History Trivia / BanjoKazooie

* FanNickname: "Rusty [[PrecisionFStrike Fuck]]-[[ScrewThisImOuttaHere It]] Bay" for [[ThatOneLevel Rusty Bucket Bay]], mostly due to its infamous engine room.

** The first game was also going to feature more levels, but they didn't make it due to time constraints. One of those, Mount Fire Eyes, was reused as the fire side of Hailfire Peaks in ''Tooie'', and Fungus Forest, another of those unused levels, is not only featured on a picture in Banjo's house, but also made it into ''Donkey Kong 64'' as Fungi Forest.

** ''Banjo-Kazooie'' started out as an isometric RPG for the SNES, named ''Dream: Land of Giants''. At the time, the protagonist was a human boy named Edison, who got tangled up with a pirate crew led by Captain Blackeye who were finding a magic dust called floaty that would make their pirate ship fly to take over other lands. The game was moved to the Nintendo 64, where they redeveloped it as a 3D RPG akin to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''. The Nintendo 64 couldn't handle the game's environments, so they redesigned the game again, this time into a platformer inspired by ''VideoGame/SuperMario64''. Edison was deemed too generic of a protagonist, so Rare chose a new one from the pool of {{Funny Animal}}s who were going to be secondary characters in ''Dream''. After rejecting a dog and a rabbit, they decided on a bear, who they named Banjo. Rare then dropped the pirate theme and story entirely in favor of a more fairy-tale style story, which was about Banjo and his girlfriend Piccolo (who eventually became his sister Tooty) watching a concert at Spiral Mountain when a giant (who became Gruntilda in the final version) came, scared everyone off, and kidnapped Piccolo while Banjo was knocked out. An egg which Kazooie hatched from would have told Banjo about the events concerning the giant's attack while he was out cold. Also, the Giant's Lair looked much different than Gruntilda's Lair. Meanwhile, Tiptup, Captain Blackeye, and Stomponadon made it into the final products as minor characters, and the pirate theme of ''Dream'' was eventually retooled into ''VideoGame/SeaOfThieves''.

** 'Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Curse' is an earlier version of the GBA game that began development on the Game Boy Color before switching to the more powerful system. Its remarkably similar to the final product, save some scrapped levels, transformations, and story--instead of a midquel, as Grunty's Revenge became, it was to be a canonical "what if" branching off from the original game and disregarding Tooie.

* SerendipityWritesThePlot: The original game and ''Tooie'' were supposed to have actual voice acting, but the developers didn't want to risk it due to the [=N64=]'s limited cartridge space. The now-iconic [[SpeakingSimlish Banjospeak]] was implemented as a way to still give the characters some level of personality

*** Originally, Kazooie wasn't even a part of Rare's original plan for the game, but Rare wanted to give Banjo some more moves and have them make sense, such as traversing steep slopes. Since Banjo still had a backpack, it was decided to put a bird (who would become Kazooie) in there in order to let Banjo perform those moves in a way that made sense. More humorously, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp8n7QKJZHs Steve Mayles specified in an interview]] that Banjo originally only had feet and wings sprout out of his backpack to do certain moves, until it was decided for those to be developed into a new character.

* AcclaimedFlop: Believe it or not, ''Nuts & Bolts'' actually received good reviews from critics (79 out of 100 "generally favourable reviews" on Metacritic). However, because the game's change in genres was to the point where it felt InNameOnly, many fans tuned out of the game.

** Captain Blackeye was the villain of the original "Project Dream," a game about a boy trying to rescue his girlfriend from pirates. The game was eventually completely overhauled into the game that became ''Banjo-Kazooie'' (also called "Dream" early in development). This has not stopped Blackeye from showing up in the series anyway. Portraits of Blackeye appeared in ''Banjo-Kazooie'' in several parts of the game (most notably Mad Monster Mansion), though he was otherwise absent. He appeared in person in ''Banjo-Tooie'' as a sea-sick captain in the bar at Jolly Roger's Lagoon, raving about how he had a dream in which he had his own game, but a bear that looks like Banjo stole his glory. Blackeye's final cameo to date appears in ''Nuts & Bolts'', as a wanted poster on the front of the Boot-In-A-Box part. A building in Showdown town is named "Blackeye's Boat Hire".

* FranchiseKiller: ''Nuts & Bolts'' not only did this for ''Banjo-Kazooie'', but the game's poor performance also killed off the sequels to ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'', and also became a CreatorKiller for what was left of the original Rare. During and after the production of this game, many of Rare's major players (such as the Stamper bros. and Grant Kirkhope) left and this game's failure led Microsoft to temporarily repurpose Rare into only making Kinect games. It took nearly ''an entire decade'' for the company to finally develop core games again, starting with ''VideoGame/SeaOfThieves''.

** ''Nuts & Bolts'' was at one point intended to have a WildWest-themed [[http://banjokazooie.wikia.com/wiki/Weird_West world]], but it was cut due to time constraints. Random dialogue from the villagers and L.O.G. mentions that it would have been accessible from the area with the boarded-up houses where Klungo's arcade resides, and one of the Grunty challenges in the Jiggosseum was most likely intended for the cut world due to it being the only world with two challenges.
** There were plans for an animated TV series that would air around 2008 to coincide with the release of ''Nuts & Bolts'' It would also air alongside the ''[[WesternAnimation/VivaPinata Viva Piñata animated series]]'' on the [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4Kids TV Saturday morning block]]. This idea was scrapped for unknown reasons, possibly either due to 4Kids going bankrupt around that time or possibly due to the poor sales of the game itself.
** The developers planned to promote ''Nuts & Bolts'' by entering the Red Bull Flugtag, They even had an application pitched to the event but the idea was rejected.

* FanNickname: "Rusty [[PrecisionFStrike Fuck]][[ScrewThisImOuttaHere-It]] Bay" for [[ThatOneLevel Rusty Bucket Bay]], mostly due to its infamous engine room.

* FanNickname: "Rusty [[PrecisionFStrike Fuck]]-It Bay" for [[ThatOneLevel Rusty Bucket Bay]], mostly due to its infamous engine room.

** Originally, Gruntilda's final spell before being knocked off the tower was supposed to turn Banjo into a frog and the player would control Tooty to collect enough Mumbo Tokens to change him back. This was cut due to time constraints.

** There were plans for an animated TV series that would air around 2008 to coincide with the release of ''Nuts & Bolts'' It would also air alongside the ''[[WesternAnimation/VivaPinata Viva Piñata animated series]]'' on the [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4Kids TV Saturday morning block]]. This idea was scrapped for unknown reasons, possibly due to 4Kids going bankrupt.

** Creator Steven Mayles has stated on his Twitter that Tooty is his least favorite character in the series, presumably due to her [[FlatCharacter utter lack of personality]], hence why she [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome didnt return in the sequels]] save for joke cameos.
-->"She's officially the least favourite BK character. Didn't even make the sequel. Go on, name me a more unpopular BK character."

-->"Brentilda is my least favourite Banjo-Kazooie character and her role around providing 'facts' on her sister to enable you to win Furnace Fun is certainly one of the worst pieces of design I have ever created. The idea was OK, but I think I could have done a much better job of implementing it."

* FanNickname: "Rusty [[PrecisionFStrike Fuck]]-It Bay" for [[ThatOneLevel Rusty Bucket Bay]], mostly due to it's infamous engine room.

** To a lesser extent, the locked door at the top of Grunty's Lair (The one in the room seen in the GameOver screen), and the two remaining jiggies after every puzzle in the game is filled in. Many a rumor linking the two together and to Stop 'N' Swop has popped up, a popular one being that there used to be a puzzle meant to be filled in with the last two jiggies, which would open the aforementioned door and lead to a room where you could perform the Stop 'N' Swop.

** Stop 'N' Swop. Originally, there were items (The special eggs and the Ice Key) that you were meant to collect in ''Banjo-Kazooie'', then transfer over to ''Banjo-Tooie'' via Stop 'N' Swop; you'd have to save the game in a particular way, then turn off the console and quickly swap the ''Kazooie'' cartridge for the ''Tooie'' catridge, to transfer the items (Hence the name "Stop 'N' Swop"). However, this proved impossible due to new revisions in the N64 hardware released in 1999; you'd originally have ten seconds, during which the data from ''Kazooie'' would remain and be ready to be transferred, but following the revisions, the data was only kept for ''one'' second, making it impossible to perform the maneuver; plus, there were concerns about any hazardous effects towards the players' save files or data. In the end, the items were made inaccessible via average means (you can get them via exceedingly long codes, though they are useless as is), yet the ending of ''Kazooie'' still teases three of them as if they were obtainable. Worse, the Ice Key is in ''plain sight'' behind a transparent but indestructible ice wall in Wozza's cave. Remnants of the original plans were even found in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64''; unused text in that game suggests that the Ice Key was supposed to appear, most likely via Stop 'N' Swop. It is also worth noting that you still would have gotten the exact same rewards you got in the final product of ''Tooie''[[note]]the Breegull Bash move, the homing eggs cheat, the multiplayer character Jinjo, and Dragon Kazooie[[/note]], except for the fact that only three eggs ended up being in the game. What the three rewards that had to be scrapped would have been is still a mystery.
** ''Banjo-Kazooie'' started out as an isometric RPG for the SNES, named ''Dream: Land of Giants''. At the time, the protagonist was a human boy named Edison, who got tangled up with a pirate crew led by Captain Blackeye who were finding a magic dust called floaty that would make thair pirate ship fly to take over other lands. The game was moved to the Nintendo 64, where they redeveloped it as a 3D RPG akin to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''. The Nintendo 64 couldn't handle the game's environments, so they redesigned the game again, this time into a platformer inspired by ''VideoGame/SuperMario64''. Edison was deemed too generic of a protagonist, so Rare chose a new one from the pool of [[FunnyAnimal Funny Animals]] who were going to be secondary characters in ''Dream''. After rejecting a dog and a rabbit, they decided on a bear, who they named Banjo. Rare then dropped the pirate theme and story entirely in favor of a more fairy-tale style story, which was about Banjo and his girlfriend Piccolo (who eventually became his sister Tooty) watching a concert at Spiral Mountain when a giant (who became Gruntilda in the final version) came, scared everyone off, and kidnapped Piccolo while Banjo was knocked out. An egg which Kazooie hatched from would have told Banjo about the events concerning the giant's attack while he was out cold. Also, the Giant's Lair looked much different than Gruntilda's Lair. Meanwhile, Tiptup, Captain Blackeye, and Stomponadon made it into the final products as minor characters, and the pirate theme of ''Dream'' was eventually retooled into ''VideoGame/SeaOfThieves''.

** ''Nuts & Bolts'' was at one point intended to have a WildWest-themed [[http://banjokazooie.wikia.com/wiki/Weird_West world]], but it was cut due to time constraints. Random dialogue from the villagers and L.O.G. mentions that it would have been accessible from the area with the boarded up houses where Klungo's arcade resides, and one of the Grunty challenges in the Jiggosseum was most likely intended for the cut world due to it being the only world with two challenges.
** There were plans for an animated TV series that would air around 2008 to coincide with the release of ''Nuts & Bolts'' It would also air alongside the ''[[WesternAnimation/VivaPinata Viva Pinata animated series]]'' on the [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4Kids TV Saturday morning block]]. This idea was scrapped for unknown reasons, Possibly due to 4Kids going bankrupt.

** ''Banjo-Threeie'', a next gen-platforming experience, teased [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrIamj0RzUg here]] never came to pass. Instead Rare decided on a GenreShift and added vehicle based gameplay, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks at the expense of many angered fans]].

** ''Banjo-Kazooie'' started out as an isometric RPG for the SNES, named ''Dream: Land of Giants''. At the time, the protagonist was a human boy named Edison, who got tangled up with a pirate crew led by Captain Blackeye. The game was moved to the Nintendo 64, where they redeveloped it as a 3D RPG akin to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''. The Nintendo 64 couldn't handle the game's environments, so they redesigned the game again, this time into a platformer inspired by ''VideoGame/SuperMario64''. Edison was deemed too generic of a protagonist, so Rare chose a new one from the pool of [[FunnyAnimal Funny Animals]] who were going to be secondary characters in ''Dream''. After rejecting a dog and a rabbit, they decided on a bear, who they named Banjo. Rare then dropped the pirate theme and story entirely in favor of a more fairy-tale style story, which was about Banjo and his girlfriend Piccolo (who eventually became his sister Tooty) watching a concert at Spiral Mountain when a giant (who became Gruntilda in the final version) came, scared everyone off, and kidnapped Piccolo while Banjo was knocked out. An egg which Kazooie hatched from would have told Banjo about the events concerning the giant's attack while he was out cold. Also, the Giant's Lair looked much different than Gruntilda's Lair. Meanwhile, Tiptup, Captain Blackeye, and Stomponadon made it into the final products as minor characters, and the pirate theme of ''Dream'' was eventually retooled into ''VideoGame/SeaOfThieves''.

* DummiedOut:
** Changes to the N64 cartridge hardware caused the legendary Stop N' Swop feature to be scrapped.
** A screenshot of the pause menu in the American manual for ''Kazooie'' shows a cut option to return to Grunty's Lair without having to go back to the warp pad.
** Files for ''Tooie''[='s=] random honeycomb item exist in ''Kazooie'''s coding.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2yj2db5c_A An underwater theme for the Engine Room on the Rusty Bucket]] exists in the game's files but is impossible to hear in-game otherwise, implying the bottom may have originally been intended to be filled with water. Similarly, the files also include [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN6mJqtdlsU an underwater theme for Freezeezy Peak]], where the only water is cold enough to damage you on contact and is programmed to be impossible to dive in.
* {{Feelies}}: ''Nuts & Bolts'' comes with a foldable blueprint of Mumbo's machines and some of the characters from the game.

** Steve Burke replaces Lee Ray as Bottles and Creator/GrantKirkhope as both Mumbo Jumbo and King Jingaling in ''Nuts & Bolts''.

* TheOtherDarrin: While [[RoleReprise almost all of the original "voice" cast returned]] for ''Nuts & Bolts'', Humba Wumba's original actress, Eveline Fischer, was replaced by Elissa Miller for that game.

** ''Banjo-Tooie'' has an two player versus mode of sorts called Bottles' Revenge, where one player controls Bottles as a devil. Bottles follows Banjo around and will posses nearby enemies for the player to control. The mode was almost finished; Bottles was fully animated and most monsters were fully controllable. It was ultimately retooled as the "Counter-Operative" multiplayer mode in ''VideoGame/PerfectDark''.
** A grey Jinjo dialogue icon and an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI4b7VWCs8w unused Jinjo house]] labeled "Shouldn't Be Here" have been found in ''Banjo-Tooie'', indicating that grey Jinjos were once meant to be collectible like other Jinjo colors.
** In ''Banjo-Tooie'', one of the windows on the tower of Grunty's Lair has an entrance modeled behind it. Location text for the Tower Room also exists, showing that more parts of the Lair than the lobby were once accessible.

* OfficialFanSubmittedContent: The names of three characters who made their debut in ''Tooie'' were [[http://randomhoohaas.flyingomelette.com/blog/?p=341 the winners of a contest held]] by ''Official Nintendo Magazine''; Old King Coal, Chris P. Bacon and Bullion Bill were named by Jeremy Craggs, Simon Turk, and Kyle Hudspeth respectively.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: In ''Tooie'', [[FatBastard Boggy]] is very proud of having a rather small widescreen TV.

*** Mayahem Temple, Glitter Gulch Mine and Witchyworld were all conceptualized as levels for the first game, but time constraints forced Rare to save them for the sequel. In fact, Glitter Gulch Mine's [[https://i.imgur.com/IivME4P.jpg original concept art]] features a layout that's nearly identical to the final version seen in ''Tooie''.

*** Cauldron Keep in ''Banjo-Tooie'' was [[http://banjokazooie.wikia.com/wiki/%27Castle%27_world_%28Banjo-Tooie%29 originally going to be a full world]] according to [[WordOfGod game designer Gregg Mayles]] on Twitter. Due to time constraints, it was downsized greatly, resulting in the game having ten Jiggies fewer than the first game.

** Originally, Gruntilda's final spell before being knocked off the tower was supposed to turn Banjo into a frog and the player would control Tooty to collect enough Mumbo Tokens to change him back. This was cut due to time restraints.

* FanNickname: The Ol' Bear and Bird Show for the series.

** The character that morphed into Tooty during Dream's development was originally a woman named Piccolo that was Banjo's girlfriend. Tooty is shown playing a piccolo in the opening to ''Banjo-Kazooie''.

*** Early in development, the game was intended to combine TwoPointFiveD and linear 3D segments, in what the development team later described as a mix of ''VideoGame/YoshisStory'' and ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot''. It also would have had puzzels and mechanic centered around fruit houses and sports balls for power-ups.

** Originally, Kazooie wasn't even a part of Rare's original plan for the game, but Rare wanted to give Banjo some more moves and have them make sense, such as traversing steep slopes. Since Banjo still had a backpack, it was decided to put a bird (who would become Kazooie) in there in order to let Banjo perform those moves in a way that made sense. More humorously, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp8n7QKJZHs Steve Mayles specified in an interview]] that Banjo originally only had feet and wings sprout out of his backpack to do certain moves, until it was decided for those to be developed into a new character.