gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

platformer A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action game, action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform game ...

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...

Donkey Kong Country ''Donkey Kong Country'' is a 1994 platform game developed by Rare (company), Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is a Reboot (fiction), reboot of Nintendo's ''Donkey Kong'' franchise and foll ...

Diddy Kong is a fictional character who appears in games belonging to the ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Mario'' video game franchises, debuting in the 1994 ''Donkey Kong'' series game, ''Donkey Kong Country''. Nintendo designer Kevin Bayliss commented Diddy Kong wa ...

Donkey Kong 64 ''Donkey Kong 64'' is a 1999 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the first 3D game in the '' Donkey Kong'' series. As the gorilla Donkey Kong, the player explores themed levels to collect it ...

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar. Shigeru Miyamoto came up with many characters and plot concepts, but he eventually settled on a love triangle between gorilla, carpenter and girlfriend, that mirrored the rivalry between Bluto and Popeye for Olive Oyl. Bluto was replaced by a large, enraged ape, which Miyamoto said was "nothing too evil or repulsive", and the pet of the main character. Miyamoto has also named "

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

" and the 1933 film ''

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

'' as influences for the character. Miyamoto used " donkey" to convey "stubborn" in English; while "Kong" was simply to imply him being a "large ape", the name ''Donkey Kong'' was intended to convey "stubborn ape" to the American audience. When he suggested this name to

Nintendo of America is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing card ...

, people laughed, but the name stuck. The character's appearance was redesigned for the Super NES in 1994 by former Rare character artist Kevin Bayliss with supervision from Miyamoto, who suggested giving Donkey Kong a red tie. Bayliss presented the modern look to Nintendo and was immediately approved for the high-resolution 3D medium. Although the character design has been tweaked over the years, Donkey Kong's appearance remains consistent since the last modification by Bayliss.

Characteristics

The ''

Donkey Kong Country ''Donkey Kong Country'' is a 1994 platform game developed by Rare (company), Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is a Reboot (fiction), reboot of Nintendo's ''Donkey Kong'' franchise and foll ...

'' series introduced the setting of Donkey Kong Island and a backstory for the character. The series also introduced

Diddy Kong is a fictional character who appears in games belonging to the ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Mario'' video game franchises, debuting in the 1994 ''Donkey Kong'' series game, ''Donkey Kong Country''. Nintendo designer Kevin Bayliss commented Diddy Kong wa ...

as DK's sidekick and best friend, and K. Rool, King of the Kremlings, as his nemesis who steals his and Diddy Kong's banana hoard. While retaining the red necktie featured in the

Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same t ...

game, ''

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...

'', he also donned a distinct physical appearance featuring heavy brows and a peaked lock of hair on top of his head. This would become the standard look for Donkey Kong still used over two decades later. The modern Donkey Kong is portrayed as a powerful yet laid-back ape, who is interested mainly in his banana hoard and his girlfriend, Candy Kong. He has pugilistic abilities that are often emphasized, featuring as a hidden boss in '' Punch-Out!!'', uppercutting K. Rool out of his castle at the end of ''Donkey Kong Country 2'', and having punch-based attacks as his special and final smash moves in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''. In a match against boxing champion "Krusha" K. Rool in ''Donkey Kong 64'', DK's weight is given at 800 pounds. The new Donkey Kong introduced in ''Donkey Kong Country'' was initially characterized as the grandson of the original Donkey Kong who appears in the game as an elderly ape named Cranky Kong."He groggily rolled over to see the familiar wrinkled, white-bearded, grouchy face of his old granddad "Cranky Kong" peering down at him. In his heyday, Cranky was the original Donkey Kong who battled Mario in several of his own games". – ''Donkey Kong Country'' instruction manual, pg. 6 This remained the most consistent storyline, with it also being directly stated in both '' Donkey Kong Land'' and '' Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest'', but ''

Donkey Kong 64 ''Donkey Kong 64'' is a 1999 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the first 3D game in the '' Donkey Kong'' series. As the gorilla Donkey Kong, the player explores themed levels to collect it ...

'' portrays the modern Donkey Kong as Cranky Kong's son.

Leigh Loveday Leigh Loveday is a Welsh-born video game writer and designer. He is known for the unusual sense of humour with which he writes the material. Career and work Your Sinclair Loveday began his career as letter-writer and reviewer in ''Your Sinclair' ...

, the writer of ''Donkey Kong Country 2'', prefacing his statement with "As far as I know", said that he is a grown-up version of Donkey Kong Jr. Nintendo of Europe's website also states that the modern DK is DK Jr. However, the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...

versions of ''Donkey Kong Country'' and ''Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest'', ''

Super Smash Bros. Brawl ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 crossover fighting video game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, it was announced at a pre-E3 2005 press conferenc ...

'', ''

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...

'', '' Donkey Kong Country Returns'', '' Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze'', Gregg Mayles of Rare, and ''Playing With Super Power: Nintendo Super NES Classics eGuide'' all explicitly state that the present-day Donkey Kong is Cranky's grandson.

Appearances

Early history

Donkey Kong first appeared as the

titular Titular may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Title character in a narrative work, the character referred to in its title Religion * Titular (Catholicism), a cardinal who holds a titulus, one of the main churches of Rome ** Titular bisho ...

antagonist of the 1981 arcade game ''

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...

'' (alongside protagonist

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...

and damsel in distress, Pauline). As Mario, the player must reach Donkey Kong at the top of each stage, where he is holding Pauline captive. Donkey Kong attempts to hinder the player's progress by throwing barrels, springs, and other objects towards Mario. The ape reappeared the following year in the sequel '' Donkey Kong Jr.'', where Donkey Kong is taken captive and locked in a cage by Mario, while Donkey Kong Junior sets out to rescue him. Donkey Kong resumed his antagonistic role in ''

Donkey Kong 3 is a platform shooter video game developed and published by Nintendo. It is the third installment in the ''Donkey Kong'' series and it was released for arcades worldwide in 1983 and the Family Computer in 1984, then later released in North Am ...

'', this time the character Stanley the Bugman taking Mario's place as the protagonist. Stanley fights Donkey Kong's attempts to invade a greenhouse along with a horde of killer bees. After ''Donkey Kong'', Mario went on to become Nintendo's primary mascot, while Donkey Kong and his son were relegated to supporting roles and cameos. The 1994

Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same t ...

version of ''

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...

'' marked his re-emergence as a major character. He was redesigned, appearing with a red necktie, which sometimes bears his initials, "DK".

Rare era

The 1994 Super Nintendo Entertainment System game ''Donkey Kong Country'', developed by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

game developer Rare, was the beginning of a series. The manual for ''Donkey Kong Country'' states that the main protagonist in this game is the grandson of the Donkey Kong from the original trilogy, who is now Cranky Kong. Cranky orchestrates the events of ''Donkey Kong Land'' to recreate those of DKC. Despite his name being in the titles, Donkey Kong is the figurative damsel-in-distress in the two sequels to DKC and those to DKL, where he is captured by K. Rool. In these sequels, the player controls Diddy,

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cover ...

, and Kiddy as they set out to rescue Donkey Kong. The ''Donkey Kong Country'' series also led to an animated television series and ''

Donkey Kong 64 ''Donkey Kong 64'' is a 1999 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the first 3D game in the '' Donkey Kong'' series. As the gorilla Donkey Kong, the player explores themed levels to collect it ...

'', in which DK is playable once again.

Post-Rare era

Following Rare's departure from the series, Nintendo co-produced a trilogy of

rhythm game Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to press ...

s with

Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiung, ...

for the

Nintendo GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...

known as the ''

Donkey Konga is a GameCube rhythm video game series starring the ape Donkey Kong, developed by Namco and published by Nintendo. The series' games are intended to be played with a special controller called the DK Bongos that resemble two small bongo drums, b ...

'' series, which were based on Namco's own '' Taiko: Drum Master'', though only two of the series' games made it to America. ''

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is a 2004 platform and score-attack game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It follows the gorilla Donkey Kong as he sets out to defeat a series of evil kings and conquer the jungle. ''Jungle Beat'' is designed for use with ...

'' was released on March 14, 2005, in North America for the GameCube. It depicted DK as being more violent than his original image and also used the bongo controllers. It was also the first game to receive the ''

ESRB The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings to consumer video games in the United States and Canada. The ESRB was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Asso ...

'' E10+ Rating. In October 2007, ''

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast ''Donkey Kong Barrel Blast'' is a 2007 Racing video game, racing game for Nintendo's Wii video game console. The game was shown at Electronic Entertainment Expo, E3 2006 convention in May for the GameCube under the title of ''DK: Bongo Blast'', bu ...

'' was released in North America for the Wii. On handheld consoles, Donkey Kong was reunited with his former rival Mario in the 2004

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...

game, '' Mario vs. Donkey Kong''. A throwback to the ''

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...

'' game for the Game Boy, Donkey Kong resumed his antagonist role from his earlier games by taking over the Mario Toy Company, upset over the lack of Mini-Mario toys available for purchase. The game was followed by a 2006 sequel titled '' Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis'', where Donkey Kong, who is infatuated with Pauline, kidnaps her and takes her to the roof of the Super Mini-Mario World amusement park when she ignores a Mini Donkey Kong toy in favor of a Mini-Mario. He also once again appeared as the antagonist in '' Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!'' and '' Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!''. Aside from those, Donkey Kong appeared in '' DK King of Swing'' on the GBA around the time of ''Jungle Beat'', and in its sequel, '' DK Jungle Climber'', for the Nintendo DS. In the 2010 Wii game, '' Donkey Kong Country Returns'', Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong get rid of the Tiki Tak Tribe, who appears on Donkey Kong Island and hypnotizes various creatures. In the 2014 Wii U game, '' Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze'', Donkey Kong sets out to get his home back from evil Vikings known as the Snowmads.

Other appearances

Every '' Mario Kart'' game has featured a version of Donkey Kong as a playable character. '' Super Mario Kart'' featured Donkey Kong Junior as a playable character. The modern Donkey Kong made his first appearance in the series with ''

Mario Kart 64 is a kart racing video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was also released for the iQue Player in China in 2003. The game is the second main entry in the ''Mario Kart'' series and is the successor to ''Super Mari ...

'', and been in every game to date since. In the ''

Mario Party is a party video game series featuring characters from the ''Mario'' franchise in which up to four local players or computer-controlled characters (called " CPUs") compete in a board game interspersed with minigames. The games are currentl ...

'' series, he was a playable character in all three titles released for the N64, and also '' Mario Party 4'' for the GameCube, this one being his last playable appearance in the series for some time. He eventually became an "event character" in later games, making appearances as an incidental character on the game board. He made an appearance within ''

Mario Party 8 ''Mario Party 8'' is a 2007 party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The game is the eighth main installment in the ''Mario Party'' series, and the first title in the series released for the Wii. It was ...

'', once again as an incidental character on the game board. Donkey Kong also appears in '' Mario Party DS'' and in '' Mario Party 9'' as a non-player character, though he came back as playable in '' Mario Party 10'' and in '' Mario Party: Star Rush'' (along with

Diddy Kong is a fictional character who appears in games belonging to the ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Mario'' video game franchises, debuting in the 1994 ''Donkey Kong'' series game, ''Donkey Kong Country''. Nintendo designer Kevin Bayliss commented Diddy Kong wa ...

). Donkey Kong appears as a contender in '' Mario Party: The Top 100'', and later as an unlockable, playable character in '' Super Mario Party''. Donkey Kong has also made playable appearance in various ''Mario'' sports games. Donkey Kong was a selectable character in '' Mario Tennis'', '' Mario Power Tennis'', '' Mario Tennis: Power Tour'', '' Mario Tennis Open'', '' Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash'' and '' Mario Tennis Aces''. Donkey Kong is playable in ''

Mario Golf There have been numerous sports games in the ''Mario'' franchise. Although originally a branch of the Mario sports games, the ''Mario Kart'' series is not included in this list, as it has since become a stand-alone series in the Mario franchise. ...

'', '' Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour'', '' Mario Golf: World Tour'' and '' Mario Golf: Super Rush'' but not '' Mario Golf: Advance Tour''. Donkey Kong is featured in ''

Super Mario Strikers ''Super Mario Strikers'', known in Europe and Australia as ''Mario Smash Football'', is a 2005 sports video game developed by Next Level Games and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. The game's developers had worked on '' NHL Hitz Pro'' bef ...

'' for the GameCube and made his first appearance on the Wii within the title '' Mario Strikers Charged'' as a playable soccer captain. In '' Mario Super Sluggers'', he appears as a captain again. Donkey Kong also appears in '' Mario Superstar Baseball''. He made a playable appearance in almost every Mario & Sonic game, starting with '' Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games''. He's also playable in '' Mario Hoops 3-on-3'' and '' Mario Sports Mix''. He is also playable in each '' Super Smash Bros.'' game. Donkey Kong appeared in '' Super Smash Bros.'' as the first character from the ''Donkey Kong'' series and had a stage called "Kongo Jungle", which was based on ''

Donkey Kong Country ''Donkey Kong Country'' is a 1994 platform game developed by Rare (company), Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is a Reboot (fiction), reboot of Nintendo's ''Donkey Kong'' franchise and foll ...

''. Both he and Kongo Jungle returned for the series second game, '' Super Smash Bros. Melee''. In this game, he had two new stages called "Jungle Japes" and "Kongo Jungle", and a version of the "DK Rap" from ''

Donkey Kong 64 ''Donkey Kong 64'' is a 1999 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the first 3D game in the '' Donkey Kong'' series. As the gorilla Donkey Kong, the player explores themed levels to collect it ...

'' serves as stage music for Kongo Jungle (the one difference in the lyrics being the word "heck" substituted from the word "hell"). He appeared once more in ''

Super Smash Bros. Brawl ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 crossover fighting video game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, it was announced at a pre-E3 2005 press conferenc ...

'', this time being joined by his sidekick

Diddy Kong is a fictional character who appears in games belonging to the ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Mario'' video game franchises, debuting in the 1994 ''Donkey Kong'' series game, ''Donkey Kong Country''. Nintendo designer Kevin Bayliss commented Diddy Kong wa ...

and three stages – "Jungle Japes" from ''Melee'', "Rumble Falls" from ''

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is a 2004 platform and score-attack game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It follows the gorilla Donkey Kong as he sets out to defeat a series of evil kings and conquer the jungle. ''Jungle Beat'' is designed for use with ...

'', and "75m" from the original ''

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...

'' game from 1981. Both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong returned to the series in '' Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' and '' Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'', with Donkey Kong being among the first wave of amiibo released for the games. ''Jungle Japes'' from ''Melee'' returns in the 3DS version, and both ''Kongo Jungle'' from the original ''Super Smash Bros.'' and ''75m'' from ''Brawl'' return in the Wii U version, along with a new stage called ''Jungle Hijinxs'' from '' Donkey Kong Country Returns''. Along with

Bowser , or King Koopa, is a fictional character, the primary antagonist in Nintendo's ''Mario'' franchise, and the arch-nemesis of Mario. In Japan, the character bears the title of . Bowser is the leader of the turtle-like Koopa race. Despite the ...

, he is also a playable guest character in the Nintendo versions of '' Skylanders: SuperChargers''. ''

Super Mario Maker is a 2015 side-scrolling platform game and game creation system developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U, released worldwide in September 2015. Players can create, play, and share courses online, free of charge, based on the styles ...

'' features Donkey Kong as a ''Mystery Mushroom'' costume. Donkey Kong appears as one of the playable characters in the downloadable campaign, ''Donkey Kong Adventure'', for '' Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle''. The character has also made more incidental appearances. Two minor enemies in ''

Super Mario RPG ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'' is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1996. It was the final ''Mario'' game published for the SNES. The game was ...

'' bear a striking resemblance to Donkey Kong. One of the enemies, named "Guerrilla", says "Don't confuse me with someone else", referring to DK. Both Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong, Jr. appear as minor antagonists in the ''Super Mario Bros.''-based adventure book ''Doors to Doom''. Donkey Kong was also featured on the '' Game & Watch Gallery'' handheld series and '' Tetris DS''. In ''Yoshi's Island DS'', Donkey Kong appears as "Baby DK", a younger version of himself, similar to Baby Mario. First appearing in World 2–1, most of his gameplay reflects '' Donkey Kong Jr.'', even featuring the Snapjaw enemies from the game. He has been seen in the audience of some games in the '' Punch-Out!!'' series. He also serves as the hidden opponent in 2009's '' Punch-Out!!'' on the Wii. During Rare's time, references were seen throughout Rare's games. In '' Banjo-Tooie'', Bottle's daughter, Goggles, is seen holding a Donkey Kong plush doll. Also in the worker's quarters in Grunty's Industries, the ''DK'' logo is seen on the fridge. Outside of video games, Donkey Kong has made several appearances in animation. The 1983 animated anthology series '' Saturday Supercade'' featured cartoon segments based on the original ''Donkey Kong'' arcade game. In the segments, Donkey Kong, voiced by

Soupy Sales Milton Supman (January 8, 1926 – October 22, 2009), known professionally as Soupy Sales, was an American comedian, actor, radio-television personality, and jazz aficionado. He was best known for his local and network children's television serie ...

, was an escaped circus gorilla on the run from

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...

and Pauline, who seek to recapture him. A second series of segments based on ''Donkey Kong Jr.'' focused on the title character, voiced by Frank Welker, who sought to find his missing father after his escape from the circus. Donkey Kong later appeared as a recurring antagonist in the 1989 animated series '' Captain N: The Game Master'', voiced by

Garry Chalk Garry Chalk is a British-born Canadian actor. He has provided the voices for Optimus Primal of '' Beast Wars: Transformers'' and ''Beast Machines'', as well as Optimus Prime in the anime English dubs of '' Transformers: Armada'', ''Transformer ...

. He is depicted as the territorial and easily angered ruler of Kongoland, and must be fed to be appeased. Donkey Kong was also the main character of the 1996 ''

Donkey Kong Country ''Donkey Kong Country'' is a 1994 platform game developed by Rare (company), Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is a Reboot (fiction), reboot of Nintendo's ''Donkey Kong'' franchise and foll ...

'' animated series, in which Donkey Kong fought to protect Kongo Bongo Island and the mystical Crystal Coconut from King K. Rool and his Kremling henchmen. Donkey Kong was voiced by

Richard Yearwood Richard Yearwood is a British-Canadian actor, television host, director and producer, who is best known for providing the voice of Donkey Kong in '' Donkey Kong Country''. Career Yearwood began his acting career in 1980, in the television ser ...

, with his singing voice performed by Sterling Jarvis. In the 1993 film ''

Super Mario Bros. is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The successor to the 1983 arcade game '' Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series, it was first released in 1985 for ...

'', the character of Anthony "D.K." Scapelli, portrayed by

Gianni Russo Gianni Vito Russo is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Carlo Rizzi in the 1972 film '' The Godfather''. Life and career Russo was born in Manhattan in 1943 and raised in Little Italy and Staten Island. After repri ...

, is based on Donkey Kong, depicted as the owner of a rival

plumbing Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses pipes, valves, plumbing fixtures, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. Heating and cooling (HVAC), waste removal, and potable water deliv ...

company to the titular Mario Mario, portrayed by Bob Hoskins, who insults Mario's and Luigi's girlfriends in front of a

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form Physical object, objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Pr ...

and dig site. At the film's conclusion, Scapelli is inadvertently

devolved Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories ...

into a chimpanzee by King Koopa. Donkey Kong will be voiced by

Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series '' Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part o ...

in the upcoming 2023 film '' The Super Mario Bros. Movie''.

Reception and legacy

Donkey Kong has been described as one of the most iconic mascots for Nintendo. In their 250th issue in January 2010, ''

Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninten ...

'' ranked him as their eighth-favorite Nintendo hero, stating that while he is a somewhat goofy hero, he is decently good overall and an entertaining one. They also ranked him as their eighth-favorite Nintendo villain, joking that one should avoid him if he isn't wearing a tie. IGN criticized his tie, stating that "DK needs a fashion makeover". They said that while he "used to be a working icon", "his status is starting to show signs of rust". 1UP.com listed him as the most "Gracelessly Aging Character", citing the fact that the original Donkey Kong from the arcade game eventually became Cranky Kong. IGN ranked him 5th in their "Top 100 Videogames Villains" list for his earlier appearances. UGO.com listed Donkey Kong seventh on their list of "The 25 Awesomest Hidden Characters" for his cameo appearance in '' Punch-Out!!''. ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' also included him on their list of the 50 greatest video game characters, adding that he is "the worst named character in the history of gaming". The 2011 ''

Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' lists Donkey Kong as the 33rd-most popular video game character. In 2012, GamesRadar ranked him as the 25th-best hero in video games. Jeremy Parish of

Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...

ranked 73 fighters from ''

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...

'' "from garbage to glorious", listing Donkey Kong as 22nd, stating that "we'd love to play as Donkey Kong. This guy, though? He's just the latter-day imposter version from ''Donkey Kong Country'' — the original DK's son". Gavin Jasper of ''

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...

'' ranked Donkey Kong in 13th place of ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' characters, stating that "DK is a blast to play as, especially when unleashing his ground-slap move in a match against seven opponents and everyone's bouncing around like ping-pong balls. His wind-up punch is perfect, too". '' HobbyConsolas'' also included Donkey Kong on their "The 30 best heroes of the last 30 years".

Notes

References

External links

Donkey Kong – Play Nintendo

DK Vine

Donkey Kong Wiki
{{Super Smash Bros. Animal characters in video games Anthropomorphic video game characters Donkey Kong Fictional gorillas Fictional boxers Male characters in video games Mario (franchise) characters Mario (franchise) enemies Nintendo antagonists Nintendo protagonists Punch-Out!! characters Super Smash Bros. fighters Video game bosses Video game characters introduced in 1981 Video game characters with superhuman strength Video game mascots

Concept and creation

Characteristics

Appearances

Early history

Rare era

Post-Rare era

Other appearances

Reception and legacy

See also

Notes

References

External links