Character of the Week #7

Metal Mario · 08-30-2009, 07:31 AM

Donkey Kong Junior

First Appearance: Donkey Kong Junior (Arcade, 1982)
Latest Appearance: Super Mario Bros. 3: Super Mario Advance 4 (GBA, 2003)

Nintendo's own Son of Kong is a curiosity in that he was one of Nintendo's very first superstar characters, yet he has spent his twenty-nine years of existence in the shadows, taking only minor and infrequent roles. He burst onto the scene in his own action arcade game, then virtually disappeared; after a couple of Game & Watch titles and his own NES "edutainment" game, he was ushered into obscurity for years.

Junior returned to join the roster of playable characters in 1992's Super Mario Kart, then went on to play a role in 1994's Donkey Kong for the Game Boy. The character did not benefit from the DK renaissance brought about by Donkey Kong Country, however, and thusly never achieved the same new-age prominence as characters like Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Funky Kong.

Junior was a playable character in Mario's Tennis for Virtual Boy and the similarly-titled Mario Tennis for N64. He was also a fixture of all four installments of the Game & Watch Gallery series. Since then, however, Junior seems to have passed back into the familiar realm of obscurity which he has always inhabited, biding his time until Nintendo decides once again to dust him off and let him out to play.

Until next week, I leave you with this palate-cleanser:

Click to view video.

**Valigarmander** · 08-30-2009, 04:20 PM

Spoiler Below

You mean Donkey Kong.

Glux · 08-30-2009, 05:49 PM

Wait what?? I always thought DK Jr. was Diddy!

Hydronix · 08-30-2009, 05:58 PM

^ Whoa, where'd you get your information? DK Jr. was always the current Donkey Kong. The real question is this, if DK(from the Donkey Kong game) is the current DK's grandfather, then who is our current DK? That always confused me...

Glux · 08-30-2009, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HydronixX

^ Whoa, where'd you get your information? DK Jr. was always the current Donkey Kong. The real question is this, if DK(from the Donkey Kong game) is the current DK's grandfather, then who is our current DK? That always confused me...

I don't know, but I always thought that DK Jr. referred to Diddy Kong!

Metal Mario · 08-30-2009, 06:15 PM

Even Nintendo themselves can't adhere to one story when it comes to the idea of multiple Donkey Kongs. Donkey Kong Country presented the hero of that game as the grandson of Cranky Kong, the original DK. In Donkey Kong 64, however, Cranky refers to DK as his son. But, since Rare stopped working on the DK games, Nintendo has more or less treated the DK of Donkey Kong Country as the same DK that Mario fought in 1981. So Donkey Kong has three different potential identities. I find it's just easier to go the relaxed route; that is, Donkey Kong is Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior is Donkey Kong Junior, and Cranky Kong is Cranky Kong. And that's okay.

**X-3** · 08-30-2009, 06:17 PM

Or DK is a timelord.

Metal Mario · 08-30-2009, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoJanglz

I don't know, but I always thought that DK Jr. referred to Diddy Kong!

Actually, I did read something about Rare originally wanting to use DK Junior as DK's sidekick for Donkey Kong Country, but Nintendo was uncomfortable with the changes they wanted to make to Junior's character in order to do so. So they asked Rare to invent a completely new character. So Diddy Kong was born.

Not sure why Nintendo would have cared, personally. It's not as if they ever use DK Junior for anything anyway.

**Valigarmander** · 08-30-2009, 07:04 PM

TMK | Kongtroversy

HAVE FUN WITH IT.

Glux · 08-30-2009, 08:20 PM

Or! Theory #4.
He's like Fry from Futurama, which means!
He is his own grandfather. O_o

***CaptHayfever*** · 08-30-2009, 10:54 PM

...Diddy has a tail; he's a monkey. Junior is an ape.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Metal Mario · 08-31-2009, 08:44 AM

^Good point. And has anyone ever noticed that Diddy is the only Kong with a tail? He and Lanky (an orangutan) are the freaks of the family, I guess, because everyone else is a gorilla.

Glux · 08-31-2009, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metal Mario

^Good point. And has anyone ever noticed that Diddy is the only Kong with a tail? He and Lanky (an orangutan) are the freaks of the family, I guess, because everyone else is a gorilla.

Dixie Kong.

EDIT: Oh ****, no she doesn't.

**Valigarmander** · 08-31-2009, 03:53 PM

^^ Nintendo/Rare probably never gave a ****.

They're all primates, close enough.

08-30-2009, 05:49 PM	#3
Glux Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Home Gender: Posts: 7,122 Thanks: 647 Thanked 360 Times in 236 Posts Blog Entries: 3	Wait what?? I always thought DK Jr. was Diddy! Last edited by Glux; 08-30-2009 at 06:02 PM.

08-30-2009, 04:20 PM	#2
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	Spoiler Below You mean Donkey Kong.

08-30-2009, 05:58 PM	#4
Hydronix Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Gender: Posts: 91 Thanks: 33 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	^ Whoa, where'd you get your information? DK Jr. was always the current Donkey Kong. The real question is this, if DK(from the Donkey Kong game) is the current DK's grandfather, then who is our current DK? That always confused me...

08-30-2009, 06:15 PM	#6
Metal Mario Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 1999 Gender: Posts: 16,435 Thanks: 72 Thanked 190 Times in 127 Posts	Even Nintendo themselves can't adhere to one story when it comes to the idea of multiple Donkey Kongs. Donkey Kong Country presented the hero of that game as the grandson of Cranky Kong, the original DK. In Donkey Kong 64, however, Cranky refers to DK as his son. But, since Rare stopped working on the DK games, Nintendo has more or less treated the DK of Donkey Kong Country as the same DK that Mario fought in 1981. So Donkey Kong has three different potential identities. I find it's just easier to go the relaxed route; that is, Donkey Kong is Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior is Donkey Kong Junior, and Cranky Kong is Cranky Kong. And that's okay.

08-30-2009, 06:17 PM	#7
X-3 Useful as an Owl Join Date: Jan 2004 Gender: Posts: 15,947 Thanks: 753 Thanked 1,213 Times in 790 Posts Blog Entries: 10	Funny? No. Lame? You bet. Or DK is a timelord.

08-30-2009, 07:04 PM	#9
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	TMK \| Kongtroversy HAVE FUN WITH IT.

08-30-2009, 08:20 PM	#10
Glux Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Home Gender: Posts: 7,122 Thanks: 647 Thanked 360 Times in 236 Posts Blog Entries: 3	Or! Theory #4. He's like Fry from Futurama, which means! He is his own grandfather. O_o

08-30-2009, 10:54 PM	#11
*CaptHayfever* Smash SuperMod Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: (n) - the place where I am Gender: Posts: 27,661 Thanks: 1,991 Thanked 2,486 Times in 1,513 Posts	...Diddy has a tail; he's a monkey. Junior is an ape. And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

08-31-2009, 08:44 AM	#12
Metal Mario Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 1999 Gender: Posts: 16,435 Thanks: 72 Thanked 190 Times in 127 Posts	^Good point. And has anyone ever noticed that Diddy is the only Kong with a tail? He and Lanky (an orangutan) are the freaks of the family, I guess, because everyone else is a gorilla.

08-31-2009, 03:53 PM	#14
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,701 Times in 2,581 Posts Blog Entries: 20	^^ Nintendo/Rare probably never gave a ****. They're all primates, close enough.