Donkey Kong (character)

Last updated
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong and Mario character
Donkey Kong character.png
Promotional art for Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2004)
First game Donkey Kong (1981)
Created by Shigeru Miyamoto
Designed byShigeru Miyamoto (1981–1994)
Kevin Bayliss (1994–present)
Voiced by
Language-neutral
English
Other languages
  • Koichi Yamadera (Japanese dub of Donkey Kong Country animated series, 1999–2000)
  • Koji Takeda (Japanese dub of The Super Mario Bros. Movie )
  • Franck Capillery (French dub of Donkey Kong Country animated series, 1996–2000) [8]
  • Christophe Albertini/Nicolas Bienvenu (1996–2001; The Planet of Donkey Kong) [9]
  • Park Jo-ho (Korean dub of Donkey Kong Country animated series, 1999-2000)
  • Choi Seok-pil (Korean dub of Donkey Kong Country Returns Commercial, 2013) [10]
In-universe information
NicknameDK
SpeciesGorilla
GenderMale

Donkey Kong, also shortened to DK, is a fictional gorilla-like character in the Donkey Kong and Mario franchise, created by Shigeru Miyamoto. The original Donkey Kong first appeared as the title character and antagonist of the eponymous 1981 game, a platformer by Nintendo, which would lead to the Donkey Kong series. The Donkey Kong Country series was launched in 1994 with a new Donkey Kong as the protagonist (although several installments focus on his friends Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong instead). This version of the character persists as the main one up to today. While the 1980s games' Donkey Kong and the modern Donkey Kong share the same name, the manual for Donkey Kong Country and subsequent games portray the former as Cranky Kong, the latter's grandfather, with the exception of Donkey Kong 64 and The Super Mario Bros. Movie , in which Cranky is depicted as his father, alternatively portraying the modern Donkey Kong as the original Donkey Kong Jr. from the titular game. Donkey Kong is considered one of the most popular and iconic characters in video game history.

Contents

Mario, the protagonist of the original 1981 game, went on to become the central character of the Mario franchise; the modern Donkey Kong is regularly featured as a character in the Mario games. He has also been playable in every entry of the Super Smash Bros. crossover fighting series, and serves as the main antagonist of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series from 2004 to 2015. [11] The character is voiced by Richard Yearwood and Sterling Jarvis in the animated series Donkey Kong Country (1997–2000), [12] and by Seth Rogen in the Illumination Entertainment feature film The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023). [7]

Concept and creation

In 1981, Nintendo was pursuing a license to make a game based on the 1930s Popeye comic strip. When this relationship was cancelled, Nintendo decided to take the opportunity to create original characters that could then be marketed and used in later games. [13] [14] 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. [15] Bluto was replaced by a large enraged ape, which Miyamoto said was "nothing too evil or repulsive", and the pet of the main character. [16] Miyamoto has also named the 1933 film King Kong as influences for the character. In addition to 1930s American media, Miyamoto also stated he drew inspiration from "Beauty and the Beast". [17]

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. [18] [19] [20] When he suggested this name to Nintendo of America, people laughed, but the name stuck. [19] However, in a 1990 interview with 64Dream, PR head Yoshio Hongo claimed that he came up with the name, knowing full well that "donkey" and "stupid" were not synonymous. He also said that he was inspired by the then current comedy band, The Donkey Quartet. Hongo added that Miyamoto suggested calling him Kurama Kong and have him be a samurai. [21]

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.

Today it makes me smile to see so many products with DK on the front, and that he's pretty much still the same as he looked when I gave him a once-over. So that's good enough for me – I must have done something right!

— Kevin Bayliss (2015) [22]

Characteristics

The Donkey Kong Country series introduced the setting of Donkey Kong Island and a backstory for the character. The series also introduced Diddy Kong 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 game, Donkey Kong , 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. [23]

The new Donkey Kong introduced in Donkey Kong Country was initially characterized as the grandson of the original Donkey Kong [24] who appears in the game as an elderly ape named Cranky Kong. [25] [26] [27] This remained the most consistent storyline, with it also being directly stated in both Donkey Kong Land [28] and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest , but Donkey Kong 64 portrays the modern Donkey Kong as Cranky Kong's son. [29] [30] Leigh Loveday, 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. [31] Nintendo of Europe's website also states that the modern DK is DK Jr., [32] but the Game Boy Advance versions of Donkey Kong Country [33] and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, [34] Super Smash Bros. Brawl , [35] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , [36] Donkey Kong Country Returns , [37] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze , [38] Gregg Mayles of Rare, [39] and Playing With Super Power: Nintendo Super NES Classics eGuide [40] all explicitly state that the present-day Donkey Kong is Cranky's grandson.

Appearances

Early history

Donkey Kong first appeared as the titular antagonist of the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong (alongside protagonist Mario 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 , where the character Stanley the Bugman takes 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 version of Donkey Kong marked his re-emergence as a major character. He was redesigned, appearing with a red necktie, which sometimes bears his initials, "DK".

Rare era

Donkey Kong's design was drastically altered by Rare during the development of Donkey Kong Country. Donkey Kong concept art development.jpg
Donkey Kong's design was drastically altered by Rare during the development of Donkey Kong Country .

The 1994 Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Donkey Kong Country , developed by British 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. [25] 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, 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 , in which DK is playable once again.

Post-Rare era

Following Rare's departure from the series, Nintendo co-produced a trilogy of rhythm games with Namco for the GameCube known as the Donkey Konga 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 was released in March 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 E10+ Rating. In October 2007, Donkey Kong Barrel Blast 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 game Mario vs. Donkey Kong . A throwback to the Donkey Kong 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, Jungle Climber , for the Nintendo DS. In the 2010 Wii game Donkey Kong Country Returns , Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong battle against 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 features Donkey Kong Junior as a playable character. The modern Donkey Kong made his first appearance in the series with Mario Kart 64 , and has been in every game to date since.

In the Mario Party series, he was a playable character in all three titles released for the Nintendo 64, 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 , 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 Mario Party: Star Rush (along with Diddy Kong). Donkey Kong appears as a contender in Mario Party: The Top 100 , and later as an unlockable, playable character in Super Mario Party , while also appearing as a playable character in Mario Party Superstars and Super Mario Party Jamboree .

Donkey Kong has also made playable appearance in various Mario sports games. Donkey Kong is 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 , 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 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 . 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 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 , this time being joined by his sidekick Diddy Kong and three stages – "Jungle Japes" from Melee, "Rumble Falls" from Donkey Kong Jungle Beat , [41] and "75m" from the original Donkey Kong 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 . All aforementioned stages (aside from Rumble Falls and Jungle Hijinxs) returned alongside Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , while also being joined by the Kong's adversary King K. Rool. Along with Bowser, he is also a playable guest character in the Nintendo versions of Skylanders: SuperChargers and Skylanders: Imaginators . Super Mario Maker 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 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 and 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 features cartoon segments based on the original Donkey Kong arcade game. In the segments, Donkey Kong, voiced by Soupy Sales, is an escaped circus gorilla on the run from Mario and Pauline, who seek to recapture him. A second series of segments based on Donkey Kong Jr. focuses on the title character, voiced by Frank Welker, who seeks 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. He is depicted as the territorial and easily angered ruler of Kongoland, and must be fed to be appeased. Donkey Kong is also the main character of the 1996 Donkey Kong Country animated series, in which Donkey Kong fights 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, with his singing voice performed by Sterling Jarvis. Donkey Kong is subtly alluded to in the 1993 film Super Mario Bros. when the character of Anthony Scapelli, portrayed by Gianni Russo, is inadvertently devolved into a chimpanzee by King Koopa. [42] Donkey Kong was voiced by Seth Rogen in the 2023 film by Illumination Entertainment, in addition to having been given a subtle redesign composed of elements from his contemporary and original arcade appearances. [7] In November 2021, reports surfaced that Illumination had begun development on a Donkey Kong spin-off film, with Rogen set to reprise his role. [43] In response to backlash for voicing Donkey Kong in his normal speaking voice, Rogen explained: "I was very clear that I don't do voices. If you want me to be in this movie, then it's going to sound like me and that's it. That was the beginning and end of that conversation. I think in the film and in the game, all you seem to know about Donkey Kong is that he throws barrels and does not like Mario very much. And that's what I ran with". [44]

Reception and legacy

Donkey Kong has been described as one of the most iconic mascots for Nintendo. [45] [46] In their 250th issue in January 2010, Nintendo Power 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 is not wearing a tie. [47] 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". [48] 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. [49] IGN ranked him 5th in their "Top 100 Videogames Villains" list for his earlier appearances. [50] UGO.com listed Donkey Kong seventh on their list of "The 25 Awesomest Hidden Characters" for his cameo appearance in Punch-Out!! . [51] Empire 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". [52] The 2011 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition lists Donkey Kong as the 33rd-most popular video game character. [53] In 2012, GamesRadar ranked him as the 25th-best hero in video games. [54] Jeremy Parish of Polygon ranked 73 fighters from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate "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". [55] Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek 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". [56] HobbyConsolas also included Donkey Kong on their "The 30 best heroes of the last 30 years". [57] According to Matt Reeves, the treacherous Koba-loyal apes in service of the Colonel in his 2017 film War for the Planet of the Apes are nicknamed "donkeys" in a reference both to Donkey Kong, and how they are used as "pack mules". [58]

See also

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<i>Donkey Kong Country</i> 1994 video game

Donkey Kong Country is a 1994 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is a reboot of Nintendo's Donkey Kong franchise and follows the gorilla Donkey Kong and his nephew Diddy Kong as they set out to recover their stolen banana hoard from the crocodile King K. Rool and his army, the Kremlings. The player traverses 40 side-scrolling levels as they jump between platforms and avoid obstacles. They collect items, ride minecarts and animals, defeat enemies and bosses, and find secret bonus stages. In multiplayer modes, two players work cooperatively or race.

<i>Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddys Kong Quest</i> 1995 video game

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is a 1995 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was released on 21 November 1995 in Japan, 4 December in North America, and 14 December in Europe. It is the second installment of the Donkey Kong Country series and the sequel to Donkey Kong Country (1994).

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Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! is a 1996 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was released in November 1996 in North America and Japan, and on 13 December in Europe and Australia. Dixie Kong's Double Trouble is the third installment of the Donkey Kong Country series and serves as a sequel to Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. It was also re-released for the Game Boy Advance (GBA) in 2005. The game was made available to download on the Wii's Virtual Console service in 2007, as well as for the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2014.

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Donkey Kong 64 is a 1999 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the only Donkey Kong game to feature 3D gameplay. As the gorilla Donkey Kong, the player explores themed levels to collect items and rescue his kidnapped family members from King K. Rool who seeks to destroy DK Isles. The player completes minigames and puzzles as five playable Kong characters—each with their own special abilities—to receive bananas and other collectibles. In multiplayer modes, up to four players can compete in deathmatch and last man standing games.

<i>Donkey Kong Jr.</i> 1982 video game

Donkey Kong Jr. is a 1982 arcade platform game that was released by Nintendo. It is the sequel to Donkey Kong, but with the roles reversed compared to its predecessor: Mario is now the villain and Donkey Kong Jr. is trying to save his kidnapped father. It first released in arcades and, over the course of the decade, was released for a variety of home platforms. The game's title is written out as Donkey Kong Junior in the North American arcade version and various conversions to non-Nintendo systems.

<i>Donkey Kong Jungle Beat</i> 2004 video game

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 to conquer the jungle. Jungle Beat is designed for use with the DK Bongos, a bongo drum-style GameCube controller created for the Donkey Konga (2003) rhythm game. The player controls Donkey Kong through various side-scrolling levels as he collects bananas, swings on vines, chains combos, rides animals, and defeats enemies and bosses.

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The "DK Rap" is the introductory theme music for the 1999 Nintendo 64 video game Donkey Kong 64. Its lyrics were written by Rare designer George Andreas, who performed the vocals for the song, and musician Grant Kirkhope, who composed the melody. Rare staffers contributed vocals to the chorus. Its lyrics describe the five playable characters in the game, with Kirkhope's goal to juxtapose the previous iteration of Donkey Kong from Donkey Kong Country against the new one.

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References

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  20. ↑ "Donkey Wrong". Snopes. February 19, 2007. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2008. The bottom line is that no evidence backs up any of the explanations that the name 'Donkey Kong' came about because of a misread fax, mispronunciation, or mistranslation. Shigeru Miyamoto, the game's inventor and the one person who unquestionably knows the origins of the name he chose, has repeatedly affirmed that he used the word 'donkey' to convey a sense of stubbornness and the name 'Kong' to invoke the image of a gorilla.
  21. ↑ Donkey Kong Was Almost a Ninja (Nintendo Stories). YouTube. Did You Know Gaming. December 8, 2024. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  22. ↑ Playtonic Games. "MEN AT WORK". Playtonic Games. Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  23. ↑ Rare. Donkey Kong 64. Level/area: Match for Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of DK Isles. Announcer: Weighing in at a solid 800lbs, I give you the prime primate... Donkey Kong
  24. ↑ "One swift blow was all that was needed to leave him sprawled on the floor, face down! He groggily rolled over to see the familiar wrinkled, white-bearded, grouchy face of his old granddad "Cranky Kong" peering down at him". – Donkey Kong Country instruction manual, pg. 5–6
  25. 1 2 "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
  26. ↑ "なかまたちのプロフィール大紹介 page1" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 8, 2016.
  27. ↑ "The king of swing... the thrilla gorilla... the prime primate... It's Donkey Kong! Although he is a relative of the classic arcade character, Country's Donkey Kong is a totally new character with a new look, new moves, and a new attitude". - Donkey Kong Country instruction manual
  28. ↑ "Cranky Kong, aging video game pioneer and primate patriarch, swayed back and forth in his rocking chair, as he harassed his grandape, Donkey Kong..." - Donkey Kong Land manual
  29. ↑ "Well, if it isn't my lazy, good-for-nothing son". – Cranky Kong, to Donkey Kong; Donkey Kong 64 in-game dialogue
  30. ↑ "That darn Donkey has all the luck! His girl Candy waits around in her hut, always willing to offer musical help to that undeserving son of mine and his fancy polygonal friends. Pah!" – Donkey Kong 64 instruction manual (UK), pg. 8
  31. ↑ "Rare.com Scribes – August 25, 1999 (Waybacked)". Archived from the original on August 5, 2002. As far as I know, 'our' DK is the son of Cranky, which does indeed make him the original DK Jr. all grown up: so if you see Cranky referred to as DK's granddad anywhere, just cover your eyes and hum loudly until it goes away.
  32. ↑ "Donkey Kong Country". Nintendo.co.uk. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2021. 1994's Donkey Kong is actually 1982's Donkey Kong Jr., all grown up, while the original Donkey Kong from 1981 has aged into grumpy pensioner Cranky Kong
  33. ↑ "Well, you've amazed your old Grandpa by getting this far!" - Cranky in the Donkey Kong Country Game Boy Advance remake
  34. ↑ "You've rescued that lazy grandson of mine, and dumped K. Rool in his own filthy swamp. Not bad for a novice!" - Cranky in the Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Game Boy Advance remake
  35. ↑ Nintendo. Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Level/area: Codec conversation between Snake and Otacon. Otacon: The Donkey Kong who fought that epic battle with Mario was this guy's grandfather.
  36. ↑ Nintendo. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Level/area: Codec conversation between Snake and Otacon. Otacon: The Donkey Kong who fought that epic battle with Mario was this guy's grandfather.
  37. ↑ "Glad I could help my grandson overcome this deadly challenge in exchange for a little cash money!" - Cranky in Donkey Kong Country Returns
  38. ↑ "Donkey Kong's grandfather Cranky Kong really lives up to his name!" - Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Meet the Kongs: Cranky Kong - Nintendo Switch YouTube trailer Archived 2024-01-28 at the Wayback Machine
  39. ↑ Gregg Mayles [@Ghoulyboy] (May 2, 2017). "I'm pretty sure when I made this stuff up nearly 25 years ago that he was his grandson. By DK64 he was so senile that he couldn't remember" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  40. ↑ "Super Mario Kart is the only Mario Kart game to feature Donkey Kong Jr. Due to the success of Donkey Kong Country, all future Mario Kart entries featured Donkey Kong, who is actually Donkey Kong Jr.’s son, with Cranky Kong, aka Donkey Kong Sr., canonically being the character featured in the original Donkey Kong game. Makes sense, right?" - Playing With Super Power: Nintendo Super NES Classics eGuide, Super Mario Kart 16 Bits Tab.
  41. ↑ "Rumble Falls". Smash Bros. DOJO!!. July 23, 2007. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  42. ↑ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (2020-09-18). "The Super Mario Bros. Movie Was a Damp, Fungal Love Letter to New York City". Gizmodo . Archived from the original on 2022-05-03. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  43. ↑ Robinson, Andy (November 3, 2021). "Another source points to potential Donkey Kong movie with Seth Rogen". Video Games Chronicle . Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  44. ↑ Jiang, Sisi (April 3, 2023). "Super Mario Bros. Movie Fans Knock Seth Rogen For Barely Trying". Kotaku . Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  45. ↑ "The 12 greatest arcade machines of all time | GamesRadar". 30 June 2009. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  46. ↑ Complete Digital Illustration: A ... – Google Books
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  48. ↑ Jesse Schedeen (April 24, 2009). "Top 10 Most Overrated Videogame Characters – Stars Feature at IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on April 30, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  49. ↑ Scott Sharkey (October 12, 2009). "Top 5 Gracelessly Aging Characters". 1UP. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  50. ↑ "Donkey Kong is number 5 – IGN". Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  51. ↑ K. Thor Jensen (December 7, 2010). "The 25 Awesomest Hidden Characters". UGO.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  52. ↑ "The 50 Greatest Video Game Characters". Empire . Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  53. ↑ "Top 50 video game characters of all time announced in Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition". Gamasutra . February 16, 2011. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  54. ↑ "100 best heroes in video games". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  55. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (2018-12-03). "We rank the Smash Bros. (and friends)". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  56. ↑ Jasper, Gavin (7 March 2019). "Super Smash Bros. Characters Ranked". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  57. ↑ Herranz, Sonia (1 March 2021). "Los 30 mejores héroes de los últimos 30 años". Hobbyconsolas (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  58. ↑ Collura, Scott (10 December 2016). "War for the Planet of the Apes: Trailer commentary by director Matt Reeves". IGN. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
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