Not to be confused with Koopa Troopa Cup, another cup with a Green Shell as the emblem.
Artwork of the Shell Cup logo, from Mario Kart 8.
The Shell Cup logo in Mario Kart 8.

The Shell Cup is a cup in the Mario Kart series, introduced in Mario Kart DS as the fifth cup of that game. Typically, it exclusively features classic courses and is the first retro cup overall; these tend to be from the Mushroom Cup and Flower Cup of previous games, and are thus usually simple with few hazards, akin to the Mushroom Cup. The emblem of the cup is a Green Shell. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Shell Cup is one of two cups to be themed around a shell, alongside the Spiny Cup.

HistoryEdit

Mario Kart seriesEdit

List of coursesEdit

Game Course 1 Course 2 Course 3 Course 4
Mario Kart DS  
SNES Mario Circuit 1
 
N64 Moo Moo Farm
 
GBA Peach Circuit
 
GCN Luigi Circuit
Mario Kart Wii  
GCN Peach Beach
 
DS Yoshi Falls
 
SNES Ghost Valley 2
 
N64 Mario Raceway
Mario Kart 7  
N64 Luigi Raceway
 
GBA Bowser Castle 1
 
Wii Mushroom Gorge
 
DS Luigi's Mansion
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe  
Wii Moo Moo Meadows
 
GBA Mario Circuit
 
DS Cheep Cheep Beach
 
N64 Toad's Turnpike
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit  
Work Zone
 
Cheep Cheep Reef
 
Bowser's Castle
N/A

Mario Tennis OpenEdit

The Shell Cup also appears in Mario Tennis Open as the third cup in the Star Open tournament series, but the shell is a Red Shell instead of the usual green. The trophy is designed as a Red Shell on top of a tower that resembles a feature from Bowser's Castle. This cup is held in the Bowser's Castle court, with the matches having three sets for the starting round, three sets for the semifinals, and five sets for the finals.

Completion rewards in the Mario Kart seriesEdit

Winning the Shell Cup in the Mario Kart series can award the player with various bonuses, depending on the game. Additional cups unlocked are excluded from this list.

Mario Kart DSEdit

  • All retro cups (includes Shell Cup) on 50cc: Daisy
  • All retro cups (includes Shell Cup) on 100cc: Waluigi
  • All retro cups (includes Shell Cup) or all nitro cups (excludes Shell Cup) on 150cc: Seven karts for each playable character
  • All cups on 150cc: 150cc Mirror class
  • All retro cups (includes Shell Cup) or all nitro cups (excludes Shell Cup) on 150cc Mirror: R.O.B.
  • All cups on 150cc Mirror: All karts for each playable character

Mario Kart WiiEdit

  • Shell and Banana Cups: Leaf Cup
  • 1 star rank or higher on all retro cups (includes Shell Cup) on 50cc: Cheep Charger
  • 1 star rank or higher on all retro cups (includes Shell Cup) on 100cc: Bowser Jr.
  • 1 star rank or higher on all retro cups (includes Shell Cup) on 150cc: Jetsetter
  • All cups on 150cc: 150cc Mirror class
  • 1 star rank or higher on all cups on 150cc Mirror: Rosalina

Mario Kart 7Edit

  • All cups on a single cc class: Mii
  • 150cc Shell Cup: Shy Guy
  • All cups on 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc: 150cc Mirror class

Mario Kart 8Edit

Most unlockable characters in Mario Kart 8 are unlocked at random upon winning Grand Prix cups (separate cups must be played to unlock characters), which includes the Shell Cup. Characters that can be unlocked include Rosalina, Metal Mario, Lakitu, Toadette, Baby Rosalina, Pink Gold Peach, Iggy Koopa, Roy Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, Larry Koopa, Wendy O. Koopa, Ludwig von Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr., and Mii. Mii is unlocked upon the eighth Grand Prix cup victory, unless an amiibo is used to unlock Mii beforehand.

In addition, the Gold Standard body can be unlocked by getting a 1 star rank or higher on all non-DLC cups (including the Shell Cup) on any one engine class, and the 150cc Mirror class can be unlocked by winning all 150cc cups.

Mario Kart 8 DeluxeEdit

  • 1 star rank or higher on all cups on 150cc Mirror: Gold Standard
  • All cups on 200cc: Gold Mario

Trading Card infoEdit

"The first of four Retro Cups, the Shell Cup is made up of four great blasts from the past. One track from GameCube, one from DS, one from Super NES, and one from N64. It's a great mix, and they all get a face lift with the graphics boost in Mario Kart Wii."

GalleryEdit

EmblemsEdit

TrophiesEdit

Names in other languagesEdit

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese こうらカップ[?]
Kōra Kappu
Shell Cup
Chinese (simplified) 龟壳杯[?]
Guīké Bēi
Turtle Shell Cup
Chinese (traditional) 龜殼盃[?]
Guīké Bēi
Turtle Shell Cup
Dutch Schildbeker[?] Shell Cup
French Coupe Carapace[?] Shell Cup
German Panzer-Cup[?] Shell Cup
Italian Trofeo Guscio[?] Shell Trophy
Korean 등껍질 컵[?]
Deungkkeopjil Keop
Shell Cup
Portuguese (NOA) Copa Casco[?] Shell Cup
Portuguese (NOE) Taça Carapaça[?] Shell Cup
Russian Кубок панциря[?]
Kubok pantsirya
Shell Cup
Spanish Copa Caparazón[?] Shell Cup

TriviaEdit

  • Mario Kart 7's Shell Cup is the only Shell Cup without a returning Mario Circuit, which is instead part of the Banana Cup.
  • The Shell Cup is the only cup with retro courses in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to contain no courses that appear in Mario Kart Tour.