Taj the Genie

Taj the Genie
Taj the Genie's artwork from the game Diddy Kong Racing for Nintendo 64.
Residence(s)	Timber's Island
Species	Elephant
Affiliation(s)	Diddy Kong, Timber the Tiger
Powers/Abilities	Teleportation, Granting wishes, Using a magic carpet to fly, Piloting vehicles skills
Enemies	Wizpig
Game(s)	Diddy Kong Racing, Donkey Kong Racing (canceled), Diddy Kong Racing DS
First Appearance	Diddy Kong Racing (1997)
Latest Appearance	Diddy Kong Racing DS (2007)

Taj the Genie is, as his name implies, a genie of the elephant species. He is usually a supporting character in the Diddy Kong Racing games.

History

Diddy Kong Racing

In the game Diddy Kong Racing, Taj is an acquaintance to Timber the Tiger, Diddy Kong, and their friends on their quest to get rid of Wizpig after the evil wizard takes over the Timber's Island. In the game, the player can race against Taj up to three times. If the player wins, Taj will award them with a Golden Balloon. Taj can also change the player's vehicle.

Diddy Kong Racing DS

Taj reappears as an unlockable character in the game Diddy Kong Racing DS. He is unlocked by defeating the first Adventure Mode. Taj has maximum top speed, but horrible acceleration and turning. He is the fastest character in the game when in a car. He is also the player's guide when not racing and the player is not controlling him.

Gallery

Artwork

Taj the Genie's alternative artwork from the game Diddy Kong Racing for Nintendo 64.

Artwork of Taj holding some Golden Balloons from the game Diddy Kong Racing for Nintendo 64.

Taj the Genie's artwork from the game Diddy Kong Racing DS for Nintendo DS.

Diddy Kong Racing

Banjo being introduced to Taj the Genie, as seen in the game Diddy Kong Racing for Nintendo 64.

Diddy Kong asking Taj the Genie for help to change his vehicle, as seen in the game Diddy Kong Racing for Nintendo 64.

Taj with Timber and Tiptup, as seen in the game Diddy Kong Racing for Nintendo 64.

Donkey Kong Racing

Donkey Kong and Taj racing each other riding on Zingers as seen in trailer of the canceled game Donkey Kong Racing.

Trivia

• In the original game Diddy Kong Racing, Taj had an Indian accent and spoke more often. In the game Diddy Kong Racing DS, he speaks a lot less and sounds more British, implying that he was voiced by a employee from the Rare, the British company responsible by the game development.
• Taj can be seen in the trailer for the canceled game Donkey Kong Racing where he was racing with Donkey and Diddy Kong riding on multiple Rambis where he was seen with a small red Rambi. He was also racing Donkey Kong with both of them riding on Zingers (see Screenshots in the Gallery section above). In the extended version of the same trailer, Taj can also be seen riding past the "LET'S RIDE" words on a Zinger at the end of the video.
• An unused music file in the data for the game Diddy Kong Racing features the player select theme played on Indian instruments. This could mean that Taj was originally to be a playable character at first, but the idea was eventually scrapped.^{[citation needed]}
• The name Taj also appeared on the Tetris Attack high score board. It is unknown if it was the current Taj or a different one.^{[citation needed]}