| Donkey Kong | |
|---|---|
| Donkey KongandMario character | |
 Art from theDonkey Kong 2026 Wall Calendar (2025) by Shigehisa Nakaue | |
| First game | Donkey Kong (1981) |
| Created by | Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Designed by |
|
| Voiced by | See section |
| In-universe information | |
| Nickname | DK |
| Species | Gorilla |
| Family | Kong family |
Donkey Kong[a] (DK) is acharacter created by the Japanese game designerShigeru Miyamoto. A flagship character of the Japanesevideo game companyNintendo, he is the star of theDonkey Kong franchise and also appears in theMario franchise. Donkey Kong is a large, powerfulgorilla who leads theKong family ofsimians. He is stubborn and buffoonish, and attacks using barrels. He wears a red necktie bearing his initials and is accompanied bysupporting characters such as his sidekickDiddy Kong, rivalMario, and archenemyKing K. Rool.
Donkey Kong debuted as the antagonist ofDonkey Kong, a 1981platform game. He has appeared in many video games, including the originalDonkey Kongarcade games, theDonkey Kong Country series ofside-scrolling platform games,Mario games such asMario Kart andMario Party, and theSuper Smash Bros. series ofcrossover fighting games. The original game characterized Donkey Kong as Mario's rebellious pet; games sinceCountry feature him as aplayer character protecting his stash of bananas. Some games includeCranky Kong,[b] an alternate, elderly incarnation who breaks thefourth wall. Donkey Kong has appeared in animation, comics,children's books,Super Nintendo World theme park attractions, and merchandise such asLego construction toys.
Miyamoto designed the originalDonkey Kong usingPopeye characters, but when Nintendo was unable to obtain the license, he created Donkey Kong to replaceBluto. He designed him as a dumb, humorous antagonist, nameddonkey to conveystubborn andkong to implygorilla, and drew inspiration from the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" and the 1933 filmKing Kong. TheRare developer Kevin Bayliss redesigned Donkey Kong as a3D model forDonkey Kong Country (1994), which served as the basis for his appearance until he was redesigned forDonkey Kong Bananza (2025). Donkey Kong has been voiced byTakashi Nagasako and Koji Takeda in games, and was voiced byRichard Yearwood in the television seriesDonkey Kong Country (1997–2000) and bySeth Rogen inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).
Donkey Kong has been listed among the greatest video game characters. He is one of Nintendo's most enduring characters; theDonkey Kong franchise was Nintendo's first major international success, established it as a prominent force in thevideo game industry, and remains one of Nintendo's bestselling franchises. Donkey Kong has also been the subject of analysis regarding his similarities toKing Kong (which sparked the 1983Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. lawsuit), his gender role, and his transition from villain to hero.
Donkey Kong, also known by his initials DK, is the star ofDonkey Kong, avideo game series andmedia franchise owned by the Japanese video game companyNintendo.[1] One of Nintendo's flagship characters,[2] he also appears in theMario franchise as aplayable character inMario Kart andMario Party games. He is playable in theSuper Smash Bros. series ofcrossover fighting games and makescameos in other Nintendo franchises,[3][4] such asPunch-Out!!.[5][6]
In his debut as the antagonist ofDonkey Kong, a 1981arcade game, Donkey Kong isMario's rebellious pet gorilla who kidnaps his girlfriendPauline and climbs a construction site.[7] He appears as Mario's captive in the sequelDonkey Kong Jr. (1982), in which he must be rescued by his sonDonkey Kong Jr.,[8] and returns as the antagonist inDonkey Kong 3 (1983) andDonkey Kong (1994).[9] Beginning withDonkey Kong Country (1994),Donkey Kong games were developed by the British studioRare until its acquisition by the Nintendo competitorMicrosoft in 2002.[1][10] He was recast as a protagonist starting withCountry,[1] though he occasionally appears as an antagonist, such as inMario vs. Donkey Kong (2004).[11]
Donkey Kong is a large and powerfulgorilla who leads theKongs, a family ofsimians. He resides in a city in earlyDonkey Kong games, but the Rare games moved his residence to Donkey Kong Island,[12] an idyllic isle.[13] Donkey Kong weighs 800 pounds (360 kg),[14] and since 1994, has been depicted wearing a red necktie bearing his initials.[9] Although Donkey Kong was introduced as an antagonist, he is not evil.Nintendo World Report's Pedro Hernandez wrote that, unlike theMario villainsBowser andWario, Donkey Kong's villainous acts are the result of jealoustemper tantrums rather than malice.[3] He is stubborn, buffoonish,[15] and innocent. He strives to help others and be accepted.[3] Donkey Kong is depicted as lazy and sleeping when he is not adventuring.[16] He protects his stash of bananas from enemies such as theKremlings, a crocodile army led by his archenemyKing K. Rool,[17] and theTiki Tak Tribe, a group of floating masks.[18] Donkey Kong is frequently accompanied by his nephew and sidekickDiddy Kong, and his girlfriend,Candy Kong.[8]
In his playable appearances, Donkey Kong is aheavyweight.[19][20][21] He throws barrels to impede the player's progress in the original game.[22] This trait is retained in his playable appearances, whereby he uses barrels as weapons or to uncoverpower-ups.[23] Donkey Kong's other abilities include slapping the ground,[24] rolling,[20] clinging onto and climbing surfaces,[25] and swinging on vines.[26] He rides vehicles such as minecarts and barrel-shaped rockets,[26][27] and animals such asRambi the Rhino andEnguarde the Swordfish.[17] InSuper Smash Bros., Donkey Kong has slow but powerful attacks such as a chargeable punch and aheadbutt;IGN's staff liken him toStreet Fighter'sZangief.[19]
ADonkey Kong cartoon produced byRuby-Spears aired as part ofCBS's hour-longSaturday Supercade programming block in 1983.[28] It follows Mario and Pauline as they attempt to capture Donkey Kong after he escapes from a circus.[29] Donkey Kong appears inCaptain N: The Game Master, aDIC Entertainment series that ran onNBC for 34 episodes between 1989 and 1991. He interacts with otherNintendo Entertainment System (NES) characters such asCastlevania'sSimon Belmont.[30][31] The animatedDonkey Kong Country (1997–2000),[32] asitcom, follows Donkey Kong as he attempts to protect a magical artifact, the Crystal Coconut, from King K. Rool.[33][34]
Donkey Kong is a major character inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023),[35] an animated film produced by Nintendo,Illumination, andUniversal Pictures.[36] Mario andPrincess Peach seek the Kongs' help to stopBowser from invading theMushroom Kingdom. The Kongs agree to help after Mario defeats Donkey Kong in an arena fight. Mario and Donkey Kong begin as foes, but learn they both want the respect of their fathers, and Donkey Kong participates in the final battle against Bowser.[37]
Appearances in printed media includeBlip, a short-livedAmerican comic book published byMarvel Comics in 1983,[38] aDonkey Kong Country comic published by theBritish comics publisherFleetway Editions in 1995,[39] andchildren's book adaptations of theCountry games by Michael Teitelbaum.[40] Donkey Kong appears on Nintendo merchandise, including clothing,[41] toys such as plushes andAmiibo figures,[42][43] andtrading cards.[44]The Lego Group introduced a Donkey KongLego figure in a series ofCountryLego Super Mario sets in 2023.[45][46] Donkey Kong also appears as amascot in aCountry-themed area atUniversal Studios'Super Nintendo World, which opened in 2024.[47][48]
Donkey Kong Country establishes that "Donkey Kong" is ahereditary title and that the Donkey Kong introduced in the Rare games is separate from the arcade games.[12] The original Donkey Kong appears as Cranky Kong, a grumpy, elderly gorilla with a beard and cane.[3][50] Cranky was initially depicted as extremely thin, which later games toned down while also giving him a thicker beard and fur.[49]
Cranky providesfourth wall-breaking humor that unfavorably compares the games to older ones such as the originalDonkey Kong.[51][52] For instance,Donkey Kong Country'sinstruction manual features commentary from Cranky denigrating the game,[53] andDonkey Kong Land's (1995)metafictional story transpires due to Cranky's claim thatCountry was only successful because ofpre-rendered graphics.[54] His wife,Wrinkly Kong, was introduced inDonkey Kong Country 2 (1995) and iskilled off as a joke inDonkey Kong 64 (1999), appearing in subsequent games as a ghost.[3]
In most games, Cranky appears as anon-player character who provides hints or sellsitems.[3][55] He is playable inDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2014), in which he can use his cane to bounce on enemies and obstacles.[56] Cranky also appears inspin-offs such as theDonkey Konga games andDonkey Kong Barrel Blast (2007),[57][58] and aRabbid incarnation appears in a Donkey Kongexpansion pack forUbisoft'sMario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (2017).[59] He is a supporting character inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie,[60] and ananimatronic at Super Nintendo World.[47] On February 20, 2014, to promoteTropical Freeze, Nintendo pretended to have Cranky take over itsTwitter account, tweeting wisecracks andimage macros.[61]
The RareDonkey Kong games referred to Cranky as both Donkey Kong's father and grandfather.[1] Nintendo often referred to Cranky as Donkey Kong's grandfather after Rare's acquisition by Microsoft,[1] butThe Super Mario Bros. Movie identifies him as Donkey Kong's father.[62]Video game journalists have noted that the inconsistency makes it unclear if the modern Donkey Kong is intended to be an adult Donkey Kong Jr., who does not appear in theCountry games.[1][12]
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In 1980, thecommercial failure of Nintendo's arcade gameRadar Scope put the newly established subsidiary Nintendo of America in a financial crisis. Its founder,Minoru Arakawa, asked his father in-law, the Nintendo CEOHiroshi Yamauchi, to provide a game that could repurpose the unsoldRadar Scope cabinets.[63] Most of Nintendo's top developers were preoccupied, so the task went toShigeru Miyamoto, a first-time game designer.[64][65] Miyamoto found most arcade games of the time dull and wanted to make one that told a story, drawing from his favorite media such as theShakespeare playMacbeth, the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast", and the 1933 filmKing Kong.[66]
Miyamoto devised alove triangle with the charactersPopeye,Olive Oyl, andBluto from thePopeye franchise, but a licensing deal between Nintendo andKing Features fell through.[65][66] Miyamoto created original characters to replace thePopeye ones; Mario and Pauline replaced Popeye and Olive Oyl, and Donkey Kong replaced Bluto.[65] Like Bluto, Donkey Kong was a hairy, brutish character.[67] Miyamoto chose a gorilla—an animal he found "nothing too evil or repulsive"—because he felt it made the scenario more interesting and humorous, and because gorillas are built similarly to humans.[66][68] "Beauty and the Beast" andKing Kong influenced the choice.[66] Concept art that Miyamoto sent toDonkey Kong's programmers atIkegami Tsushinki indicates that he replaced Bluto with Donkey Kong before removing the otherPopeye characters.[68]
Nintendo considered around 20 names for the character before settling on Donkey Kong.[69][70] It is a common misconception that "Donkey Kong" is a mistranslation of "Monkey Kong".[1]Donkey was meant to conveystubborn,[70] andkong is a generic term forgorilla in Japan.[71] Miyamoto called him "King Kong" during development, as, in Japan, it was commonly used to refer to any large ape.[72] One name, "Funky Kong", was later used fora separate character inDonkey Kong Country.[71] Other names considered included "Kong Dong" and "Kong Holiday".[69][71] Nintendo of America objected to the name "Donkey Kong" because it did not believe thatdonkey could be used to describe an idiot, but Miyamoto liked how it sounded.[73]
Donkey Kong has appeared in dozens of games.[74]Donkey Kong's popularity quickly led to the production of a sequel,Donkey Kong Jr. Miyamoto, interested in showing the narrative from Donkey Kong's perspective,[75] wanted to make him the player character, but thesprite graphic was too big to easily maneuver, so he created Donkey Kong Jr. The developers made Donkey Kong Mario's captive so they could still feature him at the top of the screen.[76]
AfterDonkey Kong 3, Donkey Kong's appearances were limited to cameos in unrelated games.[4] Several games featuring Donkey Kong were canceled, including aSega-developed arcade game,[77] the NES gameReturn of Donkey Kong,[28] and aRiedel Software Productions-developedCD-i game.[78] Nintendo staff began discussing aDonkey 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 inSuper Mario Kart (1992). However, the discussions led to the development of theGame BoyDonkey Kong game, released in 1994.[79]
The Game Boy game marked Donkey Kong's first major appearance in over 10 years,[80] before he first appeared as a protagonist in theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System gameDonkey Kong Country. Though he was not playable in the sequelsDonkey Kong Country 2 andDonkey Kong Country 3 (1996),GamesRadar+'s Henry Gilbert wrote that theCountry series nonetheless re-established Donkey Kong as one of Nintendo's major characters.[1] During theNintendo 64 era, Nintendo incorporated Rare's Donkey Kong inMario Kart 64 (1997),[81] in theparty gameMario Party (1998),[82] and in the crossover gameSuper Smash Bros. (1999).[19] Donkey Kong was a late addition toMario Kart 64, replacingKamek from prerelease versions.[83]
Following Microsoft's acquisition of Rare, Donkey Kong mostly appeared as a guest character in other Nintendo franchises, such asMario Kart,Mario Party, andSuper Smash Bros.;[3][84] theDonkey Kong franchise was mostly limited to spin-offs such asDonkey Konga andMario vs. Donkey Kong.[3] Donkey Kong did not have another major starring role after Rare'sDonkey Kong 64 untilDonkey Kong Jungle Beat (2004).[84][85] After appearing as the final boss of theWii gamePunch-Out!! (2009),[5]Retro Studios briefly revived theCountry series withDonkey Kong Country Returns (2010) andDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.[86][87]Activision'stoys-to-life gameSkylanders: SuperChargers (2015) includes Donkey Kong as a playable character in the versions released on Nintendo platforms,[88] andMario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle features him as the protagonist of an expansion pack.[89]
Tropical Freeze, released for theWii U in 2014, was the last game starring Donkey Kong for over a decade. Plans for aNintendo Switch game developed by the Activision developerVicarious Visions were canceled in 2016.[90] Nintendo began working to reestablish Donkey Kong as a major character in the 2020s, with his prominent role inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie and Super Nintendo World'sCountry area.Donkey Kong Bananza (2025) ended the post-Tropical Freeze hiatus.[91]
Miyamoto designed Donkey Kong to appear dumb,[6] as he saw him as humorous rather than evil.[66] He described Donkey Kong as atrickster;[92] in his mind, Donkey Kong's motivation was not to hurt Pauline, but to retaliate against Mario, who mistreated him.[66] With the exception ofDonkey Kong 3, Donkey Kong's character artwork during the 1980s generally portrayed him as likable, even as a villain. The Game Boy game was the first to depict Donkey Kong wearing a red tie with his initials.[9] ForDonkey Kong Country, Rare's Kevin Bayliss redesigned Donkey Kong.[93] Bayliss was asked only to make him look more modern;[94] he had no problems with the existing design, but was nonetheless excited to reinterpret him.[93]
Alongside the red tie from the Game Boy game, Bayliss gave Donkey Kong whatGamesRadar+'s Bob Mackey described as "menacing, sunken eyes and [a] beak-like muzzle".[9] Bayliss wanted a character that looked believable and could perform animations such as pounding his chest.[23] His initial design was blocky and muscular to make Donkey Kong easy to animate, but became more cartoonish when Nintendo faxed reference material.[93] Bayliss recycled the eye design from those of theBattletoads, characters he had previously designed for Rare. In retrospect, Bayliss felt this made it difficult for Donkey Kong to express emotions besides annoyance.[95]
Miyamoto provided some suggestions,[6][96] but otherwise left the specifics to Bayliss.[23]Donkey Kong Country marked Donkey Kong's first appearance as a3D model,[97] and the limitations of technology at the time influenced the redesign. Miyamoto asked that Donkey Kong have eyebrows and tangible fur, but both were infeasible. For the eyebrows, Rare compromised by making the area around Donkey Kong's eyes black. Miyamoto suggested the tie to better convey Donkey Kong's stubbornness. He felt Rare "breathed new life into" Donkey Kong and made him "really cool", but also childish.[6] Because real gorillas move slowly, Rare based Donkey Kong's running animation on a horse'sgallop.[96]Steve Mayles rendered Donkey Kong's finalized 3D model in mid-1993.[98]
Nintendo used the Bayliss design for decades in bothDonkey Kong andMario games.Paon reintroduced elements of the arcade-era design for Donkey Kong's appearance inDK: King of Swing (2004), but they were not retained in subsequent games, includingKing of Swing's sequelDonkey Kong: Jungle Climber (2007).[9] Miyamoto said Nintendo began working to make Donkey Kong more expressive duringJungle Beat's development.[99]Nintendo EPD redesigned Donkey Kong for theNintendo Switch 2 gameDonkey Kong Bananza,[100] although the design first appeared inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie andMario Kart World (2025).[101] The design, which combines elements of the Bayliss design with the original arcade-era one, features larger eyes, a less angular brow, and lighter fur.[97][102][103] EPD wanted to merge the expressiveness of Miyamoto's original design and his morecool and adventurousCountry depiction,[104] aiming to remain true to Miyamoto's vision and account for how different generations ofDonkey Kong fans saw the character.[105] Nintendo began updating merchandise and artwork to reflect the redesign in January 2025.[106]
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Donkey Kong does not have a consistent voice across games,[107] and generally makes gorilla noises instead of speaking in full sentences.[108]Charles Martinet, who voiced Mario and otherMario characters until 2023, also voiced Donkey Kong for the 1994 "Mario in Real Time"trade show attraction.[109][110] When developingDonkey Kong Country, Rare planned to use real gorilla noises and visitedTwycross Zoo near the company's headquarters to record them. The composerDavid Wise described the visit as "a complete waste of time".[111] Outside of feeding times, the gorillas were too quiet, so a Rare staffer,Mark Betteridge, provided Donkey Kong's voice.[111]Grant Kirkhope voiced Donkey Kong while composing music forDonkey Kong 64;[112][113] his voice appeared in games such asMario Kart: Double Dash (2003), theGame Boy Advance port ofDonkey Kong Country, andMario vs. Donkey Kong.[114][115]Takashi Nagasako, the most prolific Donkey Kong voice actor, voiced him in 37 games fromMario Power Tennis (2004) toDonkey Kong Country Returns HD (2025).[116] In 2025, Koji Takeda, who voiced Donkey Kong in the Japanese dub ofThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, assumed the role fromMario Kart World onward.[117]
In his early animated appearances, Donkey Kong was voiced by the comedianSoupy Sales and the actorGarry Chalk.[113]Richard Yearwood voiced Donkey Kong in theDonkey Kong Country animated series, andSterling Jarvis performed his singing voice.[116] Yearwood reprised the role for a fan-made short film in 2023.[32] The actor and comedianSeth Rogen voiced Donkey Kong inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie. Rogen, a fan ofDonkey Kong since childhood,[118] used his regular speaking voice, as he felt the role did not require an unusual one.[108] He said that, during casting, "I was very clear that I don't do voices. If you want me to be in this movie, then it's going to sound like me and that's it... I think in the film and in the game, all you seem to know about Donkey Kong is that he throws barrels and does not like Mario very much. And that's what I ran with."[119] The directors gave Rogen freedom to approach the role, and most of his directions were to yell and sound angry.[120] Rogen enjoyed the role and expressed interest in reprising it.[118]
Donkey Kong is one of the most iconic video game characters,[4][121][122] and has been listed as one of the greatest.[122][123] The originalDonkey Kong was Nintendo's first major international success and established it as a prominent force in thevideo game industry;[124][125]IGN attributed its success to the popularity of Donkey Kong as a character.[65]Donkey Kong featured a level of narrative depth unprecedented in games at the time,[126][127] and gave Nintendo its first marketable characters.[128] Donkey Kong was more popular than the protagonist, Mario, and he was the overwhelming focus of merchandise.[129] Nintendo soon began to push Mario as a leading character,[128] and Donkey Kong's popularity faded.[121]
Game Informer's Ben Reeves wrote thatDonkey Kong Country reestablished Donkey Kong's independent identity,[121] andUSgamer's Jeremy Parish said that it "brought back [Donkey Kong] in true '90s style".[4] It positioned him as a competitor to Sega'sSonic the Hedgehog and other "hip anthromorph" platformer mascots,[17][130] and was credited with helping Nintendo pull ahead of Sega towards the end of the16-bit era'sconsole war.[131]GamePro's Lawrence Neves praised Donkey Kong's design for its details, such as his tie moving while he runs,[132] andTotal!'s reviewers said the quality of his animations surpassed that of aDisney Animation film.[133] Critics enjoyed Donkey Kong's gameplay dynamic with Diddy Kong.[134][135]Total!'s reviewers considered Donkey Kong more fun to control,[136] althoughHardcore Gaming 101's David DiRienzo found their control differences mostly superficial.[17]
Nintendo World Report's Pedro Hernandez said the first twoCountry games cemented Donkey Kong as one of his favorite Nintendo characters.[15] He found Donkey Kong endearing for his "innocence and humanity" in his attempts to help and feel accepted, and fascinating due to his in-universe history and expansive family.[3]Country's critical standing declined in the 2000s, journalists deeming its emphasis on visual fidelity over gameplay innovation an example ofstyle over substance.[134][137][138]GameSpy's staff disliked theCountry Donkey Kong redesign, which they felt was inferior to the unruly yet endearing arcade design, and expressed dismay that Nintendo retained it.[137]GamesRadar+'s Bob Mackey said the design looked fine when considering the limitations of 1994 rendering technology but expressed surprise that Nintendo continued to use it without major alterations. He wrote that by 2014, it had become "increasingly bizarre to see this product of mid-90s technology dropped into games with real-time visuals that handily outclass Rare's pre-rendered relics".[9]
After Rare's departure from the franchise, Donkey Kong's standing declined.Paste's Garrett Martin wrote that his popularity peaked in the early 1980s and mid-1990s, and onlyDonkey Kong Country Returns came close to matching the sales of the arcade and SNES games.[139]IGN's Jesse Schedeen said that, by 2009, Donkey Kong was only kept relevant by hisSuper Smash Bros. appearances, as his name had become "almost synonymous with gimmicky games" likeDonkey Konga.[140] Schedeen called him one of the most overrated video game characters,[140] andVice's Ian Dransfield said that games starring Donkey Kong were outclassed by those starring Mario andRayman.[138]
GamesRadar+'s Scott McCrae said being a Donkey Kong fan was difficult due to the hiatuses between major games,[141] andTheGamer's Adam Starkey said that Donkey Kong had "unfairly remained in Mario's shadow" in the decades following Rare's departure.[142]IGN's Logan Plant wrote that beforeDonkey Kong Bananza's announcement it seemed as if Nintendo did not care about Donkey Kong.[143] Starkey noted that his 40th anniversary in 2021 passed without acknowledgement from Nintendo, which he joked was "grounds for aHR complaint".[142] He felt one could not celebrate Mario without acknowledging Donkey Kong and found it odd that Bowser had usurped Donkey Kong's role as Mario's nemesis, given the characters' history.[142] Journalists expressed excitement for Donkey Kong's return inDonkey Kong Bananza,[141][143][144] andPolygon felt its emphasis on destruction was a natural fit for his character.[145]
Donkey Kong's 2025 redesign was divisive.[146][147][148] After it was teased alongsideMario Kart World,TheGamer's Stanley Henley complained that it turned him into a generic "ugly inflatable", reflecting a trend for "aesthetic simplicity over visual flavor" in brands.[149]Vice's Anthony Franklin II called the redesign "awesome" following its reveal in theDonkey Kong Bananza trailer, which they felt demonstrated that fans were too hasty to judge it,[150] andGamesRadar+ described it as "peak Donkey Kong... He's got the goofy look, but still has the ability to look super intense".[141] Bayliss considered the new design superior and said design changes were necessary for characters to endure.[147] He felt there was nothing to debate and that fans should embrace change.[146]
Regarding Donkey Kong's appearance inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie,Game Informer's Brian Shea considered Rogen a perfect fit for Donkey Kong,[151] andMashable's Kristy Puchko said he brought "earnest glee" in his performance.[152] Others felt Rogen's use of his regular speaking voice was lazy.[119][153]Kotaku's Sisi Jiang called Rogen's explanation for not using a unique voice baffling, as he "seem[ed] to be arguing for a flattening of his own character, rather than building his own creative spin on it".[119] Some critics considered Donkey Kong underused, which they tied to broader criticism that the story was underdeveloped.[154][155]
Donkey Kong has been described as aparody of King Kong,[15][71] with Hernandez writing that the original game "was almost a mockery of the premise" of the firstKing Kong film.[67] Whereas King Kong is fearsome, Donkey Kong is silly and foolish.[15][67] In the 1983Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. lawsuit,Universal alleged thatDonkey Kong violated itsKing Kong trademark. The judgeRobert W. Sweet ruled it was unlikely that anyone would confuse the two, as Donkey Kong was "farcical, childlike and nonsexual" compared to King Kong, "a ferocious gorilla in quest of a beautiful woman".[71] He noted stark contrasts between King Kong, who goes on bloody rampages and viciously attacks foes, and Donkey Kong, who bounces and struts to taunt the player and uses humorous obstacles such as cement tubs and pies.[71]
The originalDonkey Kong features a simpledamsel in distress narrative with traditional gender roles, which Miyamoto reused in hisSuper Mario andLegend of Zelda games.[156][157] Donkey Kong,hypermasculine and brutish, kidnaps the passive Pauline, who must be rescued by the "appropriately masculine" hero, Mario. However, due to the cyclical gameplay, the masculine Mario is unsuccessful in defeating the hypermasculine Donkey Kong, who always recaptures Pauline.[157] TheWestern New England University professor Edward Wesp found this makes Donkey Kong similar to theLooney Tunes characterRoad Runner, and Mario akin to the perpetually failingWile E. Coyote. Wesp writes that Mario's "determination and skill... will, in the end, fail to overcome [Donkey Kong]'s brutish power".[157]
Games featuring Donkey Kong as a protagonist depict melodramatic adventures that emphasize action over characterization.[158] According toPopMatters's Erik Kersting, in his initial appearance, Donkey Kong is similar to Nintendo villains such asMario's Bowser,Zelda'sGanon, andMetroid'sRidley, in that he is animalistic, unclothed, and unrelatable, much like the literary villainsCaliban andGollum. Kersting observed that, in turning Donkey Kong into a protagonist,Donkey Kong Country "domesticated" him, adding the tie to clothe him and supporting Kongs to provide a family.[159] The tie—as well as Donkey Kong's contrast with the crocodilian King K. Rool, a more primitive animal—suggests Donkey Kong possesses sophistication and nobility and does not merely act upon impulse. The Kong family highlights that Donkey Kong cares for others and is past kidnapping. The player thus perceives him as selfless and admirable.[159]
Donkey Kong has been described as inheriting theracial stereotypes associated with theKing Kong narrative, specifically using ape imagery to symbolize black men as brutes obsessed with white women.[160] There is no evidence that Miyamoto or Nintendo executives intentionally drew from racial stereotypes when creating Donkey Kong, but the researcher Sam Srauy argued that Donkey Kong "played into pre‐existing racial beliefs in the United States and further set the video game industry on a path dependency toward reifying racism".[161] Srauy wrote that Donkey Kong continued to embody racist tropes after becoming a protagonist, finding his post-Country laziness evocative of the "porch monkey" stereotype.[16]
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Donkey Kong remains one of Nintendo's bestselling franchises, with 82 million copies sold by 2025.[139] Journalists described Donkey Kong as a mascot for both Nintendo and the video game industry.[c] The catchphrase "it's on like Donkey Kong" has entered pop culture vernacular,[164] used in television series, films, music, and news headlines to say something is "going down".[165][166][167] In 2007, theMonster Jam racing series obtained the license to use Donkey Kong's appearance for amonster truck. The truck debuted in a December 2007 show inMinneapolis and toured with Monster Jam throughout 2008.[168]
Ralph, the protagonist of the video game-themedWalt Disney Animation Studios filmWreck-It Ralph (2012), was inspired by Donkey Kong.[169] He is introduced as the antagonist of aDonkey Kong-like arcade game and has similar proportions.[170][171]Entertainment Weekly described him as "a kind of human version of Donkey Kong".[172] The director,Rich Moore, said Ralph was conceived as an animal similar to Donkey Kong,[173] and the animators used Donkey Kong as a reference when designing 8-bit sprites of Ralph.[174]
Donkey Kong appears in Patrick Jean'sPixels (2010), a short film which depicts 1980s video game characters attacking New York City.[175] He reappears in the feature film adaptationPixels (2015), which expands the premise to depict alien invaders using the characters to conquer Earth.[176] The director,Chris Columbus, said Donkey Kong's inclusion required months of negotiations, and Nintendo granted permission after determining the filmmakers were treating him with respect.[177] The filmWar for the Planet of the Apes (2017) features treacherous apes nicknamed "donkeys" in reference to Donkey Kong.[178]
Donkey Kong has inspiredinternet memes,[179][180] including a 2022 phenomenon in whichTwitter users responded to posts from thePringles account byspamming a picture of Donkey Kong shooting lightning from his groin.[179] Thetransgender rights movement adopted Donkey Kong as an icon after the YouTuberHarry "Hbomberguy" Brewis livestreamed a playthrough ofDonkey Kong 64 for over 50 hours to raise funds for the British charityMermaids in 2019, in response to theNational Lottery Community Fund considering canceling a £500,000 grant.[181] Kirkhope made a guest appearance during the stream to say "trans rights" in his Donkey Kong voice.[182]Laura Kate Dale, a transgender game journalist, wrote for theBBC that posting images of Donkey Kong became "a powerful act of protest and a way to remind one man that his attempt to remove financial support from the trans community failed" following the livestream.[181]
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