Nintendo's AAA Wii racer has beans spilt all over its secret characters.

Nintendo have once again managed to maintain an admirable level of secrecy regarding the new unlockable characters in Mario Kart Wii. The racer is set to be released this week, and the new karters have been kept under wraps until the very last minute (as seen with Super Smash Bros. Brawl). But now that the copies of the game is in the hands of some very dedicated consumers, the lid has been blown clean off Nintendo's broiling pot of secrecy, and we should now know everything there is to possibly know about Mario Kart Wii. So, on to the unlockable characters!

First up is Baby Daisy, the infant version of Peach's royal pal, Daisy. This marks the first appearance of the character and adds to the forever-young roster of children on karting team. The mocked-up image of Baby Birdo wasn't far off, then...

King Boo is back for another round after his appearance in Double Dash!! as a playable character. This spectral monarch appeared as an antagonist in Luigi's Mansion and Super Mario Sunshine, so be sure to look out for him haunting the many tracks and circuits in the game.

Surfer dude Funky Kong is swinging his way into Mario Kart Wii from the jungles of Donkey Kong Country to join the high-speed festivities! This lazy gorilla has often helped out his fellow Kong clan on their adventures by trying his hand at being a merchant, world-switcher and an ammunitions expert. He can now add professional karter to his bulking CV.

Supporting recent rumours, Rosalina (from Super Mario Galaxy) has been confirmed as a playable character! This galactic princess has sailed through the universe with her Luma friends for hundreds of years; being plonked behind the wheel of a go kart should be a welcome change for her!

Surprisingly, Skeletal Bowser is the last new character to be announced. In New Super Mario Bros. on the DS, Skeletal Bowser appeared after Mario had given him a lava bath, burning the very flesh from his bones, which led to his transformation into a Dry Bones-esque creature.

The other secret characters have been confirmed as Toadette, Bowser Jr. and Birdo, making a total roster of 24 playable characters.