A typical Pipe, as seen in New Super Mario Bros.
Pipes, also called Warp Pipes, are features present in most Mario games. Their main purpose is to provide characters a way to get from one point to another in an instant. Some pipes are home to Piranha Plants.
In Mario Kart
In Super Mario Kart, pipes functioned as stage hazards that had to be avoided on the Mario Circuit and Vanilla Lake tracks. They could be plowed through with a Star.
In Mario Kart 64, racers traverse a giant pipe tunnel in Mario Raceway.
In Mario Kart: Super Circuit, pipes make practically no appearance. The Extra Tracks removed the pipes.
In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, fully functional pipes appear on Peach Beach, Mushroom Bridge, and Pipe Plaza. Mario Circuit features pipes with attacking Piranha Plants inside.
In Mario Kart DS, Mario Circuit features a pipe tunnel and pipes with Venus Fire Traps inside that shoot fireballs at racers. Pipe Plaza makes a return. Mushroom Bridge had the pipes removed.
In Mario Kart Wii, pipes appear on Koopa Cape as both scenery and a stage feature. Pipes as hazards return on Mario Circuit 3, while GCN Mario Circuit retains the Piranha Plant-inhabited pipes. Peach Beach had the pipes removed.
Some courses feature pipes in the background as well.