Donkey Kong Jr.

This article is about the character itself. For the video game with the same name, see Donkey Kong Jr. (game). For Donkey Kong as a baby, see Baby Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong Jr.
Artwork from Mario Tennis
Full name	Donkey Kong Junior
Species	Kong
First appearance	Donkey Kong Jr. (1982)
Latest appearance	Mario Kart Tour (as Donkey Kong Jr. (SNES)) (2020)
Portrayed by	Frank Welker (Saturday Supercade)

“Monkey Muscle!”

—Donkey Kong Jr., Saturday Supercade

Donkey Kong Jr. (sometimes referred to as DK Jr. or just Junior) is a Kong character that debuted in Donkey Kong Jr. as the titular hero, who had to save his father, Donkey Kong, from Mario. While he is occasionally identified as a younger version of the modern Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. is currently considered his father, which also makes him the son of Cranky Kong.

History

It has been requested that this section be rewritten and expanded to include more information. Reason: include games listed under "Game appearances" that aren't mentioned (tagged on September 9, 2020)

Donkey Kong series

Donkey Kong Jr.

Donkey Kong Jr. holding a key

Donkey Kong Jr. as he appears in various different versions of Donkey Kong Jr.

Donkey Kong Jr.'s premier appearance is in the eponymous Donkey Kong Jr. He is the star of the game and the only playable character. It follows the events of the original Donkey Kong, where Donkey Kong Jr.'s father, Donkey Kong, has been locked up by Mario. Donkey Kong Jr. must travel through four stages, climbing vines to ascend them and then watching as Mario hauls his father further on through the game.

There are numerous enemies that Donkey Kong Jr. must avoid. However, if he drops fruit on the enemies, they will be defeated. Once Donkey Kong Jr. has put a key into the cage, Mario will move Donkey Kong to a new area. When Donkey Kong Jr. beats Mario at last in the Chain Scene, Donkey Kong and Mario both fall; Donkey Kong Jr. catches his father and then walks off-screen with his newly-freed papa (in the NES version, this scene only has Donkey Kong Jr. catch his father, omitting the rest of the scene due to memory space issues).

In the original arcade game, he also appears during the transition scene for the Jump Board Scene and Mario's Hideout, where he pursues Mario's chopper with a parasol.

Donkey Kong Jr. Math

One year later, Donkey Kong Jr. made another playable appearance in the game Donkey Kong Jr. Math. His father stood at the top of the stage, holding a sign with a random number placed on it. Donkey Kong Jr. had to climb amongst multiple vines to gather the correct numbers and mathematical signs to create the number on his father's sign.

This game also starred a pink-colored palette swap of Donkey Kong Jr. that could be playable in a two-player game; however, Donkey Kong Jr. was still brown in color, and could be played as in both one- and two-player modes.

Donkey Kong (Game Boy)

Donkey Kong Jr. pulling a switch

In Donkey Kong on the Game Boy, Donkey Kong Jr. teams up with his father to kidnap Pauline, and Mario must defeat both of them before rescuing her. For most of the game, Donkey Kong Jr. usually stays in areas inaccessible by Mario, activating and deactivating switches in ways that can either help or harm Mario; nonetheless, it is shown in Stage 4-11 and Stage 8-9 that the plumber can lose a life when touching Donkey Kong Jr. Sometimes, Donkey Kong Jr. even appears out in the open and throws Poison Mushrooms. Finally, Mario got to stop him for good in Stage 9-4, where he locked him in a cage in a fashion similar to the Vine Scene of the original Donkey Kong Jr. In the ending, Donkey Kong Jr. somehow managed to free himself and lay in wait as Pauline gave Mario a Super Mushroom to catch Donkey Kong, and acted as soon as his father was calling for help. In the end, the group of characters take a photo together.

Saturday Supercade

Donkey Kong Jr. in Saturday Supercade

Donkey Kong Jr., voiced by Frank Welker, is featured as the main protagonist of the cartoon short Donkey Kong Junior from the animated series Saturday Supercade. Here, Donkey Kong Jr., after discovering his father is missing from the circus, decides to track him down with the help of a clumsy biker named Bones.

Punch-Out!! series

Punch-Out!!

In the first game in the Punch-Out!! series, Donkey Kong Jr. can be found watching the fight in the audience along with Mario, Luigi, and Donkey Kong.

Super Punch-Out!!

In the second arcade game, Donkey Kong Jr. can be found in the audience again, along with Mario, Luigi, and Donkey Kong, this time with a different color scheme.

Nintendo Adventure Books

Donkey Kong Jr. makes an appearance in the sixth Nintendo Adventure Book, Doors to Doom; in the book, Mario and Luigi find themselves in Donkey Kong Jr.'s jungle after entering one of the doorways created by Dr. Sporis von Fungenstein. Upon seeing Mario and Luigi, Donkey Kong Jr. attacks them, forcing the two to flee. Eventually, after a vine-climbing chase, the Mario Bros. escape Donkey Kong Jr.

Mario Kart series

Super Mario Kart

Donkey Kong Jr. in Super Mario Kart

Donkey Kong Jr. appears as a playable character in Super Mario Kart. He is classified as a heavyweight character alongside Bowser. His preferred item is the Banana, with which he would litter the racecourses. His kart has maximum top speeds; however, if he were to drift away from the main course, its speed would decrease greatly.

Official artwork of Super Mario Kart shows a red "J" on Donkey Kong Jr.'s shirt, but his sprite has a yellow "V" on his shirt instead.

In the next title of the series, Mario Kart 64 onward, Donkey Kong Jr. was replaced by the modern Donkey Kong since Donkey Kong Country.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

File:MKDD Audience Sprite.png

DK Jr. in a crowd with other characters in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Donkey Kong Jr. makes a cameo in the background of Waluigi Stadium in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. In this game, his head is redesigned to be more reminiscent of the modern Donkey Kong. He was planned to appear in the game as a playable character, but he was replaced with Diddy Kong.

Mario Kart Tour

Donkey Kong Jr. (SNES) in Mario Kart Tour

A 2D sprite variant of Donkey Kong Jr. debuts in Mario Kart Tour as a playable character in his 16-bit Super Mario Kart appearance under the name Donkey Kong Jr. (SNES), starting from the Super Mario Kart Tour. His special item is the Triple Bananas. This is the first game since Super Mario Kart to feature Donkey Kong Jr. as a playable character in the Mario Kart series. He has the most favorite courses out of any other character in the game, with 40. If he is at level 8, this number is increased to 45 favorite courses.

Super Mario-kun

Donkey Kong Jr. appears as a participating racer and an opponent to Mario in the Super Mario Kart adaption in one of the volumes of Super Mario-kun.

Super Mario series

Super Mario All-Stars

In the Super Mario Bros. 3 remake in Super Mario All-Stars, the kings of the Mushroom World are turned into different creatures than in the original. The Big Island King gets turned into Donkey Kong Jr. This happens in other 16-bit remakes of Super Mario Bros. 3, including Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition.

Super Mario Maker

In Super Mario Maker, Donkey Kong Jr. appears as one of the costumes that Costume Mario can wear.

Mario's Time Machine

Donkey Kong Jr. makes a cameo in Mario's Time Machine, appearing on several paintings in the background of Bowser's Museum.

Mario Tennis series

Mario's Tennis

In Mario's Tennis for the Virtual Boy, Donkey Kong Jr. is a playable character. He is the largest character in the game. This is also the only game where he wears shoes and socks.

This section is a stub. You can help the Super Mario Wiki by expanding it.

Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)

Donkey Kong Jr. in Mario Tennis, seen on Donkey Kong's court

Donkey Kong Jr. returns as a playable character in the Nintendo 64 adaption of Mario Tennis. He is classified as a Power Character, who can be unlocked by winning the Star Cup in Doubles. He is one of two unlockable characters in the game, with the other being Shy Guy. If he is unlocked, he is Donkey Kong's double partner; otherwise, Yoshi takes his place. This game marks Donkey Kong Jr.'s final playable appearance until Super Mario Maker as a costume, not counting later ports of his game of the same name.

Game & Watch Gallery series

Donkey Kong Jr. appeared many times in the Game & Watch Gallery installments. He appears with the role as a "damsel in distress" in several of the minigames.

Game & Watch Gallery

In Game & Watch Gallery, Donkey Kong Jr. appears in the Modern versions of three games.

In Manhole, Donkey Kong Jr. is one of the pedestrians that Yoshi must keep from falling into the water.

In Fire, Donkey Kong Jr. is one of the characters that the Mario Bros. must rescue from a fire at Princess Peach's Castle. If the Mario Bros. do not catch Donkey Kong Jr., he will run away with a sore bottom, earning the player a miss.

In Oil Panic, Donkey Kong Jr. sits on the ground on the left side of the castle from the top of which Bowser dumps oil. If any oil is spilled on Donkey Kong Jr., he will get mad, earning the player a miss.

Game & Watch Gallery 2

In Game & Watch Gallery 2, Donkey Kong Jr. is one of the characters that Mario must catch in Parachute. Donkey Kong Jr. opens his parachute at the last minute.

Game & Watch Gallery 3

In Game & Watch Gallery 3, Donkey Kong Jr. is the star of his own minigame, which is a small remake of the original Donkey Kong Jr. Game & Watch game. He is also the star of another minigame: Donkey Kong II.

Game & Watch Gallery 4

In Game & Watch Gallery 4, Donkey Kong Jr. reprises his roles in Fire and Donkey Kong Jr. He also appears as one of the characters that Mario must protect from Bowser's water balloons in Rain Shower, hanging from the rope beside the swing on the lower left. If a water balloon hits Donkey Kong Jr., he will release the rope and get mad, giving Mario a miss.

Super Smash Bros. series

DK Jr's Melee trophy

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Donkey Kong Jr. also has a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, though he does not make a playable appearance.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Donkey Kong Jr. did not return as a collectible trophy, though data extracted from the disc shows that he was going to appear but was scrapped. Instead, he has a Sticker. The sticker shows Donkey Kong Jr. with a key over his head; the sticker is only referred to as Junior. It raises launch resistance by twenty-one in the Subspace Emissary adventure mode of the game. His other sticker shows him holding a tennis racket from Mario Tennis. Additionally, one of the names that appears when the player presses the "Random Name" button when naming their custom stage is DKJR.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Donkey Kong Jr. appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a spirit.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

An 8-bit-looking Donkey Kong Jr., inside the Wii U GamePad held by DK

Donkey Kong Jr. appears as a cameo at the end of the Aqueduct Assault level in the background in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze inside a Wii U GamePad held high by the original Donkey Kong.

Other media

Donkey Kong Jr. in the Super Mario Kodansha manga

Donkey Kong Jr. appears in the e-Reader commercial, where he is on an assembly line where he undergoes a grooming makeover, only to be literally smashed into an e-Reader card.

Donkey Kong Jr. has made some appearances in the Super Mario Kodansha manga.

Unused sprites of Donkey Kong Jr. can be found in the coding of Donkey Kong 3, but he does not appear in the final game.

General information

Physical description

Donkey Kong Jr. bears a resemblance to his father, the original Donkey Kong. He has brown fur and wears a leotard with the letter J on it. His size varies between games, but is usually smaller or about the same size as the current Donkey Kong.

Personality

Donkey Kong Jr. is portrayed as the hero of his own game and a villain of Mario in Donkey Kong for the Game Boy. He always sides with Donkey Kong, and is shown to be athletic and mischievous.

Profiles

Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten

ドンキーコングJR.
出身 サーカス
性格 いたずらっこ
登場ゲーム JR.、GBドンキー、 カート
おやじ思いの考行者
「ウッキー。うちの父ちゃんが、サーカス団のマリオにさらわれだんだ。かわいそうな父ちゃん。今、助けに行くからね。ウッホホ。」
レバーを変えるイタズう者
GB版のドンキーコングでは、壁を開けをり、道をつくるレバーをJRが勝手に変えてしまう。本当にイタズラ好きだ。

Donkey Kong Jr.
Place of origin: Circus
Disposition: Rascal
Game appearances: Jr., GB Donkey, Kart
Father-minded thinker
"Ukki. My father was kidnapped by Mario, the circus master. My poor dad. I'm coming to the rescue. Uhoho."
Mischief-maker who changes levers
In the GB version of Donkey Kong, Jr. changes the levers that open walls and creates paths on his own. He really is a prankster.

Mario's Tennis

• Instruction Booklet Bio: He is slower than all the other players, and also has a smaller racquet contact area. He is, however, understandably the most powerful of all the players. His strong groundstrokes allow him to win many points from the baseline.

Mario Kart Tour

Donkey Kong Jr. (SNES)

Statistics
Special skill	Triple Bananas
Favorite courses (Three items per Item Box)	N64 Choco Mountain N64 Choco Mountain R RMX Rainbow Road 1T N64 Royal Raceway R Los Angeles Laps R Los Angeles Laps T GBA Bowser's Castle 1T Tokyo Blur R SNES Choco Island 1R Tokyo Blur T DS Waluigi Pinball DS Waluigi Pinball T N64 Frappe Snowland R/T SNES Mario Circuit 3 Berlin Byways 2R/T Wii DK Summit Wii DK Summit R GBA Cheep-Cheep Island Los Angeles Laps 3 Tokyo Blur 3R Tokyo Blur 3R/T RMX Ghost Valley 1 RMX Ghost Valley 1R New York Minute 4R New York Minute 4R/T New York Minute 4T Wii Maple Treeway R/T N64 Kalimari Desert 2R/T Vancouver Velocity 2T 3DS Bowser's Castle T Singapore Speedway R Los Angeles Laps 2T Wii Mushroom Gorge N64 Yoshi Valley Amsterdam Drift
Favored courses (Two items per Item Box)	N64 Choco Mountain T RMX Rainbow Road 1R** 3DS Shy Guy Bazaar T 3DS Shy Guy Bazaar R SNES Donut Plains 1* SNES Donut Plains 1R* Los Angeles Laps R/T Tokyo Blur R/T SNES Choco Island 1T New York Minute 3 New York Minute 3R/T New York Minute 3T SNES Rainbow Road T DS Waluigi Pinball R** 3DS Rainbow Road R/T SNES Rainbow Road R/T*** SNES Mario Circuit 3R Wii DK Summit T Tokyo Blur 4R Tokyo Blur 4T GBA Cheep-Cheep Island T Los Angeles Laps 3T New York Minute 4 Vancouver Velocity 2 N64 Yoshi Valley R
* indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3. ** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6. *** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8.

• Mario Kart Tour Twitter: "Part two of the tour features Donkey Kong Jr. (SNES)! He's here to battle for first place on the new DK Maximum kart!"

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. Melee trophy

Name	Image	Game	Description
Donkey Kong Junior		Donkey Kong Junior Arcade 1982	Donkey Kong Jr. came to the rescue when Mario imprisoned his father. DK Jr.'s challenge was to collect the keys to Donkey Kong's cage, all the while dropping fruit on his enemies from high above. He was able to climb faster by using two ivy vines at once. This ape is also quite skilled at kart racing, tennis, and mathematics.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl stickers

Image	Game	Effect
	Mario Tennis	[Arm] - Attack +14 Usable by: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong
	Donkey Kong Jr.	Launch Resistance +21

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirit

Name	Image	Game	Type	Class	Effect	How to obtain	Spirit battle
							Opponents	Battle conditions	Stage	Song
Donkey Kong Jr.		Donkey Kong Series	Primary (1)	Ace	limegreen Throw Power ↑	World of Light (Light Realm); Spirit Board	Tiny Donkey Kong, Giant Donkey Kong	Defeat the main fighter to win The enemy's throws have increased power Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Kongo Jungle	Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Jr. Medley

List of appearances by date

Title	Description	Release Date	System/Format
Donkey Kong Jr.	Playable character	1982	Arcade
Donkey Kong Jr.	Playable character	1982	Game & Watch
Donkey Kong II	Playable character	1983	Game & Watch
Donkey Kong Jr. + Jr. Sansū Lesson	Playable character	1983	Nintendo Entertainment System
Donkey Kong Jr. Math	Playable character	1983	Nintendo Entertainment System
Punch-Out!!	Cameo as member of crowd	1984	Arcade
Super Punch-Out!!	Cameo as member of crowd	1984	Arcade
Donkey Kong Classics	Playable character in port of Donkey Kong Jr.	1988	Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Mario Kart	Playable character	1992	Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Mario All-Stars	Cameo as the transformation of the World 4 King	1993	Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Donkey Kong	Enemy in certain stages	1994	Game Boy
Mario's Time Machine	Cameo as a picture hanging in Bowser's Museum	1994	Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World	Cameo as the transformation of the World 4 King	1994	Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Mario's Tennis	Playable character	1995	Virtual Boy
Mario Clash	Cameo at 800,000 points	1995	Virtual Boy
Game & Watch Gallery	NPC in Modern versions of Manhole, Fire, and Oil Panic	1997	Game Boy
Game & Watch Gallery 2	NPC in Modern version of Parachute	1997	Game Boy
Game & Watch Gallery 3	Playable character in Modern and Classic versions of Donkey Kong Jr. and in a port of Donkey Kong II	1999	Game Boy Color
Mario Tennis	Unlockable playable character	2000	Nintendo 64
Mario Tennis	Cameo as N64 Status's Icon (after N64 Link)	2001	Game Boy Color
Super Smash Bros. Melee	Trophy	2001	Nintendo GameCube
Doubutsu no Mori	Playable Character in emulation of Donkey Kong Jr. Math	2001	Nintendo 64
Animal Crossing	Playable Character in emulation of Donkey Kong Jr. and Donkey Kong Jr. Math	2001	Nintendo GameCube
Game & Watch Gallery 4	Playable character in Modern and Classic versions of Donkey Kong Jr. and NPC in Modern versions of Rain Shower and Fire. He also appears on the title screen.	2002	Game Boy Advance
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3	Cameo as the transformation of the World 4 King	2003	Game Boy Advance
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!	Cameo as similar-looking Kong audience members in Waluigi Stadium.	2003	Nintendo GameCube
Donkey Kong/Donkey Kong Jr./Mario Bros.	Playable character in Donkey Kong Jr.	2004	Arcade
WarioWare: Twisted!	Cameo in microgame	2004	Game Boy Advance
Tetris DS	Cameo in the title screen	2006	Nintendo DS
Super Smash Bros. Brawl	Cameo as Sticker	2008	Wii
Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition	Cameo as the transformation of the World 4 King	2010	Wii
NES Remix	Playable character on the Donkey Kong Jr. stages	2013	Wii U
NES Remix Pack	Playable character on the Donkey Kong Jr. stages	2014	Wii U
Ultimate NES Remix	Playable character on the Donkey Kong Jr. stages	2014	Nintendo 3DS
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze	Cameo in the background at the end of the Aqueduct Assault level	2014	Wii U
Super Mario Maker	Costume Mario outfit	2015	Wii U
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze	Cameo in the background at the end of the Aqueduct Assault level	2018	Nintendo Switch
WarioWare Gold	Cameo in microgame	2018	Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	Cameo as Spirit	2018	Nintendo Switch
Mario Kart Tour	Playable character	2020	iOS, Android

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Donkey Kong Jr.

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  Saturday Supercade

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  Donkey Kong Jr. (Game & Watch)

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  Super Mario Kart

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  Donkey Kong (Game Boy)

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  Mario's Tennis

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  Game & Watch Gallery 3

Name in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ジュニア Junia ドンキーコングJr. Donkī Kongu Junia ドンキーJr. (Mario Tennis) Donkī Junia	Junior Donkey Kong Jr. Donkey Jr.
Chinese (simplified)	森乐刚 (Donkey Kong Jr. (Game & Watch)) Sēnlègāng 森喜刚Jr. (since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) Sēnxǐgāng Jr.[?]	Reference to Donkey Kong's Chinese name "森喜刚" (Sēnxǐgāng), while "乐" (lè, happy) is have same meaning as "喜". Donkey Kong Jr.
Chinese (traditional)	森喜剛Jr.[?] Sēnxǐgāng Jr.	Donkey Kong Jr.
Russian	Донки Конг — младший[?] Donki Kong - Mladshiy	Donkey Kong Jr.

Trivia

• Oddly, several games in which Donkey Kong Jr. appears contain doppelgängers. Such examples of these games include the Game & Watch Gallery series of remastered compilations (which seem to depict Donkey Kong Jr. as a species rather than an individual character), Donkey Kong Jr. Math which includes a second Donkey Kong Jr. recolored pink, and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! which includes Donkey Kong Jr.-like audience members at Waluigi Stadium.
• During development of Donkey Kong Country, Diddy Kong was originally intended to be a redesign of Donkey Kong Jr., though Nintendo did not like the complete redesigning of the character and ordered the game's developer Rare that either Donkey Kong Jr. have his original appearance or the redesign be made into a new character, to which Rare decided on the latter.