Listmas 2019: Getting Jiggy With It

Who got jiggy with it first? Will Smith or Banjo and Kazooie? Not that it really matters, because we all know the real answer. And it’s that the Banjo-Kazooie series is among the best 3D platformers ever! And while these besties, (errr, mostly, at least when Kazooie isn’t being uppity) have plenty to celebrate, least of all their inclusion in Ultimate Super Smash Bros., it’s time we celebrate them with a list of their own. And in this case, coming full circle, this week’s Listmas is all about our favorite jiggies from the games; in my case, Banjo-Kazooie (BK) and Banjo-Tooie (BT). I’ve combined the two into this list of six. So…it’s time to get…well…you know!

Treasure Trove Cove – Captain’s Blubber’s treasure (BK)

Locating this jiggy led our bird and bear on a literal treasure hunt! It’s a simple hunt, as poor ol’ Blubber only had two pieces of treasure, but some how they had made their way onto the cove’s abandoned ship. Find both pieces – one on the ship and one under it – give them back to Captain Blubber, and watch as he rewards Banjo and Kazooie with glee, and a jiggy!

Jolly Roger’s Lagoon – The Unidentified Flooded Object (BT)

Why yes, I do enjoy this series’ pirate-themed levels! And with that, heading over to Banjo-Tooie, is the fun-filled Jolly Roger’s Lagoon! One of its biggest secrets is that it’s home to a crashed UFO. Unbeknownst to our team, the UFO itself has a little secret. After Banjo and Kazooie take a moment to power up the UFO, it takes flight, revealing a jiggy in its wake!

Click Clock Wood – Be a Bee (BK)

Click Clock Wood is one of the prettiest levels in all of Banjo-Kazooie-dom, one that has a special transformation all its own. Cough up enough Mumbo tokens, and Banjo can be a bee! Flying around the woods as a somewhat this cute if odd-looking insect is loads of fun, and the higher you go, the better the reward! Waaaay up in the level is a jiggy hanging out on a branch, just waiting to be nabbed by our rotund bumbler.

Mayahem Temple – The Slowest Snake Ever (BT)

Have you ever seen a snake that would much rather not move than move? If you’ve played through Banjo-Tooie then you certainly have! Proprietor of Mayahem Temple’s Jade Snake Grove is Ssslumber, a large and lethargic snake that guards a jiggy. Putting our raucous protagonists into stealth mode is no easy task, but they must sneak quietly around Ssslumber if they are to get his jiggy, otherwise, he’ll move at any noise and gobble it up! And no one wants a regurgitated jiggy. Ew.

Mumbo’s Mountain – Conga and His Oranges (BK)

So…bananas would have been a little too on the nose, eh? Well, stereotypes aside, Conga the gorilla is one of the first bosses Banjo and Kazooie ever meet. Since he’s pretty protective of his orange tree, upon trespassing under said tree, Conga will start flinging oranges all willy-nilly. But with the right timing and positioning, getting Conga to hit a few specific (orange-marked) spots on the ground, will reveal the jiggy he’s hiding.

Hailfire Peak – A Snowball’s Chance in H-E-double hockey sticks (BT)

I can’t say that I ever thought about what it would be like to be a snowball…until I played Banjo-Tooie and got that very chance! And it wasn’t an easy life, let me tell you. Hiding in Grunty’s Industries is a jiggy that can only be obtained as a transformed snowball in Hailfire Peak. Roll, roll, roll your Banjo snowball down Hailfire Peak and along a specific path, and you’ll find that it leads right to that previously inaccessible jiggy. Now who’d thunk that being a snowball would lead to such great finds?! It’s proof positive that the Banjo-Kazooie games are one and two (and three, if we’re counting Nuts & Bolts) in a million!

Lede image from Flickr user Justin Taylor (CC BY 2.0)

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