Swanky Kong

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Swanky Kong
Artwork of Swanky Kong.
Swanky Kong in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Species Kong
First appearance Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995)
Latest appearance The Super Mario Bros. Movie (cameo) (2023)
“Give them a big hand folks! Good evening, I'm Swanky Kong and you're tonight's contestants on my Bonanza! It's easy to play! Just pick a game and you're away!”
Swanky Kong, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Swanky Kong, spelled Swankey Kong on one occasion,[1] is a member of the Kong Family and a game show host. He makes his first appearance in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. He is notable for being a flashy entrepreneur; in his first appearance, he wears a blue coat and has an afro hairstyle. In his second appearance, however, he wears a fancy suit with a matching cane, his hair is covered by a bowler hat, and he appears to be much taller. His face resembles that of Donkey Kong's.

History

Donkey Kong Country series

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Diddy Kong in Swanky's Bonus Bonanza.
Swanky's original role from Donkey Kong Country 2

In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Swanky hosts an optional game show at Swanky's Bonus Bonanza; here, he provides three quizzes to Diddy and Dixie Kong regarding the game's content, and he requires a fee of Banana Coins if the Kongs want to participate. Swanky rewards the Kongs with extra lives if they correctly answer all three questions within a quiz.

In the Game Boy Advance version, Candy Kong can be seen in the background as Swanky's assistant on the show. When all of Swanky's quizzes are completed, Diddy and Dixie receive a photograph of him, something that they are required to obtain for Wrinkly Kong's Scrapbook sidequest. In addition, Swanky was given another role where he charges ten Banana Coins if the Kongs want to rematch a boss, so during the battle, a timer appears at the top-center of the screen, and when the battle concludes, Swanky rewards the Kongs with prizes, the value of which depends on how well they performed in the boss battle.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!

Swanky's new role in Donkey Kong Country 3

Swanky is a supporting character in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. He hosts a circus tent called Swanky's Sideshow, where participants can compete in a ball-throwing contest for prizes. Swanky is only ever seen by his upper half, because he is always sitting inside of a barrel, which obscures his lower half, even within his Dixie Kong's Photo Album photograph. However, Swanky's entire body is seen in his official artwork. At his place, Swanky charges Dixie or Kiddy a few bear coins to compete in various throwing contests against Cranky Kong. If the Kongs can achieve a higher score than Cranky, then Swanky awards them with prizes, including bananas and bear coins. Like the previous game, Swanky's role is optional and is unrelated to the main storyline.

In the Game Boy Advance version, Swanky hosts a different location, Swanky's Dash, where he allows Dixie to compete in a virtual reality-type minigame where the goal is to collect stars on a rotating landscape. However, he forbids Kiddy from participating due to his young age. Unlike the original version, Swanky's outfit also went unchanged from his previous appearance in Donkey Kong Country 2. When Dixie first wins a Swanky's Dash challenge, the only time she is required to do, Swanky rewards her and Kiddy with a Banana Bird and a DK Coin.

Donkey Konga 2

Swanky Kong makes a few cameos in Donkey Konga 2. In Freestyle Zone, both his artwork from Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Country 3 sometimes appear on-screen as the player is freely drumming. In Western versions, Swanky is also one of the selectable badges after finishing a song or in the Match That Badge! challenge, replacing one of the human badges from the Japanese release.

Mario Superstar Baseball

Swanky Kong as seen in a texture in Mario Superstar Baseball
Swanky as seen on the billboard

Swanky’s tent from Donkey Kong Country 3 makes a cameo appearance on a wooden billboard in the Donkey Kong Jungle in Mario Superstar Baseball.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Swanky Kong is a support spirit, depicted with his artwork from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The corresponding battle for unlocking the spirit involves battling Donkey Kong, who is easily distracted by items.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Swanky Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Swanky Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Swanky Kong makes a cameo appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, where he can be seen on a kart slipping on a Banana Peel dropped by the driver who drives Mario, Princess Peach and Toad to Cranky Kong's palace. In addition to that, in Donkey Kong's promotional poster, Swanky Kong can be seen in the audience at the Great Ring of Kong. The film marks Swanky Kong's first physical appearance since the Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country 3.

Profiles

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!

  • Instruction booklet: His show’s on the road now. Play the throwing game to win top quality prizes.[2]
  • Player's Guide: Swanky Kong is taking his flashy games on the road. Cough up two Bear coins and take a chance on your choice of three different games. If you're playing in two-player mode, you can compete against your teammate. But watch out if you're playing in one-player mode: there's a grumpy old ape running around hustling players for Bear Coins.[3]

Rarewhere: DKC Trilogy Cast List

APPEARS IN: DKC 2, 3

The second great entrepreneur of the Kong family alongside Funky, Swanky has aimed for a career in showbiz since being bitten by the game show bug further back than he can remember. His original Bonus Bonanza trivia quiz proved popular but led to allegations of favouritism regarding Dixie and Diddy, prompting Swanky to branch out and tour the surrounding lands with a new sideshow featuring a triumphant Cranky as defending champion. Despite his love of competition, Swanky is a generous soul and, true to tradition, never lets anyone walk away empty-handed.[4]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Spirit
#143 Swanky Kong
Swanky Kong's Spirit as it appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Series/game Donkey Kong Series
Type Support
Slots 1
Class Novice
Strength / effect(s) Banana Gun Equipped
How to obtain Spirit Board
Spirit battle Opponent(s) Donkey Kong
Conditions

Rule: Item: Beastball

  • The enemy is easily distracted by items
Stage Kongo Jungle
Song Funky's Fugue

List of appearances

# Title Role Release date Format

1 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Non-playable character 1995 Super Famicom / Super Nintendo Entertainment System
2 Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Non-playable character 1996 Super Famicom / Super Nintendo Entertainment System
3 Donkey Kong Country 2 Non-playable character 2004 Game Boy Advance
4 Donkey Konga 2 Cameo 2004 Nintendo GameCube
5 Mario Superstar Baseball Cameo 2005 Nintendo GameCube
6 Donkey Kong Country 3 Non-playable character 2005 Game Boy Advance
7 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Cameo as a spirit 2018 Nintendo Switch
8 The Super Mario Bros. Movie Minor role 2023 Film

Gallery

Artwork

Sprites

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese スワンキーコング[?]
Suwankī Kongu
Swanky Kong
French Swanky Kong[?] -
Russian Свэнки Конг[?]
Swenki Kong
Swanky Kong
Spanish Swanky Kong[?] -

References

  1. ^ March 1996. Nintendo Magazine System (AU) Issue #36. Page 22.
  2. ^ Nintendo (1996). Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 16.
  3. ^ Owsen, Dan, Terry Munson, and Paul Shinoda (1996). Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 9.
  4. ^ DKC Trilogy Cast List. Rarewhere (British English). Archived September 1, 1999, 06:13:23 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 2, 2024.