Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong
Logo since 2024
Created by	Shigeru Miyamoto
Original work	Donkey Kong (1981)
Owner	Nintendo
Years	1981–present
Films and television
Film(s)	The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Animated series	Saturday Supercade Captain N: The Game Master Donkey Kong Country
Games
Video game(s)	List of video games
Audio
Original music	"Aquatic Ambience" "DK Rap"
Miscellaneous
Toy(s)	Lego Super Mario
Theme park attraction(s)	Super Nintendo World
Related franchise(s)	Mario Banjo-Kazooie Conker

Donkey Kong^[a] 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). The franchise went on a hiatus as Nintendo shifted its 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 they were acquired by Microsoft in 2002; subsequent games have been developed by Nintendo, Retro Studios, Namco and Paon. The most recent major game was Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in 2014.

The main Donkey Kong games are platformers in which the player must reach the end of a level. Donkey Kong's role shifts between the antagonist as in the arcade games and the protagonist as in the Country 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 has also crossed over with other franchises in 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 Studios, 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, 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.
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