Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong is a Nintendo coin-operated Arcade game and character of the same name for one to two players from 1981. This game also introduced one of Nintendo's other recurring characters: Mario (Nintendo Character). Like most Nintendo franchises it was "invented" by Shigeru Miyamoto.

The name "Donkey Kong" was created by Miyamoto as a combination of the word "Kong" from King Kong, and "Donkey," a word which Miyamoto with his loose understanding of English believed was a general synonm for "stupid."

In the original Donkey Kong game, the player's character must jump over barrels thrown by Donkey Kong while climbing ladders to reach the top of the screen to rescue his girlfriend Pauline. Each screen is a game level, with successive levels becoming progressively harder. This game was first in the arcades, but was ported to other systems.

Since the game Donkey Kong Country, all Donkey Kong games were developed by Rare. In 2002, Rare was bought out by Microsoft; and therefore Nintendo will now develop Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong was kidnapped by Mario in Donkey Kong Junior. Then he broke into a greenhouse and got chased out by Stanley the Bugman in Donkey Kong 3. After that he went on hiatus until he appeared in Donkey Kong Country where he was the hero and he and his sidekick Diddy Kong have to save his bananas from King K. Rool. In Donkey Kong Country 2 Donkey gets kidnapped by King K. Rool and has to get rescued by Diddy Kong and his girlfriend Dixie Kong. In Donkey Kong Country 3 he and Diddy both get kidnapped and Dixie and her cousin Kiddy Kong have to save them. The Donkey Kong Land series for the Game Boy were smaller versions of the "Country" games.

In Donkey Kong 64 he has the starring role again where he has to save Diddy Kong, Tiny Kong, Lanky Kong, and Chunky Kong and his hoard of bananas. Donkey Kong also appears in a number of other games such as Mario Kart 64, the Mario Party series, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, and the two crossover games Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee. Donkey Kong is slated for several games on the Nintendo GameCube and the Game Boy Advance.