Banana Coin
| Banana Coin | |
|---|---|
 Artwork of a Banana Coin from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze | |
| First appearance | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) |
| Latest appearance | Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo Switch) (2018) |
- “Blood may be thicker than water, but Banana Coins are thicker still. Get in here.”
- —Cranky Kong, Donkey Kong Country Returns
Banana Coins, also known as Banana Bunch Coins[1][2] (or Banana Bunch Koins[3]), are a currency used in the Donkey Kong franchise, starting with Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. They are coins depicting a banana, or a Banana Bunch in earlier games. Their purpose varies between games, but are generally used to purchase an item or service from another Kong. Banana Coins were replaced with bear coins in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! and its handheld follow-up, Donkey Kong Land III.
History
Donkey Kong Country series
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest / Donkey Kong Land 2
In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Land 2, Banana Coins, referred to as "Kong Family Coins" in Kong Kollege, are scattered throughout each level. Diddy and Dixie Kong use them to pay for services offered by the Kong family: use of Funky Kong's Biplane Barrel at Funky's Flights II, obtain advice from Cranky Kong at Monkey Museum, saving the game and receiving advice from Wrinkly Kong at Kong Kollege, and playing Swanky Kong's quizzes at Swanky's Bonus Bonanza. The Kongs can carry up to 99 Banana Coins at a time. Additionally, the Game Boy Advance version allows the Kongs to fight a boss again by paying ten Banana Coins to Swanky, and Wrinkly no longer offers to save the Kongs' progress for a fee since save functionality was integrated into the world map's menu.
Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Color)
Banana Bunch Coins appear in the Game Boy Color version of Donkey Kong Country, as a collectible item in all six of Candy's Challenge. Each challenge involves an objective of Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong having to participate in a challenge to obtain a Banana Bunch Coin. The six Banana Bunch Coins are shown from the main menu's "View Items" option, under "Bonus". The ones not yet obtained by the Kongs are represented by a black silhouette.
Donkey Kong Country Returns / Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
In Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, Banana Coins were redesigned to only depict a single banana instead of a Banana Bunch. Their main purpose is for purchasing various items at Cranky Kong's Shop. Banana Coins are scattered throughout every level. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong can collect up to 999 Banana Coins.
The Kongs can also obtain Banana Coins by jumping on three to seven enemies in succession (enemies from the eighth onward give Red Balloons instead), or as a prize from the Slot Machine Barrel.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port, Banana Coins have a similar role as its predecessor, Donkey Kong Country Returns. They were recolored from yellow to golden, and continuously sparkle. Banana Coins are still used for purchasing items, this time at Funky's Fly 'n' Buy. Like the previous game, the Kongs can collect up to 999 Banana Coins.
Donkey Kong 64
In Donkey Kong 64, numerous Banana Bunch Coins are scattered throughout every level. They appear in five colors, each corresponding to a Kong: yellow ones can only be collected by Donkey Kong, red ones by Diddy Kong, blue ones by Lanky Kong, purple ones by Tiny Kong and green ones by Chunky Kong. Each Kong has to spend Banana Bunch Coins at Funky's Store to purchase weapons and ammo from Funky Kong, at Cranky's Lab to purchase moves and abilities from Cranky Kong, and at Candy's Music Shop to purchase musical instruments from Candy Kong. In total, every Kong spends 21 Banana Bunch Coins on personal upgrades, Donkey Kong spends an extra 2 to replay the Donkey Kong arcade game, and a total of 53 are used for shared upgrades. There are 974 Banana Bunch Coins in total. After all coins possible are spent, the Kongs will have a remaining 814 Banana Bunch Coins among themselves if all coins are collected. The maximum number of Banana Bunch Coins for each Kong are as follows: 179 for Donkey Kong; 183 for Diddy; 190 for Lanky; 198 for Tiny; and 224 for Chunky. The Mystery mode has an unlockable cheat allowing the player to have 999 Banana Bunch Coins; this cheat can be unlocked by collecting twenty Banana Fairies.
A unique type of Banana Bunch Coin, known as 5-Banana Coins are also featured in the game, hidden under DK Dirt Piles. These coins are larger than normal ones, and give five Banana Bunch Coins to each Kong, equaling a total of twenty-five.
DK: Jungle Climber
Banana Coins return in DK: Jungle Climber. In this game, five are found in each level. After completing the game, the Banana Coins can be spent on extra levels.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
A Banana Coin appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a sticker. In The Subspace Emissary, it can be used by any character and increases the strength of its user's leg attacks by four.
Profiles and statistics
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
- Wii U Virtual Console electronic manual bio: "These coins are used to pay the various members of the Kong Family for their help."
Donkey Kong Land 2
- Virtual Console electronic manual bio: "Use these to enlist the help of various members of the Kong family."
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
| Sticker Banana Coin | ||
| ||
| Artwork from: Donkey Kong 64 | ||
| Effects in The Subspace Emissary: [Leg] - Attack +4 | ||
| Usable by: Anyone | ||
Gallery
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Donkey Kong Land 2
Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong 64
Donkey Kong 64
DK: Jungle Climber
(gameplay)
DK: Jungle Climber
(pause screen)
Artwork from Donkey Kong Country Returns
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | バナナコイン[?] Banana Koin |
Banana Coin | |
| French | Pièce banane[?] | Banana Coin | |
| German | Bananenmünze[?] | Banana Coin | |
| Italian | Moneta Banana[4][5][6] (Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Donkey Kong Land 2, Donkey Kong Country 2) | Banana Coin | |
| Moneta Casco di Banane[7] (Donkey Kong 64) | Banana Bunch Coin | ||
| Moneta banana[8][9][10][11] (Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze) | Banana coin | ||
| Spanish (NOA) | Moneda banana[12] | Banana coin |
References
- ^ Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest instruction booklet. Page 15.
- ^ Donkey Kong 64 instruction booklet. Page 21.
- ^ Donkey Kong Land 2 instruction booklet. Page 12.
- ^ Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Italian manual, pag. 12
- ^ Donkey Kong Land 2 Italian manual, pag. 14
- ^ Donkey Kong Country 2 European manual, pag. 112
- ^ Donkey Kong 64 English-Italian manual, pag. 34
- ^ Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber Italian manual, pag. 15
- ^ Donkey Kong Country Returns Italian manual, pag. 24
- ^ Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D Italian e-manual, pag. 12
- ^ Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Italian e-manual, pag. 17
- ^ Club Nintendo (Chile) La Jungla de Donkey Kong: Edición Especial. Page 45.
| DK: Jungle Climber | ||
|---|---|---|
| Characters | Playable | Donkey Kong • Diddy Kong • Dixie Kong • Funky Kong |
| Non-playable | Candy Kong • Cranky Kong • Wrinkly Kong • Xananab | |
| Enemies and obstacles | Bramble • Click-Clack • Flipflap • Flitter • Ghost • Klobber • Kritter • Lockjaw • Mini-Necky • Neek • Puftup • Shuri • Spike • Zinger | |
| Bosses | Banana Ship • Junklomp • Mega Amp • Draglinger • King K. Rool | |
| Items | Banana • Banana Bunch • Banana Coin • Crystal Banana • Crystal Star • DK Coin • Gem • Hammer • KONG Panels • Oil barrel • Torch • Wings | |
| Objects | Booster Barrel • Cannon Barrel • DK Barrel • Exit • Giant flower • Handle Peg • Iron Barrel • Jack Peg • Mine • Peg • Peg Board • Question Barrel • Rock • Spike • Spirowarp • Spinner Barrel • Spinning Peg • Switch Peg • TNT Barrel | |
| Worlds | Sun Sun Island • Lost Island • Ghost Island • Chill 'n' Char Island • High-High Island • Wormhole • Extra Stages | |
| Minigames | Rolling Panic • Banana Grab • Speed Climb • Throw 'n' Crush • Orange Picker • Booster Battle • Banana Bonanza | |
