Editing Bowser's Shell

{{about|the Mario Kart item|a similar item in [[Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition]]|[[Spiky Shell]]}}
{{item infobox
|image=[[File:MKT Icon Bowser's Shell.png]]<br>Bowser's Shell in ''Mario Kart Tour''
|first_appearance=''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'' ([[List of games by date#2003|2003]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' ([[List of games by date#2019|2019]])
}}
'''Bowser's Shell''', also referred to as the '''Bowser Shell''',<ref>"''Every character has a unique special skill. Bowser’s '''Bowser Shell''' knocks rivals off the road, ''[…]" – [https://apps.apple.com/us/story/id1477142338 Meet the Amazing Racers of Mario Kart Tour]. apple.com (United States). Retrieved October 6, 2021. ({{file link|App Store screenshot story Meet the Amazing Racers of MKT.png|Screenshot}}.) ([https://web.archive.org/web/20211006220600/https://apps.apple.com/us/story/id1477142338 Archived] October 6, 2021, 22:06:00 UTC via Wayback Machine.)</ref> is an item in the ''[[Mario Kart (series)|Mario Kart]]'' series, starting with ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'' It is a gigantic spiky shell identical to [[Bowser]]'s that can crash through multiple drivers and obstacles in a row.

==History==
===''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!''===
[[File:BowserShellIcon-MKDD.png|thumb|Bowser's Shell as seen in ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'']]
Bowser's Shell first appears in ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' as a [[Special Item (Mario Kart series)|Special Item]] that Bowser and [[Bowser Jr.]] can receive. Like with most other Special Items, [[Petey Piranha]] and [[King Boo]] can also receive it. When released, it bounces around the track like a normal [[Green Shell]], toppling any [[kart]] that it hits as well as knocking down the rear character, making the racers drop their items and temporarily disabling them from switching and using items. After Bowser's Shell hits the walls of a course roughly 15 times, the shell breaks apart. Unlike many other items, Bowser's Shell can resist being destroyed by some other items, and it even bounces off another Special Item should it collide with one.

===''Mario Kart Arcade GP 2'' / ''Mario Kart Arcade GP DX''===
Bowser's Shell reappears as one of Bowser's items in ''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP 2]]'' and as an item any character can use in ''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP DX]]''.

===''Mario Kart Tour''===
Bowser's Shell reappears in ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' as the [[Special skill (Mario Kart Tour)|special skill]] of Bowser, Bowser Jr., [[Dry Bowser]], and the [[Mii|Bowser, Dry Bowser, and Koopa Clown Mii Racing Suits]]. It acts similarly to its original appearance, though it tends to slide along the middle of a racetrack and curve its trajectory towards nearby drivers. Players can only throw Bowser's Shells forwards, but Mega Bowser and Mega Dry Bowser in [[Vs. Mega]] bonus challenges can throw them back. When Bowser's Shell+ is used, the shell is bigger and is able to hit other racers more easily.

The item currently has the longest gap between drivers getting the skill, with no drivers getting Bowser's Shell after Bowser Jr. got it in the [[Tokyo Tour]], until the Bowser and Dry Bowser Mii Racing Suits got it in the [[Bowser Tour (2022)|2022 Bowser Tour]], a difference of 75 tours.

===Unused appearances===
====''Mario Kart DS''====
An icon of the Bowser Shell is [[List of Mario Kart DS pre-release and unused content|unused]] in the demo version of ''[[Mario Kart DS]]''.

==Profiles==
===''Mario Kart Tour''===
*'''Tips & Tricks:''' ''This big ol' shell on loan from Bowser will crash any karts it hits and keep on going. It can only be thrown forward.''
*'''''Mario Kart Tour'' Twitter:''' ''Special item introduction: Bowser's Shell<br>In {{color|#MarioKartTour|blue}}, there are special items for certain drivers. This big ol' shell will crash any kart it hits and keep on going. In tightly-packed races, this powerful item can take out multiple racers in a single throw!''<ref>mariokarttourEN (September 1, 2019). [https://twitter.com/mariokarttourEN/status/1168054890871934976 ''Twitter'']. Retrieved March 10, 2020.</ref>
*'''Driver info:''' ''Hurl this sharp shell in front of your kart to scatter opponents.''
*'''Driver info (Bowser's Shell+):''' ''Bowser's Shell is bigger and a little better at tracking opponents.''

==Gallery==
<gallery>
MKDD Bowser's Shell.png|Artwork from ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!''
Bowser and Jr Mushroom City MKDD.png|Bowser holds a Bowser's Shell.
MKDS Prerelease Bowser Shell Sprite.png|Unused icon from ''Mario Kart DS''
MKAGPDX Shell Bowser.png|Artwork from ''Mario Kart Arcade GP DX''
ParisConstructionToads&Bowser'sShell.png|Several [[Toad (species)|Toads]] carrying a Bowser's Shell in [[Paris]] in an advertisement promoting ''Mario Kart Tour''
MKT Bowser In Waluigi Pinball.png|Bowser with a Bowser's Shell on [[DS Waluigi Pinball]] in ''Mario Kart Tour''
PiranhaPlantCove.jpg|Bowser holding a Bowser's Shell on [[Piranha Plant Cove]]
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jap=クッパこうら
|JapR=Kuppa Kōra
|JapM=Bowser Shell
|ChiS=酷霸王龟壳
|ChiSR=Kùbàwáng Guīké
|ChiSM=Bowser Shell
|ChiT=庫巴龜殼
|ChiTR=Kùbā Guīké
|ChiTM=Bowser Shell
|Fre=Carapace Bowser
|FreM=Bowser Shell
|Ger=Bowsers Panzer
|GerM=Bowser´s Shell
|Ita=Guscio di Bowser
|ItaM=Bowser's Shell
|Kor=쿠파등껍질
|KorR=Kuppa Deungkkeopjil
|KorM=Bowser shell
|PorA=Casco do Bowser
|PorAM=Bowser's Shell
|Spa=Caparazón de Bowser
|SpaM=Bowser's Shell
}}

==References==
<references/>

{{MKDD}}
{{MKAGP}}
{{MKAGP2}}
{{MKAGPDX}}
{{MKT}}
[[Category:Shells]]
[[Category:Projectiles]]
[[Category:Clothing]]
[[Category:Mario Kart Arcade GP items]]
[[Category:Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 items]]
[[Category:Mario Kart Arcade GP DX items]]
[[Category:Mario Kart: Double Dash!! items]]
[[Category:Mario Kart Tour items]]
[[de:Bowsers Panzer]]
[[it:Guscio di Bowser]]