:Donkey Kong

{{About|the video game franchise|the original game|Donkey Kong (1981 video game){{!}}Donkey Kong (1981 video game)|the character|Donkey Kong (character)|other uses|Donkey Kong (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox media franchise

| image = Donkey Kong 2024 logo.png

| caption =

| alt = The words "Donkey Kong" in all caps in bold red letters with yellow borders; the "O"s have stars in the middle.

| creator = Shigeru Miyamoto

| origin = Donkey Kong (1981)

| owner = Nintendo

| years = 1981–present

| video_games = List of video games

| animated_series = {{ubl|Saturday Supercade|Captain N: The Game Master|Donkey Kong Country}}

| films = The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

| music = "Aquatic Ambience"
"DK Rap"

| toys = Lego Super Mario

| attractions = Super Nintendo World

| otherlabel1 = Related franchises

| otherdata1 = {{ubl|Mario|Banjo-Kazooie|Conker}}

}}

{{Nihongo foot|Donkey Kong|ドンキーコング|Donkī Kongu|{{IPA|ja|doŋ.kiː koŋ.ɡɯ|}}|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo. It follows the adventures of Donkey Kong, a large, powerful gorilla, and other members of the Kong family of apes. Donkey Kong games include the original arcade game trilogy by Nintendo R&D1; the Donkey Kong Country series by Rare and Retro Studios; and the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series by Nintendo Software Technology. Various studios have developed spin-offs in genres such as edutainment, puzzle, racing, and rhythm. The franchise also incorporates animation, printed media, theme parks, and merchandise.

Miyamoto designed the original 1981 Donkey Kong to repurpose unsold arcade cabinets following the failure of Radar Scope (1980). It was a major success and was followed by the sequels Donkey Kong Jr. (1982) and Donkey Kong 3 (1983). Nintendo placed the franchise on a hiatus as it shifted focus to the spin-off Mario franchise. Rare's 1994 reboot, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game Donkey Kong Country, reestablished Donkey Kong as a major Nintendo franchise. Rare developed Donkey Kong games for the SNES, Game Boy, and Nintendo 64 until it was acquired by Microsoft in 2002; subsequent games were developed by Nintendo, Retro Studios, Namco and Paon. After Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2014), the franchise went on another hiatus, which ended with Donkey Kong Bananza (2025).

The main Donkey Kong games are platformers in which the player must reach the end of a level. Donkey Kong appears as the antagonist or protagonist; his role alternates between games. The original games featured a small cast of characters, including Donkey Kong, Mario, and Pauline. Rare's games expanded the cast with friendly Kongs alongside the Kremlings, an army of antagonistic crocodiles led by Donkey Kong's nemesis King K. Rool. Mario, the protagonist of the 1981 game, became Nintendo's mascot and the star of the Mario franchise, and Donkey Kong characters appear in Mario games such as Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Mario Tennis. Donkey Kong characters also feature in crossover games such as Mario & Sonic and Super Smash Bros.

Outside of video games, the franchise includes the animated series Donkey Kong Country (1997–2000), a themed area in Super Nintendo World at Universal's theme parks, soundtrack albums, and Lego construction toys. Donkey Kong is one of Nintendo's bestselling franchises, with more than 65 million copies sold by 2021. The original game was Nintendo's first major international success; it rescued Nintendo of America from a financial crisis, and established it as a prominent force in the video game industry. The franchise has pioneered or popularized concepts such as in-game storytelling and pre-rendered graphics, inspired other games (including clones), and influenced popular culture.

History

{{see also|List of Donkey Kong video games|l1=List of Donkey Kong video games}}

= 1981–1982: Conception and first game =

File:Shigeru Miyamoto at E3 2013 1 (cropped).JPG in 2013]]

In the late 1970s, the Japanese company Nintendo shifted its focus from producing toys and playing cards to arcade games. This followed the 1973 oil crisis, which increased the cost of manufacturing toys, and the success of Taito's arcade game Space Invaders (1978). In 1980, Nintendo released Radar Scope, a Space Invaders-style shoot 'em up.{{cite web |last1=Parish |first1=Jeremy |title=35 Years Ago, Nintendo's First Brush With Video Disaster |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/35-years-ago-nintendo-had-its-first-brush-with-video-game-disaster |website=USGamer |access-date=December 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502051532/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/35-years-ago-nintendo-had-its-first-brush-with-video-game-disaster |archive-date=May 2, 2019 |date=January 21, 2014}} It was a commercial failure and put the newly established subsidiary Nintendo of America in a financial crisis. Its founder, Minoru Arakawa, asked his father in-law, Nintendo CEO Hiroshi Yamauchi, to provide a new game that could repurpose the unsold Radar Scope cabinets.{{sfn|Sheff|1994|pp=103–105}} Most of Nintendo's top developers were preoccupied, so the task went to Shigeru Miyamoto, a first-time game designer.{{sfn|Sheff|1994|p=106}}{{cite web |last1=Nix |first1=Marc |title=IGN Presents: The History of Super Mario Bros. |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/09/14/ign-presents-the-history-of-super-mario-bros |website=IGN |access-date=December 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109000531/https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/09/14/ign-presents-the-history-of-super-mario-bros |archive-date=November 9, 2019 |date=September 14, 2010}}

Supervised by Gunpei Yokoi,{{sfn|Sheff|1994|p=106}} Miyamoto settled on a love triangle with the characters Bluto, Popeye, and Olive Oyl from the Popeye franchise, but a licensing deal between Nintendo and King Features fell through.{{efn|Nintendo and King Features ultimately renegotiated the license to produce the arcade game Popeye (1982),{{sfn|Sheff|1994|p=47}} which Miyamoto designed alongside Genyo Takeda under the production system that Nintendo adopted following Donkey Kong.{{sfn|Sheff|1994|p=114}}{{cite web |last1=Handley |first1=Zoey |title=Popeye might be the most insulting adaptation of a classic arcade game |url=https://www.destructoid.com/weekly-kusoge-popeye-2021-switch-ps4/ |website=Destructoid |access-date=November 15, 2024 |date=May 9, 2022}}}} Bluto evolved into a gorilla, an animal Miyamoto said was "nothing too evil or repulsive".{{sfn|Sheff|1994|p=47}} He was named Donkey Kong—donkey to convey stubborn and kong to imply gorilla.{{sfn|Sheff|1994|pp=48–49}} Popeye became Mario, the new protagonist, while Olive Oyl became Pauline, the damsel in distress. Miyamoto cited the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" and the 1933 film King Kong as influences.{{sfn|Sheff|1994|p=47}}

Donkey Kong was one of the earliest platform games,{{efn|Although Universal's Space Panic preceded Donkey Kong by a year, Red Bull wrote that Donkey Kong is generally considered the first "true" platform game for introducing the ability to jump.{{cite web |last1=Gaming |first1=Nodwin |title=The evolution of platform games in 9 steps |url=https://www.redbull.com/in-en/evolution-of-platformers |website=Red Bull |access-date=February 23, 2023 |date=March 23, 2017 |archive-date=February 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223204455/https://www.redbull.com/in-en/evolution-of-platformers |url-status=live}}}} with players controlling Mario as he ascends a construction site to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong.{{cite magazine |last1=Paumgarten |first1=Nick |title=Master of Play |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/12/20/master-of-play |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=February 24, 2023 |date=December 12, 2010 |archive-date=February 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221170018/http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/12/20/101220fa_fact_paumgarten |url-status=live}} Whereas previous platform games focused on climbing, Miyamoto placed an emphasis on jumping to avoid obstacles and cross gaps. He envisioned something akin to a playable comic strip that unfolded across multiple levels with unique scenarios. This was uncommon in contemporary arcade games, which typically featured a single scenario that repeated. As he lacked programming expertise, Miyamoto consulted technicians on whether his ideas were possible.{{sfn|Sheff|1994|pp=47–48}} Four programmers from Ikegami Tsushinki spent three months turning Miyamoto's design into a finished game.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/02/feature_shining_a_light_on_ikegami_tsushinki_the_company_that_developed_donkey_kong|title=Feature: Shining A Light On Ikegami Tsushinki, The Company That Developed Donkey Kong|date=February 26, 2018|access-date=September 10, 2020|website=Nintendo Life|last=McFerran|first=Damien|archive-date=October 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008090220/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/02/feature_shining_a_light_on_ikegami_tsushinki_the_company_that_developed_donkey_kong|url-status=live}}

Although Miyamoto's team was told it would be a failure, Donkey Kong became Nintendo's first major international success upon its release in July 1981. The {{nowrap|$280 million}} windfall gain rescued Nintendo of America from its financial crisis and established it as a prominent brand in America.{{sfn|Ziesak|2009|p=2029}}{{sfn|Sheff|1994|p=111}} Donkey Kong achieved further success in 1982, when Nintendo released a Game & Watch adaptation and licensed it to Coleco for ports to home consoles.{{sfn|Epstein|2019|p=196}}{{cite web |last1=McFerran |first1=Damien |title=Feature: How ColecoVision Became the King of Kong |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/09/feature_how_colecovision_became_the_king_of_kong |access-date=April 2, 2021 |work=Nintendo Life |date=September 18, 2010 |archive-date=January 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106181833/http://retro.nintendolife.com/news/2010/09/feature_how_colecovision_became_the_king_of_kong |url-status=live}} It grossed $4.4 billion across various platforms, making it one of the highest-grossing games of all time.{{cite web |last1=Weinberger |first1=Matt |title=The 11 top-grossing video games of all time |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/the-11-top-grossing-video-games-of-all-time-2015-8 |website=Business Insider |access-date=February 24, 2023 |date=August 15, 2015 |archive-date=February 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223165556/https://www.businessinsider.com/the-11-top-grossing-video-games-of-all-time-2015-8 |url-status=live}} In 1982, Universal City Studios filed a lawsuit alleging Donkey Kong violated its trademark of King Kong. The lawsuit failed when Nintendo's lawyer, Howard Lincoln, discovered that Universal had won a lawsuit in 1976 by declaring that King Kong was actually in the public domain.{{sfn|Sheff|1994|p=127}}{{Cite web |last=Oxford |first=Nadia |date=December 14, 2005 |title=History of Videogame Lawsuits |url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3146206 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515021332/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3146206 |archive-date=May 15, 2006 |access-date=January 8, 2023 |website=1Up.com |page=2}}

= 1982–1994: Sequels and first hiatus =

Miyamoto and his team used game mechanics and levels that could not be included in Donkey Kong as the basis for a sequel. Miyamoto wanted to make Donkey Kong the protagonist, but the sprite graphic was too big to easily maneuver, so he created a new character, Donkey Kong Jr. The team still wanted Donkey Kong on top of the screen, so they conceived a plot in which Mario had caged him and Donkey Kong Jr. had to save him.{{sfn|Horowitz|2020|pp=90–91}} To develop Donkey Kong Jr. (1982), Nintendo reverse-engineered Ikegami's Donkey Kong code, making it the first game that Nintendo developed without outside help. Following Donkey Kong Jr.{{'s}} release, Ikegami sued Nintendo for copyright infringement. In 1990, the Tokyo High Court ruled in favor of Ikegami, and the companies reached a settlement.

Donkey Kong 3, released in 1983, features shooter gameplay that departs from its predecessors. Instead of Mario, the player controls Stanley, an exterminator from the Game & Watch game Green House (1982), who must fend off Donkey Kong and a swarm of bees.{{cite web |last=Jackson |first=Steven |title=Donkey Kong 3 |url=https://www.retrogamer.net/retro_games80/donkey-kong-3/ |website=Retro Gamer |access-date=February 24, 2023 |date=June 9, 2011}} Donkey Kong 3 was unsuccessful, as was Donkey Kong Jr. Math (1983), an edutainment game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).{{cite web |last1=Parish |first1=Jeremy |title=The Definitive Ranking of Donkey Kong Games |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/5/10/17333228/donkey-kong-rankings |website=Polygon |access-date=December 31, 2022 |date=May 10, 2018 |archive-date=April 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403080041/https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/5/10/17333228/donkey-kong-rankings |url-status=live}} Sega obtained the license to develop a game featuring a playable Donkey Kong as a parking attendant, but it was canceled after Sega's David Rosen and Hayao Nakayama arranged a management buyout from Gulf and Western Industries in 1984.{{cite web |last1=McFerran |first1=Damien |title=Random: Sega Almost Released A Parking Attendant Game Starring Donkey Kong |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/12/random_sega_almost_released_a_parking_attendant_game_starring_donkey_kong |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=March 20, 2024 |date=December 30, 2016 |archive-date=March 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240320075647/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/12/random_sega_almost_released_a_parking_attendant_game_starring_donkey_kong |url-status=live }}{{sfn|Kent|2001|p=343}}

The franchise went on an extended hiatus,{{Cite web |last=Parish |first=Jeremy |title=10 interesting things about Donkey Kong |url=http://www.1up.com/features/10-interesting-donkey-kong |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623015927/http://www.1up.com/features/10-interesting-donkey-kong |archive-date=June 23, 2012 |access-date=May 19, 2020 |website=1Up.com}} while the spin-off Mario franchise found success on the NES, cementing Mario as Nintendo's mascot. Donkey Kong's appearances in the years following Donkey Kong 3 were limited to cameos in unrelated games. Nintendo staff began discussing a Donkey Kong revival as the original game's tenth anniversary approached in 1991. They were unable to start a new game at the time, so they included Donkey Kong Jr. as a playable character in Super Mario Kart (1992). However, the discussions led to the production of the Game Boy game Donkey Kong (1994),{{cite web |title=Donkey Kong (1994) - Developer Interview |url=https://shmuplations.com/dk1994/ |website=Shmuplations |access-date=October 14, 2024}} the first original Donkey Kong game in ten years. It features Mario as the player character and begins as a remake of the 1981 game before introducing over 100 puzzle-platforming levels that incorporate elements from Donkey Kong Jr. and Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988).{{cite web |last1=Parish |first1=Jeremy |title=Daily Classic: Donkey Kong's Unlikely Game Boy Reinvention |url=https://www.vg247.com/daily-classic-donkey-kongs-unlikely-game-boy-reinvention |website=VG247 |access-date=February 24, 2023 |date=February 18, 2014 |archive-date=February 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224215310/https://www.vg247.com/daily-classic-donkey-kongs-unlikely-game-boy-reinvention |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Minotti |first1=Mike |title=The RetroBeat: Donkey Kong '94 for the Game Boy is Nintendo's forgotten masterpiece |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/the-retrobeat-donkey-kong-94-for-the-game-boy-is-nintendos-forgotten-masterpiece/ |website=VentureBeat |access-date=February 24, 2023 |date=August 8, 2015 |archive-date=February 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224215311/https://venturebeat.com/games/the-retrobeat-donkey-kong-94-for-the-game-boy-is-nintendos-forgotten-masterpiece/ |url-status=live}}

The 1987 Official Nintendo Player's Guide advertised a Donkey Kong revival for the NES, Return of Donkey Kong, which was never released. In the early 1990s, Philips obtained the license to use five Nintendo characters, including Donkey Kong, in games for the CD-i format. Philips contracted Riedel Software Productions to make a CD-i Donkey Kong game; it was developed between 1992 and 1993, but canceled.{{cite web |last1=Szczepaniak |first1=John |title=FEATURE Like Zelda And Mario, Donkey Kong Was Supposed To Get A Philips CD-i Game - What Happened? |url=https://www.timeextension.com/features/like-zelda-and-mario-donkey-kong-was-supposed-to-get-a-philips-cd-i-game-what-happened |website=Time Extension |access-date=May 25, 2024 |date=July 29, 2023 |archive-date=May 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524221728/https://www.timeextension.com/features/like-zelda-and-mario-donkey-kong-was-supposed-to-get-a-philips-cd-i-game-what-happened |url-status=live }} The 2020 Nintendo data leak included a prototype for Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995) featuring a protagonist who resembles Stanley.{{cite web |last1=Yin-Poole |first1=Wesley |title=Alleged Nintendo "gigaleak" reveals eye-opening prototypes for Yoshi's Island, Super Mario Kart, Star Fox 2 and more |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/alleged-nintendo-gigaleak-reveals-eye-opening-prototypes-for-yoshis-island-super-mario-kart-star-fox-2-and-more |website=Eurogamer |access-date=May 30, 2024 |date=July 25, 2020}} Its title, Super Donkey, suggested that Yoshi's Island began as a Donkey Kong game before it was altered to star the Mario character Yoshi.{{Cite web|last=Williams|first=Leah J.|date=July 27, 2020|title=Everything Revealed In Nintendo's Largest Gigaleak Ever|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/07/nintendo-leak-yoshis-island-super-mario-64-rumours-secrets/|access-date=July 8, 2023|website=Kotaku|language=en-AU|archive-date=July 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727231911/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/07/nintendo-leak-yoshis-island-super-mario-64-rumours-secrets/|url-status=live}}

= 1994–1996: Rare and ''Donkey Kong Country'' =

File:Tim and Chris Stamper outside the FortuneFish offices.jpg founders Tim and Chris Stamper (pictured in 2015) led the development of Donkey Kong Country (1994), which reestablished Donkey Kong as a major franchise.]]

Around 1992, Rare, a British developer founded by the brothers Tim and Chris Stamper, purchased Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI) Challenge workstations with Alias rendering software to render 3D models.{{Cite web |last=McLaughlin |first=Rus |date=July 28, 2008 |title=IGN presents the history of Rare |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/07/28/ign-presents-the-history-of-rare |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130414013832/http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/07/28/ign-presents-the-history-of-rare |archive-date=April 14, 2013 |access-date=June 4, 2020 |website=IGN}}{{sfn|Undercover Lover|1994|p=54}} The move made Rare the most technologically advanced UK developer and situated them high in the international market. Rare began experimenting with using the technology in a boxing game. At the time, Nintendo was embroiled in a console war with Sega, whose Genesis competed with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).{{Cite news |last=McFerren |first=Damien |date=February 27, 2014 |title=Month of Kong: The making of Donkey Kong Country |work=Nintendo Life |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/month_of_kong_the_making_of_donkey_kong_country |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131130533/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/month_of_kong_the_making_of_donkey_kong_country |archive-date=January 31, 2016}} Nintendo wanted a game to compete with Sega's Aladdin (1993), which featured graphics by Disney animators.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ7qtqqgTlo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/GQ7qtqqgTlo| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=DF Retro: Donkey Kong Country + Killer Instinct - A 16-Bit CG Revolution!|date=December 16, 2017|last=Linneman|first=John|publisher=Digital Foundry|access-date=June 29, 2020|medium=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} Lincoln, who became a Nintendo of America executive following the Universal lawsuit,{{cite web |last1=Gilbert |first1=Henry |title=Lawsuits that altered the course of gaming history |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/lawsuits-changed-gaming/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=November 14, 2024 |date=February 4, 2014}} learned of Rare's SGI experiments during a trip to Europe.{{Cite web |last=IGN staff |date=March 1, 2001 |title=GameCube developer profile: Rare |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/01/gamecube-developer-profile-rare |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125192614/http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/01/gamecube-developer-profile-rare |archive-date=January 25, 2013 |access-date=June 14, 2022 |website=IGN}}

After impressing Nintendo with a demonstration, Tim Stamper suggested developing a platform game that used pre-rendered 3D graphics.{{sfn|Undercover Lover|1994|p=54}} Nintendo granted the Stampers permission to use the Donkey Kong intellectual property;{{Cite news |last=Waugh |first=Eric-Jon Rossel |date=August 30, 2006 |title=A short history of Rare |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2006-08-30/a-short-history-of-rarebusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice |url-status=live |access-date=July 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015142432/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2006-08-30/a-short-history-of-rarebusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice |archive-date=October 15, 2016}} some sources indicate that the Stampers obtained the license after Nintendo offered them its catalog of characters and they chose Donkey Kong, though the designer Gregg Mayles recalled that it was Nintendo that requested a Donkey Kong game.{{cite web |last1=Hunt |first1=Stuart |title="Yes, we did go to the zoo and observe the gorillas": The making of Donkey Kong Country |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/the-making-of-donkey-kong-country/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=June 11, 2022 |date=June 22, 2021 |archive-date=June 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611165430/https://www.gamesradar.com/the-making-of-donkey-kong-country/ |url-status=live}} Nintendo figured licensing Donkey Kong posed minimal risk due to the franchise's dormancy. Rare's reboot, Donkey Kong Country, featured side-scrolling gameplay that Mayles based on the Super Mario series. It was the first Donkey Kong game neither directed nor produced by Miyamoto,{{Cite web |last=Langshaw |first=Mark |date=August 18, 2012 |title=Retro corner: 'Donkey Kong Country' |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/retro-gaming/a400139/retro-corner-donkey-kong-country/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526034851/https://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/retro-gaming/a400139/retro-corner-donkey-kong-country/ |archive-date=May 26, 2019 |access-date=June 30, 2020 |website=Digital Spy}} though he provided support and contributed design ideas.

Donkey Kong Country was one of the first games for a mainstream home video game console to use pre-rendered graphics, achieved through a compression technique that allowed Rare to convert 3D models into SNES sprites with little loss of detail. Because Donkey Kong did not have much of an established universe, Rare was free to expand it, introducing Donkey Kong's sidekick Diddy Kong (who replaced Donkey Kong Jr.) and the antagonistic Kremlings.{{Cite web |last=Zwiezen |first=Zack |date=November 25, 2019 |title=Nintendo was worried Donkey Kong Country was 'too 3D' |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/11/nintendo-was-worried-donkey-kong-country-was-too-3d/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923161416/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/11/nintendo-was-worried-donkey-kong-country-was-too-3d/ |archive-date=September 23, 2020 |access-date=May 26, 2020 |website=Kotaku}} After 18 months of development, Donkey Kong Country was released in November 1994 to acclaim, with critics hailing its visuals as groundbreaking.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references: Diehard GameFan,{{sfn|Storm|1994|pp=78–80}} Electronic Gaming Monthly,{{sfn|Semrad|Carpenter|Manuel|Sushi-X|1994|p=34}} Next Generation,{{sfn|McDonnell|1995|p=102}} and Total!{{sfn|Atko|Andy|1994|p=37}}}} It was a major success, selling 9.3 million copies and becoming the third-bestselling SNES game.{{Cite web |last=Gray |first=Kate |date=April 25, 2022 |title=Feature: The best (and worst) selling games of Nintendo's biggest franchises |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/features/the-best-and-worst-selling-games-of-nintendos-biggest-franchises |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530175807/https://www.nintendolife.com/features/the-best-and-worst-selling-games-of-nintendos-biggest-franchises |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |access-date=June 29, 2022 |website=Nintendo Life}} It reestablished Donkey Kong as a major Nintendo franchise and heralded Donkey Kong's transition from villain to hero.{{Cite web |last=Goergen |first=Andy |date=February 12, 2014 |title=Donkey Kong Country, through the years |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/36539/donkey-kong-country-through-the-years |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703015857/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/36539/donkey-kong-country-through-the-years |archive-date=July 3, 2020 |access-date=May 29, 2022 |website=Nintendo World Report}} Miyamoto felt Rare had "breathed new life into" Donkey Kong and demonstrated that it could be trusted with the franchise.{{cite web |title="ドンキーコングの生みの親" 宮本茂独占インタビュー |trans-title=Exclusive Interview with Donkey Kong Creator Shigeru Miyamoto |url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0002/01/miyamoto.html |website=Nintendo Online Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040212000129/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0002/01/miyamoto.html |archive-date=February 12, 2004 |access-date=January 22, 2025 |language=Japanese |date=February 2000}} ([https://themushroomkingdom.net/interview_miyamoto_nom18_feb2000.shtml Translation]) Following the success, Nintendo purchased a large minority stake in Rare.

Rare began developing concepts for a Donkey Kong Country sequel during production,{{sfn|Milne|2018|p=64}} and Nintendo green-lit the project immediately after the success. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, released in 1995, features Diddy rescuing a kidnapped Donkey Kong and introduces Diddy's girlfriend Dixie Kong. It was designed to be less linear and more challenging,{{sfn|The Feature Creature|1996|p=41}}{{sfn|Milne|2018|p=66}} with a theme reflecting Mayles' fascination with pirates.{{sfn|Milne|2018|p=66}} Diddy's Kong Quest was a critical success and is the sixth-bestselling SNES game.{{cite web|last1=Antista|first1=Chris|title=New screens honor the legacy of Donkey Kong Country - but WHY?|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/new-screens-honor-the-legacy-of-donkey-kong-country-but-why/?page=2|website=GamesRadar+|access-date=February 7, 2016|date=October 14, 2010|archive-date=January 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105194618/https://www.gamesradar.com/new-screens-honor-the-legacy-of-donkey-kong-country-but-why/?page=2|url-status=live}} Following Diddy's Kong Quest, the Donkey Kong Country team split in two, with one half working on Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (1996).{{Cite web |last=Yarwood |first=Jack |date=June 22, 2021 |title=A 'Rare' interview with Donkey Kong Country composer Eveline Novakovic |url=https://www.fanbyte.com/features/a-rare-interview-with-donkey-kong-country-composer-eveline-novakovic/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120152552/https://www.fanbyte.com/features/a-rare-interview-with-donkey-kong-country-composer-eveline-novakovic/ |archive-date=January 20, 2022 |access-date=May 22, 2022 |website=FanByte}} Dixie Kong's Double Trouble featured Dixie and a new character, Kiddy Kong, as the protagonists, and incorporated 3D-esque gameplay and Zelda-inspired role-playing elements. Although it was released late in the SNES's lifespan and after the launch of the Nintendo 64, Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! sold well.{{sfn|Milne|2022|p=23}}

= 1995–2002: Franchise expansion =

Separate Rare teams developed the Game Boy games Donkey Kong Land (1995), Donkey Kong Land 2 (1996), and Donkey Kong Land III (1997), which condensed the Country series' gameplay for the handheld game console. Rare's Game Boy programmer, Paul Machacek, convinced Tim Stamper that developing Land as an original game rather than a port would be a better use of resources.{{cite web |last1=Bailey |first1=Dustin |title=Donkey Kong Got His Original Game Boy Spin-Off Because It Was Too Hard to Port Donkey Kong Country |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/donkey-kong-got-his-original-game-boy-spin-off-because-it-was-too-hard-to-port-donkey-kong-country/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=December 27, 2022 |date=July 1, 2022 |archive-date=December 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227171819/https://www.gamesradar.com/donkey-kong-got-his-original-game-boy-spin-off-because-it-was-too-hard-to-port-donkey-kong-country/ |url-status=live}} A port of Country was eventually released for the Game Boy Color in 2000.{{cite web |last1=DiRienzo |first1=David |title=Donkey Kong Country |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country/ |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |access-date=June 6, 2020 |date=January 25, 2015 |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225224451/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country/ |url-status=live}} Rare also developed a tech demo for a Virtual Boy Donkey Kong game, which was canceled after the system's commercial failure.

{{multiple images

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| footer = Rare developed further Donkey Kong games for the Game Boy (left) and Nintendo 64 (right) throughout the late 1990s.

| alt = A handheld video game system (left) and a home video game system with controller (right)

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The first Donkey Kong game for the Nintendo 64, Diddy Kong Racing, a kart racing game, was released as Nintendo's major 1997 Christmas shopping season product.{{sfn|EGM staff|1997|p=26}} Rare originally developed it as a sequel to its NES game R.C. Pro-Am (1988), but added Diddy Kong to increase its marketability.{{cite web|last=Watts|first=Martin|title=Month Of Kong: The Making Of Diddy Kong Racing|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/month_of_kong_the_making_of_diddy_kong_racing|website=Nintendo Life|access-date=February 28, 2016|date=February 23, 2014|archive-date=March 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302111645/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/month_of_kong_the_making_of_diddy_kong_racing|url-status=live}} It received favorable reviews and sold 4.5 million copies.{{cite web |title=Diddy Kong Racing for Nintendo 64 Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/diddy-kong-racing/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-64 |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=February 17, 2023 |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109125158/https://www.metacritic.com/game/diddy-kong-racing/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-64 |url-status=live}} Two playable characters, Banjo the Bear and Conker the Squirrel, later starred in the Banjo-Kazooie and Conker franchises.{{cite web |last1=MacDonald |first1=Keza |title=Diddy Kong Racing |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/diddy-kong-racing-review |website=Eurogamer |access-date=December 27, 2022 |date=April 12, 2007 |archive-date=December 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227142559/https://www.eurogamer.net/diddy-kong-racing-review |url-status=live}}

In 1997, Rare began working on Donkey Kong 64, the first Donkey Kong platform game to feature 3D gameplay.{{Cite web |author1=IGN Staff |title=Donkey Kong Swings to 64DD |work=IGN |date=July 25, 1997 |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1997/07/26/donkey-kong-swings-to-64dd |access-date=December 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807230102/http://www.ign.com/articles/1997/07/26/donkey-kong-swings-to-64dd |archive-date=August 7, 2016 |url-status=live}} They conceived it as a linear game similar to the Country series, but switched to a more open-ended design using the game engine from their 1998 game Banjo-Kazooie after 18 months.{{sfn|Hunt|2007|p=29}} Transitioning Donkey Kong to 3D proved challenging since the technology was still new. The designers could not replicate the detail of Country{{'s}} pre-rendering on the Nintendo 64, which rendered graphics in real time. Donkey Kong 64 was released in November 1999, accompanied by a {{US$}}22 million marketing campaign.{{sfn|Zuniga|1999|pp=219–224}} It was Nintendo's bestselling game during the 1999 Christmas season and received positive reviews,{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/donkey-kong-64/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-64 |title=Donkey Kong 64 Critic Reviews for Nintendo 64 |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=December 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118091300/http://www.metacritic.com/game/nintendo-64/donkey-kong-64/critic-reviews |archive-date=January 18, 2017 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |author1=IGN Staff |title=Nintendo Dominates Videogame Sales |work=IGN |date=January 13, 2000 |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/01/14/nintendo-dominates-videogame-sales |access-date=December 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221215701/http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/01/14/nintendo-dominates-videogame-sales |archive-date=December 21, 2016 |url-status=live}} though critics felt it did not match the revolutionary impact of Donkey Kong Country.{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-64-review/1900-2543651/ |access-date=December 17, 2016 |title=Donkey Kong 64 Review |last1=Taruc |first1=Nelson |date=November 22, 1999 |work=GameSpot |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830005452/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-64-review/1900-2543651/ |archive-date=August 30, 2016 |url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Casamassina|first1=Matt|title=Donkey Kong 64 Review|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/11/25/donkey-kong-64|website=IGN|access-date=December 17, 2016|date=November 24, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919092038/http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/11/25/donkey-kong-64 |archive-date=September 19, 2016 |url-status=live}}{{sfn|EGM staff|2000|p=178}}

At E3 2001, Nintendo and Rare announced three Donkey Kong projects: the GameCube game Donkey Kong Racing and the Game Boy Advance (GBA) games Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers and Diddy Kong Pilot.{{cite web|last=Watts|first=Martin|title=Month Of Kong: Whatever Happened To Donkey Kong Racing?|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/month_of_kong_whatever_happened_to_donkey_kong_racing|website=Nintendo Life|access-date=March 1, 2016|date=February 28, 2014|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126081739/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/02/month_of_kong_whatever_happened_to_donkey_kong_racing|url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Craig |title=E3: Hands on: Diddy Kong Pilot |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/05/19/e3-hands-on-diddy-kong-pilot |website=IGN |access-date=September 26, 2018 |date=May 19, 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928044304/https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/05/19/e3-hands-on-diddy-kong-pilot |archive-date=September 28, 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite web | last=Harris | first=Craig | date=May 21, 2001 | title=Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/05/29/donkey-kong-coconut-crackers | website=IGN | access-date=June 26, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227151334/https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/05/29/donkey-kong-coconut-crackers | archive-date=December 27, 2013 | url-status=live}} However, development costs were increasing, the Nintendo 64 did not perform as well as Nintendo's previous consoles, and the GameCube was also expected to be a sales disappointment. Rare began looking to be acquired,{{Cite web |last=Parkin |first=Simon |date=February 8, 2012 |title=Who Killed Rare: Did Microsoft ruin Britain's greatest game studio? |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-08-who-killed-rare |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128020926/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-08-who-killed-rare |archive-date=January 28, 2016 |access-date=October 14, 2024 |website=Eurogamer}}{{Cite web |last=McFerran |first=Damien |date=August 4, 2015 |title=Rare Co-Founder Has No Idea Why Nintendo Didn't Buy The Studio Outright |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/08/rare_co-founder_has_no_idea_why_nintendo_didnt_buy_the_studio_outright |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127030726/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/08/rare_co-founder_has_no_idea_why_nintendo_didnt_buy_the_studio_outright |archive-date=January 27, 2016 |access-date=January 22, 2016 |website=Nintendo Life}} but Nintendo did not see Rare remaining valuable in the long term and opted against acquiring them.{{cite web |title=Official: Nintendo Ends Relationship with Rare |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/09/20/official-nintendo-ends-relationship-with-rare |website=IGN |access-date=October 14, 2024 |date=September 20, 2002}} In September 2002, Microsoft acquired Rare for $375 million,{{Cite web |last=Crossley |first=Rob |date=October 27, 2010 |title=Activision's deal to steal Rare |url=http://www.develop-online.net/news/activision-s-deal-to-steal-rare-collapsed/0108032 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124110251/http://www.develop-online.net/news/activision-s-deal-to-steal-rare-collapsed/0108032 |archive-date=January 24, 2016 |access-date=December 29, 2015 |website=Develop}} making Rare a first-party developer for Xbox. Nintendo retained the rights to Donkey Kong under the terms of the acquisition.{{cite web |title=Nintendo confirms Rare sale |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/article-46707 |website=Eurogamer |access-date=February 18, 2023 |date=September 23, 2002 |archive-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219032835/https://www.eurogamer.net/article-46707 |url-status=live}} Donkey Kong Racing was canceled, and Rare reworked Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers and Diddy Kong Pilot into It's Mr. Pants (2004) and Banjo-Pilot (2005).{{cite web | author=IGN staff | date=August 12, 2004 | title=It's Mr. Pants | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/08/12/its-mr-pants-3 | website=IGN | access-date=October 31, 2020 | archive-date=November 4, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104154901/https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/08/12/its-mr-pants-3 | url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Craig |title=Banjo-Pilot |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/04/21/banjo-pilot-3 |website=IGN |access-date=September 28, 2018 |date=April 21, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928201206/http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/04/21/banjo-pilot-3 |archive-date=September 28, 2018 |url-status=live}}

= 2002–2010: After Rare =

After Microsoft acquired Rare, Nintendo relegated Donkey Kong to spin-offs and guest appearances in its other franchises, such as Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Super Smash Bros.{{cite web |last1=DiRienzo |first1=David |title=Donkey Kong 64 |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-64/ |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |access-date=April 21, 2022 |date=April 17, 2015 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518191452/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-64/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Hernandez |first1=Pedro |title=My Favorite Nintendo Character: Donkey Kong Part 2 |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blog/23168/my-favorite-nintendo-character-donkey-kong-part-2 |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=April 30, 2022 |date=May 31, 2010 |archive-date=April 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220430154253/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blog/23168/my-favorite-nintendo-character-donkey-kong-part-2 |url-status=live}} In 2003, Nintendo and Namco released Donkey Konga (2003), a spin-off rhythm game. It was designed for the DK Bongos, a GameCube peripheral that resembles bongo drums.{{cite web |last1=Castro |first1=Juan |title=Donkey Konga |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/09/24/donkey-konga-4 |website=IGN |access-date=February 19, 2023 |date=September 23, 2004 |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807004702/https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/09/24/donkey-konga-4 |url-status=live}} Nintendo of America executive Reggie Fils-Aimé opposed releasing Donkey Konga, concerned it would damage the Donkey Kong brand, but it sold well and received positive reviews.{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Andy |title=Former Nintendo America boss Reggie secretly 'hated' Donkey Konga |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/former-nintendo-america-boss-reggie-secretly-hated-donkey-konga/ |website=Video Games Chronicle |access-date=February 19, 2023 |date=May 7, 2022 |archive-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219152809/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/former-nintendo-america-boss-reggie-secretly-hated-donkey-konga/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Donkey Konga for GameCube Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/donkey-konga/critic-reviews/?platform=gamecube |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109125207/https://www.metacritic.com/game/donkey-konga/critic-reviews/?platform=gamecube |url-status=live}} It was followed by Donkey Konga 2 (2004) and the Japan exclusive Donkey Konga 3 (2005).

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the first main Donkey Kong game since Donkey Kong 64, was released for the GameCube in 2004.{{cite web |last1=Cole |first1=Michael |title=Donkey Kong Jungle Beat |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/4344/donkey-kong-jungle-beat-gamecube |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=July 12, 2020 |date=March 22, 2005 |archive-date=July 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715071124/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/4344/donkey-kong-jungle-beat-gamecube |url-status=live}} It returned to the Donkey Kong Country style of platforming, controlled using the DK Bongos.{{cite web |last1=DiRienzo |first1=David |title=Donkey Kong Jungle Beat |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-jungle-beat/ |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |access-date=July 12, 2020 |date=April 17, 2015 |archive-date=August 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813023826/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-jungle-beat/ |url-status=live}} It was directed by Yoshiaki Koizumi as the debut project of Nintendo EAD Tokyo.{{cite web |last1=Whitehead |first1=Thomas |title=Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Hitting the North American Wii U eShop This Week |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/11/donkey_kong_jungle_beat_hitting_the_north_american_wii_u_eshop_this_week |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=June 11, 2020 |date=November 2, 2016 |archive-date=June 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611234448/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/11/donkey_kong_jungle_beat_hitting_the_north_american_wii_u_eshop_this_week |url-status=live}}{{cite web |author1=IGN staff |title=Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Info |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/06/14/donkey-kong-jungle-beat-info |website=IGN |access-date=July 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040618024039/http://cube.ign.com/articles/523/523136p1.html |archive-date=June 18, 2004 |date=June 14, 2004}} Koizumi sought to create an accessible game with a simple control scheme to contrast with more complex contemporary games. It received positive reviews, but was a commercial disappointment. A Wii version, featuring revised Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls, was released in 2008 as part of the New Play Control! line.{{cite web |last1=Totilo |first1=Stephen |title=Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat Wii Re-Make to Use Wii Remote, Nunchuk |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2457804/donkey-kong-jungle-beat-wii-re-make-to-use-wii-remote-nunchuk/ |publisher=MTV |access-date=July 12, 2020 |date=October 2, 2008 |archive-date=July 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703053339/http://www.mtv.com/news/2457804/donkey-kong-jungle-beat-wii-re-make-to-use-wii-remote-nunchuk/ |url-status=dead}} A racing game that used the DK Bongos, Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, was developed by Paon for the GameCube, but was moved to the Wii with no support for the peripheral.{{cite web |title=Donkey Kong Barrel Blast Hands-on |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/09/25/donkey-kong-barrel-blast-hands-on |website=IGN |access-date=February 19, 2023 |date=September 25, 2007 |archive-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219205155/https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/09/25/donkey-kong-barrel-blast-hands-on |url-status=live}} It was released in 2007 to negative reviews,{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/donkey-kong-barrel-blast/critic-reviews/?platform=wii |title=Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast for Wii Reviews |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=June 24, 2012 |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109125207/https://www.metacritic.com/game/donkey-kong-barrel-blast/critic-reviews/?platform=wii |url-status=live}} with criticism for its controls.{{cite web |title=DK Barrel Blast Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/10/16/dk-barrel-blast-review |website=IGN |access-date=February 19, 2023 |date=October 15, 2007 |archive-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219205154/https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/10/16/dk-barrel-blast-review |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Reddick |first1=Stuart |title=Donkey Kong Barrel Blast Review (Wii) |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2009/03/donkey_kong_barrel_blast_wii |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=February 19, 2023 |date=March 23, 2009 |archive-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219205154/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2009/03/donkey_kong_barrel_blast_wii |url-status=live}}

Despite the acquisition, Rare continued to develop games for Nintendo's handheld consoles since Microsoft did not have a competing handheld. It developed ports of the Country games for the GBA and Diddy Kong Racing for the Nintendo DS with additional content, released between 2003 and 2007.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references: GameSpot for the GBA ports,{{cite web |last1=Varanini |first1=Giancarlo |title=Donkey Kong Country details |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-kong-country-details/1100-6025114/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=February 19, 2023 |date=June 10, 2003 |archive-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219203530/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-kong-country-details/1100-6025114/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Gerstmann |first1=Jeff |title=Donkey Kong Country 2 Hands-On |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-kong-country-2-hands-on/1100-6098652/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=February 19, 2023 |date=May 21, 2004 |archive-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219203532/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-kong-country-2-hands-on/1100-6098652/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Calvert |first1=Justin |title=Donkey Kong Country 3 Hands-On |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-kong-country-3-hands-on/1100-6136309/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=February 19, 2023 |date=October 21, 2005 |archive-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219203533/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-kong-country-3-hands-on/1100-6136309/ |url-status=live}} and IGN for the Nintendo DS port{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Craig |title=Diddy Kong Racing DS Hands-On |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/24/diddy-kong-racing-ds-hands-on |website=IGN |access-date=February 19, 2023 |date=January 23, 2007 |archive-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219203531/https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/24/diddy-kong-racing-ds-hands-on |url-status=live}}}} Meanwhile, Paon also developed DK: King of Swing (2005) for the GBA and DK: Jungle Climber (2007) for the DS, which blend Country elements with puzzle gameplay inspired by Clu Clu Land (1984).{{cite web |last1=Kaluszka |first1=Aaron |title=DK Jungle Climber |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/14366/dk-jungle-climber-nintendo-ds |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=February 19, 2023 |date=September 10, 2007 |archive-date=August 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811094400/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/14366/dk-jungle-climber-nintendo-ds |url-status=live}} Mario vs. Donkey Kong, a spin-off series that acts as a spiritual successor to the Game Boy Donkey Kong, was developed by Nintendo Software Technology. It began with a 2004 GBA game and continued with the DS sequels March of the Minis (2006), Minis March Again! (2009), and Mini-Land Mayhem! (2010).{{cite web |last1=Ronaghan |first1=Neal |title=The Eternal Struggle of Mario vs. Donkey Kong |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/39816/the-eternal-struggle-of-mario-vs-donkey-kong |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=February 19, 2023 |date=March 10, 2015 |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220034720/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/39816/the-eternal-struggle-of-mario-vs-donkey-kong |url-status=live}} Mario vs. Donkey Kong restored Donkey Kong's villainous role from earlier games.{{cite web |last1=Totilo |first1=Stephen |title=Review: Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem Is More Donkey Kong Than 2010's Other Big Donkey Kong Game |url=https://kotaku.com/review-mario-vs-donkey-kong-mini-land-mayhem-is-more-5698718 |website=Kotaku |access-date=February 19, 2023 |date=November 25, 2010 |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220034720/https://kotaku.com/review-mario-vs-donkey-kong-mini-land-mayhem-is-more-5698718 |url-status=live}}

= 2010–2025: Retro Studios and second hiatus =

File:Kensuke Tanabe at E3 2013 crop 2.jpg (pictured in 2013) produced the Retro Studios Donkey Kong games.]]

In 2008, Miyamoto expressed interest in a Donkey Kong Country revival. The producer Kensuke Tanabe suggested enlisting Retro Studios, which had developed the Metroid Prime series.{{cite web |last1=Iwata |first1=Satoru |title=Donkey Kong Country Returns - Codename: Fate |url=https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/donkey-kong-country-returns/0/0/ |website=Iwata Asks |publisher=Nintendo |access-date=July 4, 2022 |date=December 1, 2010 |archive-date=June 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614112707/https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/donkey-kong-country-returns/0/0/ |url-status=live}} With Donkey Kong Country Returns, Retro sought to refine classic Country elements and introduce mechanics such as surface-clinging and simultaneous multiplayer.{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Craig |title=E3 2010: Kensuke Tanabe and the Metroid palm tree |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/06/17/e3-2010-kensuke-tanabe-and-the-metroid-palm-tree |website=IGN |access-date=August 25, 2022 |date=June 17, 2010 |archive-date=September 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919005332/https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/06/17/e3-2010-kensuke-tanabe-and-the-metroid-palm-tree |url-status=live}}{{sfn|Milne|2022|p=24}} Returns, the first original Country game since Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, was released for the Wii in 2010. It sold 4.21 million copies in under a month and received positive reviews,{{cite web |last1=Purchese |first1=Robert |title=Nintendo's fab Donkey Kong Country sales |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/nintendos-fab-donkey-kong-country-sales |website=Eurogamer |access-date=September 2, 2022 |date=January 28, 2011 |archive-date=August 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826153450/https://www.eurogamer.net/nintendos-fab-donkey-kong-country-sales |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Donkey Kong Country Returns for Wii reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/donkey-kong-country-returns/critic-reviews/?platform=wii |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109125157/https://www.metacritic.com/game/donkey-kong-country-returns/critic-reviews/?platform=wii |url-status=live}} with critics considering it a return to form for the franchise.{{cite web |last1=McShea |first1=Tom |title=Donkey Kong Country Returns review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-country-returns-review/1900-6284420/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=September 9, 2022 |date=November 22, 2010 |archive-date=October 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031170406/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-country-returns-review/1900-6284420/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Troup |first1=Christina |title=Donkey Kong Country Returns review for Wii |url=http://www.1up.com/reviews/donkey-kong-country-returns-review |website=1Up.com |access-date=September 3, 2022 |date=November 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016041444/http://www.1up.com/reviews/donkey-kong-country-returns-review |archive-date=October 16, 2013}}{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Andy |title=Wii review: Donkey Kong Country Returns review |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=276866 |website=Computer and Video Games |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126121444/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=276866 |archive-date=November 26, 2010 |date=November 19, 2010}} Monster Games developed a Nintendo 3DS version in 2013,{{cite web |last1=Mitchell |first1=Richard |title=Deja Review: Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D |url=https://www.engadget.com/2013-05-17-review-donkey-kong-country-returns-3d.html |website=Engadget |access-date=February 23, 2023 |date=May 17, 2013 |archive-date=February 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223155924/https://www.engadget.com/2013-05-17-review-donkey-kong-country-returns-3d.html |url-status=live}} while a high-definition remaster was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2025.{{cite web |last1=Middler |first1=Jordan |title=Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is coming to Nintendo Switch |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/donkey-kong-country-returns-hd-is-coming-to-nintendo-switch/ |website=Video Games Chronicle |access-date=June 18, 2024 |date=June 18, 2024 |archive-date=June 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618143014/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/donkey-kong-country-returns-hd-is-coming-to-nintendo-switch/ |url-status=live }}

Retro developed a sequel, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, for the Wii U. The greater processing power allowed for new visual elements, such as lighting and translucency effects and dynamic camera movement.{{cite web |last1=Parish |first1=Jeremy |title=Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze full E3 interview |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-full-e3-interview |website=USgamer |access-date=December 10, 2022 |date=June 27, 2013 |archive-date=December 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205025900/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-full-e3-interview |url-status=dead}}{{cite magazine |last1=Reeves |first1=Ben |title=Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: Nintendo answers our burning questions |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/games/donkey_kong_country_tropical_freeze/b/wii_u/archive/2013/12/24/nintendo-answers-our-donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-questions.aspx?PostPageIndex=1 |magazine=Game Informer |access-date=December 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226224510/http://www.gameinformer.com/games/donkey_kong_country_tropical_freeze/b/wii_u/archive/2013/12/24/nintendo-answers-our-donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-questions.aspx?PostPageIndex=1 |archive-date=December 26, 2016 |date=December 24, 2013 |url-status=live |pages=1–2}} Tropical Freeze was released in 2014 to favorable reviews,{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze/critic-reviews/?platform=wii-u|title=Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=February 18, 2014|archive-date=October 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231023063240/https://www.metacritic.com/game/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze/critic-reviews/?platform=wii-u|url-status=live}} but sold poorly in comparison to Returns;{{cite web |last1=Sadev |first1=Ishaan |title=Snow May Have Frozen Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze's Sales |url=https://www.siliconera.com/snow-may-frozen-donkey-kong-country-tropical-freezes-sales/ |website=Siliconera |access-date=February 21, 2023 |date=February 21, 2014 |archive-date=February 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221145959/https://www.siliconera.com/snow-may-frozen-donkey-kong-country-tropical-freezes-sales/ |url-status=live}} Nintendo Life attributed this to the Wii U's commercial failure.{{cite web |last1=Vogel |first1=Mitch |title=Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Disappears From The North American Wii U eShop |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/05/donkey_kong_country_tropical_freeze_disappears_from_the_north_american_wii_u_eshop |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=November 15, 2024 |date=May 1, 2018}} It achieved greater success when it was ported to the Switch in 2018, outselling the Wii U version within a week.{{cite web |last1=Phillips |first1=Tom |title=Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Switch sales show why these ports of Wii U games exist |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-on-switch-outsells-wii-u |website=Eurogamer |access-date=February 21, 2023 |date=May 8, 2018 |archive-date=February 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221145957/https://www.eurogamer.net/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-on-switch-outsells-wii-u |url-status=live}} Tropical Freeze remained the most recent major Donkey Kong game for over a decade, though the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series continued with Tipping Stars (2015) and Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge (2016) for the Wii U and 3DS,{{cite web |last1=Olney |first1=Alex |title=Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars Review (3DS eShop) |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/mario_vs_donkey_kong_tipping_stars |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=February 23, 2023 |date=March 5, 2015 |archive-date=February 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223160723/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/mario_vs_donkey_kong_tipping_stars |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Whitehead |first1=Thomas |title=Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge Review (3DS eShop) |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/mini_mario_and_friends_amiibo_challenge |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=February 23, 2023 |date=June 8, 2016 |archive-date=February 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223160722/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/mini_mario_and_friends_amiibo_challenge |url-status=live}} and a remake of the GBA game (2024) with new levels and cooperative gameplay for the Switch.{{cite web |last1=Scullion |first1=Chris |title=GBA title Mario vs Donkey Kong is being remade for Switch |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/gba-title-mario-vs-donkey-kong-is-being-remade-for-switch/ |website=Video Games Chronicle |access-date=September 14, 2023 |date=September 14, 2023 |archive-date=September 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923054656/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/gba-title-mario-vs-donkey-kong-is-being-remade-for-switch/ |url-status=live}}

Nintendo and Vicarious Visions, with consultation from Miyamoto, worked on a Donkey Kong game for the Switch for six months. Codenamed Freedom, the project was an open-world 3D platformer that emphasized traversal, with grinding on vines as a core mechanic. It was canceled in 2016 after Activision Blizzard, Vicarious Visions' parent company, redirected its developers' focus to the Call of Duty franchise.{{cite web |last1=Blake |first1=Vikki |title=Activision's Vicarious Visions worked on a cancelled 3D Donkey Kong game |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/activisions-vicarious-visions-worked-on-a-cancelled-3d-donkey-kong-game |website=Eurogamer |access-date=May 7, 2024 |date=May 5, 2024}}{{cite web |last=Middler|first=Jordan|title=Activision studio Vicarious Visions was working on a Donkey Kong game, it's claimed|url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/activision-studio-vicarious-visions-was-working-on-a-donkey-kong-game-its-claimed/|website=Video Games Chronicle|access-date=May 5, 2024|date=May 5, 2024|archive-date=May 5, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505150015/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/activision-studio-vicarious-visions-was-working-on-a-donkey-kong-game-its-claimed/|url-status=live}}

= 2025: ''Donkey Kong Bananza'' =

Nintendo Life reported in 2021 that Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development was working on a Donkey Kong game.{{cite web |last1=McFerran |first1=Damien |title=Rumour: The Next Donkey Kong Is Being Developed By The Super Mario Odyssey Team |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/05/rumour_the_next_donkey_kong_is_being_developed_by_the_super_mario_odyssey_team |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=February 22, 2023 |date=May 13, 2021 |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401004154/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/05/rumour_the_next_donkey_kong_is_being_developed_by_the_super_mario_odyssey_team |url-status=live}} In a Nintendo Direct presentation on April 2, 2025, Nintendo announced Donkey Kong Bananza, the first 3D Donkey Kong platformer since Donkey Kong 64. It is scheduled for release on July 17 for the Nintendo Switch 2.{{cite web |last1=Bonk |first1=Lawrence |title=Donkey Kong Bananza is a brand new 3D platformer for Switch 2 |url=https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/donkey-kong-bananza-is-a-brand-new-3d-platformer-for-switch-2-143108835.html |website=Engadget |access-date=April 2, 2025 |date=April 2, 2025}}

Story and characters

{{main|List of Donkey Kong characters|l1=List of Donkey Kong characters}}

{{see also|List of Mario franchise characters|l1=List of Mario franchise characters}}

The original Donkey Kong features three characters: Donkey Kong, a large, antagonistic gorilla; Mario, the overall-wearing protagonist; and Pauline, Mario's girlfriend. Donkey Kong follows Mario as he ascends a construction site to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong, his escaped pet ape. In the sequel, Donkey Kong Jr., Mario imprisons Donkey Kong in a cage. The game introduces Donkey Kong's son, the diaper-wearing Donkey Kong Jr.{{cite web |last1=Reed |first1=Phillip J. |title=Donkey Kong Jr. Review (3DS eShop / NES) |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/eshop/donkey_kong_jr_nes |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=November 16, 2023 |date=September 16, 2012 |archive-date=November 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116161303/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/eshop/donkey_kong_jr_nes |url-status=live}} Mario, Pauline, Donkey Kong, and Jr. return in the 1994 Game Boy Donkey Kong,{{cite web |last1=van Duyn |first1=Marcel |title=Donkey Kong Review (3DS eShop / GB) |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2011/06/donkey_kong_3dsvc |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=November 16, 2023 |date=June 17, 2011 |archive-date=November 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116162048/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2011/06/donkey_kong_3dsvc |url-status=live}} in which Mario again must rescue Pauline from the Kongs. The Game Boy game was the first Donkey Kong game to depict Donkey Kong wearing a red necktie bearing his initials, "DK".

Beginning with Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong's role shifted from antagonist to protagonist. Rare's Kevin Bayliss redesigned him;{{cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Austin |title=Original Donkey Kong Country drafts reveal the characters that might have been |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/original-donkey-kong-country-drafts-reveal-the-characters-that-might-have-been/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=June 16, 2022 |date=January 19, 2021 |archive-date=June 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616191837/https://www.gamesradar.com/original-donkey-kong-country-drafts-reveal-the-characters-that-might-have-been/ |url-status=live}} alongside the red tie from the Game Boy game, he was given what GamesRadar+ described as "menacing, sunken eyes and [a] beak-like muzzle",{{cite web |last1=Mackey |first1=Bob |title=It's On Like... Him: How Donkey Kong's design has evolved over three decades |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/evolution-donkey-kong-design/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=November 10, 2023 |date=February 26, 2014 |archive-date=July 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719175933/https://www.gamesradar.com/evolution-donkey-kong-design/ |url-status=live}} and Bayliss designed him as blocky and muscular to make animating him easier. The Donkey Kong in Rare's games is a separate character from the one in the arcade games, who appears as the elderly Cranky Kong. Cranky Kong provides scathing, fourth wall-breaking humor in which he unfavorably compares current games to older ones like the original Donkey Kong.{{cite web |last1=Gilbert |first1=Henry |title=Nintendo trivia - 64 little known facts about the gaming giant |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/nintendo-trivia-20-little-known-facts-about-gaming-giant/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=November 15, 2023 |date=September 23, 2014 |archive-date=November 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115133612/https://www.gamesradar.com/nintendo-trivia-20-little-known-facts-about-gaming-giant/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Irving |first1=Mike |title=Cranky Kong works out that new-fangled Twitter thing |url=https://www.vg247.com/cranky-kong-works-out-that-new-fangled-twitter-thing |website=VG247 |access-date=June 19, 2022 |date=June 19, 2022 |archive-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629094540/https://www.vg247.com/cranky-kong-works-out-that-new-fangled-twitter-thing |url-status=live}} Nintendo's stance on whether Cranky is Donkey Kong's father, making the modern Donkey Kong a grown-up Donkey Kong Jr., or grandfather has been inconsistent.{{cite web |last1=Gilbert |first1=Henry |title=The History of Donkey Kong |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/history-donkey-kong/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=November 14, 2023 |date=February 21, 2014 |pages=1–2 |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114162921/https://www.gamesradar.com/history-donkey-kong/ |url-status=live}}

Rare's games moved the franchise's primary setting from a city to Donkey Kong Island,{{cite web |last1=k |first1=merritt |title=The Donkey Kong Timeline Is Truly Disturbing |url=https://kotaku.com/the-donkey-kong-timeline-is-truly-disturbing-1823035151 |website=Kotaku |access-date=November 13, 2023 |date=November 21, 2019 |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109023113/https://kotaku.com/the-donkey-kong-timeline-is-truly-disturbing-1823035151 |url-status=live}} an idyllic isle. Because Donkey Kong did not have much of an established universe, Rare was free to expand it with new characters. Donkey Kong Country introduced Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong's sidekick and nephew. Diddy's design was based on a spider monkey;{{sfn|Milne|2022|pp=18–20}} he was created as a redesign of Donkey Kong Jr. but retooled into a separate character at Nintendo's request. As a result, Donkey Kong Jr. has made few appearances since Country. Other supporting Kong characters that Rare introduced include Funky Kong, a surfer; Candy Kong, Donkey Kong's girlfriend; Dixie Kong, Diddy's girlfriend; Kiddy Kong, a large toddler; Chunky Kong, Kiddy's brother; Tiny Kong, Dixie's sister; and Lanky Kong, a buffoonish orangutan.{{cite web |last1=Bertoli |first1=Ben |title=Every Kong, Ranked |url=https://kotaku.com/every-kong-ranked-1825446111 |website=Kotaku |access-date=November 16, 2023 |date=April 29, 2018 |archive-date=November 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116163009/https://kotaku.com/every-kong-ranked-1825446111 |url-status=live}}

Country introduced King K. Rool, an anthropomorphic crocodile who serves as the series' main antagonist. K. Rool leads the Kremlings, an army of crocodiles who seek to steal Donkey Kong's hoard of bananas. Their name is a play on the Moscow Kremlin and their theme music incorporates Soviet influences.{{cite web |last1=King |first1=Darryn |title=The Man Behind the Legendary Donkey Kong Country Soundtracks |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/19/arts/music/donkey-kong-country-soundtrack-david-wise.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=November 19, 2024 |date=November 19, 2024}} Polygon summarized K. Rool as an archetypal game villain who "often wears disguises and invents strange gadgets for his elaborately evil schemes",{{cite web |last1=Friedman |first1=Daniel |title=Why King K. Rool is dominating Smash fans' attention, and affection |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/1/8/18172337/king-k-rool-smash-bros-ultimate-most-popular-character |website=Polygon |access-date=November 13, 2023 |date=January 8, 2019 |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109045531/https://www.polygon.com/2019/1/8/18172337/king-k-rool-smash-bros-ultimate-most-popular-character |url-status=live}} such as dressing as a pirate captain in Donkey Kong Country 2.{{cite web |last1=Dinh |first1=Tri Do |title=Donkey Kong Country 2 creates an atmosphere like no other I Why I Love |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/donkey-kong-country-2-creates-an-atmosphere-like-no-other-why-i-love |website=GamesIndustry.biz |access-date=November 13, 2023 |date=October 20, 2022 |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114005017/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/donkey-kong-country-2-creates-an-atmosphere-like-no-other-why-i-love |url-status=live}} Other villains introduced in the Retro Studios Country games include the Tiki Tak Tribe, a race of floating masks who hypnotize animals into stealing the banana hoard,{{cite web |last1=Gibson |first1=Ellie |title=Donkey Kong Country Returns |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/donkey-kong-country-returns-review |website=Eurogamer |access-date=November 16, 2023 |date=November 19, 2010 |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114005015/https://www.eurogamer.net/donkey-kong-country-returns-review |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Bramwell |first1=Tom |title=New Donkey Kong Country for Wii |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/new-donkey-kong-country-for-wii |website=Eurogamer |access-date=October 21, 2024 |date=June 15, 2010}} and the Snowmads, Viking invaders who summon a dragon to take over Donkey Kong Island.

Although the Mario and Donkey Kong franchises largely remain separate, they take place in the same fictional universe. Donkey Kong and other Donkey Kong characters frequently appear as playable characters in Mario spin-offs such as Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Mario Tennis.{{cite web |last1=Housman |first1=Andrew |title=Bringing Donkey Kong To The Super Mario Bros. Movie Gave Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto A New Perspective |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1251858/donkey-kong-super-mario-bros-movie-shigeru-miyamoto-new-perspective/ |website=/Film |access-date=November 14, 2023 |date=April 7, 2023 |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114163738/https://www.slashfilm.com/1251858/donkey-kong-super-mario-bros-movie-shigeru-miyamoto-new-perspective/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Scullion |first1=Chris |title=The Complete History of Mario Kart Games |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/the-complete-history-of-mario-kart-games/ |website=Video Games Chronicle |access-date=November 14, 2023 |date=August 27, 2022 |archive-date=November 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112071300/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/the-complete-history-of-mario-kart-games/ |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Jakobs |first1=Benjamin |title=Super Mario Party: Alle Charaktere freischalten |url=https://www.eurogamer.de/super-mario-party-alle-charaktere-freischalten |website=Eurogamer |access-date=November 14, 2023 |language=German |date=October 10, 2021 |trans-title=Super Mario Party: Unlock All Characters |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114163744/https://www.eurogamer.de/super-mario-party-alle-charaktere-freischalten |url-status=live}}

Gameplay

=Original series=

File:Donkey Kong arcade at the QuakeCon 2005.png (1981) arcade cabinet]]

Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. are early examples of the platform game genre. In both games, the player must guide the playable character (Mario in the first game, Donkey Kong Jr. in the second) to scale four levels while avoiding obstacles. The player jumps to dodge incoming obstacles (such as barrels) or cross gaps and climbs ladders or vines to reach the top of the level.{{cite web |last1=Berube |first1=Justin |title=Arcade Archives Donkey Kong (Switch) Review |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/47554/arcade-archives-donkey-kong-switch-review |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=November 5, 2023 |date=June 16, 2018 |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106013452/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/47554/arcade-archives-donkey-kong-switch-review |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Berube |first1=Justin |title=Arcade Archives Donkey Kong Jr. (Switch) Review |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/49295/arcade-archives-donkey-kong-jr-switch-review |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=November 5, 2023 |date=January 7, 2019 |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106013450/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/49295/arcade-archives-donkey-kong-jr-switch-review |url-status=live}} In the first game, Mario can destroy obstacles by obtaining a hammer power-up,{{cite web |last1=Frear |first1=Dave |title=Arcade Archives Donkey Kong Review (Switch eShop) |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/arcade_archives_donkey_kong |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=November 5, 2023 |date=June 18, 2018 |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106013452/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/arcade_archives_donkey_kong |url-status=live}} while in the second, Donkey Kong Jr. can do so by knocking pieces of fruit down from vines. Points are awarded for dodging or destroying obstacles, collecting items, and completing stages quickly. The player begins each game with three lives, which they lose if they touch an obstacle or fall.

Donkey Kong 3 departs from this gameplay: it is a shooter game in which the player controls Stanley, an exterminator who must prevent Donkey Kong from stirring up insects in his greenhouse. The player fires bug spray at Donkey Kong and enemy insects that attempt to steal Stanley's flowers. They complete levels by spraying Donkey Kong enough to force him to the top of the screen or by killing all the insects.{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=Lucas M. |title=Donkey Kong 3 Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/07/28/donkey-kong-3-review |website=IGN |access-date=November 5, 2023 |date=July 28, 2008 |archive-date=August 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828204300/https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/07/28/donkey-kong-3-review |url-status=live}}

The 1994 Game Boy game begins with the four stages from the original Donkey Kong, but after completing the fourth, the player is presented with over 100 additional stages that introduce puzzle-platform gameplay in which Mario must scout each level within a time limit to locate a key.{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=Lucas M. |title=Donkey Kong Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/06/27/donkey-kong-review |website=IGN |access-date=November 5, 2023 |date=June 27, 2011 |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106013450/https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/06/27/donkey-kong-review |url-status=live}} Mario can pick up and throw objects and enemies, similar to Super Mario Bros. 2, and perform acrobatics to reach otherwise inaccessible areas of the levels. This gameplay would serve as the basis for Mario vs. Donkey Kong, which introduces stages in which Mario must guide six Mini-Mario toys to a toy box while protecting them from hazards.{{cite web |last1=Gerstmann |first1=Jeff |title=Mario vs. Donkey Kong Review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-vs-donkey-kong-review/1900-6099114/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=November 5, 2023 |date=May 17, 2006 |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114160057/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-vs-donkey-kong-review/1900-6099114/ |url-status=live}} Mario vs. Donkey Kong{{'s}} sequels make guiding the Mini-Mario toys the focus, with each stage requiring the player to do so with touchscreen controls.{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Craig |title=Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/25/mario-vs-donkey-kong-2-march-of-the-minis-review |website=IGN |access-date=November 5, 2023 |date=September 25, 2006 |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106013451/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/25/mario-vs-donkey-kong-2-march-of-the-minis-review |url-status=live}} This gameplay has been frequently compared to the strategy video game Lemmings (1991).Sources comparing Mario vs. Donkey Kong{{'s}} gameplay to Lemmings include:

{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Craig |title=Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/25/mario-vs-donkey-kong-2-march-of-the-minis-review |website=IGN |access-date=November 5, 2023 |date=September 25, 2006 |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106013451/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/25/mario-vs-donkey-kong-2-march-of-the-minis-review |url-status=live}}
{{cite web |last1=Reed |first1=Kristan |title=Mario Vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/mario-vs-donkey-kong-2-march-of-the-minis-review |website=Eurogamer |access-date=November 5, 2023 |date=March 7, 2007 |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106013448/https://www.eurogamer.net/mario-vs-donkey-kong-2-march-of-the-minis-review |url-status=live}}
{{cite web |last1=Saas |first1=Don |title=Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars Review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-vs-donkey-kong-tipping-stars-review/1900-6416048/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=November 5, 2023 |date=March 5, 2015 |archive-date=November 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106013450/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-vs-donkey-kong-tipping-stars-review/1900-6416048/ |url-status=live}}
{{cite magazine |last1=Vore |first1=Bryan |title=Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem Review |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/games/mario_vs_donkey_kong_mini-land_mayhem/b/nintendo_ds/archive/2010/11/14/the-eternal-rivalry-continues-with-new-mechanics.aspx |magazine=Game Informer |access-date=November 5, 2023 |date=November 14, 2010 |archive-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310083821/https://www.gameinformer.com/games/mario_vs_donkey_kong_mini-land_mayhem/b/nintendo_ds/archive/2010/11/14/the-eternal-rivalry-continues-with-new-mechanics.aspx |url-status=live}}

=''Donkey Kong Country''=

{{Redirect|Donkey Kong Country (series)|the TV series|Donkey Kong Country (TV series){{!}}Donkey Kong Country (TV series)}}

The Donkey Kong Country series features platforming gameplay in which players complete side-scrolling levels to progress, reminiscent of Nintendo's Super Mario series. The player progresses through a world map that provides access to the themed worlds and their levels. They traverse the environment, jump between platforms, and avoid enemy and inanimate obstacles.{{cite web |last1=Provo |first1=Frank |title=Donkey Kong Country Review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/donkey-kong-country-review/1900-2657317/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=December 16, 2024 |date=May 17, 2006}} Each world ends with a boss fight with a large enemy.{{sfn|Scary Larry|1994|p=51}} The Country series is known for its high difficulty level and emphasis on momentum, requiring players to react to oncoming obstacles quickly to maintain flow.{{cite web |last1=Sheffield |first1=Brandon |title=Turning Nintendo: The Donkey Kong Country Returns interview |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/turning-nintendo-the-i-donkey-kong-country-returns-i-interview |website=Game Developer |access-date=August 25, 2022 |date=May 30, 2011 |archive-date=August 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220825111737/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/turning-nintendo-the-i-donkey-kong-country-returns-i-interview |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Iwata |first1=Satoru |title=Donkey Kong Country Returns - White-knuckled Action |url=https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/donkey-kong-country-returns/0/3/ |website=Iwata Asks |publisher=Nintendo |access-date=July 4, 2022 |date=December 1, 2010 |archive-date=July 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705190937/https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/donkey-kong-country-returns/0/3/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Riendeau |first1=Danielle |title=Best of the rest 2014: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze deserves more love than it got |url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/24/7438399/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-nintendo-wii-u-game-of-the-year |website=Polygon |access-date=March 14, 2024 |date=December 24, 2014 |archive-date=March 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314144902/https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/24/7438399/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-nintendo-wii-u-game-of-the-year |url-status=live }}

Players control one of the various playable Kongs, depending on the game: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Kiddy Kong, Cranky Kong, and Funky Kong.{{cite web |last1=Kalata |first1=Kurt |title=Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country-3-dixie-kongs-double-trouble/ |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |access-date=November 6, 2023 |date=January 25, 2016 |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107010737/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country-3-dixie-kongs-double-trouble/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Horwitz |first1=Jeremy |title=Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze review — a Funky-fresh Switch update |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-review-a-funky-fresh-switch-update/ |website=VentureBeat |access-date=November 6, 2023 |date=May 1, 2018 |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107010737/https://venturebeat.com/games/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-review-a-funky-fresh-switch-update/ |url-status=live}} The Rare games each feature two protagonists, with one protagonist carrying over to the sequel while another is introduced. The Retro Studios games star Donkey Kong with other characters as his sidekicks.{{cite web |last1=Goergen |first1=Andy |title=Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Review |url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/36604/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-review |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=May 20, 2024 |date=February 17, 2014 |archive-date=August 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825070229/https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/36604/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-review |url-status=live }} Players primarily control one Kong, with the second acting as a second hit point. In the Retro Studios games, other characters ride on Donkey Kong's back to provide special abilities; for instance, Diddy's jetpack allows him to temporarily hover.

Country{{'s}} game mechanics include blasting out of barrel cannons,{{cite web |last1=Wong |first1=Kevin |title=I Wish I'd Found This Donkey Kong Country Secret As A Kid |url=https://kotaku.com/i-wish-id-found-this-donkey-kong-country-secret-as-a-ki-1783917753 |website=Kotaku |access-date=May 20, 2024 |date=July 19, 2016 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520234029/https://kotaku.com/i-wish-id-found-this-donkey-kong-country-secret-as-a-ki-1783917753 |url-status=live }} vehicle sequences with minecarts and barrel-themed rockets, levels in which the characters and foreground environments appear in silhouette,{{cite web |last1=Varanini |first1=Giancarlo |title=Donkey Kong Country Returns Hands-On |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-kong-country-returns-hands-on/1100-6276679/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=May 20, 2024 |date=September 22, 2010 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520234029/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-kong-country-returns-hands-on/1100-6276679/ |url-status=live }} and swinging vines. Barrels return from the original series and can be used as weapons or broken to uncover power-ups.{{sfn|Milne|2022|p=18}} One barrel variant releases a partner Kong when thrown.{{sfn|Scary Larry|1994|p=51}} Each level contains collectibles such as bananas, letters that spell out K–O–N–G, balloons, and puzzle pieces. These items can be found within the main level or by discovering hidden bonus stages, where they are earned via completing a challenge.{{Cite web|last=Oxford|first=Nadia|date=January 23, 2019|title=Super NES retro review: Donkey Kong Country|url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/super-nes-classic-reviews-game-by-game-15-donkey-kong-country|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120063355/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/super-nes-classic-reviews-game-by-game-15-donkey-kong-country|archive-date=November 20, 2020|access-date=June 5, 2020|website=US Gamer}}

In certain levels, the player can free an animal that provides the Kongs with special abilities, similar to the Super Mario series' Yoshi.{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=Lucas M. |title=Donkey Kong Country Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/20/donkey-kong-country-review |website=IGN |access-date=November 5, 2023 |date=February 20, 2007 |archive-date=November 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125195309/https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/20/donkey-kong-country-review |url-status=live}} Recurring animal friends include Rambi, a rhino that can charge into enemies and find hidden entrances; Enguarde, a swordfish that can defeat enemies underwater; and Squawks, a parrot who carries the Kongs or assists in finding collectibles.{{cite web |last1=Bramwell |first1=Tom |title=Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze review |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-review |website=Eurogamer |access-date=November 6, 2023 |date=February 17, 2014 |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107010738/https://www.eurogamer.net/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-review |url-status=live}} Outside the main gameplay, the Rare games' world maps contain areas where players can converse with non-player characters, such as Cranky, who provide advice, collectibles, and save points.{{cite web |last1=Kalata |first1=Kurt |title=Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country-2-diddys-kong-quest/ |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |access-date=November 9, 2023 |date=January 25, 2016 |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109125658/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country-2-diddys-kong-quest/ |url-status=live}} The Retro Studios games feature shops (run by Cranky in Returns and Funky in Tropical Freeze) where the player can purchase items like power-ups and lives.{{cite web |last1=Whitehead |first1=Thomas |title=Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Review (Wii U) |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu/donkey_kong_country_tropical_freeze |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=May 20, 2024 |date=February 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520234030/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu/donkey_kong_country_tropical_freeze |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Veloria |first1=Lorenzo |title=Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D preview - New screens and details |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/donkey-kong-country-returns-3d-preview-screens-details/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=May 20, 2024 |date=April 18, 2013}}

=Other games=

The Donkey Kong Land trilogy condenses the SNES Country gameplay for the Game Boy, with different level design that accounts for the system's low-quality display.{{sfn|Hayhoe|2022|pp=65–67}}{{cite web |title=RVG Interviews: Paul Machacek |url=https://www.retrovideogamer.co.uk/rvg-interviews-paul-machacek/ |website=Retro Video Gamer |access-date=December 27, 2022 |date=May 8, 2018 |archive-date=December 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230220019/https://www.retrovideogamer.co.uk/rvg-interviews-paul-machacek/ |url-status=live}} Donkey Kong 64 blends Country elements with adventure gameplay that emphasizes collecting items to proceed, reminiscent of Super Mario 64 (1996) and Banjo-Kazooie.{{cite web |last1=Power |first1=Tom |title=As Donkey Kong 64 turns 20, the devs reflect on its design, the infamous DK Rap, and how a shocked Shigeru Miyamoto created the Coconut Shooter |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/making-of-donkey-kong-64/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=February 15, 2024 |date=December 6, 2019 |archive-date=June 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614132033/https://www.gamesradar.com/making-of-donkey-kong-64/ |url-status=live }} The player explores worlds and solves puzzles tailored to the unique abilities of the five playable characters (Donkey Kong, Diddy, Chunky, Tiny, and Lanky). Jungle Beat{{'s}} score attack emphasis challenges players to complete levels with as many points as possible.{{cite web |last1=Cole |first1=Michael |title=Donkey Kong Jungle Beat |url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/4344/donkey-kong-jungle-beat-gamecube |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=February 16, 2024 |date=March 22, 2005}} DK: King of Swing and DK: Jungle Climber feature settings and elements from the Country games, but require players to use the shoulder buttons to grab and climb pegboards to reach the end of a level.{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Craig |title=DK: King of Swing |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/09/17/dk-king-of-swing |website=IGN |access-date=December 16, 2024 |date=September 16, 2005}}{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Craig |title=DK Jungle Climber Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/08/31/dk-jungle-climber-review |website=IGN |access-date=February 15, 2024 |date=August 31, 2007 |archive-date=February 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215170100/https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/08/31/dk-jungle-climber-review |url-status=live }}

Diddy Kong Racing and Donkey Kong Barrel Blast are kart racing games that play similarly to the Mario Kart series, though Diddy Kong Racing features an adventure mode with boss fights and Barrel Blast has the player shake the Wii Remote and Nunchuk alternatively to accelerate.{{cite web |last1=Metts |first1=Jonathan |title=Donkey Kong Barrel Blast |url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/14693/donkey-kong-barrel-blast-wii |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=February 16, 2024 |date=October 28, 2007 |archive-date=February 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216103439/https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/14693/donkey-kong-barrel-blast-wii |url-status=live }} The Donkey Konga trilogy was developed by the Taiko no Tatsujin developers and features the same gameplay:{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Chrissy |title=Taiko No Tatsujin [import] review |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/taiko-no-tatsujin-import-review/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=February 15, 2024 |date=September 20, 2007 |archive-date=February 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215170749/https://www.gamesradar.com/taiko-no-tatsujin-import-review/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Torres |first1=Ricardo |title=Donkey Konga E3 2004 Hands On |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-konga-e3-2004-hands-on/1100-6097045/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=February 15, 2024 |date=May 11, 2004 |archive-date=February 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215170749/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-konga-e3-2004-hands-on/1100-6097045/ |url-status=live }} they are rhythm games in which the player must hit scrolling notes to the beat of the music with accurate timing, with stylized notes corresponding to different buttons. Players build combos by hitting two or more notes; the combo ends when they miss a beat.{{cite web |title=Donkey Konga Playtest |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/12/12/donkey-konga-playtest |website=IGN |access-date=February 15, 2024 |date=December 12, 2003 |archive-date=February 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215170749/https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/12/12/donkey-konga-playtest |url-status=live }}

Music

The music for Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. was composed by Yukio Kaneoka, one of Nintendo's earliest audio engineers. Kaneoka wanted to take players on an adventure with a "pretty melody", which he compared to those in Disney films. He faced resistance from the designers, who wanted comical music to reflect the games' tone.{{cite web |title=Yukio Kaneoka – 1985 Developer Interview |url=https://shmuplations.com/yukiokaneoka/ |website=Shmuplations |access-date=November 19, 2023}} Hirokazu Tanaka, a sound engineer who later garnered recognition for his work on Nintendo's Metroid and Pokémon franchises, also contributed,{{cite web |last1=Kiya |first1=Andrew |title=Metroid and Pokemon Composer is Releasing Demo Tapes |url=https://www.siliconera.com/metroid-composer-hirokazu-tanaka-releasing-demo-lost-tapes/ |website=Siliconera |access-date=November 19, 2023 |date=February 16, 2021}} while Miyamoto wrote Donkey Kong{{'s}} opening and closing music.{{cite web |title=Q&A: Shigeru Miyamoto On The Origins Of Nintendo's Famous Characters |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/06/19/415568892/q-a-shigeru-miyamoto-on-the-origins-of-nintendos-famous-characters |publisher=NPR |access-date=October 11, 2024 |date=June 19, 2015}}

File:David Wise by Gage Skidmore.jpg, the Donkey Kong Country series' primary composer]]

The Donkey Kong Country series features atmospheric music that mixes natural environmental sounds with melodic and percussive accompaniments.{{cite interview |last=Wise |first=David |date=December 2004 |title=The Tepid Seat - Rare Music Team |publisher=Rare |url=http://www.rareware.com/extras/tepidseat/music/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070126102515/http://www.rareware.com/extras/tepidseat/music/index.html |archive-date=January 26, 2007}}

It was primarily composed by David Wise, who worked at Rare from 1985 to 2009.{{cite web |last=Greening |first=Chris |date=December 2010 |title=Interview with David Wise |url=http://www.squareenixmusic.com/features/interviews/davidwise.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115042157/http://www.squareenixmusic.com/features/interviews/davidwise.shtml |archive-date=January 15, 2012 |publisher=Square Enix Music Online}}{{cite web |last1=Gera |first1=Emily |title=Synth, big band jazz and the remaking of Donkey Kong Country's amazing sound |url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/3/5/5456852/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-music |website=Polygon |access-date=June 2, 2022 |date=March 5, 2014 |archive-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531023549/https://www.polygon.com/2014/3/5/5456852/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze-music |url-status=live}} Wise drew inspiration from Koji Kondo's Super Mario and Legend of Zelda music, Tim and Geoff Follin's Plok! (1993) soundtrack, and 1980s synthesizer-heavy rock music, dance music and film soundtracks. He aimed to imitate the sound of the Korg Wavestation synthesizer. After Wise moved with a portion of the Diddy's Kong Quest team to work on Project Dream, Eveline Fischer—who composed a portion of the first Country—handled the majority of Dixie Kong's Double Trouble. Fischer attempted to give levels a sense of purpose and drew inspiration from film composers such as Alan Silvestri and Klaus Doldinger. Wise composed a replacement soundtrack for the 2005 GBA port of Dixie Kong's Double Trouble after Rare had problems converting Fischer's score.{{cite web |last1=Kalata |first1=Kurt |title=Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country-3-dixie-kongs-double-trouble/ |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |access-date=March 18, 2024 |date=January 15, 2016 |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107010737/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country-3-dixie-kongs-double-trouble/ |url-status=live }}

Graeme Norgate and Grant Kirkhope adapted Wise's Country soundtracks for the first two Donkey Kong Land games,{{cite web |last1=Zverloff |first1=Nick |title=Donkey Kong Land |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-land/ |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |access-date=December 27, 2022 |date=April 17, 2013 |archive-date=December 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227185431/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-land/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Oxford |first1=Nadia |title=David Wise and Grant Kirkhope Remember Composing Goldeneye 007, Meeting Miyamoto, and Rare's Golden Age |url=https://www.vg247.com/david-wise-and-grant-kirkhope-remember-composing-goldeneye-007-meeting-miyamoto-and-rares-golden-age |website=VG247 |access-date=March 20, 2024 |date=May 21, 2020}} while Fischer adapted the Dixie Kong's Double Trouble soundtrack for Donkey Kong Land III. Fischer was set to compose music for Donkey Kong 64, but shifted to working on sound effects. She was replaced by Kirkhope,{{Cite web |last=Kirkhope |first=Grant |title=Donkey Kong 64 Video Game Music Compositions |url=http://grantkirkhope.com/donkeykong64.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926160412/http://grantkirkhope.com/donkeykong64.html |archive-date=September 26, 2013 |access-date=May 28, 2020 |website=Grant Kirkhope}} who composed alongside the Banjo-Kazooie games and Perfect Dark (2000). Nintendo Life described Kirkhope's Donkey Kong 64 score as closer in spirit to his work on Banjo-Kazooie than to Wise's Country music.{{Cite web |last=Donaldson |first=Andrew |date=June 17, 2009 |title=Donkey Kong 64 (Nintendo 64) Review |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2009/06/donkey_kong_64_retro |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121223034638/http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2009/06/donkey_kong_64_retro |archive-date=December 23, 2012 |access-date=December 17, 2016 |website=Nintendo Life}} Donkey Kong 64{{'s}} introduction features the "DK Rap", a comedy rap song which introduces the Kong characters. It was written by Donkey Kong 64{{'s}} director, George Andreas, scored and recorded by Kirkhope, and performed by Andreas and Chris Sutherland, with other Rare staff joining on the chorus.{{Cite web |last=James B |date=October 26, 2012 |title=Grant Kirkhope Interview Part 2 – DK Rap featured |url=http://www.nintendo-nation.net/a-rare-breed-part-2-nintendo-nation-talks-to-grant-kirkhope |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026120557/http://www.nintendo-nation.net/a-rare-breed-part-2-nintendo-nation-talks-to-grant-kirkhope |archive-date=October 26, 2012 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |website=Nintendo Nation}}

Wise was unavailable during the development of Donkey Kong Country Returns, so Kenji Yamamoto took over. At the request of Miyamoto and Iwata, the Returns soundtrack mostly comprises rearrangements of tracks from the original Donkey Kong Country, plus some new material by Yamamoto. He focused on what Tanabe felt made Donkey Kong Country{{'s}} music iconic, such as piano arrangements and the bassline. Wise left Rare during Returns{{'}} development and collaborated with Yamamoto on the Tropical Freeze soundtrack. Technological advances allowed Wise to achieve a "1940s big band jazz" sound that he had been unable to produce on the SNES. Beyond the Country series, Wise composed the Diddy Kong Racing soundtrack.{{cite web|last1=Elston|first1=Brett|title=Game music of the (holi)day: Diddy Kong Racing|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/game-music-of-the-holiday-diddy-kong-racing/|work=GamesRadar+|access-date=February 29, 2016|date=December 21, 2010|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410202134/https://www.gamesradar.com/game-music-of-the-holiday-diddy-kong-racing/|url-status=live}} Other composers who have contributed to Donkey Kong games include Mahito Yokota, who composed for Jungle Beat,{{cite web |last1=Van Zelfden |first1=Alex |title=The Music of Super Mario Galaxy |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/05/01/the-music-of-super-mario-galaxy |website=IGN |access-date=May 5, 2022 |date=May 1, 2008 |archive-date=May 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505132727/https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/05/01/the-music-of-super-mario-galaxy |url-status=live}} and Lawrence Schwedler, who composed for Mario vs. Donkey Kong.{{cite web |last1=Norman |first1=Jim |title=Mario vs. Donkey Kong's OG Composers Talk Making The Jump From GBA To Switch |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2024/02/mario-vs-donkey-kongs-og-composers-talk-making-the-jump-from-gba-to-switch |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=March 16, 2024 |date=February 19, 2024}}

Other media

= Crossovers =

Donkey Kong is represented in every game in Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games. Donkey Kong debuted in the original Super Smash Bros. (1999) as the only heavyweight fighter, with slow but powerful attacks.{{cite web |title=Smash Moves: Donkey Kong |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/01/15/smash-moves-donkey-kong |website=IGN |access-date=November 13, 2023 |date=January 15, 2002 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117181313/https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/01/15/smash-moves-donkey-kong |url-status=live}} Diddy Kong was added as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008),{{cite web |last1=Kietzmann |first1=Ludwig |title=Diddy Kong joins Smash Bros. Brawl roster |url=https://www.engadget.com/2007-08-22-diddy-kong-joins-smash-bros-brawl-roster.html |website=Engadget |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=August 22, 2007 |archive-date=July 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714025455/https://www.engadget.com/2007-08-22-diddy-kong-joins-smash-bros-brawl-roster.html |url-status=live}} while King K. Rool was added in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018). Smash games also feature Donkey Kong stages and music.{{cite web |last1=Labella |first1=Anthony |title=Super Smash Bros. (Wii U) Stage List |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/66496-super-smash-bros-wii-u-stage-list |website=Game Revolution |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=December 24, 2014 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117193939/https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/66496-super-smash-bros-wii-u-stage-list |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Green |first1=Jake |title=Super Smash Bros Ultimate music list - every song in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, full soundtrack |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/17-12-18-super-smash-bros-ultimate-song-list-every-music-track-in-ultimate-full-soundtrack |website=USGamer |access-date=June 14, 2022 |date=April 17, 2019 |archive-date=January 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115162830/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/17-12-18-super-smash-bros-ultimate-song-list-every-music-track-in-ultimate-full-soundtrack |url-status=live}}

Donkey Kong appears in Mario & Sonic, an Olympic Games-themed crossover between Mario and Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, as a playable character;{{cite magazine |last1=Jones |first1=Jason B. |title=Mario & Sonic Go Back to the Olympics |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/10/mario-sonic-go-back-to-the-olympics/ |magazine=Wired |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=October 20, 2009 |archive-date=December 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204203948/https://www.wired.com/2009/10/mario-sonic-go-back-to-the-olympics/ |url-status=live}} in the Wii version of Punch-Out!! (2009) as the final boss;{{cite web |last1=Wong |first1=Kevin |title=Every Punch-Out!! Opponent, Ranked |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/01/every-punch-out-opponent-ranked/ |website=Kotaku |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=January 5, 2016 |archive-date=November 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102044349/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/01/every-punch-out-opponent-ranked/ |url-status=dead}} and in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (2017), a crossover between Mario and Ubisoft's Raving Rabbids franchise, as the protagonist of an expansion pack.{{cite web |last1=Gilliam |first1=Ryan |title=Donkey Kong Adventure is a lot more Mario + Rabbids, for better and worse |url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/6/27/17502892/donkey-kong-adventure-rabbids-mario-dlc-impressions-review |website=Polygon |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=June 27, 2018 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117182900/https://www.polygon.com/2018/6/27/17502892/donkey-kong-adventure-rabbids-mario-dlc-impressions-review |url-status=live}} Activision's toys-to-life game Skylanders: SuperChargers (2015) includes Donkey Kong as a playable character in the versions released on Nintendo platforms.{{cite web |last1=Snider |first1=Mike |title=Nintendo stars Donkey Kong and Bowser to invade new 'Skylanders' game |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/06/16/donkey-kong-bowser-star-in-skylanders-game/28794857/ |website=USA Today |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117194848/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/06/16/donkey-kong-bowser-star-in-skylanders-game/28794857/ |url-status=live}}

= Animated series =

{{further|Saturday Supercade|Captain N: The Game Master|Donkey Kong Country (TV series)|l1=Saturday Supercade|l2=Captain N: The Game Master|l3=Donkey Kong Country (TV series)}}

A Donkey Kong cartoon produced by Ruby-Spears aired as part of CBS's hour-long Saturday Supercade programming block in 1983. The cartoon follows Mario and Pauline as they attempt to capture Donkey Kong after he escapes from a circus. Game Informer described the series as "abysmal... filled with bad puns and ridiculous situations". Soupy Sales voiced Donkey Kong,{{cite web |title=Saturday Supercade (1983) |url=https://www.avclub.com/tv/reviews/saturday-supercade-1983 |website=The A.V. Club |access-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117141522/https://www.avclub.com/tv/reviews/saturday-supercade-1983 |url-status=live}} while Peter Cullen and Frank Welker (who later garnered recognition for voicing Optimus Prime and Megatron in the Transformers franchise) voiced Mario and Donkey Kong Jr.{{cite magazine |last1=Reeves |first1=Ben |title=A Look Back At The '80s Donkey Kong Cartoon |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/11/25/a-look-back-a-the-80s-donkey-kong-cartoon.aspx |magazine=Game Informer |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=November 25, 2011 |archive-date=November 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116220634/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/11/25/a-look-back-a-the-80s-donkey-kong-cartoon.aspx |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=McFerran |first1=Damien |title=Optimus Prime Talks About Being the First Voice of Mario |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/06/optimus_prime_talks_about_being_the_first_voice_of_mario |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=June 23, 2010 |archive-date=August 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230812012704/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/06/optimus_prime_talks_about_being_the_first_voice_of_mario |url-status=live}} Donkey Kong is also a recurring character in Captain N: The Game Master, a DIC Entertainment series that ran on NBC for 34 episodes between 1989 and 1991.{{cite web |last1=Scullion |first1=Chris |title=Feature: 10 Strangest Moments In Captain N: The Game Master |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/09/feature_10_strangest_moments_in_captain_n_the_game_master |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=September 21, 2019 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108170220/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/09/feature_10_strangest_moments_in_captain_n_the_game_master |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Drucker |first1=Michael |title=Captain N The Game Master - The Complete Series |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/01/captain-n-the-game-master-the-complete-series |website=IGN |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=February 1, 2007 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117173709/https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/01/captain-n-the-game-master-the-complete-series |url-status=live}}

Donkey Kong Country, a television series produced by the French-Canadian company Medialab Technology, ran for 40 episodes between 1997 and 2000, bridging the gap between Dixie Kong's Double Trouble and Donkey Kong 64.{{cite web |last1=Paprocki |first1=Matt |title=Inside Nintendo's weird attempts at making movies and TV shows |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2020/6/5/21280650/nintendo-movies-based-on-mario-pokemon-donkey-kong-the-wizard-detective-pikachu |website=Polygon |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=June 5, 2020 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117175713/https://www.polygon.com/features/2020/6/5/21280650/nintendo-movies-based-on-mario-pokemon-donkey-kong-the-wizard-detective-pikachu |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=DiRienzo |first1=David |title=Donkey Kong Country (Cartoon) |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country-cartoon/ |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=May 18, 2014 |archive-date=June 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601155700/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-country-cartoon/ |url-status=live}} Reflecting the games' pre-rendered 3D graphics, Donkey Kong Country was produced using computer animation, accomplished with motion capture technology.{{cite news |last1=Solomon |first1=Charles |title=An Emmy Awards Debate: What Makes 'Donkey Kong' Run? |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-01-ca-42903-story.html |access-date=December 31, 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=June 1, 1999 |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101020126/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-01-ca-42903-story.html |url-status=live}} The series adopts a sitcom approach and follows Donkey Kong as he attempts to protect a magical artifact, the Crystal Coconut, from King K. Rool.{{cite web |last1=Bonthuys |first1=Darryn |title=Nightmare Fuel Donkey Kong Country TV Series Is Free To Watch On YouTube And Amazon |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nightmare-fuel-donkey-kong-country-tv-series-is-free-to-watch-on-youtube-and-amazon/1100-6505494/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=July 14, 2022 |archive-date=December 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204201422/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nightmare-fuel-donkey-kong-country-tv-series-is-free-to-watch-on-youtube-and-amazon/1100-6505494/ |url-status=live}} The creative direction was largely dictated by the limitations of early motion capture technology; Simon Racioppa, one of the writers, noted restrictions including characters being unable to pick up objects and introducing new locations and characters being discouraged. Donkey Kong Country was produced with little input from Nintendo, and was the final Western series that Nintendo licensed before it shifted to producing and distributing anime. The series was popular in France and Japan, though less so in the United States. Retrospectively, Hardcore Gaming 101 criticized the series for lacking the adventure of the Country games, while GameSpot called its aged animation "nightmare fuel" and "visually disturbing".

= Printed media =

The first issue of Blip, a short-lived American comic book published by Marvel Comics in 1983, features a story in which a foolish news reporter attempts to interview Mario during the events of the original Donkey Kong. The story characterizes Donkey Kong as the result of a failed experiment to breed construction-worker gorillas.{{cite magazine |last1=Reeves |first1=Ben |title=Mario's First Comic Book Appearance |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/12/17/mario-39-s-first-comic-book-appearance.aspx |magazine=Game Informer |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=December 17, 2012 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117211916/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/12/17/mario-39-s-first-comic-book-appearance.aspx |url-status=live}} Blip marked Mario's first appearance in a comic book, years before Valiant Comics' Nintendo Comics System series in the 1990s.{{cite web |last1=Cronin |first1=Brian |title=Comic Book Legends Revealed #396 |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/12/17/mario-39-s-first-comic-book-appearance.aspx |website=Comic Book Resources |access-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106161502/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2012/12/07/comic-book-legends-revealed-396/ |archive-date=January 6, 2013 |url-status=live |date=December 7, 2012}} The British comics publisher Fleetway Publications published a promotional Donkey Kong Country comic in the UK in 1995,{{Cite web |last=Szczepaniak |first=John |date=September 30, 2021 |title=Check out this forgotten Donkey Kong Country comic from the UK |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/09/check_out_this_forgotten_donkey_kong_country_comic_from_the_uk |access-date=July 20, 2022 |website=Nintendo Life |archive-date=July 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720115950/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/09/check_out_this_forgotten_donkey_kong_country_comic_from_the_uk |url-status=live}} while Michael Teitelbaum wrote children's book adaptations of Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Land and Donkey Kong Country 2.{{cite web |last1=Zverloff |first1=Nick |title=Donkey Kong Land |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-land/ |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |access-date=December 27, 2022 |date=April 17, 2013 |archive-date=December 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227185431/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/donkey-kong-land/ |url-status=live}}

= Film =

{{main|The Super Mario Bros. Movie|l1=The Super Mario Bros. Movie}}

File:Seth Rogen at Collision 2019 - SM0 1823 (47106936404) (cropped).jpg voices Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).]]

Elements from the Donkey Kong franchise feature prominently in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023),{{cite web |last1=Phillips |first1=Tom |title=Here's where the Mario movie series may go next |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/heres-where-the-mario-movie-series-may-go-next |website=Eurogamer |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=April 11, 2023 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117210713/https://www.eurogamer.net/heres-where-the-mario-movie-series-may-go-next |url-status=live}} an animated film produced by Nintendo, Illumination, and Universal Pictures. Mario (Chris Pratt) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) seek the Kongs' help to stop Bowser (Jack Black) from invading the Mushroom Kingdom. Seth Rogen and Fred Armisen voice Donkey Kong and Cranky Kong, while other Kongs make cameo appearances and the "DK Rap" plays during Donkey Kong's introduction.{{cite web |last1=Busch |first1=Caitlin |last2=Grebey |first2=James |last3=Weiss |first3=Josh |title=Our Favorite 'Super Mario Bros. Movie' Easter Eggs: Game References, Cameos & More |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/super-mario-bros-movie-easter-eggs-game-references-characters |website=SyFy Wire |access-date=November 6, 2023 |date=April 5, 2023 |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406225700/https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/super-mario-bros-movie-easter-eggs-game-references-characters |url-status=live}} Donkey Kong was redesigned for the first time since Donkey Kong Country, combining elements of Rare's design and his original arcade-era design.{{cite web |last1=Frederiksen |first1=Eric |title=The Super Mario Movie Features A Redesigned Donkey Kong, Shigeru Miyamoto Says |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-super-mario-movie-features-a-redesigned-donkey-kong-shigeru-miyamoto-says/1100-6509563/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=November 29, 2022 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117210712/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-super-mario-movie-features-a-redesigned-donkey-kong-shigeru-miyamoto-says/1100-6509563/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Leston |first1=Ryan |title=Shigeru Miyamoto Reveals Why Donkey Kong Got a Redesign For The Super Mario Bros. Movie |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/shigeru-miyamoto-donkey-kong-redesign-super-mario-bros-movie |website=IGN |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=November 28, 2022 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117210714/https://www.ign.com/articles/shigeru-miyamoto-donkey-kong-redesign-super-mario-bros-movie |url-status=live}} The Super Mario Bros. Movie received mixed reviews,{{cite web |last1=Campbell |first1=Evan |title=Review Roundup For The Super Mario Bros. Movie |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/review-roundup-for-the-super-mario-bros-movie/1100-6512972/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=April 4, 2023 |archive-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512165740/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/review-roundup-for-the-super-mario-bros-movie/1100-6512972/ |url-status=live}} and Rogen received criticism for voicing Donkey Kong in his regular speaking voice.{{cite web |last1=Jiang |first1=Sisi |title=Super Mario Bros. Movie Fans Knock Seth Rogen For Barely Trying |url=https://kotaku.com/super-mario-bros-movie-seth-rogen-donkey-kong-voice-1850293751 |website=Kotaku |access-date=November 6, 2023 |date=April 3, 2023 |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405024843/https://kotaku.com/super-mario-bros-movie-seth-rogen-donkey-kong-voice-1850293751 |url-status=live}} The film earned over $1.3 billion, making it the highest-grossing film based on a video game.{{cite web |last1=Rubin |first1=Rebecca |title='Super Mario Bros. Movie' Officially Smashes $1 Billion Globally |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/super-mario-bros-movie-1-billion-box-office-milestone-1235598832/ |website=Variety |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=April 30, 2023 |archive-date=May 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505220952/https://variety.com/2023/film/news/super-mario-bros-movie-1-billion-box-office-milestone-1235598832/ |url-status=live}} In November 2021, prior to The Super Mario Bros. Movie{{'s}} release, reports emerged that Illumination was developing a Donkey Kong film with Rogen set to reprise his role.{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Andy |date=November 3, 2021 |title=Another source points to potential Donkey Kong movie with Seth Rogen |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/another-source-points-to-potential-donkey-kong-movie-with-seth-rogen/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103103129/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/another-source-points-to-potential-donkey-kong-movie-with-seth-rogen/ |archive-date=November 3, 2021 |access-date=November 3, 2021 |website=Video Games Chronicle}}

= Theme parks =

In September 2021, Nintendo and Universal Destinations & Experiences announced a Donkey Kong-themed expansion of the Super Nintendo World themed area at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Epic Universe. The area, Donkey Kong Country, opened at Universal Studios Japan in 2024 and expanded the size of Super Nintendo World by 70%.{{cite web |last1=Scullion |first1=Chris |title=Super Nintendo World's Donkey Kong expansion is officially opening in 2024 |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/super-nintendo-worlds-donkey-kong-expansion-is-officially-opening-in-2024/ |website=Video Games Chronicle |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=September 28, 2021 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117205313/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/super-nintendo-worlds-donkey-kong-expansion-is-officially-opening-in-2024/ |url-status=live}} It was designed with consultation from Miyamoto and includes a roller coaster, Mine-Cart Madness, based on the Tiki Tong boss fight from Donkey Kong Country Returns. The area also features a K–O–N–G letter collection game and offers Donkey Kong-themed food and merchandise.{{cite web |last1=Makuch |first1=Eddie |title=Super Nintendo World Adding Donkey Kong Land At Theme Park In Japan |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/super-nintendo-world-adding-donkey-kong-land-at-theme-park-in-japan/1100-6496618/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=September 28, 2021 |archive-date=December 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204203331/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/super-nintendo-world-adding-donkey-kong-land-at-theme-park-in-japan/1100-6496618/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Yin-Poole |first1=Wesley |title=First Details of Donkey Kong Country Theme Park at Super Nintendo World Announced |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/first-details-of-donkey-kong-country-theme-park-at-super-nintendo-world-announced |website=IGN |access-date=December 5, 2023 |date=December 5, 2023 |archive-date=December 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205171749/https://www.ign.com/articles/first-details-of-donkey-kong-country-theme-park-at-super-nintendo-world-announced |url-status=live}} A similar version of the section is scheduled to open alongside Universal Epic Universe in 2025.{{cite web |last1=Bankhurst |first1=Adam |title=Super Nintendo World to Open at Universal Epic Universe in 2025 With Donkey Kong Country and a Mine-Cart Ride |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/super-nintendo-world-to-open-at-universal-epic-universe-in-2025-with-donkey-kong-country-and-a-mine-cart-ride |website=IGN |access-date=May 20, 2024 |date=May 2, 2024 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520234538/https://www.ign.com/articles/super-nintendo-world-to-open-at-universal-epic-universe-in-2025-with-donkey-kong-country-and-a-mine-cart-ride |url-status=live }}

= Merchandise =

Donkey Kong merchandise includes clothing,{{cite web |last1=Bitner |first1=John |title=Massive Savings On Merch Today Only - Mario, Metroid, Animal Crossing, Studio Ghibli, And More |url=https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/massive-savings-on-merch-today-only-mario-metroid-animal-crossing-studio-ghibli-and-more/2900-4935/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=November 16, 2023 |date=November 3, 2023 |archive-date=November 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116172021/https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/massive-savings-on-merch-today-only-mario-metroid-animal-crossing-studio-ghibli-and-more/2900-4935/ |url-status=live}} toys such as plushes and Amiibo figures,{{cite web |last1=Newton |first1=James |title=This Plush Donkey Kong Can Be Yours Down Under |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/10/this_plush_donkey_kong_can_be_yours_down_under |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=October 16, 2010 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117195746/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/10/this_plush_donkey_kong_can_be_yours_down_under |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Dickens |first1=Anthony |title=List of Donkey Kong amiibo - Guide |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/all-amiibo-list-every-animal-crossing-zelda-smash-bros-metroid-mario-amiibo?search=series%3A%22Donkey+Kong%22 |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=November 17, 2023 |date=November 3, 2023 |archive-date=November 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116172339/https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/all-amiibo-list-every-animal-crossing-zelda-smash-bros-metroid-mario-amiibo?search=series%3A%22Donkey+Kong%22 |url-status=live}} trading cards,{{cite web |last1=Caron |first1=Frank |title=Lost and found: Donkey Kong trading cards from 1982 |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2007/02/6938/ |website=Ars Technica |access-date=October 21, 2024 |date=February 7, 2007}} breakfast cereal, and soundtrack albums.{{cite web |last1=Elston |first1=Brett |title=17 videogame soundtracks ahead of their time |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/17-videogame-soundtracks-ahead-of-their-time/3/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=June 6, 2020 |page=3 |date=April 28, 2009 |archive-date=October 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013033223/https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/17-videogame-soundtracks-ahead-of-their-time/3/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |author1=Kombo |title=Donkey Kong Country, Streets of Rage, New Adventure Island, The Legend of Kage |url=https://www.gamezone.com/originals/donkey-kong-country-streets-of-rage-new-adventure-island-the-legend-of-kage/ |website=GameZone |access-date=June 6, 2020 |date=May 4, 2012 |archive-date=June 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606141719/https://www.gamezone.com/originals/donkey-kong-country-streets-of-rage-new-adventure-island-the-legend-of-kage/ |url-status=live}} The Lego Group began producing Donkey Kong Lego construction toys in 2023 as a subseries within its Lego Super Mario product line.{{cite magazine |last1=LeBlanc |first1=Wesley |title=Donkey Kong Lego Sets Join The Super Mario Lineup |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/2023/04/28/donkey-kong-lego-sets-join-the-super-mario-lineup |magazine=Game Informer |access-date=November 15, 2023 |date=April 28, 2023 |archive-date=November 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115165624/https://www.gameinformer.com/2023/04/28/donkey-kong-lego-sets-join-the-super-mario-lineup |url-status=live}} The initial four sets, based on the Donkey Kong Country games, were released in August 2023.{{cite web |last1=Abbott |first1=Benjamin |title=New Lego Donkey Kong sets are a nostalgia overload for longtime fans |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/new-lego-donkey-kong-sets-are-a-nostalgia-overload-for-fans-of-the-games/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=November 15, 2023 |date=April 28, 2023 |archive-date=November 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115165624/https://www.gamesradar.com/new-lego-donkey-kong-sets-are-a-nostalgia-overload-for-fans-of-the-games/ |url-status=live}}

Legacy

=Sales=

Donkey Kong is one of Nintendo's bestselling franchises,{{cite web |last1=Martin |first1=Garrett |title=The 10 Best-Selling Nintendo Franchises of All Time |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/nintendo/best-selling-nintendo-franchises |website=Paste |access-date=February 14, 2024 |date=January 9, 2023 |archive-date=February 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214120240/https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/nintendo/best-selling-nintendo-franchises |url-status=live }} with sales reaching 65 million units by March 2021.{{cite web |last1=Craddock |first1=Ryan |title=The Donkey Kong Series Has Surpassed 65 Million Sales Worldwide |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/09/the_donkey_kong_series_has_surpassed_65_million_sales_worldwide |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=November 9, 2023 |date=September 29, 2021 |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109163347/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/09/the_donkey_kong_series_has_surpassed_65_million_sales_worldwide |url-status=live}} Five Donkey Kong games (Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Land, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, Donkey Kong 64, and Donkey Kong Country Returns) have shipped over a million copies in Japan alone,{{sfn|CESA|2021|pp=155–160}} and several have been added to Nintendo's Player's Choice and Nintendo Selects bestseller lines.{{cite web |title=Nintendo Beefs up its Player's Choice Line |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-beefs-up-its-players-choice-line/1100-2667501/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=February 13, 2024 |date=May 17, 2006 |archive-date=August 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812031411/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-beefs-up-its-players-choice-line/1100-2667501/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Nunnely-Jackson |first1=Stephany |title=Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong Games join Nintendo Selects line later this month |url=https://www.vg247.com/mario-zelda-and-donkey-kong-games-join-nintendo-selects-line-later-this-month |website=VG247 |access-date=February 13, 2024 |date=March 1, 2016}} Excluding rereleases and arcade games, as of 2022 the SNES version of Donkey Kong Country is the franchise's bestselling game, with 9.3 million copies sold worldwide, while DK: King of Swing is the worst-selling, with 280,000 copies sold worldwide.

class="wikitable plainrowheaders mw-collapsible sortable"
scope="col"\|Year ! scope="col"\|Game ! scope="col"\|Platform(s) ! scope="col"\|Sales
style="text-align:center;"\| 1981 ! scope="row" \| Donkey Kong \| Arcade, ColecoVision, Game & Watch, Nintendo Entertainment System \| 15.73 million{{efn\|Sales breakdown: Arcade: 60,000 ColecoVision: 6 million{{sfn\|Sheff\|1994\|p=121}} Game & Watch: 8 million{{sfn\|Epstein\|2019\|p=196}} NES: 1.13 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=173}}}}
style="text-align:center;"\| 1982 ! scope="row" \| Donkey Kong Jr. \| Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System \| 1.14 million{{efn\|Sales breakdown: Arcade: 30,000{{sfn\|Kent\|2001\|p=352}} NES: 1.11 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=173}}}}
style="text-align:center;"\| 1983 ! scope="row" \| Donkey Kong 3 \| Arcade \| 5,000{{sfn\|Kent\|2001\|p=352}}
style="text-align:center;"\| 1988 ! scope="row" \| Donkey Kong Classics \| Nintendo Entertainment System \| 1.56 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=170}}
style="text-align:center;"\| 1994 ! scope="row" \| Donkey Kong Country \| Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance \| 13.31 million{{efn\|Sales breakdown: SNES: 9.3 million GBC: 2.19 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=167}} GBA: 1.82 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=168}}}}
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" \| 1995 ! scope="row"\| Donkey Kong Land \| Game Boy \| 3.91 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=164}}
scope="row" \| Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest \| Super Nintendo Entertainment System \| 5.15 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=163}}
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" \| 1996 ! scope="row" \| Donkey Kong Land 2 \| Game Boy \| 2.35 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=166}}
scope="row" \| Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! \| Super Nintendo Entertainment System \| 3.51 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=164}}
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" \| 1997 ! scope="row" \| Donkey Kong Land III \| Game Boy, Game Boy Color \| 1.03 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=174}}
scope="row" \| Diddy Kong Racing \| Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS \| 6.47 million{{efn\|Sales breakdown: N64: 4.88 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=163}} DS: 1.59 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=170}}}}
style="text-align:center;" \| 1999 ! scope="row" \| Donkey Kong 64 \| Nintendo 64 \| 5.27 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=163}}
style="text-align:center;" \| 2003 ! scope="row" \| Donkey Konga \| GameCube \| 1.18 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=173}}
style="text-align:center;" \| 2004 ! scope="row" \| Mario vs. Donkey Kong \| Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Switch \| 2.49 million{{efn\|Sales breakdown: GBA: 1.37 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=171}} Switch: 1.12 million{{cite web \|title=Fiscal Year Ended March 2024 Earnings Release/ Financial Results Briefing (Online) - Financial Results Explanatory Material \|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2024/240507_3e.pdf \|date=May 7, 2024 \|access-date=May 7, 2024 \|publisher=Nintendo \|archive-date=May 7, 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507081558/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2024/240507_3e.pdf \|url-status=live }}}}
style="text-align:center;" \| 2005 ! scope="row" \| DK: King of Swing \| Game Boy Advance \| 280,000
style="text-align:center;" \| 2006 ! scope="row" \| Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis \| Nintendo DS \| 1.52 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=170}}
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" \| 2010 ! scope="row" \| Donkey Kong Country Returns \| Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch \| 9.44 million{{efn\|Sales breakdown: Wii: 6.53 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=162}} 3DS: 2.91 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=165}}}}
scope="row" \| Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! \| Nintendo DS \| 2.98 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=165}}
style="text-align:center;" \| 2014 ! scope="row" \| Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze \| Wii U, Nintendo Switch \| 6.64 million{{efn\|Sales breakdown: Wii U: 2.02 million{{sfn\|CESA\|2021\|p=168}} Switch: 4.62 million{{cite book \|title=2023CESAゲーム白書 (2023 CESA Games White Papers) \|publisher=Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association \|year=2023 \|isbn=978-4-902346-47-3}} {{clear}}}}
colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"\| total \|83.96 million

class="wikitable plainrowheaders mw-collapsible sortable"

scope="col"|Year

! scope="col"|Game

! scope="col"|Platform(s)

! scope="col"|Sales

style="text-align:center;"| 1981

! scope="row" | Donkey Kong

| Arcade, ColecoVision, Game & Watch, Nintendo Entertainment System

| 15.73 million{{efn|Sales breakdown:

Arcade: 60,000
ColecoVision: 6 million{{sfn|Sheff|1994|p=121}}
Game & Watch: 8 million{{sfn|Epstein|2019|p=196}}
NES: 1.13 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=173}}}}

style="text-align:center;"| 1982

! scope="row" | Donkey Kong Jr.

| Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System

| 1.14 million{{efn|Sales breakdown:

Arcade: 30,000{{sfn|Kent|2001|p=352}}
NES: 1.11 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=173}}}}

style="text-align:center;"| 1983

! scope="row" | Donkey Kong 3

| Arcade

| 5,000{{sfn|Kent|2001|p=352}}

style="text-align:center;"| 1988

! scope="row" | Donkey Kong Classics

| Nintendo Entertainment System

| 1.56 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=170}}

style="text-align:center;"| 1994

! scope="row" | Donkey Kong Country

| Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance

| 13.31 million{{efn|Sales breakdown:

SNES: 9.3 million
GBC: 2.19 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=167}}
GBA: 1.82 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=168}}}}

rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | 1995

! scope="row"| Donkey Kong Land

| Game Boy

| 3.91 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=164}}

scope="row" | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

| Super Nintendo Entertainment System

| 5.15 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=163}}

rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | 1996

! scope="row" | Donkey Kong Land 2

| Game Boy

| 2.35 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=166}}

scope="row" | Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!

| Super Nintendo Entertainment System

| 3.51 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=164}}

rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | 1997

! scope="row" | Donkey Kong Land III

| Game Boy, Game Boy Color

| 1.03 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=174}}

scope="row" | Diddy Kong Racing

| Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS

| 6.47 million{{efn|Sales breakdown:

N64: 4.88 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=163}}
DS: 1.59 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=170}}}}

style="text-align:center;" | 1999

! scope="row" | Donkey Kong 64

| Nintendo 64

| 5.27 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=163}}

style="text-align:center;" | 2003

! scope="row" | Donkey Konga

| GameCube

| 1.18 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=173}}

style="text-align:center;" | 2004

! scope="row" | Mario vs. Donkey Kong

| Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Switch

| 2.49 million{{efn|Sales breakdown:

GBA: 1.37 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=171}}
Switch: 1.12 million{{cite web |title=Fiscal Year Ended March 2024 Earnings Release/ Financial Results Briefing (Online) - Financial Results Explanatory Material |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2024/240507_3e.pdf |date=May 7, 2024 |access-date=May 7, 2024 |publisher=Nintendo |archive-date=May 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507081558/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2024/240507_3e.pdf |url-status=live }}}}

style="text-align:center;" | 2005

! scope="row" | DK: King of Swing

| Game Boy Advance

| 280,000

style="text-align:center;" | 2006

! scope="row" | Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis

| Nintendo DS

| 1.52 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=170}}

rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | 2010

! scope="row" | Donkey Kong Country Returns

| Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch

| 9.44 million{{efn|Sales breakdown:

Wii: 6.53 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=162}}
3DS: 2.91 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=165}}}}

scope="row" | Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!

| Nintendo DS

| 2.98 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=165}}

style="text-align:center;" | 2014

! scope="row" | Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

| Wii U, Nintendo Switch

| 6.64 million{{efn|Sales breakdown:

Wii U: 2.02 million{{sfn|CESA|2021|p=168}}
Switch: 4.62 million{{cite book |title=2023CESAゲーム白書 (2023 CESA Games White Papers) |publisher=Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association |year=2023 |isbn=978-4-902346-47-3}}

{{clear}}}}

colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| total

|83.96 million

=Effect on the industry=

{{quote box|quote=If you can't imagine a world without Super Mario Brothers, without the NES, and maybe even without Nintendo at all, then you can't imagine a world without Donkey Kong. Both as a remarkable piece of game design and a commercial breakthrough for the single most important gaming company in Japan, Donkey Kong changed the world, and 30 years later we're still feeling its effects.|source=Game Developer{{cite web |last1=Fahs |first1=Travis |title=The Secret History of Donkey Kong |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-secret-history-of-i-donkey-kong-i- |website=Game Developer |access-date=November 30, 2023 |date=July 6, 2011 |archive-date=September 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907122323/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-secret-history-of-i-donkey-kong-i- |url-status=live}}|align=right|width=20em|salign=}}

The original Donkey Kong is regarded as one of the most important video games of all time.{{cite web |last1=Loveridge |first1=Sam |title=The 50 most important games of all time |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/50-most-important-games-all-time/4/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=November 28, 2023 |page=4 |date=April 12, 2013 |archive-date=September 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907120525/https://www.gamesradar.com/50-most-important-games-all-time/4/ |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |last1=Latson |first1=Jennifer |title=How Donkey Kong and Mario Changed the World |url=https://time.com/3901489/donkey-kong-anniversary/ |magazine=Time |access-date=November 28, 2023 |date=June 2, 2015 |archive-date=November 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112080217/https://time.com/3901489/donkey-kong-anniversary/ |url-status=live}} Its success established Nintendo as one of the video game industry's leaders. Computer and Video Games called Donkey Kong "the most momentous" game of 1981, as it "introduced three important names" to the industry: Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Mario.{{sfn|Glancey|1996|pp=15–16}} Donkey Kong also paved the way for the NES, which rejuvenated the crashed Western game industry and shifted the home console market's dominance from the US to Japan.{{cite web |last1=Parish |first1=Jeremy |title=The Famicom Legacy |url=https://www.vg247.com/the-famicom-legacy |website=VG247 |access-date=November 30, 2023 |date=August 21, 2017 |archive-date=October 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024180105/https://www.vg247.com/the-famicom-legacy |url-status=live}} The NES was largely based on the Donkey Kong arcade hardware;{{cite magazine |script-title=ja:【任天堂「ファミコン」はこうして生まれた】第6回：業務用ゲーム機の挫折をバネにファミコンの実現に挑む |trans-title=How the Famicom Was Born – Part 6: Making the Famicom a Reality |magazine=Nikkei Electronics |date=September 12, 1994 |lang=ja |url=http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20081001/1019315/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006082447/http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20081001/1019315/ |archive-date=October 6, 2008 |access-date=April 13, 2021}} Nintendo took a Donkey Kong arcade cabinet to the semiconductor chip manufacturer Ricoh for analysis, which led to Ricoh producing the NES's Picture Processing Unit.{{cite magazine |script-title=ja:【任天堂「ファミコン」はこうして生まれた】第7回：業務用機の仕様を家庭用に、LSIの開発から着手 |trans-title=How the Famicom Was Born – Part 7: Deciding on the Specs |magazine=Nikkei Electronics |date=December 19, 1994 |lang=ja |url=http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20081002/1019378/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012060247/http://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/special/20081002/1019378/ |archive-date=October 12, 2008 |access-date=April 13, 2021}}

Donkey Kong inspired many games, including clones such as Crazy Kong (1981) and Hard Hat Mack (1983),{{cite web |last1=Buchanan |first1=Levi |title=Top 10 Donkey Kong Imitators |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/03/11/top-10-donkey-kong-imitators |website=IGN |access-date=November 28, 2023 |date=March 11, 2008 |archive-date=December 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209010223/https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/03/11/top-10-donkey-kong-imitators |url-status=live}} that featured a mix of running, jumping, and vertical traversal.{{sfn|Altice|2015|pp=53–80}} These were initially referred to as "Donkey Kong-type" or "Kong-style" games, but eventually came to be known as platformers.{{sfn|Altice|2015|pp=53–80}}{{sfn|CVG|1983|pp=40–41}} While Donkey Kong was not the first platform game, VG247 wrote "it was the first to matter" by establishing the genre's template.{{cite web |last1=Parish |first1=Jeremy |title=Five Critical Moments in Platform Game History |url=https://www.vg247.com/five-critical-moments-in-platform-game-history |website=VG247 |access-date=November 28, 2023 |date=July 26, 2014 |archive-date=December 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204230838/https://www.vg247.com/five-critical-moments-in-platform-game-history |url-status=live}} Furthermore, Donkey Kong{{'s}} spirited graphics, humor, and contextualization of the gameplay with a story distinguished it from contemporary arcade games. Donkey Kong is regarded as the first game to use graphics to tell a story,{{cite web |title=Gaming's most important evolutions |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/gamings-most-important-evolutions/?page=3 |website=GamesRadar |access-date=November 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319153722/http://www.gamesradar.com/gamings-most-important-evolutions/?page=3 |archive-date=March 19, 2012 |page=3 |date=October 8, 2010}} which GamesRadar+ said provided an unprecedented level of narrative depth.

Donkey Kong Country{{'s}} pre-rendered graphics featured a level of detail unprecedented in console games at the time,{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=Tim |author-link=Tim Rogers (writer) |date=November 27, 2019 |title=Let's remember Donkey Kong Country, 25 years later |url=https://kotaku.com/lets-remember-donkey-kong-country-25-years-later-1840069307 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602182711/https://kotaku.com/lets-remember-donkey-kong-country-25-years-later-1840069307 |archive-date=June 2, 2022 |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=Kotaku}}{{cite web |last1=Hernandez |first1=Pedro |title=Donkey Kong Country 1 & 2 |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/27421/the-snes-20-donkey-kong-country-1-namp-2 |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=June 1, 2022 |date=August 17, 2011 |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221151814/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/27421/the-snes-20-donkey-kong-country-1-namp-2 |url-status=live}} and inspired many imitators.{{Cite web |last=Parish |first=Jeremy |date=November 21, 2019 |title=Donkey Kong Country turns 25: Gaming's biggest bluff |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/reconsidering-donkey-kong-country-gamings-empty-handed-bluff |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120031051/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/reconsidering-donkey-kong-country-gamings-empty-handed-bluff |archive-date=November 20, 2020 |access-date=May 19, 2020 |website=USGamer}} It inspired games such as BlueSky Software's Vectorman (1995),{{cite web |last1=Elston |first1=Brett |title=Game music of the day: Vectorman |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/game-music-of-the-day-vectorman/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=August 20, 2022 |date=September 30, 2010 |archive-date=July 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715232447/https://www.gamesradar.com/game-music-of-the-day-vectorman/ |url-status=live}} Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot (1996),{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/04/rising-to-greatness-the-history-of-naughty-dog |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126015810/http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/04/rising-to-greatness-the-history-of-naughty-dog |title=Rising to greatness: The history of Naughty Dog |last=Moriarty |first=Colin |date=October 4, 2013 |archive-date=November 26, 2013 |work=IGN |access-date=December 31, 2013 |url-status=live}} HAL Laboratory's Kirby Super Star (1996),{{cite web |last1=Sao |first1=Akinori |title=Kirby Super Star developer interview - SNES Classic Edition |url=https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic/interview-kirby/ |publisher=Nintendo |date=October 10, 2017 |access-date=August 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817122322/https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic/interview-kirby/ |archive-date=August 17, 2019 |url-status=live}} and Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team's Sonic 3D Blast (1996).{{sfn|Mean Machines Sega staff|1996|p=25}} Country{{'s}} influence has carried into more modern games such as Mekazoo (2016) and Kaze and the Wild Masks (2021);{{cite web |last1=Priestman |first1=Chris |title=Donkey Kong Country-inspired platformer Mekazoo will have tag team-style local co-op |url=https://www.siliconera.com/donkey-kong-country-inspired-platformer-mekazoo-will-have-tag-team-style-local-co-op/ |website=Siliconera |access-date=June 17, 2022 |date=July 28, 2015 |archive-date=June 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617170357/https://www.siliconera.com/donkey-kong-country-inspired-platformer-mekazoo-will-have-tag-team-style-local-co-op/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Peeples |first1=Jeremy |title=Review: Kaze and the Wild Masks |url=https://hardcoregamer.com/reviews/review-kaze-and-the-wild-masks/401033/ |website=Hardcore Gamer |access-date=June 17, 2022 |date=March 26, 2021 |archive-date=June 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617170353/https://hardcoregamer.com/reviews/review-kaze-and-the-wild-masks/401033/ |url-status=live}} the Australian Broadcasting Corporation credited it for demonstrating 2D games could remain relevant after the introduction of 3D.{{cite web |title=Good Game Stores - Feature: Reboots |url=https://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s3698754.htm |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=June 1, 2022 |date=February 26, 2013 |archive-date=June 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601153323/https://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s3698754.htm |url-status=live}} Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (2019)—developed by Playtonic Games, whose staff includes Rare alumni that worked on Country—was noted for its gameplay similarities to Country.{{cite web |last1=Davenport |first1=James |title=Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is basically Donkey Kong Country on PC |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/yooka-laylee-and-the-impossible-lair-is-basically-donkey-kong-country-on-pc/ |website=PC Gamer |access-date=June 1, 2022 |date=June 28, 2019 |archive-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531214617/https://www.pcgamer.com/yooka-laylee-and-the-impossible-lair-is-basically-donkey-kong-country-on-pc/ |url-status=live}}

The Country games established Rare as a leading video game developer and set the standard for its work. Country originated conventions characteristic of Rare's later output, including an emphasis on collecting items, irreverent humor, visual appeal, and tech demo-like design.{{cite web |last1=Dransfield |first1=Ian |title=Twenty years on, 'Donkey Kong Country' is still as terrible as it ever was |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/exm9bn/donkey-kong-at-20-years-old-442 |website=Vice |access-date=May 31, 2022 |date=December 2, 2014 |archive-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531001349/https://www.vice.com/en/article/exm9bn/donkey-kong-at-20-years-old-442 |url-status=live}} Conversely, Donkey Kong 64 has been blamed for precipitating 3D platforming's decline in popularity for its excessive emphasis on collecting items.{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Andy |date=June 10, 2013 |title=A Hat in Time Developer Claims Donkey Kong 64 Was Instrumental In Killing off Collection Platformers |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/06/a_hat_in_time_developer_claims_donkey_kong_64_was_instrumental_in_killing_off_collection_platformers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220142408/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/06/a_hat_in_time_developer_claims_donkey_kong_64_was_instrumental_in_killing_off_collection_platformers |archive-date=December 20, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |website=Nintendo Life}}{{Cite web |last=McElroy |first=Griffin |date=June 9, 2013 |title=A Hat in Time Hopes to Atone for the Platforming Sins of Donkey Kong 64 |url=http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/9/4409622/a-hat-in-time-hopes-to-atone-for-the-platforming-sins-of-donkey-kong |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828075816/http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/9/4409622/a-hat-in-time-hopes-to-atone-for-the-platforming-sins-of-donkey-kong |archive-date=August 28, 2016 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |website=Polygon}} Electronic Gaming Monthly wrote that whereas Super Mario 64 had "breathed life into the 3D platforming genre", Donkey Kong 64 had "sucked it all out".{{sfn|EGM staff|2005|p=50}} Jonas Kaerlev, who developed the 3D platformer A Hat in Time (2017), said Donkey Kong 64 gave the genre a reputation for tedium that contributed to a decline in interest.

=Cultural impact=

{{see also|Donkey Kong high score competition|l1=Donkey Kong high score competition}}

Donkey Kong is one of the most iconic video game characters,{{cite magazine |last1=Reeves |first1=Ben |title=Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/games/donkey_kong_country_tropical_freeze/b/wii_u/archive/2013/12/20/three-hours-chilling-with-donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze.aspx |magazine=Game Informer |access-date=November 27, 2023 |date=December 20, 2013 |archive-date=December 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209005109/https://www.gameinformer.com/games/donkey_kong_country_tropical_freeze/b/wii_u/archive/2013/12/20/three-hours-chilling-with-donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze.aspx |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/68759/TOP_50_VIDEO_GAME_CHARACTERS_OF_ALL_TIME_ANNOUNCED_inGUINNESS_WORLD_RECORDS_2011_GAMERrsquoS_EDITION.php |title=Top 50 video game characters of all time announced in Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition |work=Gamasutra|date=February 16, 2011 |access-date=April 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022093831/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/68759/TOP_50_VIDEO_GAME_CHARACTERS_OF_ALL_TIME_ANNOUNCED_inGUINNESS_WORLD_RECORDS_2011_GAMERrsquoS_EDITION.php |archive-date=October 22, 2012 |url-status=dead}} and he has been described as a mascot for both Nintendo and the video game industry.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references: Eurogamer,{{cite web |last1=Matulef |first1=Jeffrey |title=It's Donkey Kong's 33rd birthday today |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/its-donkey-kongs-33rd-birthday-today |website=Eurogamer |access-date=November 27, 2023 |date=July 9, 2014 |archive-date=December 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201141432/https://www.eurogamer.net/its-donkey-kongs-33rd-birthday-today |url-status=live}} GamesRadar+,{{cite web |title=The 12 greatest arcade machines of all time |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/the-12-greatest-arcade-machines-of-all-time/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=November 27, 2023 |date=June 29, 2009 |archive-date=December 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204234731/https://www.gamesradar.com/the-12-greatest-arcade-machines-of-all-time/ |url-status=live}} IGN,{{cite web |last1=Casamassina |first1=Matt |title=Donkey Kong Jungle Beat |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/03/12/donkey-kong-jungle-beat |website=IGN |access-date=November 27, 2023 |date=March 11, 2005 |archive-date=October 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191017122456/https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/03/12/donkey-kong-jungle-beat |url-status=live}} and Wired{{cite magazine |title=Donkey Kong Turns 25 |url=https://www.wired.com/2006/08/donkey-kong-tur/ |magazine=Wired |access-date=November 27, 2023 |date=August 15, 2006 |archive-date=December 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201141432/https://www.wired.com/2006/08/donkey-kong-tur/ |url-status=live}}}} In 2007, the Monster Jam racing series obtained the license to use Donkey Kong's appearance for a monster truck. The truck debuted in a December 2007 show in Minneapolis and toured with Monster Jam throughout 2008.{{cite web |title=Donkey Kong Truck Hits Monster Jam |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/12/07/donkey-kong-truck-hits-monster-jam |website=IGN |access-date=November 25, 2023 |date=December 7, 2007 |archive-date=November 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125143742/https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/12/07/donkey-kong-truck-hits-monster-jam |url-status=live}} Donkey Kong appears as an antagonist in the film Pixels (2015), which pays homage to classic arcade games,{{cite web |last1=Calvert |first1=Darren |title=Donkey Kong Nearly Missed Out On Pixels Stardom |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/07/donkey_kong_nearly_missed_out_on_pixels_stardom |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=November 27, 2023 |date=July 23, 2015 |archive-date=December 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201141432/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/07/donkey_kong_nearly_missed_out_on_pixels_stardom |url-status=live}} while the film War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) features treacherous apes nicknamed "donkeys", which director Matt Reeves confirmed was a reference to Donkey Kong.{{Cite web |url=https://in.ign.com/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes/102093/preview/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-commentary-by-director-matt-reeves |title=War for the Planet of the Apes: Trailer commentary by director Matt Reeves |last=Collura |first=Scott |date=December 10, 2016 |website=IGN |access-date=October 21, 2019 |archive-date=October 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021072703/https://in.ign.com/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes/102093/preview/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-trailer-commentary-by-director-matt-reeves |url-status=live}}

{{multiple images

| direction = horizontal

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| image1 = Steve Weibe.jpg

| image2 = Billy Mitchell and Pac-Man CROPPED.jpg

| footer = Donkey Kong high score competitors Steve Wiebe (left) and Billy Mitchell (right) feature in the documentary The King of Kong (2007).

| alt = Steve Weibe, a white man wearing a dark gray cap and light gray shirt, speaks into a microphone. Billy Mitchell, a white man with long dark hair and a beard and wearing a black shirt and American flag tie, gives a thumbs up.}}

The original Donkey Kong is a popular competitive video game. The Daily Telegraph called it "the most fiercely contested video game of all time",{{cite web |last1=Rowe |first1=Sam |title=Donkey Kong: the game that refuses to be beaten |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11089175/Donkey-Kong-the-game-that-refuses-to-be-beaten.html |website=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=November 9, 2023 |date=September 10, 2014 |archive-date=December 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204203948/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11089175/Donkey-Kong-the-game-that-refuses-to-be-beaten.html |url-status=live}} while Polygon wrote that achieving the highest score "is probably the most coveted arcade game world record". The King of Kong (2007), a documentary film directed by Seth Gordon, brought Donkey Kong{{'s}} competitive culture to prominence.{{cite web |last1=Good |first1=Owen S. |title=Donkey Kong's all-time record broken again, with a 'perfect' game (update) |url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/5/8/11635188/donkey-kong-all-time-high-score-wes-copeland-perfect-game |website=Polygon |access-date=November 9, 2023 |date=May 8, 2016 |archive-date=November 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127020633/https://www.polygon.com/2016/5/8/11635188/donkey-kong-all-time-high-score-wes-copeland-perfect-game |url-status=live}} It follows two players, Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell, in their respective attempts to obtain and maintain the world record.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/14137645/review/15807945/the_king_of_kong |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819060615/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/14137645/review/15807945/the_king_of_kong |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 19, 2007 |title=The King of Kong: Review |access-date=August 26, 2007 |author=Peter Travers |date=August 7, 2007 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} The Telegraph described Donkey Kong competition as bitter and said the heated rivalries between players contribute to the game's lasting appeal. The Donkey Kong Country games are also popular in the video game speedrunning community.{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Andy |title=Donkey Kong Country team reflects on the game's 25th anniversary |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/donkey-kong-country-team-reflects-on-the-games-25th-anniversary/ |website=Video Games Chronicle |access-date=March 24, 2024 |date=November 21, 2019 |archive-date=January 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131170941/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/donkey-kong-country-team-reflects-on-the-games-25th-anniversary/ |url-status=live }}

IGN said that Donkey Kong Country{{'s}} soundtrack contributed to an increased appreciation for video game music as an art form, and The New York Times called Country and Diddy's Kong Quest{{'s}} soundtracks the video game equivalents to the Beatles' Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). Musicians such as Trent Reznor and Donald Glover have praised the Donkey Kong Country track "Aquatic Ambience".{{cite AV media|title=The Most Emotional Video Game Music in the Unlikeliest of Places|last=Driver|first=Dale|publisher=IGN|via=YouTube|date=August 6, 2023|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwFJdaxM89c|access-date=August 12, 2023|archive-date=August 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811115820/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwFJdaxM89c&feature=youtu.be|url-status=live}} Glover sampled it in his 2012 song "Eat Your Vegetables", to which David Wise expressed approval.{{cite web |last1=Reseigh-Lincoln |first1=Dom |title=Random: Childish Gambino sampled Donkey Kong Country and David Wise definitely approves |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/05/random_childish_gambino_sampled_donkey_kong_country_and_david_wise_definitely_approves |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=June 11, 2022 |date=May 24, 2018 |archive-date=June 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611140232/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/05/random_childish_gambino_sampled_donkey_kong_country_and_david_wise_definitely_approves |url-status=live}} OverClocked ReMix has released Donkey Kong remix albums including contributions from Wise, Beanland, and Kirkhope.{{cite web |last1=Sorlie |first1=Audun |title=Original Donkey Kong Country Composers Contribute to OverClocked ReMix's Serious Monkey Business |url=https://www.originalsoundversion.com/serious-monkey-business-needs-serious-human-cash/ |website=Original Sound Version |access-date=November 27, 2023 |date=November 6, 2009 |archive-date=December 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201142934/https://www.originalsoundversion.com/serious-monkey-business-needs-serious-human-cash/ |url-status=live}} Curse of the Crystal Coconut, a 2020 pirate metal album by the Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm, contains numerous references to the Donkey Kong franchise, including its title; those who pre-ordered the album had a chance to win an Alestorm-branded Nintendo 64 with a copy of Donkey Kong 64.{{cite web |last1=Craddock |first1=Ryan |title=Random: Pirate Metal Band Alestorm's Latest Album Features Several Donkey Kong References |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/06/random_pirate_metal_band_alestorms_latest_album_features_several_donkey_kong_references |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=November 21, 2023 |date=June 4, 2020 |archive-date=December 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204201649/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/06/random_pirate_metal_band_alestorms_latest_album_features_several_donkey_kong_references |url-status=live}}

Donkey Kong has been noted for its active fandom.{{cite web |last1=Priestman |first1=Chris |title=First Part Of Fan-Made "A Tribute To Donkey Kong Country" Is Out Now |url=https://www.siliconera.com/first-part-fan-made-tribute-donkey-kong-country-now/ |website=Siliconera |access-date=November 27, 2023 |date=December 2, 2014 |archive-date=December 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201141432/https://www.siliconera.com/first-part-fan-made-tribute-donkey-kong-country-now/ |url-status=live}} Nintendo Life described one fansite, DK Vine, as "highly respected". The franchise's lack of a detailed backstory has led fans to theorize its fictional chronology. Kotaku described one theory, which postulates that Donkey Kong Jr. was killed in a violent, off-screen conflict to explain his absence in the Country series, as "a fascinating example of how fandoms can run away with the smallest bits of narrative available" to rationalize inconsistencies. A team of fans led by animator Alex Henderson released DKC: Curse of the Crystal Coconut, an animated tribute short film, in 2021 to commemorate the franchise's 40th anniversary and the Donkey Kong Country television series' 25th anniversary.{{cite web|last=Devore|first=Jordan|url=https://www.destructoid.com/donkey-kong-country-curse-of-the-crystal-coconut-animated-tribute/|title=DKC: Curse of the Crystal Coconut is an inspired animated tribute to Donkey Kong Country|website=Destructoid|date=September 15, 2021|access-date=April 2, 2022|archive-date=April 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402192548/https://www.destructoid.com/donkey-kong-country-curse-of-the-crystal-coconut-animated-tribute/|url-status=live}} Several voice actors from the Country television series reprised their roles for DKC: Return to Krocodile Isle, a follow-up animation released in 2023.{{cite web|last=Reynolds|first=Ollie|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2023/05/random-og-donkey-kong-country-tv-series-cast-reunites-for-animated-short|title=Random: OG Donkey Kong Country TV Series Cast Reunites For Animated Short|website=Nintendo Life|date=May 10, 2023|access-date=May 14, 2023|archive-date=May 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514172130/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2023/05/random-og-donkey-kong-country-tv-series-cast-reunites-for-animated-short|url-status=live}}

In the years following the original Donkey Kong{{'s}} release, the catchphrase "it's on like Donkey Kong" entered pop culture vernacular.{{cite web |last1=Elston |first1=Brett |title=Nintendo trying to trademark "It's on like Donkey Kong" |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/nintendo-trying-to-trademark-its-on-like-donkey-kong/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=November 9, 2023 |date=November 10, 2010 |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109124614/https://www.gamesradar.com/nintendo-trying-to-trademark-its-on-like-donkey-kong/ |url-status=live}} The phrase has been used in television series, films, music, and news headlines;{{cite magazine |last1=Schreier |first1=Jason |title=Nintendo Trademarks 'It's On Like Donkey Kong' |url=https://www.wired.com/2010/11/donkey-kong-trademark/ |magazine=Wired |access-date=November 9, 2023 |date=November 10, 2010 |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109124616/https://www.wired.com/2010/11/donkey-kong-trademark/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Gross |first1=Doug |title=Nintendo seeks to trademark 'On like Donkey Kong' |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/11/10/on.like.donkey.kong/index.html |publisher=CNN |access-date=November 9, 2023 |date=November 10, 2010 |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109042835/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/11/10/on.like.donkey.kong/index.html |url-status=live}} it is typically used to say something is "going down".{{cite web |last1=Purewal |first1=Sarah Jacobsson |title=Nintendo Wants to Trademark 'It's On Like Donkey Kong' |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/498587/nintendo_wants_to_trademark_its_on_like_donkey_kong.html |website=PC World |access-date=November 9, 2023 |date=November 11, 2010 |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109124616/https://www.pcworld.com/article/498587/nintendo_wants_to_trademark_its_on_like_donkey_kong.html |url-status=live}} It was popularized by the rapper Ice Cube, who used the phrase in his song "Now I Gotta Wet'cha" (1992), though it is unclear if he coined it.{{cite web |last1=Nunnely-Jackson |first1=Stephanie |title=Nintendo says, "It's on like Donkey Kong" |url=https://www.vg247.com/nintendo-says-its-on-like-donkey-kong |website=VG247 |date=November 10, 2010 |access-date=November 27, 2023 |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117144358/https://www.vg247.com/nintendo-says-its-on-like-donkey-kong |url-status=live}} Nintendo filed a trademark request for the phrase with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in November 2010 as part of its marketing push for Donkey Kong Country Returns.

Notes

References

=Citations=

=Works cited=

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{{Cite magazine |last= |date=May 2005 |title=The 10 Most Overrated Games |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |issue=190 |publisher=Ziff Davis |location=Lombard |page=50 |issn=1058-918X |ref={{SfnRef|EGM staff|2005}}}}
{{cite book | first = Nathan | last = Altice | title = I Am Error: The Nintendo Family Computer / Entertainment System Platform | isbn = 9780262028776 | publisher = MIT Press | date = 2015 | location = Cambridge}}
{{cite magazine |author1=Atko |author2=Andy |title=Donkey Kong Country |magazine=Total! |date=December 1994 |issue=36 |pages=36–39 |publisher=Future Publishing |location=Bath |issn=0964-9352}}
{{cite magazine |title=Big Buzz for an X-Mas Boom |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|issue=101 |publisher=Ziff Davis |date=December 1997|page=26 |location=Lombard |issn=1058-918X |ref={{SfnRef|EGM staff|1997}}}}
{{cite magazine |date=July 1996|title=Cover Story: Sonic 3D|magazine=Mean Machines Sega|publisher=EMAP|issue=45|pages=22–25|ref={{SfnRef|Mean Machines Sega staff|1996}} |location=London |issn=0967-9014}}
{{cite magazine |title=Donkey Kong 64 |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |publisher=Ziff Davis |date=February 2000 |issue=127 |page=178 |location=Lombard |issn=1058-918X |ref={{SfnRef|EGM staff|2000}}}}
{{cite book |last1=Epstein |first1=David |author1-link=David Epstein (journalist) |chapter=Chapter 9: Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology |title=Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World |date=June 27, 2019 |publisher=Pan Macmillan |isbn=978-1-5098-4351-0 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oEGCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT196 |location=London}}
{{cite magazine|author=The Feature Creature|date=January 1996|title=Up in the Treehouse|magazine=GamePro|publisher=IDG Communications |location=Oakland |issn=1042-8658|issue=88|pages=40–42}}
{{cite magazine |last=Hayhoe |first=Benjamin |date=July 7, 2022 |title=The Making of: Donkey Kong Land |magazine=Retro Gamer |pages=64–67 |publisher=Future plc |issue=235 |location=Bournemouth |issn=1742-3155}}
{{cite book |last=Horowitz |first=Ken |title=Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games |publisher=McFarland & Company |date=July 30, 2020 |isbn=978-1476684208 |location=Jefferson}}
{{cite book |last1=Glancey |first1=Paul |title=The Complete History of Computer and Video Games |publisher=EMAP |location=London|issn=0261-3697 |date=1996}}
{{cite magazine |ref={{harvid|CVG|1983}} |magazine=Computer and Video Games|title=Gorilla Keeps on Climbing! Kong|pages=40–41|issue=26|date=December 1983|publisher=St Ives |location=Peterborough|issn=0261-3697}}
{{cite magazine |title=The History of Donkey Kong |last1=Hunt |first1=Stuart |date=October 2007 |magazine=Retro Gamer |publisher=Imagine Publishing |issue=43 |page=29 |issn=1742-3155 |location=Bournemouth}}
{{cite book |last1=Kent |first1=Steven L. |title=The Ultimate History of Video Games |date=2001 |publisher=Three Rivers Press |location=New York City |isbn=0-7615-3643-4}}
{{cite magazine |last1=McDonnell |first1=Chet |title=Aping Mario? |magazine=Next Generation |date=January 1995 |issue=1 |page=102 |publisher=Imagine Media |location=Brisbane |issn=1078-9693}}
{{Cite magazine|last=Milne|first=Rory|date=May 14, 2018|title=The Making of: Donkey Kong Country 2|magazine=Retro Gamer|issue=181|pages=64–67 |publisher=Future plc|location=Bournemouth|issn=1742-3155}}
{{cite magazine |last1=Milne |first1=Rory |title=The Evolution of Donkey Kong Country |magazine=Retro Gamer |date=September 1, 2022 |issue=237 |pages=18–27 |publisher=Future plc|location=Bournemouth|issn=1742-3155}}
{{cite magazine|author1=Scary Larry |title=Nintendo Went Ape |magazine=GamePro |date=December 1994 |volume=6 |issue=12 |pages=51–53 |publisher=International Data Group |location=Needham |issn=1042-8658}}
{{cite magazine |last1=Semrad |first1=Ed |last2=Carpenter |first2=Danyon |last3=Manuel |first3=Al |author4=Sushi-X |title=Review Crew: Game of the Month |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |date=November 1994 |volume=7 |issue=11 |page=34 |publisher=Sendai Publications |location=Lombard |issn=1058-918X}}
{{Cite book|title=Game Over: How Nintendo Conquered the World|last=Sheff|first=David|date=1994|publisher=Vintage Books|isbn=9780307800749|edition=1st Vintage books|location=New York|oclc=780180879}}
{{cite magazine |last1=Storm |first1=E. |title=Donkey Kong Country |magazine=Diehard GameFan |date=November 1994 |volume=2 |issue=11 |pages=76–81 |publisher=DieHard Gamers Club |location=Agoura Hills |issn=1092-7212}}
{{cite magazine|author1=Undercover Lover |title=Gorilla Game Design |magazine=GamePro |date=December 1994 |volume=6 |issue=12 |pages=54–55 |publisher=International Data Group |location=Needham |issn=1042-8658}}
{{cite book|title=Wii Innovate – How Nintendo Created a New Market Through Strategic Innovation |first=Jörg |last=Ziesak |publisher=GRIN Verlag |year=2009 |isbn=978-3-640-49774-4 |page=2029 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C8rHXoUCbfAC&pg=PA2029 |location=Munich |access-date=April 9, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418041705/https://books.google.com/books?id=C8rHXoUCbfAC&pg=PA2029 |archive-date=April 18, 2016}}
{{cite magazine |last=Zuniga |first=Todd |title=Show Me the Monkey! Donkey Kong 64 |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |date=December 1999 |issue=125 |pages=219–224 |issn=1058-918X |publisher=Ziff Davis |location=Lombard}}

External links

[https://donkeykong.nintendo.com/ Official website]

Category:Nintendo franchises

Category:Video game franchises

Category:Video game franchises introduced in 1981

Category:Video games adapted into television shows