Dash Panel

A Dash Panel (also known as a Boost Pad, Zipper, Rainbow Boosts, or Turbo Tiles) is a pad on which a kart can land on to get a boost from. Dash Panels only appear in the Mario Kart series and nothing else. The look of the Dash Panel always changes. No matter if it is just a small difference or a big one, the dash panel always looks different in each game.

Super Mario Kart
In Super Mario Kart, the Dash Panel was just a yellow arrow. When a character drove on one, it would give him/her a boost. This was the debut of the Dash Panel.

Mario Kart 64
In Mario Kart 64, the Dash Panel became a yellow pad instead. Red arrows were part of the design. The arrows would move forward to convince the player it was something that would speed him/her up. The Dash Panel probably had a stronger effect on the player's speed than it did in Super Mario Kart.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Again, the Dash Panel looks like a yellow pad with red arrows pointing and moving forward.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
In this game, the look rapidly changes. Instead of a yellow arrow or yellow pad with red arrows, the Dash Panel is a flashing rainbow colored pad. On Rainbow Road, the Dash Panels are on almost every single part of the course.

Mario Kart DS
Again, the pads are flashing rainbow-like.

Mario Kart Wii
Once again, the pads look the same as they did in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS, the only difference being that they look graphically updated. Retro Tracks that are for Mario Kart: Super Circuit or earlier have the same look (ex. SNES Ghost Valley 2).