It’s crazy to think of DK as anything other than Donkey Kong, but there was a time when Nintendo considered other options, including some fierce swings.
In the 1980s, Nintendo and Universal faced off in a lawsuit with the former accused of basing DK on the iconic big screen ape King Kong.
According to a 1983 court document from the case, Nintendo had a bunch (hehe) ideas for potential Congo names before settling on the Donkey variety.
Scanned by gaming historian Norman Caruso in 2020 before recently resurfaced thanks to Mario Supper fan account Mario Broth, the documents detail just some of the names Nintendo had on the cards, including “Bill Kong,” “Steel Kong,” “Kong Holiday” and, ahem“Kong Dong”…
You know what, this is a list that has to be seen to be believed. Here are all of Nintendo’s suggestions, followed by the document from Caruso himself:
Funny Kong, Kong the Kong, Jack Kong, Funky Kong, Bill Kong, Steel Kong, Giant Kong, Big Kong, Kong Down, Kong Dong, Mr. Kong, Custom Kong, Kong Chase, Kong Boy, Kong Man, Kong Fighter, Wild Kong, Rookie Kong, Kong Holiday
There’s a lot to unpack there, isn’t it? Sure, we probably dodged a bullet because “Kong Dong” didn’t make it to boot camp, but we can’t be the only ones laughing at the names of the people up there – Bill Kong Country Returns HD is coming next year. Also, what name is “Funky Kong”? Good work that he never showed up again…
The documents also include doodles by Miyamoto from a 1981 meeting about Donkey Kong. It certainly wasn’t meant to be a monkey, was it?
Universal apparently lost the court case, with the presiding judge concluding that the two Kongs (Donkey and King) were completely different. Another document shared by Caruso includes the following comparison from Judge Sweet:
Farcical, childish, and asexual, Donkey Kong gives a humorous impression by jumping up and down and stretching back and forth to tease Mario. So Donkey Kong Gorilla is completely different from King Kong, a wild gorilla looking for a beautiful woman who goes on a rampage, chases people, crushes them under his feet or throws them to the ground, and fights dinosaurs, giant snakes, airplanes, etc. helicopters, all culminated in his a tragic and bloody death.
We have to admit that he is right. Billion dollar movies and theme parks would suggest that Nintendo and Universal are now back in the bud, but these documentaries are still an interesting look at what once was.
‘Kong Dong Country’ may never have been anything – and we can all be thankful for that – but Donkey Kong Country is, and we’re getting a brand new HD edition of it on Switch next January.