Sprites of Pauline's lost items from Arcade (top) and Game Boy (bottom) versions.

Pauline's lost items[1], also known as Pauline's lost articles[2], Lady's lost articles[3], accessories[4] or prizes[5], are collectibles in the game Donkey Kong. When Donkey Kong kidnaps Pauline, she loses three of the items she has: her Parasol[6][7] (aka umbrella[8]), Hat[9][7] and Bag[7] (aka purse[10]). When Mario sets out to save Pauline from Donkey Kong, he can also optionally recover her lost items, which can be found throughout the game in all but the first stage. Each item is worth 300 points in level 1, 500 in level 2 and 800 in subsequent levels. The presence of these items varies among home ports; for example, the hat does not exist and is sometimes replaced by a second parasol in the NES version, whereas the Atari 8-bit computer version adds a fourth prize called a birthday cake[11].

All three items are featured as optional collectible items in the 1994 Game Boy title Donkey Kong. In this game, collecting all the items can let Mario gain up to seven extra lives in a post-level minigame. In Mario vs. Donkey Kong, the presents have a similar function.

Pauline's parasol is an inventory item in the Nintendo Adventure Book, Doors to Doom.

Pauline's parasol, or at the very least a similar item, makes a cameo in the arcade version of Donkey Kong Jr. during the transition cutscene between Stage 2 and Stage 3, where the eponymous character is in pursuit of Mario's chopper via a parasol.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the items appear in the retro stage 75 m, which is based on the original Donkey Kong. Touching the items causes a sound effect to play, adds points to the tally at the top of the stage, and then they disappear for a while. The items do not affect gameplay.

A similar hat, albeit colored purple and replacing the flower with a bow, appears as part of Pauline's mayoral outfit in Super Mario Odyssey. It is unknown whether this hat is intended to be the same or a reference to the one from Donkey Kong. During the New Donk City Festival, she wears a hat similar to the one from the Game Boy version, colored red. The lost items are also referenced in the "A Request from the Mayor" sidequest twice: Once as the final question in her quiz, which talks about her most treasured possession, and the other time as gifts the player can get her for her birthday. A white sunhat and a pink striped parasol are found on nearby benches matching the hat and parasol from Donkey Kong, although Cappy tells Mario they're not appropriate gifts, and likewise a pink purse similar in design to the one from Donkey Kong is found atop a Skyscraper with it being required for completing the sidequest.

Profiles

Donkey Kong

  • Wii U Virtual Console manual bio: "You get bonus points for picking this up."

Gallery

Artwork

Sprites

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese パラソル・ハット・バッグ[12]
Parasoru Hatto Baggu
Parasol, Hat & Bag
Dutch Hoed / Tas / Parasol[13] Hat / Purse / Parasol

References

  1. ^ "Collect Pauline's lost items and get 3,000 points!" - in-game description for Stage 5 of Donkey Kong in NES Remix.
  2. ^ Tatsumi Yamashita, The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, Tokuma Shoten, 1987, ISBN 999832369X. Page 96.
  3. ^ In one arcade flyer for Donkey Kong, "Lady's lost article" is the term used to describe the three items.
  4. ^ Instruction manual for ColecoVision home version.
  5. ^ Instruction manuals for Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64 home versions.
  6. ^ Instruction manual for NES home port.
  7. ^ a b c Game Boy Donkey Kong English instruction booklet, page 14.
  8. ^ Instruction manuals for ColecoVision, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, and Atari 7800 home versions.
  9. ^ Instruction manuals for ColecoVision, Atari 8-bit, and Commodore 64 home versions.
  10. ^ Instruction manuals for ColecoVision, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, NES, and Atari 7800 home versions.
  11. ^ Instruction manual for Atari 8-bit home version.
  12. ^ Game Boy Donkey Kong Japanese instruction booklet, page 12.
  13. ^ Game Boy Donkey Kong Dutch Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console digital manual, tab 13: "Voorwerpen".