Tuscan, Dorian, and Ionic columns, stone arch windows and four stone sculptures of Bowser. While the arches are smooth and not pointed, the stonework architecture is cartoonishly Gothic. The sprites are slightly altered but still faithful to the GBA version (2001). The variety of columns in the arcade is noteworthy. Tuscan columns are smooth and un-detailed round poles, often with no base or foot. Doric and Ionic columns are more decorative and include a foot, and have fluted or ribbed poles, and more decorative tops or capitals. These stone Tuscan style columns are functional for a Gothic dungeon or fortress, however the more ornate capital supporting the arches would likely be classified as Doric. The Gothic and Medieval eras were characterized by constant war, disease, and death. The gargoyles and militaristic stone fortress make perfect aesthetic sense for Bowser’s style.
Peach’s Castle makes three appearances in Mario Kart DS (2005), each showing a slightly altered version or different area of her properties. In Mario Circuit, a paved racetrack circles a decorative Victorian castle. The castle’s form most closely resembles those from Super Mario 64 (1996) and Mario Kart 64’s (2005) Royal Raceway, with a few notable differences. The castle features white stone, a red tile roof, four towers, and prominent stained-glass window of Princess Peach, however the moat and gardens surrounding the castle are quite different than their presentation in either N64 game. The pointed towers and stained glass indicate Peach’s Castle is a Victorian palace, and not a Gothic fortress such as Bowser Castle. Despite this, Peach’s castle does contain defensive features including a moat, and four lookout towers.
Peach’s Castle is regularly shown with a prominent stained-glass portrait of the Princess on the facade. Simple stained glass has existed since ancient Greek and Egyptian times, but large vertical High Gothic Cathedral style windows are more commonly known in pop culture. Few private patrons outside the Church could afford such stained glass. Peach’s round-stained glass is likely Victorian, along with the rest of the castle’s architecture. As an iconic artistic expression that transcends the boundaries of gaming, Peach’s Stained Glass is a beloved art treasure.
Peach Gardens is an ornate botanical park with flower collections, artful hedge sculptures, hedge mazes, fountains, and a small section of architectural facade in the same style as Peach’s Castle. The facade has white or light gray stone brick and a red tile roof. The windows are both square and arched, and the two columns in front are simple square stone brick pylons, with no frills.
Hedge mazes are an evolution of the knot garden from the Renaissance and similar in concept to ancient Labyrinths. They were popular during the Renaissance, Baroque, and Victorian eras and continue to be popular attractions today. The hedge sculpture of Mario reflects a long history of topiary arts. Horticultural arts involve trimming or guiding a plant to grow in a new form or sculptural shape. The practice dates back approximately two thousand years in several cultures. Gaius Matius Calvinus is credited with introducing the art to ancient Romans, making elaborate animal figures around 50 - 0 BC as described by both Martial and Pliny the Younger. Around the same time, the art of Penjing was developed in China. Similar to the Japanese Bonsai, which evolved from Penjing some seven hundred years later, Penjing are small “living sculptures” of plants in small pots or displays. Myth states that powerful monks were able to shrink whole forests.
The GBA Peach’s Cup course shows Peach’s Castle on the distant horizon of the stages background (Mario Kart: Super Circuit GBA, 2001). Though stylized, the castle resembles the N64 (1996) version, appearing as a large stone Victorian palace with red pointed towers on each corner, and a prominent round, stained-glass window on the facade. Highlights of Peach’s art collection include her Victorian style palace, stained-glass portrait, and botanical gardens. As an NPC she has an ample collection of art across many games.
The haunted property in Luigi’s Mansion first appears in the GameCube game by the same name (Luigi’s Mansion: GameCube, 2001). Luigi’s Mansion is a Ghost House in a forest near Professor E. Gadd’s Lab located in Boo Woods. Gadd is an inventor who hunts ghosts to capture them inside haunted paintings. The Mansion is a creation of two ghosts, Boolossus and King Boo. The style is like iconic mansions in the American South, with Antebellum and Victorian features. Luigi’s Mansion exterior does not have a porch or columns as most Antebellum properties do. The windows are arched, and there are cupolas, (Koopa-la’s) or small domes, on the roof. The front stairs have ornate carved reliefs, with curved organic motifs like a seashell. The upper windows have frilly frames and moulding resembling leaves.
The gravestones surrounding Luigi’s Mansion are of two varieties. One is a small flat rectangle, or possibly fallen stone. The other has a curved “Ogee” style top, and decorative motifs depicting a column or archway, which are sometimes symbolic of the passage to the next life. Gravestones such as these were common during the Antebellum and Victorian eras.
There are twenty-three magical ghost containing paintings with varying ornate frames in the original Luigi’s Mansion (2001). Four of these make an appearance in the DS course (2005), those being: Boo (white round ghost,) King Boo’s Bowser Costume, Madame Clairvoya (a fortune teller) and Chauncey (a baby ghost with a rattle.) Stylistically the paintings in the GameCube (Luigi’s Mansion, 2001 and Mario Kart Double Dash, 2003) versions have canvas texture and brushstrokes showing. The texture is not visible on the DS. They are accurate to the surreal world Mario exists in and take no stylistic liberties.
Victorian and Antebellum ghost houses have appeared in Boo Woods since SNES’s Super Mario World (1990), throughout all of Dinosaur Land. While simplistic, Luigi’s Mansion has continuously been stylistically presented as a decrepit Antebellum wooden manor.
Delfino Plaza is a location originally from Super Mario Sunshine (2002) and is a tropical vacation port town on the dolphin shaped Delfino Isle, home to the Pianta people, colorful humanoid palm creatures. Mario Kart DS’s (2005) Delfino Square features parts of the Plaza and the pier. The course is inspired by the world-famous Monaco Grand Prix, founded in 1929, which races through the real city streets and harbors of Monaco, Monte Carlo, and La Condamine. The virtual city is known for a Clock Tower and Grand Pianta Statue.
Variations of the Grand (or Great) Pianta Statue appear in several Mario games after first appearing in Bianco Square in Super Mario Sunshine (2002). The statue’s appearance alters slightly, from being on a stone pedestal, to being in a fountain. However, the Grand Pianta is consistently depicted as a gray stone Pianta figure with a fist raised triumphantly upward.
Delfino Square oozes with inspiration of Monaco’s sunny seaside harbors and is one of the courses with the most art within Mario Kart DS (2005). As an exotic vacation destination, the design’s inspiration is in stark stylistic contrast to much of the Surreal, Gothic, and Victorian architecture found in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Examining the Desert Hills course next, based on Desert Land (or Koopahari Desert) originally from Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988). The pyramids in Desert Hill are blocky step pyramids made of stone, possibly Shroom-stone or Thwomp-stone. They are similar to the Pyramid of Djoser in the Saqqara Necropolis. The castle fort towers and walls are like those of the Cairo Citadel’s and the Qaitbay Citadel’s towers. The architectural style of the fortress walls is likely much newer than the ancient pyramids. Koopas may have contemporaneously built these desert pyramids, or they could be ancient ruins like the real-world pyramids that inspired them. The Desert Hills pyramids might be related to the Shifting Sand Land or Sarasaland pyramids.
Next to analyze is the Frappe Snowland course, featuring frosty hills dotted with snowmen and an icy canyon. Frappe Snowland originally appeared in the N64 Mario Kart Flower Cup (1996). In addition to the many small round snowmen, the course has two monumental ice sculptures, one of Mario and one of Yoshi. Ice sculptures predate refrigeration and can be traced back to several past cultures.
Early Inuit cultures in Alaska and Canada utilized ice for shelters and decorative purposes, possibly as early as four thousand years ago. In 1600’s China, ice was used to create shelters and functional glass like objects, as well as decorative sculptures. Today ice sculptures are often part of public festivals or events including the popular Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in China and the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan.
In a manner akin to Delfino Isle’s dolphin form, the entirety of Yoshi’s Circuit Island is in the shape of a Yoshi. Earthwork or land art is a form of sculpture that uses natural elements, placed in nature, to form an artistic relationship that changes the space. The 1970 Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson and Dubai’s palm shaped islands are a few examples. How Yoshi’s Circuit Island was created is unclear. Searching for these collections throughout the different areas of Mario Kart DS (2005) can be tricky. To expand your knowledge of Mario Kart-ography, visiting noclip.website for gaming maps is recommended.
Without going in detail about these subjects, they are worth briefly mentioning: The GC Mushroom Bridge, inspired by San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the Lighthouse on Cheep Beach, which features a tall white beacon with no keep or quarters to live in at the bottom, and the Twilight House has red and green Piranha Plant wallpaper.
There are forty-eight sculptural trophy cups made of varying precious metals available during the cutscenes after winning a Circuit, or cup. Who crafted or forged these metal works is unknown, however there is no shortage of gold in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Though the realms of the Mushroom Kingdom are often surreal fantasy worlds, contemporary media, signs, advertisements, and mechanical designs make up an overwhelming majority of art and media content in Mario Kart DS (2005).
Mechanical designs and creations such as thirty-six playable Karts, Luigi’s blimp, and larger automobiles such as the “Fresh Cheep-Cheep” delivery truck are regular sights on screen. Several stages are entirely mechanical designs such as Tick Tock Clock, Walugi Pinball, and the DS battle course.
Mario Kart DS (2005) includes an Emblem Editor to decorate Karts with custom decals and designs. This creative gameplay mechanic lets players personalize their experience by drawing on and decorating Karts. There are alternate colors found in Japan (Mario Kart DS, Japan, December 2005). The ROB-LGS and ROB-BLS appear with gray NES colors in the North American version, and red and cream Famicom colors in the Japanese version.
Colorful starting line banners, racing signs, ads for racing products and services such as “Luigi Tires” and “Luigi Oil,” tourism ads including one for Sherbert Land on DK Pass, shop advertisements in Delfino Square all use common graphic design elements such as bold fonts and simple colors similar to those of real-world auto race sponsors Shell and Phillips 66, of which some ads are parodies of. Other Mario Kart sponsors include “Delfino Fruits” and “Ribbon 86 Birdo Watching.”
Finally, several NPC characters create or collect art in Mario Kart DS. Peach, Bowser, Luigi and Wario are all known to have large collections of artwork, however, only parts of Peach’s, Bowser’s and Luigi’s collections are shown. Additionally, kart racing enthusiast Lakitu has provided referee and race hosting duties throughout the Mario Kart franchise and appeared as a reoccurring enemy and esteemed journalist in other games.
To review, Mario Kart DS (2005) is full of art inspiration from our own world including the Gothic and Victorian eras, ancient Egypt, and contemporary graphic design and media. Mario Kart DS (2005) has some of the densest areas of art from Art and Games University’s data collected for season one. Peach, Bowser and Luigi’s art collections shine, and Delfino Square is a major cultural hub.
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