DK's Tree House
Template:Location-infobox DK's Tree House[1], or Donkey Kong’s Treehouse[2], is Donkey Kong's place of residence and a starting point in several Donkey Kong Country titles. It is located in the jungle portion of Donkey Kong Island and is build above a basement where the Kongs keep their stash of bananas. Originally portrayed as a wooden cabin perched on top of a tree trunk, more recent stances picture it as a rondavel hut raised on stilts high above the ground. The house is generally furnished with a television, a bed or hammock, a rug and various pictures on walls. The tree house is also commonly associated with tires, appearing both in and around it as simple furniture, as a swing or as a means of bouncing up to the house.
Outside of the Donkey Kong franchise, the tree house has become a recurring backdrop element in scenarios that involve Donkey Kong.
History
Donkey Kong franchise
Donkey Kong Country
DK's Tree House first appears in Donkey Kong Country, in which it is the starting point of the game. The house is cozy, with a picture of sailing boats on the wall, a window partially covered by blue curtains, and a vase of flowers on a table. It contains a large amount of bananas strewn about, an Extra Life Balloon that can be reached by jumping on a Tire and a picture of Candy Kong can also be seen hanging on a wall. DK's Tree House is designed after a regular cabin pattern, being constructed of wooden planks in its entirety.
In the Super Nintendo and Game Boy Color versions of Donkey Kong Country, the Kongs can only enter the tree house once each time they play the first level, Jungle Hijinxs. This is changed in the Game Boy Advance version, where the tree house is redesigned, and has a photograph inside it. Additionally, in that port of the game, after defeating Really Gnawty, when Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong enter DK's Tree House, they will find Very Gnawty inside. The beaver then turns around, shocked at the sight of DK, and runs past him out the door.
Donkey Kong 64
DK's Tree House next appears in Donkey Kong 64 where it is, once again, the starting point of the game.
In this game, DK's Tree House has many differences compared to the one in Donkey Kong Country. Instead of a bed, this tree house has a hammock. It also has much memorabilia in it, such as Cranky Kong's phonograph from Donkey Kong Country and a red girder from the original Donkey Kong arcade game. The tree house also has several barrels and crates in it, along with old banana peels.
Early screenshots of the game showed that there was going to be a shower stall in DK's Tree House with a poster of Banjo and Kazooie on it. The shower and posters were removed in the final version of the game.
Diddy Kong Pilot (2003 build)
DK's Tree House makes a cameo appearance as a background element in jungle-themed races.
Donkey Kong Country 3 (Game Boy Advance)
A room that resembles the interior of DK's Tree House appears as the background scenery of the ending credits in the Game Boy Advance re-release of Donkey Kong Country 3. The area is considerably tidier and lacks the Candy Kong portrait. A tire swing is also present inside the house.
Donkey Kong Country Returns
DK's Tree House reappears in Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D after a long absence from the Donkey Kong franchise. As in the previous games, it serves as the starting point. Upon starting the first level, the Kongs must repeatedly punch the Kalimba tiki until it is knocked out of the house (as it earlier tried to hypnotize Donkey Kong, to no avail); this occurs every time the level is re-played from the beginning. As in Donkey Kong Country, once the Kongs enter the tree house, they can find and collect an Extra Life Balloon inside.
Starting with this game, the tree house has a brand new design. Its walls are now built of bamboo stems, with the roof being round, thatched and sustained by wooden girders. In spite of all these traits, DK's Tree House still slightly maintains the furniture from Donkey Kong 64, such as the boombox, hammock, and several barrels. However, it also has two of Donkey Kong's ties hanging from the ceiling, two picture frames, and a television which shows the game's title screen (as well as playing the respective music) if activated by ground pounding (in Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, what appears to be the Japanese version's title screen is shown instead).
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
The introductory cutscene for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze shows Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Cranky Kong in the tree house celebrating Donkey Kong's birthday. As Donkey Kong prepares to eat a banana, a balloon floats outside the tree house and away from Donkey Kong Island. The balloon is noticed by a Pointy Tucks, who then looks at the island from afar on a boat with other Snowmads. Upon seeing the tree house, the Pointy Tucks panics and notifies its leader, Lord Fredrik. Fredrik then uses the horn to create an ice dragon to cover the island in snow. The resulting wind blows the Kongs off the island to the Lost Mangroves. The Snowmads subsequently declare the island for themselves as a pile of snow now resides on the tree house's roof.
Later in the game, the tree house makes a minor reappearance at the beginning of Homecoming Hijinxs in the background. It is seen again in the epilogue, where, after Donkey Kong uses the horn to return Donkey Kong Island to its usual state (and thus melt the snow present on the tree house), the Kongs form a band on the porch to perform the credits theme.
A piece of concept artwork shows that the tree house was intended to be flung along with the Kongs on the shore of a foreign island.
Donkey Kong Country television series
DK's Tree House also appears in the Donkey Kong Country television series, where it is relatively unchanged except for an elevator that is powered by a strong punch. Sometimes Donkey Kong punches the button too hard, making the elevator slam on entry and startling anyone inside of it. The Tree House additionally appears to be in a savanna, rather than a deep rainforest.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong series
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong, DK's Tree House makes a brief appearance in the prologue of the game. Donkey Kong is relaxing inside it while channel-surfing on his TV, during which stumbles upon a commercial with Mini-Marios.
Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge
DK's Tree House, borrowing its latest look from Donkey Kong Country Returns, can be seen in Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge in the background of Barrel Blast Jungle.
Mario Party series
Mario Party 7
In Mario Party 7, the porch in front of DK's Tree House represents the finish point in the Jump, Man and Vine Country minigames.
Mario Party 10
The Donkey Kong Board from Mario Party 10 contains a miniatural version of DK's Tree House, used for decoration. It resembles its appearance from Donkey Kong Country Returns.
Mario Party: The Top 100
In Mario Party: The Top 100, DK's Tree House reappears in the background of the DK minigames, Jump, Man and Vine Country from Mario Party 7. Of note is that the house retains the older cabin appearance seen in the original minigames.
Yoshi's Island DS
DK's Tree House makes a minor appearance in the introduction of Yoshi's Island DS, when the Toadies capture Baby DK.
Mario Kart series
DK's Tree House reappears in Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as an ornamental feature in the course DK Jungle. It is built on the side of a turn with Tiki Goons, above a pond surrounded by cascades. Its appearance is the same as in Donkey Kong Country Returns.
Super Smash Bros. series
DK's Tree House makes an appearance in the background of Kongo Falls in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Gallery
The tree house's exterior as seen in Donkey Kong Country
The interior of the tree house in Donkey Kong Country
Alternate artwork
The tree house's exterior as seen in Donkey Kong 64
The tree house's interior as seen in Donkey Kong 64
The tree house in the Game Boy Color version of Donkey Kong Country
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The tree house in the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country
Very Gnawty in the tree house
The tree house in Super Smash Bros. Melee
DK's Tree House in Mario vs. Donkey Kong
The tree house in Mario Party 7
Exterior in Donkey Kong Country Returns
Concept artwork of DK's hut in its renewed appearance from Donkey Kong Country Returns
The interior of the hut in Donkey Kong Country Returns
Trivia
- All three versions of Donkey Kong Country have a different musical theme for the tree house. The SNES version plays Cranky's Theme, the GBC version plays the Title music from Donkey Kong Land and the GBA version plays Bonus Room Blitz.
- Nintendo of America's product development division, Treehouse, is codenamed after Donkey Kong's residence.[3]
References
- ^ Donkey Kong 64 instruction booklet, page 33.
- ^ "We’ll take you all the way from Donkey Kong’s Treehouse to King K. Rool’s ship." - Donkey Kong Country Player's Guide, page 1.
- ^ Kotaku: Nintendo's Secret Weapon
