Golden Balloon

Golden Balloons are shiny balloons that appear in Diddy Kong Racing and its Nintendo DS remake, Diddy Kong Racing DS. Golden Balloons are required to access all five worlds and their race courses. Each of them is designed with a blue zigzag lining pattern of triangles and has its own minimum requirement for entry, which increases for the later courses and worlds.

The game features 47 Golden Balloons, 43 of which are awarded by Taj for either winning at a race, its Silver Coin Challenge (or Balloon Touch Challenge in Diddy Kong Racing DS), and the three vehicle races against him, either involving a Car, Hovercraft, or Plane.

Timber's Island locations
The remaining four Golden Balloons are scattered in specific locations of Timber's Island. They can be collected in no specific order, and usually require a specific vehicle to reach. The Plane can reach every Golden Balloon.

In Diddy Kong Racing DS, one Golden Balloon is found in a frozen cube on the top of the entrance to Snowflake Mountain. The stylus must be used to slide the cube down the slopes into the water stream so it melts and releases the balloon onto the shore of the main beach.