Color Block
- This article is about the recurring objects in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. For the placeable blocks in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, see Color Block (Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis).
Color Blocks[1] (also parsed as color blocks[2] ) are blocks that appear in several games in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. They come in red (known as Red Color Blocks[3] [4] ), yellow, and blue varieties, and each one has an intangible state and a tangible state. The blocks switch between these two states when a Color Switch is pressed, with the exact mechanics varying between games.
History[edit ]
Mario vs. Donkey Kong[edit ]
Color Blocks first appear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong , being introduced in the first level in the game, Level 1-1. In this game, all Color Blocks of a certain color are either inactive or active at a given time. When Mario presses a Color Switch, Color Blocks of the same color as the Color Switch become active and tangible, while Color Blocks of different colors become inactive and intangible. The appearance of Color Blocks can vary per world, as they share the same visual appearance with the current level's terrain (formed by many blocks). Small Color Blocks which are 1/4 of their regular size can be found in Twilight City levels, where they block laser beams when activated.
In the Nintendo Switch version of Mario vs. Donkey Kong , their appearance remains mostly unchanged with a few exceptions - the "X" symbol on inactive Color Blocks was changed to resemble Dotted-Line Blocks, and all Color Blocks in the game use their design from Mario Toy Company's levels. Three Color Blocks (red, yellow and blue) also appear as part of the loading screen animation in the bottom right, alternating between active and inactive.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again![edit ]
Color blocks reappear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! , where they are introduced in Room 4-3 of Jungle Rumble. In this game, inactive color blocks are clear, while active color blocks are solid.[2] When a Mini presses a Color Switch, color blocks of the same color as the Color Switch invert their current state. Solid color blocks are tangible blocks that can be walked on by Minis. Clear color blocks are intangible, slightly transparent, and spin when a Mini passes through them. Color blocks have a red, yellow, or blue outline and a rivet in their center. Unlike in Mario vs. Donkey Kong, both clear and solid color blocks of the same color can appear at the same time.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars[edit ]
Color Blocks reappear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars , being introduced in Level 2-2 of Jumpy Jungle. They function identically to color blocks from Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!. Inactive Color Blocks are referred to as being off, while active color blocks are referred to as being on.[5] In this game, Color Blocks do not have a rivet in their center, and they take the form of small, slightly transparent cubes when turned off.
Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge[edit ]
Color Blocks return in Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge , retaining their appearance and behavior from Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars. Blue Color Blocks first appear in Level 5, with red and yellow Color Blocks being introduced in Level 11, and blue and yellow Color Blocks reappearing in Star 8.
Gallery[edit ]
A red Color Block in Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch)
A yellow Color Block in Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch)
A blue Color Block in Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch)
An inactive red Color Block in Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch)
An inactive yellow Color Block in Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch)
An inactive blue Color Block in Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch)
Names in other languages[edit ]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | カラーブロック Karā Burokku |
Color Block | [6] |
References[edit ]
- ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong Virtual Console digital instruction manual, page 13 (Items and Features)
- ^ a b Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! Floor 4 Help 1 (Color Blocks)
- ^ "When this is stepped on, Red Color Blocks turn on or off." – 2016. Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge North American Wii U digital instruction manual. Nintendo (English). Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "Toggles Red Color Blocks on and off when stepped on." – 2015. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars North American 3DS digital instruction manual. Nintendo (English). Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars editor object names
- ^ 2004. マリオ
vs. ドンキーコング (Mario buiesu Donkī Kongu) instruction booklet (PDF). Nintendo (Japanese). Page 13.
[Edit] Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!
| |
|---|---|
| Characters | Mario • Pauline • Donkey Kong • Toads |
| Minis | Mini Mario • Mini Toad • Mini Peach • Mini Donkey Kong |
| Floors | Mini Mayhem • Sandstone Stroll • Magnet Mania • Jungle Rumble • Rooftop • Basement |
| Items and objects | Blue Spring • Box Spring • Cannon • Clock • Coin (large) • Color Switch • Conveyor Belt • Door • Girder • Hammer • Key • Key Door • Ladder • M-Token • Magnet • Mini Mario Card • Pink Block • Pokey Block • Pop-up Gate • Rotate Pipe • Shy Guy Block • Spike • Spin-bar magnet • Warp Pipe • Yellow Spring |
| Enemies | Monkey robots (Capture Kong · Circus Kong) • Bird • Piranha Plant (fire) • Pokey • Polterguy • Snapjaw • Snifit • Spear Guy • Thwomp |
| Miscellaneous | Construction Zone • Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move + Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! • Multimedia • Plus Mode • Staff • Super Mini Mario World |