Ice Climbers

Lore & Background

In the wider Mario world, Popo and Nana inhabit a frozen realm of glaciers and snow-capped peaks. Their story is one of partnership: the larger Popo and the smaller Nana work in tandem, their combined strength allowing them to scale icy cliffs and survive the biting cold that would freeze a less determined pair. In Super Mario Bros. 3, they appeared as living obstacles on the ice stages, tugging at the very ground beneath the player's feet—a playful nod to their signature pulling motion.

When the kart racing series arrived, the designers saw an opportunity: what if two characters shared a single seat? The result was a driver that looks and behaves unlike anyone else on the grid. Their kart lurches and sways as Popo and Nana alternately haul forward, giving them a distinctive wobble that lighter karts share but that no single-character driver replicates. Fans adore the visual of the two helmets bouncing over the kart's body, a constant reminder that this is a team sport even in a solo-seater.

Across Mario Kart 64, Double Dash!!, Wii, 7, 8, and Tour, the Ice Climbers have remained a fixture of the light class. They never top the speed charts, but their low weight makes them twitchy, easy to drift, and nearly impossible to plow off the track. In a series full of heavyweights and power-ups, the Ice Climbers represent the underdog's creed: stay small, stay fast, and let the bigger karts bump into each other.

In Their Own Story

The starting lights flash over the icy stretch of a frozen lake circuit. Wind howls through the gaps in the spectator stands, scattering snowflakes into the air. Popo grips the left side of the kart; Nana grips the right. They lean back, arms taut, and pull.

The kart shudders, then lurches forward with a squeal of rubber on frost. Around them, heavier karts roar past in a wall of exhaust and chrome. The Ice Climbers don't flinch. Nana tugs left, Popo tugs right, and the little machine carves a serpentine line through the pack, threading between a Donkey Kong's bumper and a Bowser's exhaust pipe with a grace that belies its size.

At the hairpin, they drift wide. Snow sprays. The kart wobbles dangerously, both helmets tilting as the pair shifts their weight in unison. They hold. They hold. And then they're through, two places up, the frozen lake stretching ahead like a blue ribbon waiting to be crossed.

Back in the stands, a small crowd of Goombas cheers. Nobody else on the grid will ever drive like this. Nobody else needs to.

Reader's Guide

Popo & Nana — the Ice Climbers

Debut title: Mario Kart 64. Light class. Two helmets, one seat, and a kart that wobbles like a shopping cart on a cobblestone street. If you like feeling every pebble in the road and celebrating a 0.003-second overtake, this is your driver.

Personality quirks: They race as a couple, so the kart has a built-in argument going on. Popo pulls one way, Nana pulls the other, and the result is a little sideways lurch on every acceleration. They're also the only entry where you can see two faces above the dashboard, which means your opponents get a double-dose of determined scowls every time you drift past them.

Track feud: They live in the shadow of the heavy class. A single bumper from a Donkey Kong or a Bowser can send them spinning into a wall, so the Ice Climbers' whole identity is built around dodging, weaving, and refusing to be the one who gets plowed. Fans love pitting them against the heavyweight grid as a David-vs.-Goliath spectacle.

Vehicle pairing: The standard kart with standard tires. No flashy B-Dasher, no exotic glider—just a clean, round, dependable little machine that lets the two helmets do the talking. It's the visual shorthand for "we're small, we're fast, and we're not apologizing for it."

Did You Know?

• Despite being two distinct characters, Popo and Nana occupy a single driver slot in every Mario Kart title, making them the only entry where one kart is piloted by a pair.
• Their franchise debut predates Mario Kart by eight years; they first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) as ice-level obstacles rather than playable characters.
• The Ice Climbers have remained in the light class across every mainline Mario Kart title in which they appear, never shifting to mid or heavy.
• In Mario Kart 64, their kart's handling gives them a characteristic side-to-side wobble during acceleration that no other light-class driver replicates, a direct visual nod to their tug-of-war design.