Canary Mary

Canary Mary is a character who appears in Banjo-Tooie. She is a large, yellow canary with spiked hair, a few sparse feathers, and wears a matching dress and shoes. Canary Mary's voice is raspy, and unlike most birds, her beak is separate from her mouth. Her name also rhymes.

Canary Mary is skilled at flying despite her frail wings. She is encountered at Glitter Gulch Mine and later in Cloud Cuckooland, both where she challenges Banjo and Kazooie to a few races. In both worlds, before starting their respective first race, Canary Mary fixes a vehicle for Banjo and Kazooie to use during the race, although Canary Mary moves by flying.

Banjo-Tooie
In Banjo-Tooie, Banjo and Kazooie first encounter Canary Mary in Glitter Gulch Mine's Canary Cave. She tells of how she once had a job of going down to Glitter Gulch Mine to check for poisonous gas. If she died, the location would be deemed unsafe. Canary Mary was later trapped in a cage in Canary Cave and was abandoned. This references to how in the real world, people would send canaries into gold mines to check for gases, a practice which was later banned.

When Banjo and Kazooie break open the cage, Canary Mary flies out and lands beside a broken handcart. Once Banjo and Kazooie arrive there, Canary Mary tells them that she fixed the handcart and offers to race them, stating that her wings need some stretching because she was trapped in Canary Cave for a long time. The goal of the race is for Banjo to reach the other end of Glitter Gulch Mine before Canary Mary. During the race, Banjo must repeatedly press down on the handcart to move it along the track, and Canary Mary moves If Banjo reaches the other side first, Canary Mary rewards him with a Jiggy. If the duo end up too far behind Canary Mary, the race ends.

After the race, Canary Mary feels refreshed and offers to race Banjo back to the start. In the second race, Canary Mary flies faster, having regained her wing strength and composure. If Banjo also wins this race, he is rewarded a Cheato Page. After the second race, Canary Mary flies off, claiming that she will soon fly high above the clouds. This dream would be fulfilled, because Banjo and Kazooie later encounter Canary Mary at Cloud Cuckooland. If Banjo and Kazooie skip the second race, Canary Mary does not appear at Cloud Cuckooland.

Once Banjo and Kazooie reach Cloud Cuckooland, they re-encounter Canary Mary, who tells them that she is happy to be back in the air and challenges them to another race. During the race, rather than using a handcart, Banjo must ride a flying clockwork mouse. The race is longer than Glitter Gulch Mine's, and the difficulty has increased because Canary Mary flies a lot faster. Following suit, winning the first race yields another Jiggy for a reward, and the second race yields another Cheato Page.

After losing again, Canary Mary goes home to have dinner: a worm sandwich and a bag of millet. Kazooie wishes to race her for her meal too, but Canary Mary declines, saying that they have already taken all of her possessions and are likely to win again, leaving her hungry.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
"Remember Canary Mary? Did you have fun racing her? How I laughed when I was setting up those levels. I'm still laughing"

- L.O.G.

Although Canary Mary does not appear in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, she is directly referenced three times in the game. In the Showdown Town loading screen, one of L.O.G.'s randomized quotes has him scoffing at the player while recalling difficulty of Canary Mary's races. She is also mentioned on an Info Point at Banjoland's Glitter Gulch Mine. It states that her races were originally based on control stick rotation, but this was changed when it was found to be incredibly uncomfortable to play.

Quotes

 * "Well... no. You'd probably win and then I'd go hungry. See you around, fellow bird and bear buddy!"

Mary: That's me! Now how about another race? Banjo: But the handcart's still down in the mine... Mary: Don't worry. You can use this clockwork mouse I've found instead. Kazooie: Clockwork mouse? Are you mad? Mary: Oh yes. Go on, jump on board and press A as fast as you can to power the mouse along.
 * Kazooie: Hey, Banjo, it's that crazy canary woman again!


 * "Ready? 3... 2... 1... Go!"

Kazooie: Yep. The usual prize will suffice... Banjo: Don't be greedy, Kazooie. We won all her possessions in the mine. Mary: Oh no, you didn't! Look what I found up here...
 * Mary: You beat me again!


 * "I also found another papery thing. Hop on the mouse if you want to try and win it..."
 * "Hop on the mouse to race again."

Kazooie: Sure did, lady. Now hand over that papery thing! Mary: My last possession... Well, that's it then. I reckon I'll be off for my dinner. Banjo: What are you having? Mary: A nice worm sandwich and a tasty bag of millet. Kazooie: Mmm... sounds good. How about a third race to let us try and win your dinner? Mary: Well... No. You'd probably win and then I'd go hungry. See you around, fellow bird and bear buddy!
 * Mary: Did I lose?

Trivia

 * In Glitter Gulch Mine, Canary Mary comments that the Jiggy she gives Banjo was "stuck under her wing for days". Kazooie replies that they might not want it after hearing that. When Banjo wins a Cheato Page, she starts to say that it has "been stuck..." but Kazooie stops her, saying "We don't want to know where it's been."