Mumbo Jumbo

Mumbo Jumbo is a shaman that transforms Banjo and Kazooie in Banjo-Kazooie, but his role is taken in Banjo-Tooie by Humba Wumba. In Banjo-Tooie, Mumbo Jumbo is a playable character who attacks by using his zap stick, and performs certain spells that aid Banjo and Kazooie. He also appears in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts as a mechanic in Showdown Town. He also has various other roles, depending on which world he is in. He is also a playable character in Banjo-Pilot.

History
Not much is know about Mumbo's past, but the Banjo-Kazooie instruction manual states that he was a former teacher of Gruntilda, and that she betrayed him and cursed him, transforming his face into the hideous skull mask which he has become known for. Due to the appearance of his lower body, some believe that Mumbo was a Jinjo before he was cursed, but Rare has denied this on numerous occasions.[citation needed?]

Spells
In Banjo-Kazooie, Mumbo transfroms Banjo, at the cost of Mumbo Tokens. These transformations include:


 * Mumbo's Mountain - A termite, which can't attack, but can sneak past other termites and can scale steep surfaces.
 * Bubblegloop Swamp - A crocodile which is resistant to (or at least scares away) the piranhas that infest the water, as well as being able to to bite.
 * Freezeezy Peak - A walrus, resistant to the icy waters of the area.
 * Mad Monster Mansion - A pumpkin, which bounces around to move, can go into small spaces,and will not be hurt by the thorns on top of the hedges.
 * Click Clock Wood - During spring, Mumbo will offer his services and transform the duo into a bee, which can fly very high altitudes, and can sneak into the Zubbas' hive. During Summer, however, he's too hot to perform the spell, during Autumn, he's too busy raking up leaves, and during Winter, he's gone on holiday and has gotten a Beehive to watch over his hut.

His hut is absent from Treasure Trove Cove, Clanker's Cavern, Gobi's Valley and Rusty Bucket Bay; as such, those levels don't have transformations.

During Banjo-Tooie, Mumbo performs spells for Banjo and Kazooie, as long as he has a Glowbo with him to perform it (otherwise he's incapable of doing so). His spells are:


 * Isle o' Hags - Heal
 * Mayahem Temple - Summon
 * Glitter Gulch Mine - Levitate
 * Witchyworld - Power
 * Jolly Roger's Lagoon - Oxygenate Water
 * Terrydactyland - Enlarge
 * Grunty Industries - EMP
 * Hailfire Peaks - Life Force
 * Cloud Cuckooland - Rain Dance

Banjo
Mumbo befriends Banjo and helps him on his quest because of their mutual hate for Gruntilda. Despite that he barely ever refers to him by name and often calls him "bear".

Kazooie
Mumbo is another target of Kazooie's impulsive judgments, being insulted for his appearance and being nicknamed "Mumbo Dumbo" by her. He tends to ignore her. Similar to Banjo, Mumbo always calls Kazooie "bird".

Gruntilda
Mumbo's ultimate goal is to bring the witch down, as it is the only way to break the curse on him. Mumbo has good reason to resent Gruntilda, since he taught her how to perform magic.

Humba Wumba
The two shamans are rivals at first, both believing that they are more powerful than the other. At the end of Banjo-Tooie, the two seemed to have buried the hatchet after Gruntilda's defeat, and they both agree that it's fun to play ball using Gruntilda's head.

Trivia

 * The phrase "mumbo jumbo" means gibberish or nonsense, a fact which is poked fun at in Grunty's Revenge when Bozzeye tells Banjo about the note he received from future Mumbo.
 * The main phrases he uses are spelled "Eekum Bokum" (seen on the Mumbo Pad in Banjo-Tooie) and "Oomenacka" (as revealed in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts).

Mumbo Jumbo