Donkey Kong Jr.

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“Monkey Muscle!”
Donkey Kong Jr., Saturday Supercade

Donkey Kong Jr. (sometimes referred to as DK Jr.) is the son of the original Donkey Kong. He first debuted in Donkey Kong Jr., an arcade game first released in 1982. He has yet to make any playable appearances since Mario Tennis. Donkey Kong Jr. may be the modern Donkey Kong from the Donkey Kong Country series, or the father of the modern Donkey Kong, while Junior's father assumed the name Cranky Kong.

History

Donkey Kong series

Donkey Kong Jr.

Donkey Kong Jr. made his first appearance in Donkey Kong Jr.; he was the star of the game and the only playable character. Donkey Kong Jr. must save his father, Donkey Kong, who has been imprisoned in a cage by Mario. In this game, Donkey Kong Jr. had to climb on vines, avoiding several enemies in order to complete his quest. If Donkey Kong Jr. had to defend himself, he could do so by dropping fruit on top of his enemies. Donkey Kong Jr. had to find keys in order to unlock the cage his father imprisoned within. Once Donkey Kong Jr. had collected the keys, he had to work his way up to the cage; once he had unlocked it, he would move on to the next stage. Once Donkey Kong Jr. had completed his entire quest, his father was no longer Mario's captive – Donkey Kong was free.

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 ape 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

Donkey Kong Jr. pulling a switch, Game Boy Donkey Kong official artwork
Donkey Kong Jr. pulling a lever.

In Donkey Kong on the Game Boy, Donkey Kong Jr. aids his father in kidnapping Pauline, and Mario must defeat both of them before rescuing her. For most of the game, Donkey Kong Jr. stays in areas inaccessible by Mario, activating and deactivating levers in ways that can either help or harm Mario. Sometimes, Donkey Kong Jr. even appears out in the open. He kills Mario instantly if he touches him.

Saturday Supercade

Donkey Kong Jr., voiced by Frank Welker, is featured as the main protagonist of the cartoon short Donkey Kong Jr. 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.

Nintendo Adventure Books

"Doors to Doom"

Donkey Kong Jr. makes an appearance in the Nintendo Adventure Books "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-swinging chase, the Mario Bros. escape Donkey Kong Jr.

Mario Kart series

Super Mario Kart

File:DKJRMK.PNG
Donkey Kong Jr. in Super Mario Kart.

In 1992, Donkey Kong Jr. appeared as a playable character in Super Mario Kart for the SNES. He was classified as a heavyweight character, just as Bowser was. His preferred item was the banana, with which he would litter the racecourses with. His kart had maximum top speeds; however, if he were to drift away from the main course, his speed would decrease greatly. In every Mario Kart title since Mario Kart 64, he has been replaced by the modern Donkey Kong.

Mario Tennis series

Mario's Tennis

Donkey Kong Jr.
Donkey Kong Jr. in Mario's Tennis.

In 1995, Donkey Kong Jr. appeared as a playable character once more – this time in Mario's Tennis. He appeared as the only large character in the game, for Bowser was not playable.

Mario Tennis

Donkey Kong Jr. in Mario Tennis.

Donkey Kong Jr. made his final playable appearance in 2000, in the Nintendo 64 adaption of Mario Tennis. He was classified as a Power Character, who could be secretly unlocked (alongside, Shy Guy). In this game he had an alternate colour scheme that made him identical to Pink Donkey Kong Jr..

Game & Watch Gallery Series

File:DonkeyKongJRKey.gif
Donkey Kong Jr. holding up the key that could open his father's cage.

Donkey Kong Jr. appeared many times in the Game & Watch Gallery installments. Donkey Kong Jr. appears in the first two games with role as a "damsel in distress" in several of the minigames. However, Donkey Kong Jr. is the star of his own mini game which is a small remake of the original Donkey Kong Jr. game. The same minigame from the third game also appears in the fourth installment of the series.

Super Smash Bros. series

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, unlike in Super Smash Bros. Melee, he does not have a trophy. 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, which is his name.

Punch Out!! Series

Punch Out!!

Donkey Kong Jr. next to Luigi in the back.

In the first game in the series, in arcades Donkey Kong Jr. could be found watching the fight in the audience along with his father, Mario and Luigi.

Super Punch Out!!

Donkey Kong Jr. next to Luigi in the back, this time in black and white.

In the second arcade (and second overall) game in the Punch Out!! Series Donkey Kong Jr. could be found in the audience again, along with Mario, Luigi and Donkey Kong, this time however with different color scheme.

Donkey Kong Jr. as a Species

Oddly, several games in which Donkey Kong Jr. cameos have him as a species rather than a character. These include the Game & Watch Gallery series and Game & Watch Gallery 4. He also makes a cameo in the Game Boy Advance remake of Super Mario Bros. 3, as one of the Mushroom Kings was turned into a creature that looked exactly like him. Another hint is the existence of the Pink Donkey Kong Jr. in Donkey Kong Jr. Math who could be a pink one in a species of Donkey Kong Jr. or a different person completely.

Concept and Development

Additionally, Diddy Kong of the Donkey Kong Country series is somewhat comparable to Donkey Kong Jr., as a minuscule monkey who aids the older Donkey Kong. In fact, Rare, Ltd. first intended for Diddy to be a redesigned DK Jr., but Nintendo, not liking the extreme changes they made to the character, ordered that he be made different, and Diddy Kong was born.[1]

Game Appearances

Title Description Release Date System/Format
Donkey Kong Jr. Playable Character 1982 NES/Arcade
Donkey Kong Jr. Playable Character 1982 Game & Watch
Donkey Kong Jr. Math Playable Character 1983 NES
Donkey Kong II Playable Character 1983 Game & Watch
Donkey Kong Jr. + Jr. Math Lesson Playable Character 1983 NES
Punch-Out!! Cameo as member of crowd 1984 Arcade
Super Punch-Out!! Cameo as member of crowd 1985 Arcade
Donkey Kong/Donkey Kong Jr./Mario Bros. Playble Character in Donkey Kong Jr. 1985 Arcade
Donkey Kong Classics Playable Character in port of Donkey Kong Jr. 1988 NES
Super Mario Kart Playable Character 1992 SNES
Donkey Kong Enemy in certain stages 1994 Game Boy
Mario's Time Machine Cameo as a picture hanging in Bowser's Museum. 1994 NES
Mario's Tennis Playable Character 1995 Virtual Boy
Game & Watch Gallery NPC in modern versions of Manhole, Fire and Oil Panic. 1997 Game Boy
Game & Watch Gallery 2 NPC is modern version of Parachute 1997 Game Boy
Game & Watch Gallery 3 Playable Character in modern and classic version of Donkey Kong Jr and in a port of Donkey Kong II 1999 Game Boy
Mario Tennis Unlockable Playable Character 2000 Nintendo 64
Super Smash Bros. Melee Cameo as a Trophy 2001 Gamecube
Animal Crossing Playable in unlockable NES version of Donkey Kong Jr. and Donkey Kong Jr. Math 2001 Gamecube
Game & Watch Gallery Advance 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 Giant Land King. 2003 Game Boy Advance
WarioWare: Twisted! Cameo in microgame 2004 Game Boy Advance
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Cameo as Sticker 2008 Wii

Trophy Information from Super Smash Bros. Melee

Name Image Game Description
Donkey Kong Junior File:Trophy276.PNG 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 as kart racing, tennis, and mathematics.

References

  1. ^ As revealed in Retro Gamer magazine.


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