Expresso
| Expresso | |
|---|---|
 Artwork fromDonkey Kong Country | |
| Full name | Expresso the Ostrich[1] |
| Species | Ostrich |
| First appearance | Donkey Kong Country (1994) |
| Latest appearance | Donkey Kong Bananza (ver. 3.1.0,DK Island & Emerald Rush,statue cameo) (2026) |
- “You guys look like you could you could[sic] use a hand. Actually, a foot. Well, really,two feet—wearing my sure-grip sneakers.”
- —Expresso,Donkey Kong Country (novel)
Expresso is anAnimal Friend first appearing inDonkey Kong Country. He is anostrich wearing a pair of white and red sports sneakers. Expresso can run fast and glide through the air by flapping his wings.
History[edit]
Donkey Kong Country series[edit]
Donkey Kong Country[edit]
Expresso is an ally inDonkey Kong Country. He is encountered inTemple Tempest,Orang-utan Gang,Ice Age Alley, andMisty Mine. Expresso cannot defeat any enemies by jumping on them since, according toCranky Kong, his legs are too thin[2]; enemies harm him in the process. On the other hand, Expresso is unaffected byKlaptraps, which pass through his long legs. Expresso's main ability is gliding distances while flapping his wings. Like the other Animal Friends, Expresso has his ownbonus stage (named Expresso Bonus! in theGame Boy Advance version), and theKongs can enter it by obtaining threeExpresso Tokens. The bonus stage is set in a jungle-themed area, and like in other Animal Friend stages, Expresso must collect as manymini Expresso Tokens within the time limit in exchange forextra lives. The sound effect of when Expresso hits an enemy is identical to the one of aMini-Necky being defeated.
Donkey Kong Country 2[edit]
InDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, a golden statue of Expresso appears in the background inside theMonkey Museum.Cranky Kong also mentions him in one of his quotes.[3]
In theGame Boy Advance remake, Expresso is a playable character in the minigameExpresso Racing. Both Cranky and his pet Expresso are atCranky's Hut, and before the game's events, Cranky used the "vast fortune" he made from his "starring role" inDonkey Kong Country to buy Expresso as a pet. However, Cranky wishes to raise Expresso as a racing bird, but his Expresso is too small and weak for racing competitions, so Cranky asksDiddy Kong andDixie Kong to find and obtaingolden feathers, which each increase a bar of Expresso's Power, Speed, Acceleration, or Boost for the Expresso Racing challenges. Expresso becomes increasingly larger each time a golden feather is given to him. Any time Expresso wins first place in Expresso Racing, he wins a gold trophy, and when all six trophies are won, Cranky rewards Diddy and Dixie with aphotograph of himself for theScrapbook. Additionally, a photograph of Expresso appears inAnimal Antics, and collecting the photograph causes it to appear under the thirteenth page of the Scrapbook.
Donkey Kong Land[edit]
Expresso is an ally inDonkey Kong Land. He is only one of the two Animal Buddies, the other one beingRambi. Like inDonkey Kong Country, Expresso also appears in four levels:Deck Trek,Mountain Mayhem,Landslide Leap, andCollapsing Clouds—mostly just inBonus Levels, however. A difference with Expresso is that he can now defeat enemies by jumping on them, includingZingers.
Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24[edit]
In the GermanClub Nintendo magazine comic "Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24," Diddy and Dixie are briefly seen riding Expresso to an airport.
Picross NP Vol.8[edit]
Expresso appears inPicross NP Vol.8 as one of the images that must be cleared.
Super Smash Bros. series[edit]
Expresso makes a few cameos in theSuper Smash Bros. series. InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, Expresso has atrophy that can be unlocked by collecting it when it appears at random in any of the game's modes, such as Vs. matches or theHome-Run Contest. InSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, there is another collectible trophy of Expresso. InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, Expresso is a Novice-class supportspirit that takes up one support slot, and during battles, fighters who use the Expresso spirit begin with 30% damage but have increased movement speed.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle[edit]
In theDonkey Kong Adventure story ofMario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Expresso makes a cameo appearance as one ofRabbid Cranky'sBoombow weapons, theExpresso Atomizer. The weapon is described as officially licensed Expresso the Ostrich merch. The description also mentions that it has doublekneecaps for authenticity, referencing how bird legs are composed of two intermediary articulations, although they have only one kneecap for each leg.
Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
A street name inNew Donk City fromSuper Mario Odyssey is "Expresso Street." One of the store signs on the side of the buildings reads "Expresso Espresso."
Donkey Kong Bananza[edit]
InDonkey Kong Bananza, a billboard inNew Donk City mentions Expresso, reading "Express-os," and displays an image of sports sneakers he wears. It also has a slogan reading, "Flap to it!", seemingly referencing the shoe brandNIKE's "Just do it" slogan.
Theostriches that appear in theForest Layer resemble Expresso, with theOstrich Elder wearing similar sneakers to him.
OnDK Island in theDK Island & Emerald Rush DLC, one of Expresso's sneakers can be found next to the mine cart rail, where it is dirty and covered in mud.
Other appearances[edit]
An Expresso appears in theBanjo-Pilot course Jinxy's Dunes. This was a leftover from the Plain Pursuit stage from the 2003 build ofDiddy Kong Pilot.
Unused appearances[edit]
Donkey Kong Racing[edit]
A stampede of Expressos appears at the start of the trailer for the canceledNintendo GameCube titleDonkey Kong Racing.
Profiles[edit]
Donkey Kong Country[edit]
- Instruction booklet:This crazy bird is a valuable animal to find. Although he can't really fly, he can run even faster than Rambi and can make long, wing assisted leaps. Expresso's legs, being long and spindly, are not suitable for jumping on enemies. Smaller enemies will crawl right under him, but larger ones are trouble. You can make Expresso flap his wings by repeatedly pressing the
Button.[4]
Super Smash Bros. series[edit]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
| Trophy Express | ||
 | ||
| Appears in: SNESDonkey Kong Country GBADonkey Kong Country 2 | ||
| How to unlock: Random | ||
| An ostrich friend with sneakers on both feet. Riding Expresso allows for high-speed dashing. As an ostrich, Expresso can't fly, but rapid button pressing can put extra distance on his jumps. This can be used to help Donkey Kong reach distant places. | ||
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS[edit]
| Trophy Expresso | ||
 | ||
| Category: Series Related | ||
| How to unlock: Random | ||
| His name is no joke—this bird is fast! Despite his size, Expresso is light as a feather and loves to glide through the air. In fact, he was too light to hurt enemies at first! He got a little stronger in Donkey Kong Land, and now jumping on foes is a piece of cake!(American English) | ||
| Just as fast as his name implies! Expresso can't fly, but his running and jumping make up for it. Try not to step on any enemies, though, or he'll get hurt! Unless you're playing the Game Boy title Donkey Kong Land, that is. If you are, he can stomp on fiendish foes to his heart's content!(British English) | ||
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
| Spirit #153 Expresso | ||
| Series/game | Donkey Kong Series |
| Type | Support | |
| Slots | 1 | |
| Class | Novice | |
| Strength / effect(s) | Trade-Off Speed ↑ | |
| How to obtain | World of Light (The Light Realm);Spirit Board | |
| Spirit battle | Opponent(s) | Falco |
| Conditions | Rule: Slippery Stage
| |
| Stage | Green Hill Zone | |
| Song | The Map Page / Bonus Level |
Gallery[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:Expresso.
Donkey Kong Land
Donkey Kong Country (GBC)
Donkey Kong Country 2 (GBA)
Diddy Kong Pilot (2003, reused inBanjo-Pilot)
Naming[edit]
Expresso's name is a portmanteau of "express" and "espresso," a type of coffee, both referring to his fast running speed.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | エクスプレッソ[5] Ekusupuresso | Expresso | |
| Korean | 익스프레스[6][7] Ikseupeureseu | Express | |
| Expresso[8] | Unmodified from the English name | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
| Portuguese | Expresso[9] | - | |
| Russian | Экспрессо[?] Ekspresso | Expresso | |
| Spanish | Expresso[?] | - |
Notes[edit]
- Cranky Kong references Expresso in theDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest instruction booklet[10][page number needed] as well as in theDonkey Kong 64 instruction booklet.[11][page number needed]
References[edit]
- ^2000.Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Color) instruction booklet.Nintendo of America (English). Page 15.
- ^"I heard that Expresso the ostrich can't jump on baddies. I guess his legs are too thin." – Cranky Kong's general advice (1994).Donkey Kong Country.Nintendo (English).
- ^"Where's Expresso? Aclumsy spider and afat parrot, is that the bestthey can think of?" –Cranky Kong.Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
- ^1994.Donkey Kong Country instruction booklet.Nintendo of America (English). Page 24.
- ^「ダチョウのエクスプレッソ」("Expresso [the] Ostrich"). 2000.ドンキーコング2001 (Donkey Kong 2001).
取扱説明書 (instruction booklet).Nintendo Co., Ltd (Japanese). Page 25. - ^Trophy list (2008).Super Smash Bros. Brawl by Sora Ltd.Nintendo.
- ^Nintendo Today!
- ^Spirit inventory (7 Dec. 2018).Super Smash Bros. Ultimate byNintendo,Sora Ltd., andBANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc (Ver. 13.0.3).Nintendo.
- ^Donkey Kong Bananzastatue
- ^"A more tragic looking bunch of useless no-hopers you'll never see! I liked Expresso and Winky--where have they gone?" –Cranky Kong.Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest instruction booklet.
- ^"I just hope they've included poor old Winky and Expresso this time instead of thatbone-brained rhino that always seems to get in the games." – Cranky Kong.Donkey Kong 64 instruction booklet.
