Donkey Kong

This article is about the video game franchise. For the first game in the series, see Donkey Kong (video game). For the character, see Donkey Kong (character). For other uses, see Donkey Kong (disambiguation).

Donkey Kong
File:Donkeykong-logo1.svg Logo from 2010 to 2018
Genres	Platform Action-adventure Puzzle Racing
Developers	Nintendo R&D1 (1981–1984) Nintendo R&D2 (1983–1987) Nintendo EAD (1994–2008) Rare (1994–2007) Namco (2003–2005) Nintendo Software Technology (2004–2015) Paon (2005–2007) Retro Studios (2010–2018)
Publishers	Nintendo
Creators	Shigeru Miyamoto
Composers	David Wise
Platforms	Arcade Game & Watch Intellivision ColecoVision Atari 2600 TRS-80 CoCo Atari 8-bit TI-99/4a IBM PC Commodore 64 VIC-20 BBC Micro MSX ZX Spectrum Amstrad CPC Atari 7800 NES Famicom Disk System Game Boy SNES Nintendo 64 Game Boy Color Game Boy Advance Nintendo e-Reader GameCube Nintendo DS Wii Nintendo 3DS Wii U Nintendo Switch
First release	Donkey Kong July 9, 1981
Latest release	Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze May 3, 2018
Spin-offs	Donkey Konga Mario Conker Banjo-Kazooie Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise, starring a gorilla named Donkey Kong created by Shigeru Miyamoto in 1981. The franchise consists mainly of two game genres, plus spin-offs of various genres.

The games of the first genre are mostly single-screen platform or action puzzle types, featuring Donkey Kong as the opponent in an industrial construction setting. Donkey Kong and Mario debuted in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. In 1994, the series was revived as the Donkey Kong Country series, featuring Donkey Kong and his clan of other apes as protagonists in their native jungle setting versus a variety of anthropomorphic enemies, usually against the Kremlings, a clan of crocodiles and their leader King K. Rool. These are side-scrolling platform games. Games outside these two genres include rhythm games such as Donkey Konga, racing games such as Diddy Kong Racing, and edutainment such as Donkey Kong Jr. Math.

An icon of the Donkey Kong franchise is barrels, which the Kongs use as weapons, vehicles, furniture, and lodging.

As of June 2020, the Donkey Kong franchise has sold over 82.88 million copies worldwide.

Characters

Main article: List of Donkey Kong characters

Donkey Kong debuted in the arcade game Donkey Kong on July 9, 1981 as the computer-controlled antagonist and opponent. He became the player character in later games. Donkey Kong Jr. debuted in the arcade style game Donkey Kong Jr. released in 1982, to save his father, Donkey Kong, from Mario. Cranky Kong is the original Donkey Kong and is the modern DK's grandfather. He is elderly and frequently berates the younger generation of heroes. Diddy Kong was first introduced in Donkey Kong Country and is featured in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest as the main character. Dixie Kong first appeared in Donkey Kong Country 2 as a sidekick to Diddy Kong and has been referred to as his girlfriend. She later starred in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble alongside Kiddy Kong. Other notable members of the Kong family include Funky Kong, Candy Kong, Wrinkly Kong, Tiny Kong, and Lanky Kong. King K. Rool is the main antagonist of the Donkey Kong series, though additional villains have appeared as well, including Wizpig (Diddy Kong Racing), Ghastly King (Donkey Kong Jungle Beat), the Tiki Tak Tribe (Donkey Kong Country Returns) and the Snowmads (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze).

Characters from the Donkey Kong series have appeared in Nintendo's crossover games such as the Super Smash Bros. and the Mario Kart series.

Games

Main article: List of Donkey Kong video games

Timeline of release years

1981	Donkey Kong
1982	Donkey Kong Jr.
1983	Donkey Kong II
	Donkey Kong 3
	Donkey Kong Jr. Math
1984	Donkey Kong Circus
	Donkey Kong Hockey
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994	Donkey Kong (GB)
	Donkey Kong Country
1995	Donkey Kong Land
	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
1996	Donkey Kong Land 2
	Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
1997	Donkey Kong Land III
	Diddy Kong Racing
1998
1999	Donkey Kong 64
2000
2001
2002
2003	Donkey Konga
2004	Mario vs. Donkey Kong
	Donkey Konga 2
	Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
2005	Donkey Konga 3
	DK: King of Swing
2006	Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
2007	Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
	DK: Jungle Climber
2008
2009	Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!
2010	Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!
	Donkey Kong Country Returns
2011
2012
2013	Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move
2014	Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
2015	Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars

Original series

Donkey Kong

Main article: Donkey Kong (video game)

File:Donkey Kong NES Screenshot.png

The original Donkey Kong video game running on the Nintendo Entertainment System

The original arcade Donkey Kong game was created when Shigeru Miyamoto was assigned by Nintendo to convert Radar Scope, a game that had been released to test audiences with poor results, into a game that would appeal more to Americans. The result was a major breakthrough for Nintendo and for the videogame industry. Sales of the machine were brisk, with the game becoming one of the best-selling arcade machines of the early 1980s alongside Pac-Man and Galaga. The gameplay itself was a large improvement over other games of its time, and with the growing base of arcades to sell to, it was able to gain huge distribution. In the game, Jumpman (renamed Mario) must ascend a construction site while avoiding obstacles such as barrels and fireballs to rescue his girlfriend Pauline from Donkey Kong. Miyamoto created a greatly simplified version for the Game & Watch multiscreen. Other conversions include the Atari 2600, Colecovision, Amiga 500, Apple II, Atari 7800, Intellivision, Commodore 64, Commodore VIC-20, Famicom Disk System, IBM PC, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, MSX, Atari 8-bit family, and Mini-Arcade versions. The game was converted to the Family Computer in 1983 as one of the system's three launch games and re-released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Both Donkey Kong and its sequel, Donkey Kong Jr., are in the 1988 NES compilation Donkey Kong Classics. The NES version was re-released as an unlockable game in Animal Crossing for the GameCube and on the Wii's Virtual Console. The original arcade version appears in the Nintendo 64 game Donkey Kong 64. The NES version was re-released on the e-Reader in 2002 and for the Game Boy Advance Classic NES series in 2004. It was re-released for Wii, Wii U, and 3DS in 2013 and 2014, as Donkey Kong Original Edition.

Donkey Kong Jr.

Main article: Donkey Kong Jr.

The success of the original game spawned several ports, and a sequel, Donkey Kong Jr. which was also developed by Shigeru Miyamoto. In this game, Donkey Kong Junior is trying to rescue his father Donkey Kong, who has been imprisoned. Donkey Kong's cage is guarded by Mario, in his only appearance as a villain in a video game. The game was developed by Nintendo R&D1 and released in August 1982. In the arcade version, Donkey Kong Jr. has to climb chains to push keys to the top screen, while avoiding danger such as electrical wires.

Donkey Kong II

Main article: Donkey Kong II

Donkey Kong II was developed by Nintendo R&D1 and was released in 1983, as part of the Game & Watch Multi Screen series.

Donkey Kong 3

Main article: Donkey Kong 3

Donkey Kong 3 features Stanley the bug exterminator, instead of Mario. Donkey Kong has taken refuge in his greenhouse and stirs up any insects that will soon destroy the flowers. Stanley saves the flowers by spraying bug spray on Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong for Game Boy

Main article: Donkey Kong for Game Boy

In 1994, the remake Donkey Kong, was released for the Game Boy, adding 96 new levels. It is the first game released with Super Game Boy enhancements. Later, Nintendo revamped this style of gameplay into the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games.

Donkey Kong Country series

Rare era (1994–2005)

File:Tim and Chris Stamper outside the FortuneFish offices.jpg

Rare founders Tim and Chris Stamper in 2015

File:DK logo - red border.png

The "DK" emblem on Donkey Kong's necktie.

Released in November 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and developed by British game developer Rare, Donkey Kong Country took the Donkey Kong series in a new direction, becoming a showcase title to show off then-revolutionary Computer-generated imagery graphics. In Donkey Kong Country, the original Donkey Kong's grandson, also called Donkey Kong, is the hero and he and his sidekick Diddy Kong have to save his hoard of bananas from the thieving King K. Rool and his Kremling Krew. It is an action side-scrolling game similar to the Mario series and was enormously popular for its graphics, music, and gameplay. The sequel, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest involves Diddy and his girlfriend Dixie Kong embarking on a journey to Crocodile Isle to rescue DK from the clutches of K. Rool. In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! both DK and Diddy are captured again by a mysterious robot named KAOS⁠—who is, in actuality, being operated by K. Rool⁠—and Dixie and her cousin Kiddy Kong have to venture to the Northern Kremisphere to save them in the final game of the series for the SNES.

The Donkey Kong Country SNES trilogy games are primarily platforming games in which players complete side-scrolling levels to progress forward. Each game contains approximately 6 to 8 different 'worlds,' each of which contains 5 or 6 levels and a boss character battle which advances the player to the succeeding world. Each world is uniquely themed and levels consist of tasks such as swimming, riding in mine carts, launching out of barrel cannons, or swinging from vine to vine. Each game also includes two main playable Kong characters; if both Kongs are together, one follows the other (which the player controls), and the player can switch between them as needed. If the lead Kong then gets hit by an enemy, he runs off the screen and the player will take control of the other Kong until they can later free the first one from a barrel. If the Kong is hit by an enemy when traveling alone, the player loses a life. To defeat an enemy, players can either execute a roll, jump or ground slam which can also unveil secret items. However, some enemies cannot be taken down like this, so the player must either throw a barrel or use the assistance of a friendly animal. The player can gain additional lives by collecting items scattered throughout the levels, including 100 bananas; all four golden letters that spell out K–O–N–G; extra life balloons; and golden animal tokens that lead to bonus levels. There are also many secret passages that can lead to bonus games where the player can earn additional lives or other items.

In several levels, players can gain assistance from various animals, who are found by breaking open crates. These "animal friends" include Rambi the rhino, Expresso the ostrich, Enguarde the swordfish, Winky the frog, and Squawks the parrot, among others. These animals have certain unique abilities that the player can use such as Rambi's ability to charge at enemies. Animal friends can sometimes give players access to otherwise inaccessible bonus games, examples being Rambi and Enguarde busting through walls.

Rare developed new versions of the three games for Game Boy Advance that were released between 2003 and 2005.

Retro Studios era (2010–present)

File:Donkey Kong Country series logo.png

Donkey Kong Country series logo, as seen in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

File:Donkey Kong Country Returns Mine Cart.png

Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong riding in a mine cart in Donkey Kong Country Returns. These iconic levels are known for their difficulty.

In the newer games that succeed the original trilogy, new gameplay elements were added such as levels in which the characters and foreground environments appear as silhouettes, spawning several new gameplay mechanics. In Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, collecting K-O-N-G letters will not award any lives to the player, but instead unlock various bonuses and hidden levels. Additionally, in these games collecting puzzle pieces unlocks artwork from the games. In Tropical Freeze, the Kongs are able to pluck items from the ground and pick up and throw stunned enemies. Additionally, filling up a 'Kong-POW' meter allows Donkey Kong and his partner to perform a special move which defeats all on-screen enemies and converts them into items depending on the partner.

In the original trilogy, the player can switch between characters if they are both on the screen. This is changed in the Retro Studios games, where the player has to choose character(s) before each level. Starting with Donkey Kong Country Returns, each character has their own specific characteristics: Donkey is the larger and stronger of the two, and can defeat enemies more easily, while Diddy is faster and more agile, but not as powerful, and can use his barrel jetpack to glide the air over short distances and his peanut gun to stun enemies. Tropical Freeze marked the debut of Dixie Kong, Cranky Kong, and Funky Kong as playable characters in the Retro Studios era. Dixie, returning from Donkey Kong Country 3, can spin her ponytail into a propeller and slowly descend through the air, with an initial boost in height at the start, allowing her and Donkey Kong to fly up out-of-reach platforms or items, and can also use her candy gun to stun enemies. Cranky, in a similar mechanic to the DuckTales video game, can use his cane to bounce on dangerous surfaces such as spiky thorns and reach higher areas and defeat certain enemies the other Kongs cannot. Funky is featured as a playable character in the Nintendo Switch port of Tropical Freeze, functioning similarly to Donkey Kong but with additional hit points, an extra jump, and the ability to stand on spikes.

Donkey Kong Land series

The Donkey Kong Land games are handheld counterparts of the Country games adapted to the hardware of the Game Boy. Donkey Kong Land was released in 1995, Donkey Kong Land 2 in 1996 and Donkey Kong Land III in 1997. They were presented in distinctive yellow cartridges instead of the typical grey ones.

Donkey Kong 64

Donkey Kong 64 is the first game to require the Nintendo 64's Expansion Pak memory upgrade

A successful Nintendo 64 sequel to Rare's Donkey Kong Country is Donkey Kong 64. Donkey Kong joins the DK crew to save Donkey Kong Island from King K. Rool. The playable characters include Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and the newly introduced Lanky Kong, Tiny Kong, and Chunky Kong. Donkey Kong 64 is a 3D platform game like Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie; players must navigate 3D environments while collecting Golden Bananas and other items as they advance through the game. It also features multiplayer arena-battle modes for up to four players. Like the Donkey Kong Land series, this game features a unique banana yellow cartridge, and is only playable with the included Expansion Pak.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat was released in Japan in December 2004 and elsewhere in early 2005, this platform game used the DK Bongos as a controller; tapping one drum repeatedly made Donkey Kong run, tapping both at the same time made him jump, tapping both alternately made him attack, and clapping or blowing in to the microphone caused an explosion, shown by a ripple in the screen, attracting assorted jewels or clearing obstacles to progress. A New Play Control! remake of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat was released for Wii in Japan on December 11, 2008, and in North America and Europe the following year. The bongo controls were replaced with a more traditional control scheme; players use the Wii Remote and Nunchuck to control Donkey Kong instead of tapping on the DK Bongos.

Two arcade games were released exclusively in Japan based on Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. The first was Donkey Kong Jungle Fever, a medal game released in 2005, and the second was a sequel, Donkey Kong Banana Kingdom (released on November 16, 2006). Both games were developed and published by Capcom on the Triforce arcade system board. Neither title has been released outside Japan.

Racing games

Diddy Kong Racing is a 1997 racing game for the Nintendo 64 developed by Rare. It is the first game to spin off from the Donkey Kong Country series. It currently stands as the Nintendo 64's sixth-most best selling game. A racing game like Mario Kart 64, Diddy Kong Racing also has a distinctive adventure mode and allows players to choose between three different vehicle types; cars, planes, and hovercraft. This game debuts Banjo the Bear and Conker the Squirrel, who appeared later in their own franchise games. Banjo and Conker were replaced by Dixie Kong and Tiny Kong in Diddy Kong Racing DS, an enhanced remake for the Nintendo DS released in 2007.

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast is Donkey Kong's first title role, on the Wii but originally developed for the GameCube. It was to make use of the DK Bongos peripheral introduced alongside Donkey Konga. Due to the declining sales of the GameCube, development shifted to Wii with motion controls.

Donkey Konga series

The Donkey Konga series relied upon use of the DK Bongos accessory.

Donkey Konga on the GameCube in 2004, started the Donkey Konga series. Created by Namco, this musical rhythm action game relies upon use of the DK Bongos accessory to hit a beat in time with the tune. The tunes included pop songs and themes from some previous Nintendo games, including the Super Smash Bros. Melee version of the DK Rap. Its sequel, Donkey Konga 2, was released in 2005, and Japan got Donkey Konga 3 exclusively that year.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong series

Main article: Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Nintendo's first Donkey Kong game for the Game Boy Advance after Rare left was Mario vs. Donkey Kong, a return to the earlier arcade-style games that incorporated many elements from the Game Boy version. While its style was that of other games, the Rare design for Donkey Kong carried over. Donkey Kong, originally a villain, returns to this role in the game: wanting a Mini Mario clockwork toy, he finds that they are sold out at a local toy store. Enraged, he terrifies the Toads at the factory and steals the toys. This sets up the game's plot, where Mario chases Donkey Kong until he can take the Mini Marios back from Donkey Kong. The game was followed by March of the Minis for the Nintendo DS, Minis March Again on DSiWare, Mini-Land Mayhem in 2010 for the DS, Minis on the Move for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 and Tipping Stars for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U in 2014.

DK series

DK: King of Swing is a puzzle-platform game developed by Paon that features gameplay similar to Clu Clu Land. Here, the player must navigate levels using only the GBA's left and right shoulder buttons. A sequel to the aforementioned game, DK: Jungle Climber is Donkey Kong's only title role on the Nintendo DS. It features pseudo-3D visuals that more closely resemble the Donkey Kong Country games, dual screen gameplay, and a team-up mechanic with Diddy Kong.

Other games

Donkey Kong Circus is a Game & Watch Panorama series game released in 1984. In this game, the player controls Donkey Kong, who is placed on a barrel while juggling pineapples and avoiding flames. This game is very similar to Mario the Juggler, the last Game & Watch game, as they both involve a character juggling while avoiding objects.

Donkey Kong Jr. Math is an edutainment game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), wherein players must solve math problems in order to win. It is the only game in the "Education Series" of NES games in North America. One player enters arithmetic answers for points, or two players race to create a math formula to reach the number shown by Donkey Kong, incorporating platform gameplay.

Donkey Kong Hockey was developed by Nintendo R&D1 and released in 1985 as part of the Game & Watch Micro Vs. series. The game features one LCD screen and two attached control pads. The hockey features Donkey Kong as one of the players and Mario as the other.

Cancelled games

Return of Donkey Kong was a proposed Nintendo Entertainment System game announced in the Official Nintendo Player's Guide in 1987. Whether it was canceled or a working title for a game released with a different name is unknown.

Super Donkey is a prototype discovered in 2020, a platform game featuring similar graphics to the Nintendo game Yoshi's Island. It features a new protagonist wearing a pilot suit, and sprites of Donkey Kong alongside a barrel. The name suggests it may have been considered as a new Donkey Kong game before being repurposed for Yoshi.

Donkey Kong Racing is a demo for a GameCube racing game, shown at Space World 2001. It showed various characters, including Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Taj the Genie of Diddy Kong Racing racing on Rambi, Enguarde, Expresso, and Ellie, and Zinger, Necky, Army, and Chomps Jr. that had been introduced in previous Donkey Kong games. Following the sale of Nintendo's 49% stake in Rare to Microsoft in 2002, Rare announced concentration on Xbox games. The company continued to support Nintendo's portable consoles, the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS, and this game was canceled. Rare later reworked the game into Sabreman Stampede, which incorporates a lot of the same ideas without the racing aspect, but was also later canceled.

Diddy Kong Pilot was a planned sequel to Diddy Kong Racing, but with flying as the only means of transportation. After Rare was sold to Microsoft, which caused the company to lose the rights to the Donkey Kong characters, Diddy Kong Pilot was converted into the game Banjo-Pilot in 2005. However, on November 5, 2011, a collector who had purchased a prototype cartridge leaked its ROM onto the internet.

Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers was a puzzle game prototype developed by Rare for the Game Boy Advance. Similar to Donkey Kong Racing and Diddy Kong Pilot, the game was canceled in 2002 due to Microsoft's acquisition of Rare. The game was eventually reworked into It's Mr. Pants, and was released on December 7, 2004.

Diddy Kong Racing Adventure is a rejected pitch made by the Climax Group for a Diddy Kong Racing sequel on the GameCube around 2004. The project was never announced to the public and only became known after an amateur video game archivist acquired the prototype and published a video about it in November 2016.

Spin-offs

Mario franchise

Main article: Mario (franchise)

After appearing in the original Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr., Mario starred in the Mario franchise, beginning with the arcade game Mario Bros. and resulting in the Super Mario series—becoming Nintendo's mascot in the process. The Super Mario series had its own spin-offs, including Mario Kart and Mario Party. Donkey Kong appears as a playable character in the vast majority of these spin-offs. The roots of the Mario franchise in Donkey Kong are further acknowledged in Super Mario Odyssey, with many elements of the DK franchise featured in the New Donk City level. DK and Diddy have their own Amiibo figures as part of the Super Mario line.

Banjo-Kazooie series

Main article: Banjo-Kazooie

Following his appearance in Diddy Kong Racing, Banjo went on to star in Banjo-Kazooie, leading to the Banjo-Kazooie series. Although originally owned by Nintendo, Microsoft is the current owner of the Banjo-Kazooie series due to their acquisition of Rare in 2002.

Conker series

Main article: Conker (series)

Following his appearance in Diddy Kong Racing, Conker the Squirrel went on to star in Conker's Pocket Tales, leading to the Conker series. Unlike Banjo, Conker was never under the ownership of Nintendo; Conker's Pocket Tales and Conker's Bad Fur Day were self-published by Rare.

Other media

Television series

The Saturday Supercade is the character's first role in a television series. In it, Donkey Kong (voiced by Soupy Sales) has escaped from the circus and Mario (voiced by Peter Cullen) and Pauline (voiced by Judy Strangis) are chasing the ape. As with the original game, Donkey Kong will often grab Pauline, and Mario has to save her.

The Donkey Kong Country television series was developed based on the game of the same name. Airing in France in 1997 and in the US in 1998, the series lasted two seasons with 40 total episodes featuring exclusive characters including Bluster Kong, Eddie the Mean Old Yeti and Kaptain Scurvy.

The Planet of Donkey Kong, later DKTV.cool was broadcast in France from September 4, 1996 to September 1, 2001. It was presented by Mélanie Angélie and Donkey Kong, voiced by Nicolas Bienvenu. After the departure of Angélie, the program continued without a host and was renamed DKTV.cool on July 1, 2000. The show had several variations, especially during the summer, including "Diddy's Holidays", airing on Saturdays and Sundays around 7 am during mid-1997, and Donkey Kong Beach at 9:30 on Saturday mornings in the same year.

Film

A 2007 documentary, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, chronicles the competitive following for the arcade version of Donkey Kong.

The original arcade version of Donkey Kong is the final villain of the 2015 film Pixels.

Reception

Sales and aggregate review scores

Game	Year	Units sold (in millions)	GameRankings	Metacritic
Donkey Kong	1981	9.6	—(Arcade) —(GBA)	82% (Arcade) 58 (GBA)
Donkey Kong Jr.	1982	2.7	— (Arcade) — (GBA)	— (Arcade) — (GBA)
Donkey Kong 3	1983	5.000	— (Arcade) — (NES)	— (Arcade) — (NES)
Donkey Kong Jr. Math	1983	—	32%	—
Donkey Kong	1994	3.1	85%	—
Donkey Kong Country	1994	13.31	89% (SNES) 90% (GBC) 79% (GBA)	— (SNES) — (GBC) 78 (GBA)
Donkey Kong Land	1995	3.9	—	—
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	1995	6.28	90% (SNES) 81% (GBA)	— (SNES) 80 (GBA)
Donkey Kong Land 2	1996	2.3	79%	—
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!	1996	4.28	83% (SNES) 75% (GBA)	— (SNES) 77 (GBA)
Donkey Kong Land III	1997	1.4	81% (GB) — (GBC)	— (GB) — (GBC)
Diddy Kong Racing	1997	4.8	89% (N64) 67% (DS)	88 (N64) 63 (DS)
Donkey Kong 64	1999	5.27	87%	90
Donkey Konga	2003	1.18	—	76
Donkey Konga 2	2004	520.000	—	69
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat	2004	1.8	82% (NGC) 81% (Wii)	80 (NGC) 78 (Wii)
DK: King of Swing	2005	280.000	71%	70
Donkey Konga 3	2005	80.000	—	—
Donkey Kong Barrel Blast	2007	590.000	43%	46
DK: Jungle Climber	2007	510.000	76%	77
Donkey Kong Country Returns	2010	9.29	87% (Wii) 83% (3DS)	87 (Wii) 83 (3DS)
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze	2014	4.26	84% (Wii U) 87% (NS)	83 (Wii U) 86 (NS)

The Donkey Kong series has generally received positive reception, despite some spin-offs received more mixed reception.
Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Country are frequently cited as two of the best video games of all time; the former for its impact on the golden age of arcade video games, and the latter for its "groundbreaking" usage of pre-rendered 3D graphics and atmospheric music. Maxim included Donkey Kong Country at number 14 on their list of 'The 30 Best Video Game Franchises of All Time,' describing the series as "some of the best platforming games on Nintendo’s consoles." In the 2017 book the 100 Greatest Video Game Franchises, Donkey Kong is characterized as "a symbol, representing both the timelessness and timeliness of video games".

Legacy

After the first Donkey Kong was released, Universal Studios sued Nintendo, alleging that the video game was a trademark infringement of King Kong, the plot and characters of which Universal claimed for their own. In the case, Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd., a United States District Court ruled that Universal had acted in bad faith, and that it had no right over the name King Kong or the characters and story. The court further held that there was no possibility for consumers to confuse Nintendo's game and characters with the King Kong films and their characters. The case was an enormous victory for Nintendo, which was still a newcomer to the U.S. market. The case established the company as a major player in the industry and arguably gave the company the confidence that it could compete with the giants of American media.

The success of the Donkey Kong series has resulted in Guinness World Records awarding the series with seven world records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. The records include: "First Use of Visual Storytelling in a Video Game" for the rudimentary cut scenes featured in the original Donkey Kong arcade game, and "Most Collectible Items in a Platform Game" for Donkey Kong 64.

"It's on like Donkey Kong" is an expression used in pop culture that is inspired by the original game. Nintendo requested a trademark on the phrase with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in November 2010.

The original game is the focus of the 2007 documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.

In 2007, the USHRA Monster Jam racing series licensed Donkey Kong's appearance for a monster truck. The truck is driven by Frank Krmel, and is owned by Feld Motorsports. The truck is decorated to look like the character and has Donkey Kong's tie on the front. The truck made its debut in the Monster Jam event at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US on December 8, 2007. It went to the Monster Jam World Finals 9, as well as World Finals 10, where it was the fastest qualifier.

Crossovers

Mario Kart series

Main article: Mario Kart

The Donkey Kong series has been represented in every game of the Mario Kart series. Donkey Kong appears racing alongside characters from Mario and other franchises. The first character from the Donkey Kong series to appear as a playable character in the Mario Kart series is Donkey Kong Jr. in Super Mario Kart. The adult Donkey Kong first appears in Mario Kart 64, Diddy Kong appears in Mario Kart: Double Dash, Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart Tour, Funky Kong appears in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart Tour, and Dixie Kong appears in Mario Kart Tour. Additionally, the Mario Kart series features several Donkey Kong themed tracks, most notably DK Jungle from Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8, which is based on the world of Donkey Kong Country Returns.

Mario Party series

Main article: Mario Party

In the Mario Party series, Donkey Kong debuted as a playable character in Mario Party for the Nintendo 64, a role he kept until Mario Party 5. Here, he was given a space on the board maps as a foil to Bowser. He returned as a playable character in Mario Party 10 for the Wii U and Mario Party: Star Rush for the Nintendo 3DS. Diddy Kong makes cameo appearances in Mario Party DS and Mario Party 9, and is an unlockable character in Mario Party: Star Rush and Super Mario Party.

Mario sports series

Main article: List of Mario sports games

Donkey Kong has appeared as a playable character in almost every game of the Mario sports series since the Nintendo 64 era, including Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Super Mario Strikers, and Mario Superstar Baseball. The first character from the Donkey Kong series that appear as a playable character in the Mario sports series is Donkey Kong Jr. in Mario's Tennis. Diddy Kong is also featured as a playable character in many games, and additional characters from the Donkey Kong series, such as Dixie Kong, Funky Kong, Tiny Kong and Baby Donkey Kong, but also Kritter and King K. Rool, have made sporadic appearances. Donkey Kong appears as a playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games and every game in the Mario & Sonic series thereafter. Diddy Kong was introduced to the series in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Super Smash Bros. series

Main article: Super Smash Bros.

Donkey Kong has appeared as a playable character in every game of the Super Smash Bros. series first appearing as one of eight characters in the original Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64. He is the first heavy fighter in the series, and featured many slow but powerful attacks. Diddy Kong was later introduced as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an agile fighter. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, King K. Rool was introduced as a playable character, bringing with him an arsenal of his attacks from the Donkey Kong Country and Land series. Banjo and Kazooie were revealed as part of the first Fighter Pass for Ultimate in 2019 in a trailer set at Donkey Kong's treehouse, acknowledging Banjo's origins in the Kongs' world. Other characters, like Cranky Kong and Dixie Kong, have appeared throughout the series as collectible trophies. There have been many stages based on games in the Donkey Kong series, including Congo (Kongo) Jungle in Super Smash Bros., Kongo Jungle and Jungle Japes in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Rumble Falls and 75m in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Jungle Hijinx in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Kongo Jungle from Super Smash Bros. Melee, renamed Kongo Falls, returns in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, along with the N64 Kongo Jungle, Jungle Japes, and 75m.

External links

• Donkey Kong at MobyGames
• Donkey Kong at Classicgaming.cc
• Donkey Kong Rap on YouTube