Kong
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| Kong | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 The main Kongs of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: clockwise from top, Donkey Kong, Dixie Kong, Cranky Kong, and Diddy Kong
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| First appearance | Donkey Kong (1981) | ||
| Latest appearance | Super Mario Party Jamboree (2024) | ||
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- “I'm the king of the Kong, the simian Don Juan.”
- —Diddy Kong, "Kong for a Day"
Kongs (known as Apes in production literature for the Donkey Kong Country television series)[1] are a species of sapient primates that make up much of the cast of the Donkey Kong franchise, with the eponymous character himself being one. Kongs are capable of actions such as speech and building houses and typically wear clothing, though the amount varies drastically with the individual, with Donkey Kong himself wearing only a tie, while many others wear full outfits. Kongs seem to be native to Donkey Kong Island, and they share an animosity with much of the crocodilian Kremling race. While most of them share the surname "Kong," they are not all directly related to one another. Kongs can resemble any number of real-life primates, with Donkey Kong, Funky Kong, and several others resembling gorillas; Diddy Kong resembling a monkey; Dixie Kong and Tiny Kong resembling chimpanzees; and Lanky Kong resembling an orangutan.
General information[edit]
Name[edit]
The name "Kong" comes from a Japanese slang word for "gorilla."[2]
Generic names of various real-life types of primates, such as "monkeys," "chimps," "gorillas," and "apes," are used fairly interchangeably to describe Kongs, especially in earlier media such as Saturday Supercade and the Donkey Kong Country cartoon, which never refer to Kongs as such outside their individual names. However, the term "baboon" seems to be reserved as an insult, potentially due to it sounding similar to the word "buffoon," and is even used against other species, such as Cranky Kong using it against Krusha in "From Zero to Hero." Despite this, Kongs are their own species separate from apes.[3]
Society[edit]
In the games, the society of Kongs lives on Donkey Kong Island, living in houses made of wood, usually built on top of trees. Donkey Kong is their king, though sometimes Cranky Kong fills the role of being a leader. Generic Kongs are not commonly seen, with most known members of the species being individual characters.
The instruction booklet for Donkey Kong Country states that Manky Kongs were rejected by the Kongs. Despite this, Lanky Kong, who is an orangutan himself, is friendly to the Kongs and also part of the Kong Family.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie, in contrast to the games, depicts the Kongs living in a bigger society and being more technologically advanced, having an entire factory dedicated to the manufacturing of karts.
Diet[edit]
Kongs usually take a strong liking to bananas, which are the subject of many stories involving the species. In particular, Donkey Kong has a cave full of them and is constantly seen eating them. Despite this, Kongs are also seen eating other kinds of food.
Speech[edit]
In the Donkey Kong Country series and in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Kongs are capable of speaking intelligibly. However, in most games where Kongs appear alongside other species, particularly humans, as demonstrated in Mario Super Sluggers and the Mario & Sonic series, they simply say the word "Ook" followed by a translation of what they are saying in parentheses. Sometimes they do not speak at all, such as in Saturday Supercade.
Kong Family[edit]
The Kong Family[4] (alternatively Kong family),[5] also known as the Donkey Kong Family,[6] Kong Klan,[7] DK Crew,[8][9] and DK Krew,[10] is the main group of Kongs, being Donkey Kong's family and close friends. The patriarch of the family is Cranky Kong, the original Donkey Kong. In the Donkey Kong franchise of video games, members of the Kong Family are either playable characters or supporting characters that aid the main heroes on their journey, although they also receive help from allies outside the family, including the Animal Friends and the Kremling K. Lumsy.
Though only officialized in Donkey Kong Country, the concept of a family of Kongs dates back to Donkey Kong Jr.
The family often uses the initials "DK" as a symbol, which most often represents Donkey Kong. It is seen on Donkey Kong's tie, DK Barrels, DK Coins, the Level Flags, DK Spaces, and various other objects around Donkey Kong Island. The symbol is also used in the Super Smash Bros. series, although in this context, it is used as the logo for the Donkey Kong franchise in general instead of just the Kong Family members (since King K. Rool and Klaptraps also use it).
According to Gregg Mayles, the characters were loosely intended to be an actual family, but the extended relations were left deliberately vague by the release of Donkey Kong Country due to uncanny details such as Diddy Kong having a tail and Candy Kong looking humanoid, as more priority was put in diversifying the designs rather than fitting it into a cohesive family tree background.[11]
List of Kongs[edit]
Donkey Kong's family[edit]
- Cranky Kong's great grandfather – Was said to have once owned an antique mirror in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble![12]
- Cranky Kong – The original Donkey Kong, the paternal figure of Donkey Kong Jr. and Donkey Kong, and Wrinkly Kong's husband.
- Donkey Kong Jr. – The son of the original Donkey Kong.
- Donkey Kong – The current Donkey Kong, Cranky Kong's descendant.
- Baby DK – The younger version of Donkey Kong in Yoshi's Island DS.
- Baby Kong – The younger version of Donkey Kong in the episode "Ape Foo Young" of the Donkey Kong Country television series.
- Diddy Kong – Donkey Kong's sidekick and Dixie Kong's boyfriend.
- Wrinkly Kong – Cranky Kong's late wife. She appeared alive prior to Donkey Kong 64; from then onwards, she has been deceased and appears as a spirit.
In addition, Donkey Kong Jr. has a relative referred to as Uncle Julius, albeit he has not been shown to be a part of the Kong clan.
Dixie Kong's family[edit]
- Dixie Kong – Diddy Kong's girlfriend, Tiny Kong's older sister, and Kiddy and Chunky Kong's cousin.
- Tiny Kong – Dixie Kong's younger sister, as well as Kiddy and Chunky Kong's cousin.
- Chunky Kong – Kiddy Kong's older brother, as well as Dixie and Tiny Kong's cousin.
- Kiddy Kong – Chunky Kong's younger brother, as well as Dixie and Tiny Kong's cousin.
Other members[edit]
- Baby Kong – A baby that was under the care of Candy Kong and Dixie Kong in the Baby Kong Blues episode of the Donkey Kong Country television series.
- Bink – A deceased Kong-like character in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. In the Nintendo 3DS remake, his appearance is the same as the rest of the skeleton sailors of the S.S. Chuckola.
- Bluster Kong – A rich arrogant Kong that runs Bluster Barrelworks on Kongo Bongo Island.
- Leo Luster – Bluster's alter-ego from the Hunka Hunka Burnin' Bluster episode of the Donkey Kong Country television series.
- Candy Kong – Donkey Kong's childhood sweetheart and rumored girlfriend.
- The driver – A Kong that takes Mario, Princess Peach, and Toad to Cranky Kong's lair in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
- Eddie the Mean Old Yeti – A Kong that lives in the mountains of Kongo Bongo Island.
- Funky Kong – Donkey Kong's friend.
- Junior (II) – A pink variant of Donkey Kong Jr.
- Kong Fu – A Kong that challenges Donkey Kong in the television show.
- Lanky Kong – An orangutan whose relationship to the other Kongs is unknown.[13][14]
- Mini Donkey Kong – A Kong that signifies an alarm.
- Monkey Kong – An implied Kong chosen to lead the Federation of Future Rulers.
- Rabbid Cranky – A Rabbid/Cranky Kong cross-creation.
- Ringo – A cartoonist friend of Donkey Kong appearing in the Donkey Kong Jungle Action Special.
- Super Kong – A powerful version of Donkey Kong that appears to help the player get through levels. Super Kong also has the ability to get a white-furred Diddy Kong as a partner.
- Swanky Kong – A Kong that hosts a game show and is very fashionable.
- Poppa – An implied Kong who is the father of Sonny who disappeared.
- Uncle Kong – A Kong similar in design to Bluster who appears in the Famitsu guide book for Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
- Various generic, unnamed Kong characters seen at the starting line of DK Jungle and Bananan Labyrinth in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX.
- Various generic, unnamed Kong characters in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, including the Kong army.
Evil Kongs[edit]
- Dread Kong – A member of the Kong boss group.
- Ghastly King, a.k.a. Cactus King – The leader of the Kong boss group.
- Karate Kong – A member of the Kong boss group.
- Ninja Kong – A member of the Kong boss group.
- Rabbid Kong – A Rabbid/Kong cross-creation.
- Mega Rabbid Kong – Rabbid Kong's corrupted alter-ego.
- Snow Kong – A Zinger disguised as a living giant Donkey Kong snowman.
- Sumo Kong – A member of the Kong boss group.
Robotic Kongs[edit]
- Candy Clone – A robotic version of Candy Kong under the control of King K. Rool in the Donkey Kong Country television series.
- Cannon Kong – Donkey Kong's robot from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.
- Capture Kong – Donkey Kong's robot from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.
- Catapult Kong – Donkey Kong's robot from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.
- Circus Kong – Donkey Kong's robot from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.
- Cool Kong – Donkey Kong's robot from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.
- Crash Kong – Donkey Kong's robot from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.
- Cyber Kong – Robotic Kong enemies that can shoot lasers from Donkey Kong Barrel Blast.
- Kongā – Donkey Kong's robot from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.
- Mecha Donkey Kong – A giant, robotic version of Donkey Kong under the control of Wario in Super Mario-kun volume 12.
- Mini Diddy Kong – A toy made by the Mario Toy Company.
- Mini Donkey Kong – A toy made by the Mario Toy Company.
Kong species[edit]
- Guerrilla – A type of enemy from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars that has an uncanny resemblance to Donkey Kong.
- Chained Kong – A stronger variant of Guerrillas, from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
- Manky Kong – A type of enemy from Donkey Kong Country that is described as a "Kong reject orangutan."[15]
- Uckykong – A type of enemy from Yoshi's Crafted World that is a hybrid between a Ukiki and a Kong.
- Snow Ucky Kong – A snow variant of the Uckykongs, from Yoshi's Crafted World.
Unused Kongs[edit]
- An unnamed, hatted Kong. – Donkey Kong Land
- An unnamed Kong with dark fur and glowing red eyes. He was replaced by Dread Kong in the final game. – Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
- The Helper Monkeys from an earlier build. – Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
- Unused Kong sidekicks. – Super Mario Strikers
- Redneck Kong, also known as "Crappy Kong." He was replaced by Candy Kong in the later build. – Diddy Kong Pilot
- An unnamed Kong genie referred to as the "Ultimate Magic Man" by unused text. He would have been the final boss of the unfinished story mode "K. Rool's Gold."[16] — Diddy Kong Pilot
Gallery[edit]
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (unused)
Super Mario Strikers (unused)
Super Mario Strikers (unused)
Super Mario Strikers (unused)
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (concept artwork)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (concept artwork)
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Emblem[edit]
Barrel
Coin
Pennant
Portal
Dirt pile
Star
Flag
Switch
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Trivia[edit]
- In Donkey Kong's character poster for The Super Mario Bros. Movie set in the Great Ring of Kong, in addition to depicting Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Swanky Kong, and Cranky Kong, there are also several other unnamed Kongs, including one who wears sunglasses that resembles Funky Kong.
Names in other languages[edit]
Kong[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | コング[?] Kongu |
Kong |
Kong Family[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | コングファミリー[?] Kongu Famirī |
Kong Family | |
| Catalan | Família Kong (The Super Mario Bros. Movie)[?] | Kong Family | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 刚家族[?] Gāng Jiāzú |
Kong Family | |
| Chinese (traditional) | 剛家族[?] Gāng Jiāzú |
Kong Family | |
| French | Famille Kong[?] | Kong Family | |
| German | Kong-Familie[?] | Kong Family | |
| Italian | Famiglia Kong[?] | Kong Family | |
| Spanish | Familia Kong[?] | Kong Family |
References[edit]
- ^ 1998. Computer Animation: A Whole New World. Rockport Publishers. ISBN 1564963772. Page 87.
- ^ De Maria, Rusel, and Wilson, Johnny L. (December 18, 2003). High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games (2nd edition). New York: McGraw-Hill/Osborne (English). ISBN 9780072231724.
- ^ KRoolKountry (January 15, 2024). Just a reminder that Donkey Kong is not an ape—he is a Kong. However, “going ape” is a phrase that can be used for Kongs as well!. X. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ 1995. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Instruction Booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 21.
- ^ "Have you been to see the other members of the Kong family? They're not as useful as me of course, but they might be able to help." – Cranky Kong. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
- ^ 1994. Donkey Kong Country Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 5.
- ^ Munson, Terry and Paul Shinoda (1996). Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 8.
- ^ "He's the first member of the DK crew!" – DK Rap singer. Donkey Kong 64.
- ^ "The DK Crew came to his tropical paradise for a little R&R." – Narrator. DK: Jungle Climber.
- ^ The back cover for the Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country 2.
- ^ GameXplain (November 16, 2019). Talking with Rare's Creative Director for DKC's 25th Anniversary! (Cut Content, Wario Plot, & More) (27:06). YouTube (English). Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ "Yes, but it's no ordinary one though! It was Cranky's great grandfather's! I can't let it go for less than 50 coins." – Bazaar. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!.
- ^ "A newcomer to the Kong clan and the joker of the pack. I haven't a clue whom he's related to—must be some distant cousin or something." – Cranky Kong (1999). Donkey Kong 64 instruction booklet. Nintendo of America. Page 8.
- ^ "The well-mannered giant gorilla is, in the truest sense of the word, a great guy, and sticks to Lanky, his uncle once-removed." – Chunky Kong bio. German Donkey Kong 64 website.
- ^ 1994. Donkey Kong Country instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 29.
- ^ Proto:Banjo-Pilot/Diddy Kong Pilot 2001 § Story Text. The Cutting Room Floor. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
| 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 | |
