Donkey Kong Country (TV series)

Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country title card
Genre	Comedy Action Adventure Slice of life
Created by	Jacques Goldstein Philippe Percebois
Developed by	Nelvana Hong Guang Animation (Su Zhou)
Directed by	Mike Fallows
Voices of	Richard Yearwood Andrew Sabiston Joy Tanner Aron Tager Ben Campbell Adrian Truss Louise Vallance Donald Burda Len Carlson Damon D'Olivera Lawrence Bayne Rick Jones Ron Rubin
Theme music composer	Pure West
Opening theme	"Donkey Kong Country" theme
Ending theme	"Donkey Kong Country" theme (instrumental)
Composer	Pure West
Country of origin	France Canada
Original languages	French Brazilian Portuguese (Dubbed) Japanese (Dubbed) English (Dubbed) Swedish (Dubbed) Spanish (Dubbed) Dutch (Dubbed) German (Dubbed) (Season 2 only)
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	40
Production
Executive producers	Gérard Mital Jacques Peyrache Dale A. Andrews Patrick Loubert Michael Hirsh Clive A. Smith
Producers	Maia Tubiana Stephen Hodgins Patricia R. Burns
Running time	30 minutes per episode
Original release
Network	Teletoon (Canada) France 2 (France) KidsCo (Australia) Fox Kids Network (USA)
Release	September 4, 1996 (France) August 15, 1997 – July 7, 2000 (USA)

Donkey Kong Country is a French/Canadian 3D animated television series. It is based on the Nintendo franchise Donkey Kong as portrayed in the Donkey Kong Country video game series by Nintendo & Rare. Donkey Kong Country first aired in France on September 4, 1996; it premiered late in the United States on the Fox Kids block on Fox on August 15, 1997 but the show was not shown on the block for long. After only two episodes, the series moved to Fox Family. In Japan, Donkey Kong Country took over the TV Tokyo 6:30 P.M. timeslot from Gokudo and was later replaced with Hamtaro.

Donkey Kong Country was one of the earliest television series to be entirely computer-animated, matching the artistic style of the video games, and garnered critical acclaim in France and Japan but only marginal success elsewhere. Several elements of the series, such as the crystal coconut, appeared in later Donkey Kong Country video games like Donkey Kong 64, which was released a year after the show began airing on Fox.

Characters

Characters From the Games

These characters all came from Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (mostly the former, though). However, some of them went through some design changes.

• Donkey Kong - The show's titular character, and the future ruler of Kongo Bongo Island, voiced by Richard Yearwood.
• Diddy Kong - DK's sidekick and buddy, voiced by Andrew Sabiston, who had earlier voiced Yoshi in Super Mario World.
• Cranky Kong - DK's mentor, who often mixes potions. He is able to use the Crystal Coconut to show up as a hologram whenever he needs to alert DK. The show makes no mention of how he and DK are related or of his days in the arcade games, which he frequently mentions in the game series as a form of meta-reference. He is voiced by Aron Tager.
• Candy Kong - DK's girlfriend. She is much less passive than in the games, and even has a different design to match. Part of her design for the show was mixed with her old game design for Donkey Kong 64. She is voiced by Joy Tanner.
• Funky Kong - The resident airport manager. He looks as he did in the first game but has tan fur instead of brown. He is voiced by Damon D'Oliveira.
• Dixie Kong - Diddy's unofficial girlfriend, and the only character on the show directly from Donkey Kong Country 2. Like Candy, her design differs a bit (but not as much), and she also has been given tan fur like Funky. Ironically, while Candy is less passive than in the games, Dixie isn't quite as dynamic, as she is not given much attention. She also has a habit of losing her pets. She is voiced by Louise Vallance.
• King K. Rool - The main villain of the series, always attempting to steal the Crystal Coconut and take over the island. His only noticeable change in physical appearance is that his cape is much shorter. He is voiced by Benedict Campbell.
• Krusha - K. Rool's bodyguard. He is very childlike and enjoys watching the Sing Along with Uncle Swampy Show. He is voiced by Len Carlson, who had earlier voiced Ganon in The Legend of Zelda.
• Klump - K. Rool's general. He often carries out his boss's plans, but without success. He is voiced by Adrian Truss.
• Kritters - K. Rool's standard foot soldiers. They look as they did in the first game but are also armed with Klap-Blasters.
• Klaptraps - Small crocodiles who like to eat wooden surfaces in the manner of termites. They are fired out of Klap-Blasters by the Kritters and usually give comments on whatever they're eating.

Characters Exclusive to the Show

These characters appeared only in the show and have not appeared in any games to date.

• Bluster Kong - The boss of the Bluster Barrelworks factory, where barrels are produced. He has a huge ego and constantly hits on Candy, his lone employee, unsuccessfully. He is voiced by Donald Burda.
• Junior the Giant Klaptrap - As his name suggests, he is an abnormally large Klaptrap (about Diddy's size).
• Kaptain Skurvy - A secondary, pirate-themed villain for the series. His design resembles that of Kannon from the second Country game, and it has even been revealed that he is Klump's long lost twin brother. He persists in chasing the Crystal Coconut, claiming it to be the birthright of one of his ancestors.
• Kutlass & Green Kroc - Skurvy's minions, the former of whom shares a name with one of the enemies from the second game.
• Polly Roger the Parrot - Formerly the pet parrot of Kaptain Skurvy, Polly Roger now works for K. Rool. He and Klump do not get along well.
• Baby Kong - First appeared on the show as DK after having drunk a youth potion. Confusingly, he appeared again as a separate character from DK, similar to how Baby Mario showed up as a different character from Mario in his sports games.
• Robot Candy Clone - A robot look-alike of Candy created by K. Rool to lure DK into certain traps.
• Kong Fu - A martial arts "Kung Fu Master" who is hired by K. Rool to defeat Donkey Kong in the Annual Donkey Kong Challenge. He only appears and is referenced to in one episode.
• Eddie the Mean Old Yeti - A white-furred gorilla who lives alone in the White Mountains. He doesn't seem to like it when other characters intrude on his territory.
• Inka Dinka Doo - The temple god from where the Crystal Coconut came. It was he who selected DK to be the future ruler. He appears as a stone column on which expressions are featured. This stone block turns around to show the expression that matches his current mood.

Plot

Donkey Kong is an ape who happens to find a magic coconut called the Crystal Coconut, which grants wishes and is capable of answering questions asked of it. Donkey Kong is the protector of the Crystal Coconut, which is housed in Cranky Kong's Cabin. King K. Rool and his minions want to steal the Crystal Coconut from Donkey Kong and company in order to rule Kongo Bongo Island, the setting of the show. Try as they may, King K. Rool and his minions never succeed in stealing the Crystal Coconut. Each episode features two songs performed by the show's characters, and the series spanned a total of 40 episodes in two seasons.

Voice Cast

Character Role	French Original	Quebec French Re-Dub	English Dubbing
Donkey Kong	Nicolas Bienvenu	????	Richard Yearwood
Diddy Kong	Véronique Alicia	????	Andrew Sabiston
Dixie Kong	Marie Montoya	????	Louise Vallance
Funky Kong	Philippe Sax	????	Damon D'Oliveira
Cranky Kong	????	Yves Massicotte	Aron Tager
Candy Kong	Véronique Alicia	Camille Cyr-Desmarais	Joy Tanner
Bluster Kong	????	Daniel Lesourd	Donald Burda
King K. Rool	????	Éric Gaudry	Benedict Campbell
General Klump	????	Jean Brousseau	Adrian Truss
Krusha	Philippe Sax	????	Len Carlson
Green Kroc	????	????	Richard Newman (uncredited)
Kritters	????	????	Lawrence Bayne
Eddie the Mean Old Yeti	????	????	Damon D'Oliveira
Inka Dinka Doo	????	????	Rick Jones
Kaptain Skurvy	????	????	Ron Rubin
Kutlass	????	????	John Stocker (uncredited)
Polly Roger	????	????	Rick Jones
Junior the Giant Klaptrap	????	????	Ron Rubin
Baby Kong	????	????
Kong Fu	????	????	????

Episode List

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Country episodes

#	Season	Episode	Title	Airdate (France)	Airdate (North America)	Description	Notes	Region 1 DVD Release
1	1	1	I Spy with My Hairy Eye
2	1	2	The Big Chill Out
3	1	3	Bad Hair Day					He Came, He Saw, He Kong-quered
4	1	4	Raiders of the Lost Banana					Raiders of the Lost Banana
5	1	5	Ape Foo Young					He Came, He Saw, He Kong-quered
6	1	6	Booty and the Beast					He Came, He Saw, He Kong-quered
7	1	7	Kong for a Day					Raiders of the Lost Banana
8	1	8	From Zero to Hero					Raiders of the Lost Banana
9	1	9	Buried Treasure					Raiders of the Lost Banana
10	1	10	Cranky's Tickle Tonic					Kong Fu
11	1	11	Get a Life, Don't Save One					Kong Fu
12	1	12	The Curse of Kongo Bongo
13	1	13	Orangutango					Kong Fu
14	1	14	Speed					The Legend of the Crystal Coconut
15	1	15	Klump's Lumps					The Legend of the Crystal Coconut
16	1	16	Bluster's Sale Ape-Stravaganza					The Legend of the Crystal Coconut
17	1	17	Kong Fu					Kong Fu
18	1	18	Bug a Boogie
19	1	19	Watch the Skies
20	1	20	Baby Kong Blues
21	1	21	To the Moon Baboon
22	1	22	Double Date Trouble
23	1	23	Ape-Nesia
24	1	24	A Thin Line Between Love & Ape
25	1	25	Barrel, Barrel... Who's Got the Barrel					He Came, He Saw, He Kong-quered
26	1	26	Legend of the Crystal Coconut					The Legend of the Crystal Coconut
27	2	1	The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights
28	2	2	Hooray for Holly-Kongo Bongo
29	2	3	Speak No Evil, Dude
30	2	4	The Day the Island Stood Still
31	2	5	Message in a Bottle Show
32	2	6	Monkey Seer, Monkey Do
33	2	7	Four Weddings and a Coconut
34	2	8	Vote of Kong-Fidence
35	2	9	Follow That Coconut
36	2	10	The Big Switch-A-Roo
37	2	11	Hunka Hunka Burnin' Bluster
38	2	12	Best of Enemies
39	2	13	It's a Wonderful Life
40	2	14	Just Kidding

Awards

Donkey Kong Country won in 1999 for a (public voted) award at 7 d'Or for Best Animation and Youth Program (Meilleure émission d'animation et de jeunesse).

Home video releases

Over thirty Donkey Kong Country DVDs have been released with only five being in English. Over thirteen VHS tapes of the cartoon were released in Japan.

Four episodes of Donkey Kong Country were released in North America on a single VHS cassette titled Donkey Kong Country: The Legend of the Crystal Coconut and was marketed as a feature length film. However, these episodes are not in chronological order, as a flashback shown in the third episode actually occurs in the fourth episode of the tape. The North American version of the tape was distributed by: Paramount Pictures, Nintendo, and Nelvana.

Donkey Kong Country was released as a feature-length 88 minute movie on VHS. In the DVDs Donkey Kong Country Vol.1 (released in Australia) and Donkey Kong Country - Bad Hair Day (released in the United Kingdom) they also put a few episodes. The other two DVDs, Donkey Kong Country: Hooray for Holly Kongo Bongo and Donkey Kong Country: The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights (both released in Australia) only held one episode. After over three years of no new English DVD, the UK released I Spy With My Hairy Eye.

Recently, Phase 4 Films a small Canadian low-budget film company, has officially purchased the rights to release the series on Region 1 for DVD and will release episodes starting off with the first DVD stating to be released on August 20, 2013.

Name	Release Date	Episodes	Region	Additional Information
The Legend of the Crystal Coconut	November 9, 1999	4	VHS	Includes Legend of the Crystal Coconut, Bug a Boogie, Ape-nesia, and Booty and the Beast edited together in a full-length format.
Vol. 1	TBA	4	4	Includes Hooray For Holly-Kongo Bongo, The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights, Speak No Evil, Dude and The Day The Island Stood Still.
Bad Hair Day	June 6, 2005	4	2	Includes Bad Hair Day, Ape Foo Young, Booty and the Beast and Barrel, Barrel... Who's Got the Barrel.
The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights	TBA	2	4	Includes The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights and Hooray for Holly-Kongo Bongo.
Speak No Evil, Dude	TBA	2	4	Includes Speak No Evil, Dude and The Day the Island Stood Still.
Monkey Seer, Monkey Do	TBA	2	4	Includes Monkey Seer, Monkey Do and Four Weddings and a Coconut.
I Spy with My Hairy Eye	June 9, 2008	3	2	Includes TBA episodes.
Raiders of the Lost Banana	August 3, 2009	5	2	Includes Raiders of the Lost Banana, Barrel, Barrel... Who's Got the Barrel, Kong for a Day, From Zero to Hero and Buried Treasure.
He Came, He Saw, He Kong-quered	August 20, 2013	4	1	Includes Bad Hair Day, Ape Foo Young, Booty and the Beast and Barrel, Barrel... Who's Got the Barrel.
Raiders of the Lost Banana	October 1, 2013	4	1	Includes Raiders of the Lost Banana, Kong for a Day, From Zero to Hero and Buried Treasure.
Kong Fu	January 21, 2014	4	1	Includes Kong Fu, Get a Life, Don't Save One, Cranky's Tickle Tonic and Orangutango.
The Legend of the Crystal Coconut	March 11, 2014	4	1	Includes Legend of the Crystal Coconut, Bluster's Sale Ape-Stravaganza, Klump's Lumps and Speed.

Merchandise

The show had a large line of merchandise in Japan including a collectible card game featuring drawings of characters, some of which never appeared in the series. The card game was later adapted to be based on Donkey Kong 64.

Channel details

Country	Channel
France	France 2, Fox Kids, Game One and Gulli
Belgium	Club RTL (French) and VT4 (Dutch)
Canada	Teletoon/Télétoon
United States	Fox Kids and Fox Family
United Kingdom	Fox Kids UK and KidsCo
Australia	Network Ten, Fox Kids, FOX8, KidsCo
Japan	TV Tokyo
South Korea	MBC
Finland	MTV3 and Canal+
Denmark	Canal+
Sweden	Canal+
Norway	Canal+
Italy	Fox Kids Italy and Italia 1
Germany	Super RTL and Das Vierte as Donkey Kongs Abenteuer
Spain	Fox Kids Spain
Brazil	Fox Kids Brazil and Rede Record
Portugal	SIC and KidsCo
Malaysia	Disney Channel Asia
Singapore	TCS Channel 5 (1997-2000), Kids Central (2000-01) and KidsCo (reruns)
Latin America	ZAZ and Disney XD (Latin America)
Philippines	Studio 23
Iceland	Stöð 2
Greece	KidsCo
India	Disney Channel India

External links

• La Planète Donkey Kong at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
• Donkey Kong Country at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
• List of episodes at mariowiki.com
• List of Japanese products based on the series
• Donkey Kong Country at TV.com
• Donkey Kong Country at Retro Junk
• Template:Tv.com show