This article is about the video game character named Donkey Kong. There are also two video games entitled Donkey Kong; see either Donkey Kong (video game) or Donkey Kong (Game Boy). For information on the series of video games featuring Donkey Kong, see Donkey Kong (series)
Donkey Kong(ドンキーコング, Donkī Kongu?), sometimes referred to simply as DK, is a Nintendovideo game character that first appeared in 1981. Since 1994 he has worn a characteristic necktie, his sole item of clothing. He appears as both the protagonist and antagonist of the Donkey Kong games. Donkey Kong was created by Shigeru Miyamoto.
Early Donkey Kong:
Donkey Kong was created when Shigeru Miyamoto was assigned by Nintendo to convert Radar Scope, a game that had garnered poor results from test audiences, into a game that would appeal more to North Americans. The resulting arcade game was a major breakthrough for Nintendo and for the video game industry. Sales of the machine were brisk, and with the growing number of arcades, Donkey Kong was able to gain huge distribution; the game became one of the best-selling arcade machines of the early 1980s. Due to its success, Nintendo released two direct sequels, Donkey Kong Junior and Donkey Kong 3, as well as eight games for the Game & Watch platform. Later on, Nintendo released a Game Boy game called Donkey Kong that was based upon the previous arcade versions.
Baby Donkey Kong: A young version of Donkey Kong appears in Yoshi's Island DS for the Nintendo DS. Baby Donkey Kong has the unique ability to swing on vines and ropes, allowing Yoshi to access otherwise-unreachable areas. As a baby, he wears a bib instead of the typical necktie.
Giant Donkey Kong: In the Super Smash Bros. franchise, a massive version of Donkey Kong is featured as a boss at about double the normal size.
Mini Donkey Kong: A toy version of Donkey Kong created by the Mario Toy Company; also, fights alongside "Giant Donkey Kong" in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
As a gaming mainstay, Donkey Kong is one of the few video game characters to be referenced in other media.
Segments of "Saturday Supercade" featured Donkey Kong along with Mario and Pauline, billed as Mario's niece. The show aired from 1983 into 1985 on CBS. Donkey Kong was voiced by Soupy Sales.
The original version of Donkey Kong had appeared on Captain N: The Game Master and its spin-off comic book. There, he was shown to be about 20-30 feet tall.
In the first episode of Futurama, "Space Pilot 3000", Fry is seen playing a game called "Monkey Fracas Jr.", an obvious parody of Donkey Kong sequel Donkey Kong Jr.
The "Robot Chicken" episode of The Sack has a segment parodying Donkey Kong in which Spartans from the Halo game series invade, killing Mario, DK, and the Oil Drum Flame while saving Pauline.
Trace Adkins' song "Honkytonk Badonkadonk" includes the line "Got it goin' on Like Donkey Kong."
In his recent single, "Googly Moogly," featuring The Three 6 Mafia, Project Pat references Donkey Kong with the following line: "That ain't a monkey hanging on your back; that's Donkey Kong!"
In an episode of Lost (The Long Con), Sawyer is at a computer when Jack comes in and asks, "What are you doing?" Sawyer replies "Shhh! I'm, like, this close to getting the high score on Donkey Kong."
On Rock 105.3's The Mikey Show in San Diego, Sky's husband is referred to as Donkey Kong, a nickname bestowed on him by the rest of the cast because of Sky's claims to be well-endowed. A running gag on the show includes Sky's made-up helicopter, the Donkey Kong II.
In the 1995 comedy Billy Madison, Billy replies to a classmate claiming that Mortal Kombat for Sega Mega Drive/Genesis is the "best video game ever" by stating, "I think Donkey Kong is the best game ever." The classmate, unable to appreciate Donkey Kong, proclaims that it "sucks."
In the movie The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Twinkie asks Sean in an elevator if he knows what the initials "DK" stand for. Sean replies, "Donkey Kong?"
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