Swanky Kong
| Swanky Kong | |
|---|---|
 Swanky Kong in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! | |
| Species | Kong |
| First appearance | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) |
| Latest appearance | The Super Mario Bros. Movie (cameo) (2023) |
- “Give them a big hand folks! Good evening, I'm Swanky Kong and you're tonight's contestants on my Bonanza! It's easy to play! Just pick a game and you're away!”
- —Swanky Kong, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Swanky Kong, spelled Swankey Kong on one occasion,[1] is a member of the Kong Family and a game show host. He makes his first appearance in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. He is notable for being a flashy entrepreneur; in his first appearance, he wears a blue coat and has an afro hairstyle. In his second appearance, however, he wears a fancy suit with a matching cane, his hair is covered by a bowler hat, and he appears to be much taller. His face resembles that of Donkey Kong's.
History
Donkey Kong Country series
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Swanky hosts an optional game show at Swanky's Bonus Bonanza; here, he provides three quizzes to Diddy and Dixie Kong regarding the game's content, and he requires a fee of Banana Coins if the Kongs want to participate. Swanky rewards the Kongs with extra lives if they correctly answer all three questions within a quiz.
In the Game Boy Advance version, Candy Kong can be seen in the background as Swanky's assistant on the show. When all of Swanky's quizzes are completed, Diddy and Dixie receive a photograph of him, something that they are required to obtain for Wrinkly Kong's Scrapbook sidequest. In addition, Swanky was given another role where he charges ten Banana Coins if the Kongs want to rematch a boss, so during the battle, a timer appears at the top-center of the screen, and when the battle concludes, Swanky rewards the Kongs with prizes, the value of which depends on how well they performed in the boss battle.
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, Swanky hosts a circus tent called Swanky's Sideshow, where participants can compete in a ball-throwing contest for prizes. Swanky is only ever seen by his upper half, because he is always sitting inside of a barrel, which obscures his lower half, even within his Dixie Kong's Photo Album photograph. However, Swanky's entire body is seen in his official artwork. At his place, Swanky charges Dixie or Kiddy a few bear coins to compete in various throwing contests against Cranky Kong. If the Kongs can achieve a higher score than Cranky, then Swanky awards them with prizes, including bananas and bear coins. Like the previous game, Swanky's role is optional and is unrelated to the main storyline.
In the Game Boy Advance version, Swanky hosts a different location, Swanky's Dash, where he allows Dixie to compete in a virtual reality-type minigame where the goal is to collect stars on a rotating landscape. However, he forbids Kiddy from participating due to his young age. Unlike the original version, Swanky's outfit also went unchanged from his previous appearance in Donkey Kong Country 2. When Dixie first wins a Swanky's Dash challenge, the only time she is required to do, Swanky rewards her and Kiddy with a Banana Bird and a DK Coin.
Donkey Konga 2
Swanky Kong makes a few cameos in Donkey Konga 2. In Freestyle Zone, both his artwork from Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Country 3 sometimes appear on-screen as the player is freely drumming. In Western versions, Swanky is also one of the selectable badges after finishing a song or in the Match That Badge! challenge, replacing one of the human badges from the Japanese release.
Mario Superstar Baseball
Swanky’s tent from Donkey Kong Country 3 makes a cameo appearance on a wooden billboard in the Donkey Kong Jungle in Mario Superstar Baseball.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Swanky Kong appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a support spirit, using his original artwork. The battle to unlock him involves battling Donkey Kong, who is easily distracted by items.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Swanky Kong makes a cameo appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, where he can be seen on a kart slipping on a Banana Peel dropped by the driver who drives Mario, Princess Peach and Toad to Cranky Kong's palace. In addition to that, in Donkey Kong's promotional poster, Swanky Kong can be seen in the audience at the Great Ring of Kong. The film marks Swanky Kong's first physical appearance in over 17 years since the Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country 3.
Profiles
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
- Instruction booklet (page 16): His show’s on the road now. Play the throwing game to win top quality prizes.
- Player's Guide (page 9): Swanky Kong is taking his flashy games on the road. Cough up two Bear coins and take a chance on your choice of three different games. If you're playing in two-player mode, you can compete against your teammate. But watch out if you're playing in one-player mode: there's a grumpy old ape running around hustling players for Bear Coins.
Rarewhere: DKC Trilogy Cast List
APPEARS IN: DKC 2, 3
The second great entrepreneur of the Kong family alongside Funky, Swanky has aimed for a career in showbiz since being bitten by the game show bug further back than he can remember. His original Bonus Bonanza trivia quiz proved popular but led to allegations of favouritism regarding Dixie and Diddy, prompting Swanky to branch out and tour the surrounding lands with a new sideshow featuring a triumphant Cranky as defending champion. Despite his love of competition, Swanky is a generous soul and, true to tradition, never lets anyone walk away empty-handed.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirit
| # | Name | Image | Series / game | Type | Class | Strength / effect(s) | How to obtain | Spirit battle | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent(s) | Battle conditions | Stage | Song | ||||||||
| 143 | Swanky Kong | 
|
Donkey Kong Series | Support (1) | Novice | Banana Gun Equipped | Spirit Board | Donkey Kong | Rule: Item: Beastball
|
Kongo Jungle | Funky's Fugue |
List of appearances by date
| Title | Description | Release date | System/format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest | Non-playable character | 1995 | SNES |
| Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! | Non-playable character | 1996 | SNES |
| Donkey Kong Country 2 | Non-playable character | 2004 | Game Boy Advance |
| Donkey Konga 2 | Cameo | 2004 | Nintendo GameCube |
| Mario Superstar Baseball | Cameo | 2005 | Nintendo GameCube |
| Donkey Kong Country 3 | Non-playable character | 2005 | Game Boy Advance |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Cameo as a spirit | 2018 | Nintendo Switch |
Gallery
Artwork
Artwork from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Artwork with the Kong Family (Swanky appears on the far right)
Artwork from Donkey Kong Country 3's website
The Super Mario Bros. Movie poster, with Swanky Kong in the crowd behind Donkey Kong (bottom stands, right side)
Sprites
Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3 (GBA)
Donkey Konga 2 (Freestyle Zone)
Donkey Konga 2 (Freestyle Zone)
Donkey Konga 2
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (spirit)
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | スワンキーコング[?] Suwankī Kongu |
Swanky Kong | |
| French | Swanky Kong[?] | - | |
| Russian | Свэнки Конг[?] Swenki Kong |
Swanky Kong | |
| Spanish | Swanky Kong[?] | - |
References
- ^ Nintendo Magazine System (AU) Issue #36, page 22.
| Kongs | |
|---|---|
| Kong characters | |
| Baby Kong • Bink • Bluster Kong (Leo Luster) • Candy Clone • Candy Kong • Chunky Kong • Cranky Kong (Young) • Cranky Kong's great grandfather • Diddy Kong • Dixie Kong • Donkey Kong (Baby, Robot) • Donkey Kong Jr. • Dread Kong • Driver • Eddie • Funky Kong • Ghastly King • Karate Kong • Kiddy Kong • Kong Fu • Lanky Kong • Mecha Donkey Kong • Mini Donkey Kong (Game & Watch) • Monkey Kong • Ninja Kong • Rabbid Cranky • Rabbid Kong (Mega) • Ringo • Snow Kong • Sumo Kong • Super Kong • Swanky Kong • Tiny Kong • Uncle Kong • Wrinkly Kong | |
| Kong species | |
| Chained Kong • Cyber Kong • Guerrilla • Helper Monkey • Kong • Manky Kong • Mini Diddy Kong • Mini Donkey Kong (toy) • Ninjape • Snow Ucky Kong • Uckykong | |
| Donkey Kong's robots | |
| Cannon Kong • Capture Kong • Catapult Kong • Circus Kong • Cool Kong • Crash Kong • Kongā | |
| Kong groups | |
| Donkey Kong's robots • Kong (boss group) • Kong Family | |
