The trailer for Donkey Kong Bananza just dropped. This will be the first starring role for Nintendo’s iconic ape in over a decade, and it looks like he’s in for a glorious return. Let’s take a look at how this barrel-tossing gorilla became a star.

Arcade Origins

Our story begins in 1981, when arcades were everywhere. Interestingly, Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Donkey Kong and the later Super Mario series, originally wanted to make a game based on Popeye. While Nintendo would later secure the rights to make a Popeye arcade game, that game wouldn’t reach the success of Donkey Kong. Gamers flooded to the arcades so they could get a chance to help Mario climb the ladders to rescue Pauline while the legendary ape threw endless streams of barrels. The game also had four distinct screens, giving variety to the gameplay.

Arcade Sequels

In the 1980s, many arcade game sequels like Asteroids Deluxe, Millipede, and Ms. Pac-Man would offer similar gameplay styles to their predecessors. However, Donkey Kong Junior took the gameplay in a new direction. The game introduced a vine-climbing mechanic that made the gameplay more complex. More notably, you no longer played as Mario. Instead, Mario was the villain who locked Donkey Kong up, and you played Donkey Kong Junior, out to rescue his father from the evil Mario.

Donkey Kong 3 changed the gameplay yet again. This time around, you play as Stanley, an exterminator trying to protect a greenhouse from the giant ape. The gameplay mainly involves spraying bug spray at bees and at Donkey Kong’s crotch (really). While the third installment is generally considered the black sheep of the trilogy, both sequels show how Nintendo has always been willing to try new things with familiar franchises.

Game Boy Installment

Donkey Kong was ported to several home systems, with varying degrees of quality. However, in 1994, the Game Boy port would not only contain all four levels from the original game, but it would also add dozens of new levels and gameplay elements. This was the first time he sported his iconic “DK” tie, and he and DK Junior worked together to foil Mario’s attempts to climb through nine different worlds.

Donkey Kong Country: A Bold New Direction

In November of 1994, the character would change forever. Nintendo and Rare would team up to unleash the first Donkey Kong Country game. Featuring beautiful pre-rendered graphics and innovative level design, the game saw him team up with his friend Diddy Kong to recover his banana hoard from King K. Rool and the Kremlings. Donkey Kong Country became a highly successful series and is responsible for the modern portrayal of the character

However, the character who stars in this game and subsequent games doesn’t seem to be the same one who starred in the arcade games. Several times in the game, he visits his grandfather, Cranky Kong. Listen to Cranky Kong’s dialogue long enough, and you’ll learn that he was the original Donkey Kong. This also apparently means that the current character is the son of DK Junior, now grown.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

While the new direction for the character established the ape as primarily a hero, he would return to the antagonist role in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. Debuting on the Game Boy Advance, the first game shows that he is obsessed with the Mini-Mario toys and will do anything to obtain them. You play Mario, and you must collect the Mini-Marios through platforming and puzzle-solving. The series can be seen as an extension of the puzzle-platforming gameplay in Donkey Kong on the Game Boy.

Screen Star

The leader of the bunch starred in a CGI TV show based on Donkey Kong Country, where he was voiced by Richard Yearwood (speaking) and Sterling Jarvis (singing). In the 2015 movie Pixels, where aliens take the forms of video game characters to invade Earth, he appears as the villain during the movie’s climax, where Adam Sandler’s character, Sam Brenner, must battle his way through a giant replica of Donkey Kong’s first level.

Then, in 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie featured him as a major character. Voiced by Seth Rogan, he is portrayed as a loveable goofball of a fighter who loves audience attention, but he also seeks approval from his father, Cranky Kong. He starts out hating Mario for besting him in a fight, but then they learn to like each other, and they end up teaming up to defeat Bowser.

Other Appearances

Like Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach, Donkey Kong is almost always around to go racing in Mario Kart, fighting in Super Smash Bros., partying in Mario Party, and playing sports in the Mario sports series. With the Nintendo Switch 2 coming soon, the trailer for the new game looks amazing. The ape’s legacy is sure to continue for many years to come.