KONG Letters

KONG Letters
Artwork of the KONG Letters from Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
First appearance	Donkey Kong Country (1994)
Latest appearance	Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo Switch) (2018)

“Keep your eyes open for those KONG Letters, they might be worth something!”

—Cranky Kong, Donkey Kong Country Returns

KONG Letters (alternatively formatted as K-O-N-G Letters, K O N G Letters, or KONG letters), also known as Golden Letters, KONG Golden Letters, Letter panels, or simply letters, are recurring collectible items in the Donkey Kong franchise, first appearing in Donkey Kong Country. They are a set of four square-shaped objects, each displaying a letter of "Kong," and they appear in every level except boss levels. All four letters can be collected for a reward, usually an extra life; in some games, collecting them is mandatory. KONG Letters also serve as loose progress indicators, as the letter K usually appears at the start, the letters O and N appear midway through the level, and the letter G appears near the end.

In the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy, KONG Letters are flat gold-lined objects with a letter stamped onto each of them. In Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (and its Nintendo Switch port), the KONG Letters are redesigned with a more simplistic appearance, resembling plain red panels with yellow letters.

History

Donkey Kong Country / Donkey Kong Land trilogy

Artwork of all four KONG Letters in Donkey Kong Country

KONG Letters appear in each stage, typically in plain sight, but some are hidden or in a Bonus Areas. Some End of Level Targets in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest include a G amongst the rewards, and a KONG Letter sometimes hides inside a treasure chest.

Artwork of the KONG Letters from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!

Certain levels have two of the same letter, and collecting one makes the other disappear. For example, in Donkey Kong Country's Snow Barrel Blast, there are two letter G's, each appearing in a path that the Kongs can take. In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest's Chain Link Chamber, there are two letter O's in the same area. North American releases of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! do not have a letter G in Rocket Rush.

In Donkey Kong Country, yellow letters similar to the KONG Letters appear in the "Spell it Out!" bonus room challenges. The goal is to jump at the letters to spell out a word in the correct order. In the second remake only, collecting every letter is required for 101% completion, and the player can check the statistics for KONG Letters from the level stats menu.

In Donkey Kong Land only, collecting all four KONG Letters enables the player to save their progress. The Kong Krazy level has several KONG Letters that are used for constructing bridges and stairways. A button after each set allows the KONG Letters to form into a platform to cross a gap.

In the original version of Donkey Kong Country, the KONG Letter sprites sparkle and shimmer. In the sequels and Game Boy Advance version, however, they spin instead.

Donkey Konga 3

In Donkey Konga 3, the KONG Letters are hung as decorations, surrounded by garlands in the Christmas background.

DK: Jungle Climber

In DK: Jungle Climber, KONG Letters were renamed KONG Panels, and they retain their role as collectible items. Like in Donkey Kong Country's Game Boy Advance version, the KONG Panels are required collectibles, and they grant an extra life if all four in a level are collected.

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Donkey Kong Country Returns / Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D / Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

In Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, KONG Letters are required collectible items. When Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong obtain every letter in a level, an orange pin with a black star appears under the name of the level. When they collect every KONG Letter in a world, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong unlock a Key Temple featuring one of the Rare Orbs. In Mirror Mode, the letters on the KONG Letters are flipped like the other surroundings. Unlike in the normal mode, it is optional for the player to collect the KONG Letters in a level, though doing so changes the orange pin to blue. KONG Letters do not appear in the Golden Temple or in Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D's other Cloud levels.

Prima Games refers to the KONG Letters individually as the K Block, O Block, N Block, and G Block.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

The letter K from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port, KONG Letters retain their appearance and role from Donkey Kong Country Returns. The Kongs must collect every KONG Letter in a world to unlock a temple level, which has a mysterious relic instead of a Rare Orb. On Hard Mode, the KONG Letters are colored blue; collecting them colors the star icon near a level's name from red to blue, although they are not required for 200% completion.

Profiles

Donkey Kong Land series

Donkey Kong Land

• Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console manual description:
  • English (British):
    There is one of each letter to be found in each level. Collect them all and you will be able to save your progress.
  • Other languages:
    • French (Europe):
      Ces 4 lettres se trouvent dans chaque niveau. Obtenez-les toutes pour pouvoir sauvegarder votre progression.
    • German:
      Diese Buchstaben können in jedem Level gefunden werden. Wenn du sie alle sammelst, kannst du deinen Fortschritt speichern.
    • Italian:
      In ciascun livello del gioco si celano le quattro lettere della parola KONG. Trovale tutte per salvare i tuoi progressi.
    • Spanish (Europe):
      En cada fase podrás encontrar las letras que forman la palabra KONG. Si consigues reunirlas todas, podrás guardar la partida.

Donkey Kong Land 2 / Donkey Kong Land III

• Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console manual description:
  • English (British):
    Retrieve all of the K O N G letters in a single stage to receive an extra heart.
  • Other languages:
    • French (Europe):
      Récoltez toutes les lettres K O N G dans un niveau pour obtenir un cœur supplémentaire.
    • German:
      Sammele alle K-O-N-G-Buchstaben in einem einzelnen Level ein, um ein zusätzliches Herz zu erhalten.
    • Italian:
      Scova le lettere KONG disseminate in ciascun livello per ottenere un cuore extra.
    • Spanish (Europe):
      Si recoges las letras K O N G en una misma fase, conseguirás un corazón adicional. (Donkey Kong Land 2)
      Si recoges todas las letras K O N G en una misma fase, conseguirás un corazón adicional. (Donkey Kong Land III)

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

• Wii U Virtual Console manual description:
  • English:
    Collect the letters to spell KONG and earn an extra life.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:KONG Letters.

• 

  Letter K sprite from Donkey Kong Country

• 

  Letter O sprite from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

• 

  Letter N sprite from Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Color)

• 

  Letter G sprite from DK: Jungle Climber

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	K・O・N・Gの文字もじ K O N G no Moji	K O N G Letters	Super Donkey Kong
	K・O・N・Gの文字もじパネル K O N G no Moji Paneru	K O N G Letter Panels	Super Donkey Kong 2 and Super Donkey Kong 3
	「KONG」のパネル[?] "KONG" no Paneru	"KONG" Panels	Super Donkey Kong 2, Wrinkly
	K・O・N・Gパネル K O N G Paneru	K O N G Panels	Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber
	「K」「O」「N」「G」[?] "K" "O" "N" "G"	-	Donkey Kong Returns and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze
French (NOE)	Lettres KONG	KONG Letters
	Lettres K O N G	K O N G Letters
German	KONG-Buchstaben	KONG Letters
	K-O-N-G-Buchstaben	K-O-N-G Letters
Italian	Lettere di K-O-N-G	K-O-N-G Letters
	Lettere K-O-N-G
	Lettere KONG	KONG Letters
Spanish (NOA)	Letras	Letters
Spanish (NOE)	Las letras de la palabra KONG	Letters of the word KONG
	Letras K O N G	K O N G Letters

Trivia

• In Donkey Kong Country, in some bonus games, other letters exist in K-O-N-G Letter form. All letters except F, H, J, L, Q, V, and Z are used in-game.