How Baby Park Evolved In Mario Kart | Level By Level

The Mario kart series has had a lot of massive tracks over the years. Mount Wario, Rainbow Road, Ninja Hideaway, and so on are all seen as some of the best in the series all because of their complexity. However, standing alongside them is a bit of an odd course. Baby Park is too seen as one of the best courses in the mario kart series, however it’s likely the simplest track in the franchise. Today I am going to analyze how baby park evolved over mario kart double dash, mario kart ds, and mario kart 8 deluxe to see why it’s so good and also place them all on a tier list to determine which is the best baby park!
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[@Odyssey_Central]

14:44 If you want to watch me completely ruin a computer's day 🔥

[@Andrew-jk1mi]

Yeah dude that was sick

[@aydenator27]

its 14:44 - 14:56 if anyone is extremely sad and confused as to why 14:44 didnt immediately have a cpu being destroyed and that made them want to click off the video in frustration

[@jumentoqueanima]

Thanks for the heart bro! Ive been a big fan for many years. A hi from Portugal.

[@WritingCountingOriginal]

Not a proper informational Mario Kart video with an entire game excluded…

[@Baraka_Maracas]

@@WritingCountingOriginal what?

[@YoFunger]

Another thing about 8 Deluxe, the dice blocks rotate around the track and get more separated as it goes on, making everyone get the items at different times.

[@cristal9841]

WAIT FR?????

[@cookie3549]

Yup, also when you get in the last lap the lights on the side flash

[@chastox]

@@cookie3549 he said that in the video

[@62mainstreetnewarknj58]

​@@cookie3549 💀

[@unknownusername0000]

this was mentioned in the video

[@JSoldierPro]

I think a key reason why Baby Park has always stood out for me is that Baby Park is designed around items being the focus of the experience rather than the track design itself. Basically every Mario Kart track to ever exist has had the design of the track as the focus of the gameplay experience for players with items serving as additional hazards to spice things up and to keep things interesting. Baby Park on the other hand has a track design that is purposefully simple which serves to enhance the chaos of the items which make the track chaos. This is why Baby Park works in Double Dash and 8/8 Deluxe but not really in DS in my opinion and I’m far from the only one to hold that opinion. DS had a much more simplistic item system by comparison (likely due to limitations) and so Baby Park lost its charm and as a result the simplistic nature of the track becomes obvious. Really nice video btw! I really enjoyed it!:D

[@WiiManLei]

Baby park is a pure luck track and nothing else. There's no skill needed to win. All you do is sit there and hope to God you don't get slapped in the face by items. I would have straight up preferred to race in the actual park instead of the oval. Worst track of all time in my opinion.... Time to watch everyone bully me :D

[@nyssfromtheabyss3839]

@@WiiManLei not really, you have to make perfectly angled sharp turns to get ahead.

[@chocov1233]

@@WiiManLei It would be cool to have a carnival themed Mario Kart track with the same artstyle as Baby Park but with traditional track design. Imagine if you could drive on roller coaster tracks like Whit Park Zone from Sonic 4: Ep. II or if the level was set at night time like Casino Night Zone from Sonic 2 or Carnival Night Zone from Sonic 3 or maybe at sunset/sunrise, it would be so pretty.

[@WandaBread]

​@@chocov1233 Sounds like you just wanna go play Team Sonic Racing dude.

[@Jothamvvw]

Honestly, as I've only ever played the DS version, I didn't even know it was supposed to be a theme park.

[@t.l.e.e.]

I didn't know until I picked up 8 deluxe years later. Didn't even remember it being ON the ds version until I saw online and went "huh.. that's crazy"

[@FaisalBashir1]

I feel bad for you.

[@warioplush]

I’m sorry for your loss

[@osberswgaming]

Baby Park is that one track everybody says and believes they hate but when playing they actually have a great time

[@CheShiny]

I never have a good time on it tbh

[@TAYBR00K]

I'm proud to say I love it (in Double Dash)

[@jumentoqueanima]

Its a good couse really. Not my favorite but really good.

[@numbcrep]

I love the double dash version because special items then they removed that

[@SpicyInk]

Most boring track ever wdym

[@mr.markstar]

This track is the closest we’ll ever get to a Nascar track in Mariokart (if only they turned left outside of mirror mode)

[@El_Omar2203]

How about Luigi Circuit from Mario Kart Wii or Figure 8 Circuit from Mario Kart DS?

[@mr.markstar]

@@El_Omar2203 I’d relate those tracks more to like Formula One than Nascar Imo

[@Igna311]

What about n64 luigi raceway

[@mr.markstar]

@@Igna311 Luigi Raceway is more of a road course than the ovals Nascar races at

[@comicking428]

I think another idea for a level by level episode is comparing recurring tracks/themes throughout the Mario Kart series. Evolutions of Mario Circuit, Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road, and maybe character specific theme levels like Yoshi and Wario.

[@chocov1233]

Good idea.

[@The8-bitGamer]

It's interesting to see the evolution of such a unique track

[@deadheat1635]

Tour’s version is a combination of all three other versions, it has the aesthetics and layout of 8, the lap count of DS, and the item chaos of Double Dash. Tour also has three variants of Baby Park. Reverse, which adds a few dash panels and ramps (as the track would normally just be the exact same as the original if the only change was going in reverse), trick, which also adds ramps but also makes the track longer on both ends (reducing the lap count to three in the process), and reverse/trick, which changes the layout into a figure 8 with some ramps (for the same reasons as the reverse variant).

[@WinterDHX]

I like the trick variant bc we can now race outside the course without being picked up by lakitu thats is cool

[@gunnadahun]

You know you’re watching a good channel when you’re still interested in minute 15 of a Baby Park video

[@jumentoqueanima]

I was just watching one of your videos! Thanks for this!

[@uiinpui]

Baby Park is a track in the Mario Kart series. You know, the karting game with Super Mario in it.

[@veryblocky]

I think it would’ve been interesting for you to look at the Tour version too, and how the T variant makes it a figure 8, instead of an oval. Also, even though it’s not official, you could’ve also included the CTGP version in MKWii.

[@cool_guy7]

The R/T version is like a Figure 8. The T version extends the track

[@OrangeToadGamer]

Funny how *Tricky Nick* made a *Baby Park* video a few days ago *I guess talking about Baby Park is very topical right now* 💀

[@JosePerez-me7kt]

You know it would be cool if the rollercoaster could hit you when it passed by and if maybe there would be a few items already on the track maybe even fake item boxes exclusive to this track

[@dustymcwari4468]

I think it used to be able to hit people in Double Dash, and it was cool that the roller coaster was a Yoshi Train to add to the Yoshi’s Island references on the course, it was disappointing that they replaced it with standard kart looking wagons in 8

[@thomasdougherty6737]

Who else is excited for new characters in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC

[@PurpleKoops]

@jahsier6297 So true

[@verde7595]

joe burrow confirmed for MK8D

[@micahheyward5342]

4:23-4:27 Mario Kart Tour brought this back Also, shout outs to Tour's Trick and Reverse/Trick Versions of GCN Baby Park

[@PixelShiftss]

Fr

[@castform7]

I find it Mario Kart DS' rendition so interesting with how much worse it is. It's the exact same layout but the limitations needing small parts of what makes this track special to be constantly taken away is why the other 2 are leagues ahead.

[@Cheesester]

“Erm, acktually, it’s an oval and err, not a circle”🤓☝️

[@Odyssey_Central]

I am sorry Lego Springtrap............................................

[@Cheesester]

“You should be!”🤥🤓☝️

[@micahheyward5342]

Cue the nerdy voice trying to correct Odyssey Central

[@noahppinkrevail]

Shut Up @chestercheese5058!

[@The_Phoenix225]

I swear i had the weirdest ‘baby park themed’ dream ever 3-5 years ago and just remembered it now, thank you and great video

[@viniciusdarosa917]

Wow, that's a video idea I was not expecting... Great vid Odyssey!

[@ayo.2022]

That first clip transition using two Marios to represent Double Dash was a genius move that not enough people are gonna appreciate Edit: upside-down Mario to represent anti-grav. Man, do I love the attention to detail here.

[@kiwibros8943]

Despite the fact that there are 3 baby parks, they are all so different! Gcn was chaotic, Switch has high quality, and DS we don’t speak of

[@Sammykyt]

Yes Baby Park is a very enjoyable course… except for in Mario Kart DS!

[@Megaleg]

Baby Park is one of the Mario kart tracks

[@courage1363]

I think you are missing 1 more important thing about Baby Park's MK8 version which is the Deluxe version recently added customizing items in which you can choose which item you want to be used in a race which means you can actually create MKDD's craziness with items that make their version chaotic, and since more items are likely to be added which means the track COULD likely be more chaotic than ever.

[@BaconEater666]

Haha bombs only go brrrrr

[@MarvelousButter]

I think it's so wholesome that you and your dad play MK together :) Used to do that with my dad and aunt all the time, I miss it 💕

[@matearonmiskolczi1995]

Baby park's background really evolved... *baby pink gold peach statue in the bg* me: oh shi-

[@Andrew-jk1mi]

I feel bad for nb

[@SlinkSup99]

Hear me out, this could've been improved in 8 deluxe with a brand new path either on the rollercoaster or in the theme park using the arrows from the tour tracks.

[@aydenator27]

thats a terrible idea and completely ruins the entire point of the track they would need to add an entirely different amusement park themed track if they were going to do that to preserve the sole purpose of Baby Park

[@Andrew-jk1mi]

They only do that for the booster course pass because tour wasn’t released by then

[@themostop6142]

You ended up somewhat addressing this in the outro, but I was already planning on making this comment, so I'm gonna still do it anyway to boost engagement. It would have been interesting to look at some of the other versions of Baby Park. The Tour version is interesting because while it loses the anti-gravity from 8 Deluxe it regains the character specific items from Double Dash as well as having the possibility of up to three items per character allowing for even more, bigger items than 8 Deluxe. Additionally, the tour variants, while they lose what made the original track so special (it's simplicity) are still fun and interesting in their own way by adding just a touch more chaos. I think the regular version of the track in Tour is still the best, but the variants work better than I thought they would when I saw it was being added. Something I didn't think of until you mentioned it though is how the game play change affects the quality of the Tour tracks. In Tour the goal is not to come in first, but rather to earn as many points as you can. Granted, coming in first is worth so many points that you should absolutely be trying to do that anyway, but it means that you can't just make a beeline for the finish, you have to stop to try to trick off of things and hit opponents with items. I can't tell how I feel about how this would affect Baby Park's ranking in Tour. On the one hand, there's nothing to trick off of except in the Tour variants, so you have to earn most of your points using items. On the other hands, this means spamming items is much more encouraged, making the track even more chaotic. However, there's one more version of Baby Park (that I know of) and that's the version from Mario Sports Mix. I think it would have been really interesting to compare this one to the others and talk about if it manages to live up to the hype of it's Mario Kart inspiration. Personally, I think it loses what made the Kart version so special, but I haven't thought about it very hard.

[@brycemkw]

I've never noticed the baby pink gold peach before. Now I will never unsee it. Thanks.

[@AzelJNR]

You can make baby park even crazier in mk8 deluxe by using the new custom item selecting mode

[@TheMetalbourne]

Get ready for someone to say: “Where’s the Tour version of Baby Park?! 😭 This is clickbait!!!11!”

[@emanueltheodorus1056]

I think you should also mentioned Wave 3's best update, the ability to customize the items that you pick. So you can single out lame coins away and feel fre to have blue shell and bullet bills only track.

[@clutchathan1476]

Baby park is the definition of a love hate relationship for me

[@djinnspalace2119]

they changed the red and blue floor because in the mk8 version the entire track is on a seesaw, so the colors devide the two sides of the seesaw (even though it doewsnt move).

[@scurry_murrayfn]

Baby park is just a circle but the items make me rage

[@Lr1010]

excitebike arena is just baby park on steroids

[@patrickg5648]

0:18 if that's a circle I'm the queen of france

[@Andrew-jk1mi]

I also don’t like how he doesn’t show the entire level by level tier list anymore, but I understand because it is way too big

[@Odyssey_Central]

yeah I wish I could, but at this point the levels would just be pixels on the screen lmao

[@Andrew-jk1mi]

@@Odyssey_Central I suppose so, but include it somewhere so we can see it for ourselves, it doesn’t have to be in a video, but possibly a community post

[@KingMatthewXV]

4:26 Mario kart tour: allow me to introduce myself

[@aidanmoore8751]

Can't believe you didn't mention luigi's mansion being in the background in the 8 version....

[@dustymcwari4468]

It’s an ugly redesign tbh, so whatever, Tour has the real Luigi’s Mansion tho

[@Lincolnium_]

Great video! I also personally love baby park (except DS lmao) so it was cool to see a level by level on it 👍

[@n19ntendods]

“Wario Stadium has 2 laps, since it was so massive.” I agree, but how about N64 Rainbow Road? I’m surprised that track didn’t have 2 laps, as well! Such a hugely missed opportunity in MK8 to make such an exceptional change.

[@TAYBR00K]

I always get immensely when a KZbinr talks about anything Double Dash related (nostalgia reasons)

[@aydenator27]

i also get immensely when a KZbinr talks about anything Double Dash related (your mom reasons)

[@Banana-vu3rf]

Tour surprisingly has a better baby park then DS’s wow bit embarrassing

[@KingMatthewXV]

Pure chaos sums it up pretty well

[@benji-menji]

Baby Park may be chaotic, but SRB2Kart has Roundabout. It's essentially if Baby Park was even smaller and had 20 laps. I even changed the music to be THE WORLD REVOLVING from Deltarune and made the final lap track to be that one part of a Dark Souls 3 boss theme.

[@ego-lay_atman-bay]

I think the tour version would be the most chaotic version because of the triple item slots, but the truth is, it's not, at least in single player. In single player, you're going against cpus, and mkrs cpus can be brutal, or too easy to deal with. I think online multiplayer would have the most chaos because it's actual people, and everyone will likeley have triple item slots, giving them the ability to have frenzies, which in turn, add more chaos. The biggest dealbreaker is that it's only 5 laps. I wish I could test out multiplayer and see how chaotic it is, but it's not in the current tour, so I'm gonna have to wait many weeks.

[@TG03]

Fun Fact: Odyssey Central Got hit the most in the Double Dash version

[@MashupProductions22]

4:25 fortunately this feature sucked and was never brought back Mario kart tour: am I a joke to you?

[@Odyssey_Central]

Mario kart tour is indeed a joke to me 🔥

[@tassiou1874]

@@Odyssey_Central why!

[@Morphinegaming_]

The tour versions of Baby Park are actually pretty interesting. R/T is a super tight figure 8, while T lets you go out of the oval for a little bit before letting you trick back into it. It’s really cool

[@neopessimist7326]

Baby park is the most fun track playing occassionally. It's the second wind when you are almost ready to close mario kart for the day. And i love it. The chaos is just so much fun, but not 5 times on an evening.

[@n19ntendods]

Wow! How can such a simple track go through so many changes over the years? It’s simultaneously amazing and absurd!

[@bluehaloknickls]

I will say, the bars between the lanes WAS a buzz kill for me in MK8. one of the wildest, most fun parts of Baby Park in Double Dash was keeping your eyes on the other side of the track, knowing that anything could come from karts driving towards you on the opposite side! Closing off each side really lessened the chaos.

[@WindWerehog]

I will say, each version has something the others don't Double Dash has the big items and the roller coaster (which is actually a hazard, it does a corkscrew right above the track, and it can hit you while it's upside down), DS, and 8 and DX have more racers, plus the items move towards you as you race, making combos easy to do, you could just throw right before getting another item, since defensive items would either be consumed quickly or spent to destroy others i'd say the ultimate version would be 8DX's & Knuck- I mean, plus Bowser Shells

[@TheShasityn]

This is perfect for the 'level by level'

[@Specky_Decky]

200cc might be chaotic, but play on time trials for true chaos

[@MrSuperleobros]

Not to mention, custom items also makes baby park more hectic by only enabling the more powerful items!

[@trevorrose3769]

Fun fact: the roller coaster on Baby Park has collision. So chucking items forward like bob-ombs and bananas will actually bounce off it and basically return to sender. This happened many many times to me when going for a bob-omb snipe….

[@MatthewGhirardi]

To me what makes MK 8’s version better is the addition of customizable items, like imagine doing baby park with only blue shells or triple shells

[@awakened_link1041]

Baby Park isn't the same without Bowser Shells, Giant Bananas, and Chain Chomps everywhere.

[@jackofarcades2813]

the best way to play Baby Park is on MK8D, 200CC, Custom Items, Triple Green Shells only. I never thought playing Touhou in Mariokart would be so fun.

[@zacharywiebe5820]

One thing I love about 8 deluxe now is the custom items I played baby park with only banana’s and it was the most chaotic thing I’ve played in MK8 Deluxe

[@eslwgpg1226]

Take a shot every time this dude says the word chaotic.

[@lindseylindsey9200]

You fool, by 2025 we’ll have Baby Pink Gold Christmas Cat Peach

[@funnynamedottxt]

Just wanna say, they did bring back character exclusive items for Mario Kart Tour, though I wouldn’t blame you for forgetting that game exists.

[@mrpig404]

One of my favorite things about the 8 deluxe version that NOBODY TALKS ABOUT! Is how it’s tilted. Yes I’d does give anti gravity but what I appreciate more is that it makes this course feel more like an amusement part ride than a race track like the other two versions.

[@icngames1032]

Double Dash has my favorite version because of all the fond memories of passing someone just before the finish line, only to realize that the person you passed was 7th and not 1st.

[@lvalerio21]

150cc in double dash is much harder than 200cc in kart 8. Also it’s not just giant items but the other special items

[@merosario731]

Another reallly interesting thing in the original MKDD version: at some points on the track the rollercoaster goes over the track and is pretty close to it as well. Interestingly they actually gave it collision so it actually can stop items. My tests showed that it stops the momentum of banans and giant banans thrown forward and it even instantly destroys the giant bowser shell (on the blue half the rollercoaster is upsidedown on its tracks and therefore close enough to the kart track to block it) Hope you enjoyed =)

[@NotANiceGuy99]

What you said about the Rollercoaster having collision course is so true. It also causes Bob-ombs to explode and backfire on the user if it's thrown forward and collides with the rollercoaster when it's hanging low to the track (it's happened to me way too many times to count.😅)

[@obliviouslynormal3664]

“Huh haw I voted in this”

[@zanmolecules4105]

It may have changed, but it never got good😔

[@aydenator27]

um actually, at the end of the video Odyssey Central says the MK8DX version is better than double dash and he also said double dash’s is very good so that means it DID get good due to change therefore you opinion is incorrect.

[@rsj2877]

Unsure if Odyssey will read this, but i had been imagining wildly if Snes Mario circuit 1 was the one added instead of 3, but i imagined it with lotsa twists, like i imagined that its 5 laps and that the first is normal but in the 2nd at the half of the track there is a detour to a brand new u-turn that returns to the track but backwards and its one way in which then by crossing the start makes it lap 3 and turns out the second half has been elevated and put in a slanted angle, turning it an anti-gravity section (with a replacement one placed were it originally stood) , quickly turn back into that new u turn but now it goes back to the regular track below which the racers couldn't go to before in lap 2 for lap 4 to start and we don't go by the normal finishing goal again with another u turn returning to the second half of the circuit backwards with gliders before going back in it again to the goal for lap 5 which in a sense combines almost all of those elements.

[@Andrew-jk1mi]

It’s odyssey, wooooooooooooooooooooooo

[@Fire_BoltX]

I actually love the track because it’s so small no matter if ur first or not there will be more items that hit u and u can use more which makes it more chaotic which is very fun

[@Wailmur]

My favorite track in MK8DX when it released and tho it has fallen to like 3rd place it's still a banger

[@Rain0T]

the only thing i don't like about 8's version is the wall tbh, i like how in DD green shells could go across so easily

[@Odyssey_Central]

It’s definitely a change I’m in the middle on. On the one hand it’s more tight in 8 but the items crossing the wall was also neat

[@ChrisGamingNL333]

This might be an unpopular opinion but I really enjoy Baby Park, and my main Mario Kart game is the DS version It's fun to speedrun and it's also fun trying to lap as many racers as you can in the 50 seconds it usually takes me

[@lanedafoe6977]

The special items were so fun and unique. Should bring it back!!

[@DraftyDaftyHubertOHare]

I’m one of the consistent Baby Park haters. DS version is best because it’s over quicker.

[@Robin280497]

Wish List for the perfect Baby Park: - Option to edit the number of Laps just for this Track. - Return of the Giant Banana, Bowser Shell and, brace yourself, THE THUNDERCLOUD! Because even though the Thundercloud sucked ass, it would've totally been amazing to have on Baby Park.

[@spicyguacamole9000]

Another change that wasn't brought up is how the Blue Shell works also affecting the chaos. 8 Deluxe's Blue Shell travels along the track rather than flying over it. In a track as chaotic and claustrophobic as Baby Park, that means multiple people can be smacked around by it before it even reaches its target.

[@Odyssey_Central]

Ooh that’s a very good point, didn’t even think of that!

[@vladshcheglov2388]

In Mario Circuit GBA, there is a hidden shortcut that I think you guys haven’t seen. You use a mushroom and jump off the gliding shortcut. You then glide to the left and land onto the red/yellow/blue/green wall. You drive straight until you fall off. Try it!

[@SpsasMinecraftCorner]

But what’s funny is that the MK8DX version was ported to DS and it looks good!

[@josiahswanson1]

Omg I saw an odyssey central mario kart video and this is a good day now

[@theoturnip3692]

the one person in the comments asking about mario kart tour

[@gnarled128]

That character you started using when playing MKDS is a cool character. He should be in Smash.

[@El_Omar2203]

Shout out to the custom items option in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for giving Baby Park even more chaotic possibilities.

[@Yoshistar238]

12:45 there's sonic music in a mario video, and I love it.

[@karlispovisils5297]

I wouldn't completely write off 8DX's items as being less chaotic than DD's. They have the grounded Blue Shell, Crazy 8, Bullet Bill, Boomerang, and Fire Flower. While not as grandiose as a Giant Shell, they feel just as destructive.

[@Andrew-jk1mi]

And all of those pictures are from previous videos and communities posts

[@pdizy]

dude i’m so excited for different colored birdos

[@LandonEmma]

Oh and on DS the colors on the bottom are swapped.

[@2Horrible]

the ds goomba boss was goated

[@OmegaGlops]

4:25 b-but Mario Kart Tour _did_ bring character-exclusive items, including the Bowser Shell and Giant Banana! 😔 The Mario Kart Tour version is actually my favorite iteration of the course. Given Tour's mechanics of having even more character exclusive items than Double Dash did and the insanity of Frenzies *_plus_* the layout and music of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Baby Park make the Tour version complete mayhem. Choose 200cc and it's absolute chaos! Baby Park T and Baby Park R/T are also different beasts entirely... The hypothetical best Baby Park would be the item play from Tour in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Maybe the next Mario Kart game will bring back Frenzies and character exclusive items. Now that Nintendo knows how to add an item menu, anything is possible!

[@Yoshistar238]

0:15 woah woah hold up 🤚 "one of the best"? I wouldn't go to far.

[@Garfunkle_99]

Let’s admit it, double dash was the best because of the bowser shells

[@train4292]

Your dad must be a pretty cool dude if he gave you the idea to make such a cool video

[@ShimmeringVapidCoal]

Great video! Honestly since it's baby park, I would have expected a shorter video.... Also baby park is the only reason we have baby versions of the characters