KONG Letters
Artwork of the KONG Letters fromDonkey Kong Country Returns 3D
First appearance	Donkey Kong Country (1994)
Latest appearance	Donkey Kong Bananza (2025)
Related Letter Block
Comparable Ace Coin Advance Coin Color coin Comet Medal Dragon Coin Green Star Musical Coin Pauline's lost items Present (Mario vs. Donkey Kong) Red Coin Smiley Flower Special Heart Star Coin Star Medal

“Keep your eyes open for those KONG Letters, they might be worth something!”

—Cranky Kong,Donkey Kong Country Returns

KONG Letters^[1][2][3] (alternatively formatted asK-O-N-G Letters,^[4][5][6]K O N G Letters,^[7][8] orKONG letters^[9][10]), also known asGolden Letters,^[11]KONG Golden Letters,^[12]Letter panels,^[13] or simplyletters,^[14] are recurring collectible items in theDonkey Kong Country series andDonkey Kong Land series. They are a set of four square-shaped objects, each displaying a letter of "Kong," and they first appear inDonkey Kong Country. KONG Letters are in everylevel except boss levels. All four letters can be collected for a reward, usually anextra life; in some games, collecting them is mandatory. KONG Letters also serve as loose progress indicators, as the letterK usually appears at the start, the lettersO andN appear midway through the level, and the letterG appears near the end.

The original trilogy depicts KONG Letters as flat gold-lined objects with one of the four letters stamped on. InDonkey Kong Country Returns (as well asits Nintendo 3DS port andits Nintendo Switch port) andDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (as well asits Nintendo Switch port), the KONG Letters are redesigned with a more simplistic appearance, resembling plain red panels with yellow letters.

History[edit]

Donkey Kong Country /Donkey Kong Land trilogy[edit]

Artwork of all four KONG Letters fromDonkey Kong Country

KONG Letters appear in each stage, typically in plain sight, but some are hidden or inBonus Areas. SomeEnd of Level Targets inDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest include aG amongst the rewards, and a KONG Letter sometimes hides inside atreasure chest.

Artwork of the KONG Letters fromDonkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!

Certain levels have two of the same letter, and collecting one makes the other disappear. For example, inDonkey Kong Country'sSnow Barrel Blast, there are two letterG's, each appearing in a path that the Kongs can take. InDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest'sChain Link Chamber, there are two letterO's in the same area. North American releases ofDonkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! do not have a letterG inRocket Rush.^[15]

InDonkey Kong Country, yellow letters similar to the KONG Letters appear in the "Spell it Out!"bonus room challenges. The goal is tojump at the letters to spell out a word in the correct order. In thesecond remake only, collecting every letter is required for 101%completion, and the player can check the statistics for KONG Letters from the level stats menu.

InDonkey Kong Land only, collecting all four KONG Letters enables the player to save their progress. TheKong Krazy level has several KONG Letters that are used for constructing bridges and stairways. A button after each set allows the KONG Letters to form into a platform to cross a gap.

In the original version ofDonkey Kong Country, the KONG Letter sprites sparkle and shimmer. In the sequels and Game Boy Advance version, however, they spin instead.

Donkey Konga 3[edit]

InDonkey Konga 3, the KONG Letters are hung as decorations, surrounded by garlands in the Snowman (Fuyu) background.

DK: Jungle Climber[edit]

InDK: Jungle Climber, KONG Letters were renamedKONG Panels,^[16] and they retain their role as collectible items. Like inDonkey Kong Country's Game Boy Advance version, the KONG Panels are required collectibles, and they grant an extra life if all four in a level are collected.

Donkey Kong Country Returns /3D /HD[edit]

InDonkey Kong Country Returns (as well as itsNintendo 3DS port and itsNintendo Switch port), KONG Letters are important collectible items, as progress for KONG Letters is tracked on the Level Selection Screen. All levels have exactly four KONG Letters, one of each. KONG Letter collection is saved only at checkpoints (hosted bytutorial pig) and at the end of a level. KONG Letters collected before saving at one of these points revert to being uncollected should the player be defeated. Unlike in most games with collectible items that are tracked on their equivalent of a Level Selection Screen, and unlikePuzzle Pieces, KONG Letters that the player has already collected are not differentiated from KONG Letters that the player has not collected yet. KONG Letters do not appear in the Time Attack mode.

When Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong obtain every letter in a level in the same playthrough, the level is marked with a KONG Letter icon:^[17] an orange pin with a black star. When the player has every KONG Letter icon in aworld, Donkey Kong and Diddy unlock a Key Temple, a challenging level that lacks KONG Letters but ends with the player collecting one of theRare Orbs. KONG Letters do not appear in boss levels,Lift-off Launch, or theGolden Temple. InDonkey Kong Country Returns 3D andDonkey Kong Country Returns HD, the Golden Temple's lack of KONG Letters extends to all of the levels in theCloud world.

Unlocking Mirror Mode requires collecting every KONG Letter due to cascading requirements from the Rare Orbs. In Mirror Mode, the letters on the KONG Letters are flipped like the other surroundings. InDonkey Kong Country Returns 3D andDonkey Kong Country Returns HD, collecting all the KONG Letters from a level in Mirror Mode changes the KONG Letter icon from orange to blue but has no further effect. This does not count for200% completion.

Prima Games refers to the KONG Letters individually as theK Block,^[18]:30O Block,^[18]:30N Block,^[18]:31 andG Block.^[18]:31

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit]

The letterK fromDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

InDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port, KONG Letters retain their appearance and role fromDonkey Kong Country Returns. The Kongs must collect every KONG Letter in a world to unlock a temple level, which has amysterious relic instead of a Rare Orb. OnHard Mode, the KONG Letters are colored blue; collecting them colors the star icon near a level's name from red to blue, although they are not required for 200% completion.

Donkey Kong Bananza[edit]

KONG tiles inDonkey Kong Bananza

InDonkey Kong Bananza,KONG tiles are large golden chunks that can be thrown to create explosions. The set of four is summoned by scanningDonkey Kong–relatedamiibo, including theDonkey Kong &Pauline amiibo released alongside the game, Donkey Kong andDiddy Kong's amiibo from theSuper Mario series andSuper Smash Bros. series and Power-Up Bands fromSuper Nintendo World, andKing K. Rool's amiibo from theSuper Smash Bros. series.^[19][20]

Super Nintendo World[edit]

The K letter

Four KONG Letters can be found spread throughout the Donkey Kong Country area inSuper Nintendo World. As such, they appear only in Universal Studios Japan and Universal Epic Universe. Interacting with one using aPower-Up Band awards the guest with astamp of its respective letter.

Icon	Name	Requirement	Category	Repeatable	Coins Earned
	Letter K	Find the letter K.	Donkey Kong Country	No	15
	Letter O	Find the letter O.	Donkey Kong Country	No	15
	Letter N	Find the letter N.	Donkey Kong Country	No	15
	Letter G	Find the letter G.	Donkey Kong Country	No	15

Profiles[edit]

Donkey Kong Land series[edit]

Donkey Kong Land[edit]

• Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console manual description:
  • English (United Kingdom):
    There is one of each letter to be found in each level. Collect them all and you will be able to save your progress.
  • Other languages:
    • French (European):
      Ces 4 lettres se trouvent dans chaque niveau. Obtenez-les toutes pour pouvoir sauvegarder votre progression.
    • German:
      Diese Buchstaben können in jedem Level gefunden werden. Wenn du sie alle sammelst, kannst du deinen Fortschritt speichern.
    • Italian:
      In ciascun livello del gioco si celano le quattro lettere della parola KONG. Trovale tutte per salvare i tuoi progressi.
    • Spanish (European):
      En cada fase podrás encontrar las letras que forman la palabra KONG. Si consigues reunirlas todas, podrás guardar la partida.

Donkey Kong Land 2 /Donkey Kong Land III[edit]

• Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console manual description:
  • English (United Kingdom):
    Retrieve all of the K O N G letters in a single stage to receive an extra heart.
  • Other languages:
    • French (European):
      Récoltez toutes les lettres K O N G dans un niveau pour obtenir un cœur supplémentaire.
    • German:
      Sammele alle K-O-N-G-Buchstaben in einem einzelnen Level ein, um ein zusätzliches Herz zu erhalten.
    • Italian:
      Scova le lettere KONG disseminate in ciascun livello per ottenere un cuore extra.
    • Spanish (European):
      Si recoges las letras K O N G en una misma fase, conseguirás un corazón adicional. (Donkey Kong Land 2)
      Si recoges todas las letras K O N G en una misma fase, conseguirás un corazón adicional. (Donkey Kong Land III)

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest[edit]

• Wii U Virtual Console manual description:
  • English:
    Collect the letters to spell KONG and earn an extra life.

Gallery[edit]

For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:KONG Letters.

• 

  LetterK sprite fromDonkey Kong Country

• 

  LetterO sprite fromDonkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

• 

  LetterN sprite fromDonkey Kong Country (Game Boy Color)

• 

  LetterG sprite fromDK: Jungle Climber

Names in other languages[edit]

Notes[edit]

• InDonkey Kong Country, in some bonus games, other letters exist in K-O-N-G Letter form. All letters exceptF,H,J,L,Q,V, andZ are used in-game.^[42]

References[edit]

• Collectibles
• Donkey Kong items
• DK: Jungle Climber
• Donkey Kong Bananza objects
• Donkey Kong Country items
• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest items
• Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! items
• Donkey Kong Country Returns items
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze items
• Donkey Kong Land items
• Donkey Kong Land 2 items
• Donkey Kong Land III items
• Super Nintendo World

• Articles with sources lacking page numbers
• Articles with stub sections
• Articles with unsourced foreign names