Banjo-Kazooie is a platform game series developed by the British studio Rare. The games focus on the two title characters―Banjo, a male brown bear; and Kazooie, a large female breegull who is typically seen riding in Banjo's backpack―both of whom are controlled by the player. The games generally involve the pair in conflict with the evil witch Gruntilda Winkybunion. The eponymous first game in the series was released in 1998 to critical acclaim and was followed by Banjo-Tooie (2000), Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (2008), Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge (2003), and Banjo-Pilot (2005), a spinoff kart racing game.