? Panel
? Panels are the terrestrial based version of the ? Block. While ? Blocks hover in mid-air, ? Panels lay flat against the ground. These objects first appeared in Super Mario Kart. ? Panels littered the racetracks of the game. When a racer drove over a panel, he or she would receive an item. Although normally yellow with a black question mark, ? Panels would turn red after driven over, signifying they were deactivated. Red panels would remain deactivated through the rest of the race (unless every ? Panel in the course was deactivated, in which case every panel would turn yellow and once again offer items). ? Panels were replaced by Item Boxes in Mario Kart 64 and the rest of the Mario Kart series.
? Panels later appeared in Mario Hoops 3 on 3. These panels were scattered across the game's various basketball courts. When a player on offense dribbled the ball over a ? Panel, he or she would typically acquire Coins used to boost points, but may also receive an item. A player on defense would always receive a special item, such as a Mushroom, a Lightning bolt, or a Star, if he or she ran over one of these panels. Fake ? Panels also appeared in the game and could be used to trip up other players.
