Ice Key

"Aha! I can now resume my obsession with the pointless and frustrating mystery of the key!"

- Yellow Jinjo

The Ice Key is a key made up of ice and one of the seven Stop 'n' Swop items used throughout the Banjo-Kazooie series, aside from the six Mystery Eggs.

Banjo-Kazooie
"Cool... An enormous Ice Key! We should keep this Stop 'n' Swop item for later."

- Kazooie In Banjo-Kazooie, the Ice Key appears in a large alcove in Wozza's Cave, although it is blocked off by an indestructible wall of ice.

To dissolve the wall, Banjo and Kazooie must enter the Sandcastle of Treasure Trove Cove and enter "CHEAT NOW YOU CAN SEE A NICE ICE KEY WHICH YOU CAN HAVE FOR FREE" (without spaces). When the duo obtain the Ice Key, it appears in the Stop 'n' Swop menu. However, the Ice Key does not have any other purpose in the game.

In the Xbox Live Arcade release of Banjo-Kazooie, the method for obtaining the Ice Key was changed. Here, it cannot be obtained unless the console has a save file for the Xbox Live Arcade release of Banjo-Tooie or Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. If the Ice Key is obtained but the player does not have a save file for either game, the game and its achievements cannot be saved.

Banjo-Tooie
In Banjo-Tooie, Banjo and Kazooie can obtain the Ice Key by destroying a Banjo-Kazooie Game Pak enemy in Jinjo Village. After obtaining it, the duo must enter the Waterfall Cavern of Glitter Gulch Mine, destroy a Talon Torpedo Door, and swim through the tunnel leading to the icy portion of Hailfire Peaks. The Ice Key is used to unlock a large safe with the powerful Mega-Glowbo.

In the Xbox Live Arcade release of Banjo-Tooie, the Ice Key can no longer be obtained by defeating the Banjo-Kazooie Game Pak. Instead, it needs to be collected in the Xbox Live Arcade release of Banjo-Kazooie, where it will automatically be transfered to this game. The original location of the Ice Key in Banjo-Tooie was replaced here with the Gold Mystery Egg.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
In Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, there is an imprint of the Ice Key on Boggy's Gym. If the Ice Key was obtained in Banjo-Kazooie, a Mumbo Crate appears on the roof of the gym. By taking it to Mumbo's Motors, the player unlocks the British flag for a vehicle customization option.

The Ice Key itself makes a cameo in the melted Snowman of Banjoland, and can also be found in garbage next to Banjo's house.

In the Terrarium of Terror, the Jinjo Fetch of Act 4 involves getting the Ice Key found near the sleeping aliens underwater and bringing it back to a Yellow Jinjo who says he will "swop" the Ice Key in exchange for a Jinjo Token. After receiving the key, the Jinjo says he can go back to his "obsession with the pointless and frustrating mystery of the key."

Trivia

 * There is ASCII text for "ICE KEY" hidden in Donkey Kong 64. By using a GameShark code, the player can even add it to the "Totals" menu (although it has no icon). The Ice Key cannot be removed after being adding, even if the player starts a new save file. Like with Banjo-Kazooie, the Ice Key does has no function, and its intended purpose is unknown.