Diddy Kong Racing

Diddy Kong Racing is a Nintendo 64 game developed by Rare Ltd. and released in 1997. Even though it is not part of the Banjo-Kazooie series, Diddy Kong Racing is the first game that Banjo appears in (along with Tiptup). This allowed players to familiarize themselves with Banjo before receiving his own debut title, Banjo-Kazooie.

Banjo and Tiptup are both playable characters in Diddy Kong Racing. In the Adventure mode, both characters join Timber and Diddy Kong on their adventure to banish Wizpig from Timber's Island. On the character select screen, Banjo's theme instrument is a banjo, and Tiptup's is either a xylophone or a marimba.

Throughout the game, Banjo wears a backpack that would house Kazooie in the Banjo-Kazooie series. While Kazooie does not appear in the game, she is mentioned in the game's instruction manual. Kazooie would eventually make her racing debut in Banjo-Pilot, or in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing with Banjo-Kazooie, where Banjo and Kazooie race together.

Banjo does not appear in the Nintendo DS remake, Diddy Kong Racing DS due to Microsoft's ownership of the Banjo-Kazooie franchise. Unlike Banjo, Tiptup returns in Diddy Kong Racing DS.

References in later games

 * Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts: In a mission of L.O.G.'s Lost Challenges DLC, before racing Gruntilda, Banjo recalls a similar situation long ago with "a genie and a giant pig."