Fake Item Box

The Fake Item Box is an item in the Mario Kart series that hasn't appeared in recent installments. Its replacement is the Ghost Item Box, an item that first appears in Mario Kart Insanity. In Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart DS, it looks similar to a real Item Box. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart Wii, it is given a completely different color, making it easy to distinguish from a regular Item Box. Also, in Mario Kart 64, it can block items and be placed in mid-air. However, as of Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, it is affected by gravity and cannot block incoming items. After a 26-year absence (12 years if counting remakes), the Fake Item Box returns in Mario Kart Twinsanity.

Mario Kart 64 (1996)
The Fake Item Box makes its first appearance in Mario Kart 64, where it looks similar to a real Item Box. The only difference is that it has an upside down question mark. It is obtainable in 1st or 2nd place.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003)
After a seven year absence, the Fake Item Box returns in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. In this game, the item is colored red, which makes it differentiates it from an Item Box. The color cannot be seen from a distance, and it will only turn red when the player is nearby.

Mario Kart DS (2005)
The Fake Item Box makes its next appearance in Mario Kart DS. It once again looks similar to an Item Box, but it lacks a question mark entirely. Additionally, it doesn't spin around. It can be obtained if the player is anywhere from 1st to 3rd place.

Mario Kart Wii (2008)
The Fake Item Box makes its final appearance before its 26 year absence (not counting remakes) as an item in Mario Kart Wii, where it is once again colored red, as well as being larger than in previous games. Like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the Fake Item Box hides its color when seen from a distance, and it will only reveal its true color when the player approaches. When playing in teams, Fake Item Boxes will turn blue if the player is on the Blue Team. It is obtainable from 1st to 5th place.

Mario Kart DS Redux (2020)
The Fake Item Box makes its first remake appearance in Mario Kart DS Redux. In this game, it looks similar to a real Item Box, but has an upside down question mark. It also retains the ability to block items and float in mid-air, though it can also be thrown forward. It can be obtained from 1st to 4th place.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Remastered (2021)
The Fake Item Box returns in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Remastered, acting the same as it did in Mario Kart DS Redux.

Fake Item Box Labyrinth (2022)
After a fourteen-year absence, the Fake Item Box stars in its own game called Fake Item Box Labyrinth. In this game, the Fake Item Box must collect keys to solve HammerBro101's labyrinths and collect the seven Lunar Mushrooms to remove the effects of the Heaviness Potion.

Mario Kart Twinsanity (2034)
The Fake Item Box makes its triumphant non-remake return as an item in Mario Kart Twinsanity after being absent from the previous ten installments. It can once again be used to block items and float in mid-air. Also, it resembles its Mario Kart 64 appearance, looking similar to an Item Box with an upside down question mark as its only difference.

Koopa Kart 64
The Fake Item Box makes its Koopa Kart series debut in Koopa Kart 64, where it can be obtained from 1st to 5th place. It appears identical to a real Item Box with a key difference: the question mark is upside down. Any kart that collides with one will be blasted into the air. It can be used to block incoming items, though it can only be dropped behind the kart.

Koopa Kart Advance
The Fake Item Box returns in Koopa Kart Advance, serving the same role as in Koopa Kart 64. Like in the previous game, it is obtainable from 1st to 5th place

Koopa Kart: Double Trouble!!
In Koopa Kart: Double Trouble!!, the Fake Item Box is colored red, making it easier to distinguish from real Item Boxes. However, the color is obscured when seen from a distance; it will only appear solid red as the player approaches. Racers who hit a Fake Item Box will emit red electricity while tumbling. It can now be thrown forward. Just like the previous two installments, it is available to players from 1st to 5th place.

Koopa Kart DS
The Fake Item Box's next Koopa Kart appearance is in Koopa Kart DS. It has a new set of differences from a real Item Box: it lacks a question mark entirely and does not rotate. Its overall behavior is much the same as the previous game, though it doesn't bounce when thrown. Additionally, it gets knocked away upon collision instead of exploding like all other iterations of this item do. The range for this item ranges from 1st to 5th place.

Koopa Kart Wii
The Fake Item Box returns to its Koopa Kart: Double Trouble!! look in Koopa Kart Wii, with a style change to match the new style of the real Item Boxes, as well as being larger than in previous games. Like in Double Trouble!!, the Fake Item Box can hide its color from a distance, only on approaching does it turn red, and it can only be destroyed by colliding with it. Due to the addition of 16 player racing per track, it can be obtained from 1st to 7th place.

Koopa Kart 7
The Fake Item Box returns to its Koopa Kart 64 look in Koopa Kart 7, with a style change to match the new style of the real Item Boxes, as well as being larger like in Koopa Kart Wii. Like in its first two appearances, it can block items and be placed in mid-air, as well as only being able to drop it behind the kart. As the game goes back to 12 player racing, it is obtainable from 1st to 5th place.

Koopa Kart 8
The Fake Item Box retains its properties from the previous game in Koopa Kart 8, though the player can now throw it forward. However, it is affected by gravity when thrown forward, meaning it will only defy gravity when placed backward. Like in Koopa Kart Wii, it can be obtained from 1st to 7th place.

Koopa Kart Tour
The Fake Item Box returns in Koopa Kart Tour, serving the same purpose as in Koopa Kart 7 and Koopa Kart 8. As in Koopa Kart 7, the item is obtainable from 1st to 5th place.

Mario Kart Twinsanity
"The Fake Item Box is back after its most recent appearance in Mario Kart Wii. Not only does it look almost identical to a real Item Box, it can also block items and float in mid-air, just like it did in Mario Kart 64. Hitting this item will send you flying."

Trivia

 * The Fake Item Box has the second most absences out of all other items in the Mario Kart franchise since its debut (after the Coin), being absent from eleven Mario Kart games (twelve if one were to count Super Mario Kart). Its absence has also spanned 33 years (the first one from 1996 to 2003 and the second one from 2008 to 2034), making it the item with the longest absence.