You know, because it hits the master of the race. Right? Hello?

December 7, 2006 3:12 PM

Have you ever seen the blue spiny shell that locks on to the leader in Mario Kart referred to as a 'Master Shell'?

It's usually called a 'Blue Shell' or a 'Spiny Shell' in the manuals, but I feel certain that I saw it called a 'Master Shell' in an early manual somewhere for a Mario game that may not have been in the Kart series. I've always called it a Master Shell, but google has no knowledge of anyone calling it that (other than me). I figure on something such as this, google is pretty definitive; is it possible that there is something that was once written in a videogame manual that google is not aware of?

Obviously, this is an extremely important question. Have you ever heard it called a 'Master Shell', or did I just make it up?

posted by ulotrichous to sports, hobbies, & recreation (19 comments total)

Correct me if I'm smoking crack here, but the blue shell doesn't appear in any non-Kart Mario game until New Super Mario Bros. I suspect you saw it referred to as a 'Master Shell' in a magazine, possibly previewing the game before the manuals came out along with canonical terms.
posted by RokkitNite at 3:27 PM on December 7, 2006

I have played all the Kart games and have never heard it called "Master Shell." "Fuckin Blue Shell" "Goddamnit" and "CHeap bastard!" sure, but never "Master Shell."

Maybe some preview magazine poorly translated some Japanese at some point and that filtered down to you?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 3:34 PM on December 7, 2006 [2 favorites]

The only aberrant blue shell name I've ever seen is "Bowser Shell", which was attributing its malevolent power to the shell somehow being of Bowser's creation.
posted by anildash at 3:52 PM on December 7, 2006

Well, the only relevant result from a google search of "Master Shell" "Mario Kart" is (presumably) you.
posted by muddgirl at 3:54 PM on December 7, 2006

Have you ever heard it called a 'Master Shell', or did I just make it up?

I've never heard it called that. That doesn't mean you made it up. Of course someone must have made it up.
posted by grouse at 4:11 PM on December 7, 2006

The blue shell first made an appearance (to the best of my knowledge) in Super Mario Land, though even then it was still referred to as simply a "Blue Shell".

I have to say I'm leaning towards it being made up. Nothing wrong with that, I've heard it called many colorful things, along the lines of what robocop is bleeding said.
posted by Durhey at 4:13 PM on December 7, 2006

Yes, you get it in one of the mystery boxes, according to my nine year old son, if you are in fourth place or worse, in Grand Prix. (regular Mario Kart for Game Cube)
posted by caddis at 4:44 PM on December 7, 2006

Nope. Never heard it (before today).
posted by eleyna at 5:12 PM on December 7, 2006

Never heard it but I am aware of the item in Mario Kart 64, maybe you are merging it with the Master Sword in Zelda?
posted by ALongDecember at 5:25 PM on December 7, 2006

The blue shell first made an appearance (to the best of my knowledge) in Super Mario Land, though even then it was still referred to as simply a "Blue Shell".

That's Super Mario World on the SNES which has blue shells. (Super Mario Land was on the monochrome game boy.) They had nothing in common with Mario Kart blue shells - no spikes, didn't track anyone. They did give Yoshi temporary wings.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 5:32 PM on December 7, 2006

I've heard it referred to as a "Master shell" by many players (mostly younger kids) at the Ann Arbor District Library Networked Mario Kart games, and some staff as well.

Maybe it's a regional thing?
posted by adamkempa at 8:30 PM on December 7, 2006

yeah, hi adam, those are my tournaments.

Actually, I had never thought of the magazine / poor translation angle before, and that's a very good thought, because I used to read a lot of those back in the days when they were the only way to find out info about upcoming games. It's one of those things where I can practically picture it on the page, and the page seems to be bigger than a manual would have been.

However, snooping around a bit, it looks like the japanese name for the thing is "Togezo Shell" (spiny shell), which is also the japanese name for 'spinys' that Lakitu would drop, which makes a lot of sense. However, I had a few hopeful moments where I thought I would find vindication in that the japanese name would be 'Sensei Shell' or 'Masteru Shell' etc. No such luck.

I'm glad to know that your son immediately knew what it was, Caddis, but has he ever heard it called that before? Your coordinates are a little too far away from Ann Arbor for it to have come from here...
posted by ulotrichous at 10:02 PM on December 7, 2006

Sorry, I misread your question. No, he called it something else, not a master shell.
posted by caddis at 6:41 AM on December 8, 2006

+1 on 'Goddamnit'

I've also heard it called 'Jesus Christ!' and 'blue shell'.
posted by cmicali at 7:00 AM on December 8, 2006

You become sterile when you're hit with that thing. It's the tactical nuke of the Mario Kart world.
posted by Merlyn at 9:49 AM on December 8, 2006

Many people call it a "Spike Shell"
posted by matimer at 5:15 PM on December 8, 2006

I hate that stupid shell.
posted by joshjs at 6:44 PM on December 8, 2006

i just said "incoming"
posted by phritosan at 2:00 PM on December 9, 2006

I prefer just to say "hehhehheh".
posted by graventy at 7:08 PM on December 9, 2006