Histup

Histup has a long green body that becomes fully visible when it extends from the central basket. The narrow neck rises through much of the chamber’s height, with the head and lifted basket lid forming the final stage of the route to the treasure. This dramatic change is easy to miss when first entering, because the basket initially conceals the snake. Rubee sits on a raised platform beside it, playing the pipe that accompanies the performance, while Toots remains at the charmer’s side. The two pets have different roles: Histup creates the climbing route, whereas Toots is a nearby companion. The small moving container used for the eggs is another object altogether, rather than the basket in which Histup lives.

Take flight from the Flight Pad on Jinxy’s back and look for the Kazooie-shaped target above the pyramid entrance. Strike the target using Beak Bomb to open the doorway, then descend and enter before the 21-second timer expires. Bottles teaches Beak Bomb in Freezeezy Peak, so players reaching this target before learning that move need to return after the lesson. Landing ordinary eggs on the target does not replace the aerial strike. Once the door opens, concentrate on reaching it promptly rather than continuing to circle overhead. This identifies Histup’s pyramid separately from Gobi’s Valley’s memory puzzle, water chamber and King Sandybutt’s timed maze, which use different entrance switches and contain different challenges.

Inside, Rubee points out the treasure high above the room and offers his assistance if the visitors make a donation. The payment is five Blue Eggs deposited into the small bowl travelling around the central basket. It is not enough to stand next to Rubee with eggs in the inventory, and the eggs are not fired at Histup’s head. The intended method uses Kazooie’s backward egg-laying move from the top of the large basket. On Nintendo 64, hold Z and press C-Down to lay an egg behind Banjo, facing away from the point where it should land. Position the duo so the rear of the basket and the bowl’s route line up before beginning the payment.

The donation bowl keeps travelling while eggs fall, so its position when an egg is laid is not necessarily where it will be when the egg reaches its height. Watch the route and release an egg just before the bowl reaches the landing point. Each successful deposit makes the bowl move faster, requiring the timing to be adjusted for the remaining eggs. Firing a stream at the first successful rhythm can therefore waste the rest of the supply. An egg that misses and remains on the floor can be picked up again, allowing the player to recover ammunition before another attempt. The payment ends after five successful deposits; extra eggs are not a requirement for making the snake emerge.

When the donation is complete, Rubee thanks the visitors and names Histup as the friend who will help them reach the reward. His pipe-playing accompanies the snake extending out of the large basket. Histup lifts the lid and rises towards the ceiling, converting the previously unreachable height into a usable route. Staying on the large basket’s lid during this sequence lets the duo ride upwards rather than beginning the climb from the floor. The event is cooperative: Rubee sets the condition and performs the music, while Histup supplies the physical assistance. The snake does not give a separate speech, and there is no additional conversation prompt or second payment to complete before using the raised body.

If the duo are not on the lid when it rises, approach Histup’s extended body and climb it like a narrow pole. This provides a second way to reach the top after the emergence has finished, so missing the initial ride does not mean missing the treasure. At the head, line up with the Jiggy and use Flap Flip for the final jump. The snake provides height, but the player still needs to leave that perch and touch the collectible. This is one Jiggy for the shared Rubee-and-Histup puzzle, rather than separate rewards for paying the charmer and climbing the snake. After collecting it, return to the lower part of the room to finish any remaining collecting before leaving.

Eight Musical Notes are distributed around the chamber, and a Mumbo Token can be collected near Rubee. Neither is part of the egg payment, and collecting the Jiggy overhead does not gather the floor items automatically. Make a circuit of the room’s edges and the charmer’s platform before leaving, particularly if attention was focused on the accelerating donation bowl when first entering. The token contributes to Mumbo Jumbo’s separate transformation payments elsewhere in the adventure; Rubee accepts Blue Eggs for this performance instead. Recovering missed eggs during this circuit also replenishes ammunition for the other egg puzzles in the valley.

Histup’s name was discussed in Rare’s Scribes column dated 25 August 1999. A reader noticed the similar endings of Histup, Tiptup and Tanktup and asked whether there was a shared explanation for the reptiles’ names. A Banjo designer responded with a joke about Tanktup having been out drinking, adding that Histup had been out with him. The reply suggests a play on hissing and hiccups, but it is a humorous naming explanation rather than an account of an event shown in the game. It does not establish a family relationship between the snake and the turtles. Histup’s actual encounter remains the musical performance with Rubee; Toots is the companion who later appears beside King Jingaling in Banjo-Tooie.