How Donkey Kong Saved Nintendo From Ruin

Donkey Kong has a looong history and every part of it is interesting down to the creation of his name. Join me on this Origin Oracle as I explore the origins of classic Donkey Kong and how this ape potentially saved Nintendo from financial ruin.
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00:00 - Is DK the son or grandson of Cranky Kong?
1:01 - Donkey Kong (1981) - Donkey Kong's Debut Game
3:12 - Nintendo's Humble Start in Video Games
6:36 - The Creation and Development of Donkey Kong
10:43 - Universal City Studios, Inc v Nintendo Co., Ltd.
11:28 - Donkey Kong Jr.
12:37 - Donkey Kong 3 and its semi-sequel
14:44 - Donkey Kong Spinoffs and Saturday Supercade
17:16 - Donkey Kong '94 - The Definitive Classic Donkey Kong Game
19:09 - Is Cranky Kong the father or grandfather of Donkey Kong?
#supermario #donkeykong #originoracle
Credits:
Video Source:
Donkey Kong (1981) Gameplay - Carls493 - • Donkey Kong (Original)...
I'm Nobody's Hero (HD REMASTERED EDITON) - Shane - FourScore64 • I'm Nobody's Hero (HD ...
How the Mario Characters Got Their Names | Gaming Historian - • How the Mario Characte...
Arcade Game: Space Panic (1980 Universal) - Old Classic Retro Gaming - • Arcade Game: Space Pan...
Cross-examining Mario in Court - iKiwed - • Cross-examining Mario ...
A Rare Look Inside Nintendo (SNES Era) - Game Escape - • A Rare Look Inside Nin...
Popeye Video Game Ad (1983) - Movie & Video Game TV Spots - • Popeye Video Game Ad (...
Donkey Kong Jr. Gameplay - Nenriki Gaming Channel - • Donkey Kong Junior (Ar...
Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gyakushuu (Sharp X1) - NintendoComplete - • Donkey Kong 3: Dai Gya...
Every Game & Watch Game Ever in 4K Ultra HD 60FPS - Nintendo Unity - • Every Game & Watch Gam...
Donkey Kong (Game Boy) Playthrough - NintendoComplete - • Donkey Kong (Game Boy)...
Music:
Donkey Kong Country - Simian Segue
Donkey Kong Country Theme
Mario and Luigi - In the Final - Traditional Japanese Version - Hyuman
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Trunk Twister (Underwater)
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Sawmill Thrill (Intro)
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest - Donkey Kong Rescued
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Twilight Terror
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest - Snakey Chantey
One Piece - Dokuro wa Shinnen no Shouchou
Donkey Kong Country - Aquatic Ambience
Donkey Kong 64 - Cranky's Lab
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Panic - New World Order

[@TheMentok]

I know I said I wouldn’t spend too much time on fan theories but this time I had to :)

[@tensinkano6888]

How would we go through 3 generations of apes but only 1 generation of Mario………

[@user-fh7di8st6l]

Perhaps, what led to the worst of this mess was that diddy was originally a redesign of donkey kong jr. I think it's because of the remnants of the early story of saving Mario from Wario. He was originally the same person as the original Donkey Kong, and his goal was to save Mario, who had caused trouble in the past, from a new rival. If you think about it, it's interesting to think that dk, who was hostile to Mario in Nintendo's official game, was planning to rescue Mario before his real brother Luigi and his lover Peach.

[@sboinkthelegday3892]

s'all good, as long as Stanley is Pauline's brother.

[@orsonzedd]

Hey if you do a a video about Tetris use the street fighter gag again

[@orsonzedd]

@@tensinkano6888 there's only two Donkey Kongs.

[@ianeons9278]

“Let the agreement between Universal and Nintendo be a lesson on forgiveness to everyone” Truer words have never been spoken

[@ravenzyblack]

They are both reaping the benefits for having done so. Disney watch out.

[@daliborjovanovic510]

If there was a new DK animated series, they should totally have a running gag where Cranky refers to Donkey by different familial titles (son, grandson, nephew, cousin twice removed, etc.), and when someone finally calls him out on the inconsistencies, Cranky pauses in a moment of lucidity and admits that he has no clue who Donkey is and how the two of them are connected.

[@vicgc96]

10:34 Not to mention Olive's voice actress lived long enough to witness both Popeye inspired game and the licensed Popeye game

[@NimhLabs]

Simple explanation for differences in aging: time dilation. Mario spends so much time warping between worlds/lands/realms that he ends up barely aging, while Donkey Kong lives at a normal time rate

[@redram6080]

Why is Pauline relatively young though

[@KetsubanSolo]

@@redram6080 lots and lots of makeup

[@ravenzyblack]

@@redram6080- Plastic Surgery?🤣

[@RotoMiner]

Yeah but Donkey Kong and Cranky also spend lots of time in the Mushroom Kingdom too. DK is in so many sports games and Mario Party’s and Smash Bros games that it isn’t fair to say he just chills in the jungle all day. Also Cranky most certainly isn’t spending most of his time climbing construction sites in New York anymore.

[@thenuclearbomb605]

Gorillas age faster than humans

[@SmokeTheHorsehog]

Here's one thing that makes Mario being seventeen during the original Donkey to be confusing: if Cranky Kong/Donkey Kong the First was supposed to be Mario's pet gorilla, how the heck did Mario get his hands on a gorilla, let alone a leash for him? Yes, it makes sense that Cranky stole Pauline and went on a rampage out of vengeance for Mario treating him as a pet, but how the hell is a seventeen-year-old supposed to get his hands on a pet while presumably not being an adult, AND how the heck did he even get a grown gorilla as a pet?

[@MMMagearna]

im more stumped that a 17 year old has a mustache of a 45 year old

[@SmokeTheHorsehog]

@@MMMagearna I mean, when I was 17, I was already growing a bit of a moustache. Not an absolutely refined one because I consistently shaved it, and still do, but it was a discernable moustache at that age.

[@occultpyromancer]

maybe his gig at the circus from the old cartoon was canon, and he got to keep dk after he quit

[@SmokeTheHorsehog]

@@occultpyromancer That could be it

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Mario used to be a circus ringleader in that one Game and Watch game and I can see why DK doesn't have good terms with the former carpenter, now plumber, especially in DK Jr.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

At one point before he was called "Mario", the character was referred to as "おっさん", which means "middle aged man". (Notice that when he takes off his hat in that old Game & Watch commercial he is bald.) Nintendo only decided he was in his 20s fairly recently. I assume these Nintendo games all operate under similar rules as old Looney Tunes cartoons. Porky Pig debuted as a child (or piglet) in elementary school. Subsequent cartoons would then go back and forth between depicting him as a child and as an adult. I had heard that Pauline was named after an old film serial called The Perils of Pauline. There are so many contradictory stories about all this stuff. Another thing I heard (on The Video Game History Hour podcast) was that the specific Popeye cartoon Donkey Kong was inspired by was "A Dream Walking", which has Olive Oyl sleepwalking on a construction site and Popeye and Bluto trying to stop her from accidentally killing herself. It is very plausible that this particular cartoon was the inspiration for the game.

[@13Carrey1]

DK Junior was also in the First Mario Kart Game :)

[@TheMentok]

Yeah I threw in a picture but left it out in the grand scheme of things. He actually looks a little older in that game too 🙂

[@robbiewalker2831]

@@TheMentok I think people wanted to view Jumpman and Lady as Mario's Parents, because Cranky is labeled as the OG DK (and also because Mario was meant to be an expy of Popeye, which I don't blame, because Popeye actually had a father figure created to retcon Popeye's negative traits being inherited by his father). Heck, I couldn't even buy into Pauline being the OG Lady, since Nintendo has also been conflicted with whether or not Lady and Pauline are the same woman, despite Kotabe's artwork telling us otherwise. On top of that, with Cranky's bias towards modern games, and extremely meta references to how the Arcade Donkey Kong game works mechanically, I highly doubt Cranky would be the same DK that appeared in the Game Boy game, with a load of sprites 8 times more than Arcade DK, Mario can survive a higher fall than his Arcade counterpart, and sprites for Pauline and DK had little resemblence to their original designs. There was some proto-footage showing that DK and Lady were gonna be the same ones we saw in the Arcade game, but for some reason, Nintendo wanted to change it to promote Donkey Kong Country... which didn't work. It also doesn't help that the DK in the Game Boy game wears a necktie, which was Miyamoto's idea to make DK stand out from all the generic gorillas at the time. Rareware however only took the necktie and applied it to their drastically different looking DK; and it's been stuck that way for almost 30 years until the new Mario movie said "Hey, let's bring back expressive cartoony DK". If it wasn't for the Kongtroversy, I would've liked to see Mario, Pauline, DK and DK Jr in the same game like before in the old GB game. Also, about the DK/DK jr thing, are we gonna ignore that Mario Tennis N64 also had Classic Donkey Kong Jr in the same roster as Modern DK?

[@zjzr08]

​@@robbiewalker2831 The fact that babies can exist with their adult selves shows time travel is possible on the sports games so Donkey Kong Jr. and modern DK could still be the same (although DKJr being DK's uncle is interesting too).

[@orsonzedd]

and all the subsequent ones too

[@__Soya__]

@@zjzr08 Guys it’s really simply DK jr is literally just canonically a midget. When he first appears he isn’t a kid he’s just fully grown. It’s sounds goofy but it’s canon.

[@MrAwsomeness360]

Regarding the Universal lawsuit, this is just another example of just how confusing Kong's copyright history is. Essentially, he's public domain yet at the same time he isn't, all because of a written novel (based on an early script draft) being released a year before the movie came out.

[@garrylean9493]

From what I know, the novelization of King Kong came out in 1932 and didn't have its copyright renewed in the 1970s, around the time for the 70s Kong remake. Long story short; Universal and Paramount both wanted to make King movies but Paramount sued and that's where Universal argued that Kong was in the public domain (due to the novel, NOT THE MOVIE) and won. Of course as Mentok mentions, Universal lost their case against Nintendo when Kirby brought up that same fact against them; aka Kong is in the public domain (NOVEL KONG, NOT MOVIE KONG) And Kong's legal status is in limbo because although the NOVEL is in the public domain, many elements are present in the movie. If I remember right, the name "KING KONG" is trademarked currently but "KONG" isn't. But yeah until the 1933 movie ALSO becomes public domain, Kong's legal status will probably always be muddy :p

[@yoshimasterleader]

DK Jr. and Stanly need a comeback.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

DK Jr. is actually the modern DK's dad and Cranky Kong's son. For Stanley, I can agree since he has been obscured for years and DK 3 is the only time he appeared there (besides of the Smash making a reference through spirits and trophies).

[@VOAN]

@@poweroffriendship2.0 So if modern day Donkey Kong is the son of DK Jr. then does that mean DK Jr. is now DK Snr. and modern day DK is now DK Jr? Considering the first DK change his name to Cranky Kong, DK Jr. is now legitimately DK Snr.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

@@VOAN Crankey Kong = DK Sr. DK Jr. = DK Jr. (the father of the modern DK) The modern DK = DK the 3rd So the current DK we have now is the third generation of the DK lineage.

[@VOAN]

@@poweroffriendship2.0 But DK Snr change his name to Cranky Kong so that means he's longer DK Snr. unless DK Jr. also change his name then the current DK is DK Jr. There is no DK the Third, what if there's a DK before Cranky Kong. Since the current DK had no Jr. on its name either, that means DK Jr. may had also change his name so maybe Swanky Kong is the original DK Jr. So to my understanding it's like this now: DK Senior = Cranky Kong DK Junior = Swanky Kong DK the Third = Donkey Kong

[@hagfish4998]

They should make Stanly an antagonist in a future Donkey Kong Country game, where he tries to transform DK Island into a giant greenhouse.

[@johnforkner]

I thought she was named for the silent film melodrama series “The Perils of Pauline” in which a pretty damsel named Pauline is kidnapped, tied to train tracks, etc and has to be rescued by the hero.

[@johnlucas1543]

One thing that made me subscribe to you is both your STRONG grip on the FACTS & your Humor while you speak them. This is a good channel & a good way to teach the young'uns about that Nintendo history & gaming history in general. I was there when Donkey Kong came out. 5 years old. And that was the game that made me a Nintendo fan for life. Pac-Man was first & made me a gamer for life. Donkey Kong came shortly after & made me rep Nintendo to this day. I also like how you use all of that original commercial footage before Mario became the mascot of Nintendo. The Saturday Supercade stuff & the Donkey Kong cereal commercial. These kids don't KNOW 'bout dat! Teach 'em.

[@miyokone]

I was trying my darnedest to follow the DK family tree at the end. I am now angry with Nintendo because that is quite the oversight 😂how do they have conflicting information like that 😂

[@TheMentok]

They don’t care 😂

[@__Soya__]

@@TheMentok Guys it’s really simply DK jr is literally just canonically a midget. When he first appears he isn’t a kid he’s just fully grown. It’s sounds goofy but it’s canon.

[@xCOBRAxVENOMx]

This video was such a blast to watch. I truly enjoying learning about Nintendo and what they went through to get to where they are today. And as always mentok, did his shit to cover it well.🔥🔥💯

[@TheMentok]

Glad it was entertaining. This was a really fun one to research 🙏🏽

[@robbiewalker2831]

@@TheMentok Where'd you get the image for the Thumbnail?

[@Mitsuraga]

I was really digging that traditional Japanese take on the final battle track from Bowser's Inside Story.

[@TheMentok]

Hyuman is the GOAT, check out their channel. The remixes are amazing

[@michaelturner2806]

Suddenly realizing I might've missed a pun nearly 30 years ago when DKC was released. In the opening, what's Cranky Kong doing? Playing a record, right? He's *cranking* a gramophone. I'm sure he's (re)named for being crotchety, but what if new DK was just one day like "Hey old man, you can't be Donkey Kong anymore, I'm going to take that name! Instead, you cranking that thing, you can be, I dunno, Cranking Kong! Lol!" And getting his name stolen just made him really cranky.

[@ZeldaQueen64]

Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf all share timeline sympathies, DK.

[@ianeons9278]

Gaming Historian is a literal legend tbh

[@MiyuandFay]

Nah, nah, nah you cookin' GOOD on that last segment. It's canon to me now idc

[@TheMentok]

I’ll wait for Nintendo to say otherwise 😂

[@prestige8477]

I like to imagine that Donkey Kong's genealogy is like Cortex's line from Crash Twinsanity where he says "My daughte- uh... NIECE!". And it's just not explained.

[@danielc6440]

I am a huge DK fan. And today I loved finding this video. Very well done and the theory at the end is 100% my favorite lol. I’m so glad I found this lol

[@Alejandrothebaseballguy16]

7:40 crazy how like 30 years later they worked together on a Mario movie and a theme park

[@devinsauls9137]

Pauline Origins next please 😊

[@jive238]

People always question the whole "looking up dumb in dictionary and getting donkey" explanation but if you think of donkey as ass, old name for them, and then reach over to Jackass, you can kinda see how it could happen. We could all be playing jackass kong instead.

[@jeffreyforsberg5144]

For the uncle theory: DK Jr. Math features one "Pinky Kong" for player 2, a pallette swap of Jr.

[@MagillanicaLouM]

Idk the numbers but yeah i always figured Cranky back in his barrel throwing kidnapping days was simply just already middle aged or at least older than Mario and that Kongs just age relatively quick compared to whatever the fuck you'd call a Mario world human. I mean Jr. went from a little kid to fairly older/possibly adult by mario kart, and a more recent example in Tiny Kong, although already taller than the other young kongs in 64, hitting an obvious growth spurt (though doubtful that'll ever be addressed in universe and the irl reason being Nintendo wanting her to sorta be an in between of Dixie and Candy in terms of style and appeal). As for Yoshis Island DS role in all this, idk I just always figured that was a weird non canon "have Yoshi save other characters as babies for lulz" idea lol.

[@robbiewalker2831]

What about Donkey Kong for the Game Boy? the Donkey Kong in that game wore a necktie, yet is depicted is paired with a young Donkey Kong Jr.

[@MagillanicaLouM]

@@robbiewalker2831 Its pretty clear its just a younger Cranky but with a tie. Though how the tie got passed down, well that can be like a rite of passage headcanon type thing lol.

[@logansmith2703]

Time travel is already involved in the plot of Yoshis Island DS.

[@sammylane21]

Nintendo had a real: Mario, Kirby and now their President Of Nintendo America is Bowser. Sheesh, these do love people whom have the same name as their characters, huh??☺️

[@Nube-Gamer]

Your “DK Jr is Dk’s Uncle” theory is now my personal head cannon until proven otherwise

[@ianeons9278]

I wonder if Stanley makes an appearance in the Mario Movie.

[@galagize9233]

He doesn't

[@galagize9233]

But "jumpman" does

[@Arkholt2]

1:59 "This... is the city. New Donk City. I work here. I'm a policeman. My name's Friday Kong."

[@projectnewtype6879]

Just found your channel yesterday but man great videos all around crazy how Im still to this day finding out new information about games I’ve played for years

[@TheMentok]

Thanks for watching! It's been a learning experience for me as well

[@thepeternetwork]

Has it ever occurred to anyone that Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Funky Kong, and all the other Kongs share the same last name? Is Cranky Kong the father of them all? Are they all related, and if so how?

[@MagillanicaLouM]

Just the species name. There's Lanky who is explicitly stated to just be from another island entirely and only moved over cause his original home was boring and the Manky Kong enemies that iirc are stated to be ostracized from the rest of the Kong crew

[@VOAN]

The name Kong is just another word for primeape which is why King Kong and Sun WuKong used that in their name.

[@zjzr08]

Could be like Vietnam where everyone's surname seems Nguyen.

[@ShinGoji1987Official]

Awesome video man! Lol I really wish the creators cared more about the characters they created, the lore can get so convoluted sometimes. Great work on pretty much figuring out the DK family tree at the end!

[@tossingturnips]

I've been watching a few of these videos already (I think the one about Daisy is what pulled me in), and I just now subscribed. You are truly dedicated to your craft and your videos are so well-researched and humorous.

[@TheMentok]

Thanks so much! I'm here finishing up my next video and this gave me a nice motivational boost

[@tossingturnips]

@@TheMentok Heck yeah! Glad I could help!

[@DeathLeprecon]

Can't remember if DK is his son or grandson. Never thought Donkey Kong and Squidbillies had anything in common. 😂

[@maipeikko3151]

Cranky Kong being senile at the age of 48 legit got me crying

[@ianeons9278]

I love videos like this on Nintendo’s earlier history.

[@StopStealingMyNameTrolls]

Also that 1994 color Gameboy game was the first one where Pauline had her now iconic brunette design with the golden "earrings" instead of a being a blonde. Still waiting for a Pauline back story video tho. :D Yes, I know, you are a 1-man-team also having a real life. :D :D :D

[@phsmanta]

your editing is insane you deserve a lot more recognition

[@TheMentok]

Thank you, the edits take a lot of work 😭

[@PluckyInc]

I just assume that the whole DK/DK Jr thing could just be adjusted to the Kongs being named after some trait. whereas any Kong could possibly become *the* Donkey Kong if they're the current hero of DK Island. (either passed down from Father to Son. or just a Windwaker Link-type deal) though the idea of a Jr version of a character was presumably poorly-thought out, kinda like how other arcade games made Jr versions of existing characters, or Namco adopting Ms. Pac-Man. So Jr is too young for his trait to actually shine through, but couldn't be named because his father is the Donkey Kong. doesn't quite explain Kiddy Kong, though his JP name is Dinky which honestly sounds far better. (what with the DK barrels). characters like Wrinkly Kong? could just be a semi-affectionate name given by younger Kongs like calling close friends of parents Uncle. or Cranky is just disgruntled from decades of marriage. Tiny Kong is basically named that because she's Tiny, but since she could already speak/have thought, it's not like she'd change it, not even after a post-Retcon appearance change in Diddy Kong Racing DS. HOW did Funky Kong become so Funky? 👀

[@Jet2k5]

another great video , waiting for part 2 . keep up the good work 👍 .

[@seanmyster6]

Yeah, I'm just gonna go with the idea that Cranky Kong is the father of Donkey Kong, who is the grown-up version of Donkey Kong Jr., as well as entirely dismissing Yoshi's Island DS as non-canon, since that's the only option that doesn't hurt my brain.

[@JC20XX]

Donkey Kong 94 is one of my favourite games ever.

[@mekman4]

Great Stuff, as always!

[@aldovega2000]

Actually, In Saturday Supercade, Mario Did Manage To Capture Donkey Kong Couple Times In The Show

[@barneyjuniorYT]

JOHN KIRBY IS ALSO PINK OMG I LOVE THIS

[@sebastiantheshadowkong8798]

Things to note: 1. Jumpman and Mario are indeed the same person, it’s been confirmed by Nintendo and even Shigeru Miyamoto himself. 2. Mario was actually 25 during the events of the original Donkey Kong and according to Paper Mario: Color Splash, Mario is currently 30. (And before you bring up the whole “Paper Mario takes place in a different universe”, it’s been made clear by Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam that Mario and Paper Mario’s universes are *parallel*, meaning that the things that happened to Paper Mario also happened to regular Mario.) 3. Kongs don’t necessarily age like regular monkeys/gorillas, they can age from a kid to an adult in the span of a year. We see this with DK Jr and Tiny Kong where they went from the size of kids to grown adults in the span of a couple of games. 4. Yoshi’s Island DS is a time travel story where future Bowser and future Kamek kidnap kids all over the world in search of the seven star children. Baby DK was taken from the time he was born to the same timeline when Mario was a baby.

[@ZyNye2011]

Mario being 30 years old in Paper Mario: Color Splash was a fourth wall break.

[@LEMMYBOOOOI]

Wait wasn’t Cranky DK’s grandfather and DK JR being his dad? The movie got that wrong I guess

[@allentheproyt]

5:59 this had me chuckle

[@drswag0076]

you might be on to something on the theory that DK JR is Donkey Kong's uncle. i could also say that DK JR might also be DK's younger brother which explains why he and Mario are seen as babies in the Yoshi's Island games.

[@MultiDudeman]

Uncle! Omg beautiful! This really does save everything, great job! It was there in front of us the whole time.

[@RukoHanaji]

That's kinda funny, I always thought Pauline was a reference to the silent adventure serial The Perils of Pauline, named for the title's Damsel in Distress.

[@ineedcheesebuticantchoosewhich]

Just going to mention i got smacked in the face when you mentioned hamtaro ham ham heartbreak. I never see anyone talk about hamtaro at all which is crazy for the impact it had. also all he games are so fun. ^^ ham ham's club house on the gbc was really good.

[@waggieentertainment9387]

1:13 yo shout out to the pinball museum in Tennessee bc those guys when I visited didn’t have a DK 1, or a functioning DK 2, but 2 DK 3s. They’re really cool

[@epp678]

8:49 FUNKY KONG?! FUNKY KONG?! THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DK’S NAME?!

[@migueldias8546]

25:06 The explanation is also cultural. Stories have not be important to Nintendo Japan for a long time. When they develop a game, they use a character as a semi-tutorial. And when they started their business, it made totally sense. The space was so limited that any idea that could help save any memory space was used. Using Mario put the player in a certain set of mind and already tell him/her what it is expected from him/her. Same with Link... It is very American to have a story and it is because of the American influence that Nintendo Japan started to make sense of everything. The problem is that decision were made before any of it was relevant... Everything is made up but everything was made to help the gamers and not tell a story. Moving forward, we see that even Nintendo is very careful with its story telling but nothing will fix the past... What is done, is done... But there is nothing more human than telling stories. I am an old man and I always wonder when humanity started. Tools, language, bipedalism have been proposed to mark the birth of humanity but none of them are specific to humans. Animals use tools, some have a language and some walk on 2 feet too... This is why for me, humanity started the first day an human told a story to another human... And we know how far we took it... In 2023, there are still people that believe that there is magic being living in the sky...

[@mevb]

Everybody keeps forgetting that Peter Cullen also voiced Eeyore in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and several films until before 2011 when first Bud Luckey and then Brad Garett took over.

[@Atrael]

Can you review Donkey Kong's behind size in every game/show

[@TheMentok]

Considering this now

[@smxxsh3x]

Mentok you gotta drop more for me i am now re watching all your videos 😂😂

[@user-fh7di8st6l]

"Donkey Kong is a separate franchise from Mario and I don't like it being incorporated into Mario, Mario is lame and Donkey is the best" I've seen silly fans saying that, but they don't seem to know that the donkey kong country series they're mounting was originally a story about Donkey playing an active role in saving Mario from Wario. In the first place, in country 2, Mario was at the awards ceremony, and odyssey is full of donkey elements. Or rather, it's like saying "It's annoying that Yoshi is drawn as Mario's vehicle in a different franchise." As you can see, Mario and Donkey are the series that always grew up as brothers They started with a single game, became independent in super mario bros and donkey kong country, but deepened their relationship. The fact that he played an active role as Mario's companion in the movie and draws Mario riding on Donkey's shoulder in Lego Mario made me look forward to joining each other as playables in 2d mario and 2d donkey in the future. It's a pity that there are fans who despise it

[@Ani-yi1hs]

Dude I did NOT know there was a DK3

[@BuckarooBanzai84]

I think a better question is; why can DK TALK in the movie, when never does in the GAMES?! =\

[@VOAN]

He talks in the Donkey Kong Country tv series too.

[@BuckarooBanzai84]

@@VOAN Very well, but is THAT cannon? =\

[@glitchmod1927]

Inspiring .

[@theneonchimpchannel9095]

I think what might have happened is that Donkey Kong Jr did initially take over his dad's role, but decided it wasn't for him and allowed his son to take over. My theory is that, given his wardrobe in his earlier appearances, DKJ is a gymnast. He initially disappeared because he was busy competing in gymnastics. He has now retired from competition but is the head coach on Kong Island so just doesn't have the time to appear in video games. So when they say the current Donkey Kong is Cranky's son, he's the grown up DKJ, but when he's the grandson then this is in the future and he's Donkey Kong the 3rd. I was also under the impression that Funky Kong was either DK3's uncle so maybe he's the other Kong child.

[@luisadolfothewolf7042]

Is Donkey Kong's age and family now more confusing to follow than Kingdom Hearts story?

[@TheMentok]

I would agree with this

[@superdalen7140]

I have a theory of how dk sr gotten to dk island after the events of donkey Kong 3 animal control captured dk sr and Jr to a remote wildlife reserve known as dk island

[@flamingphoenix1425]

"DK Jr is modern DK's uncle" I vaguely remember hearing about an Uncle Kong. Was that the unused Fedora Kongthat people thought was adult Jr or was Uncle one of the ogs in the cartoon?

[@PACNATIC]

A PAC-MAN origin oracle would be great, though I AM biased. Also, props for mentioning the origin of the DK startup theme!

[@yamahadrag69]

So I watched your DK videos backwards but, I feel like the whole "Cranky is senile" debate kinda loses traction with the later addition of his wife, Wrinkly, who was coherent enough to be a teacher at her introduction. So she should definitely be able to recall if DK is her son or grandson. Btw the red necktie being an heirloom is really cute.

[@Pug_35]

25:16 good idea makes sense

[@karinoirlnekolyellow6628]

13:22 there's an Nintendo character named STANLEY?!??!?!!?!! "the adventure like there song starts playing"

[@ZipplyZane]

I still like the theory that DK is Cranky's grandson biologically, but that he adopted him as his actual son. That way both statements are correct. I even have a cousin who was adopted by her grandma. So she is both her mom and grandmother.

[@foursidekm]

21:42 oh hey panoots cameo

[@tedgonzalez985]

Honestly, that's probably my favorite theory on the whole Mario, Cranky, DK and DK Jr. debacle. Hey, Little Mac was 17 when he became a professional boxer, why can't Mario be a simple carpenter at 17?

[@jrgraham5916]

13:14 - STANLEY'S GOIN' BUGGY

[@BradenBest]

13:05 nice calebcity reference

[@TheMentok]

Someone caught it 😂

[@mevb]

Mario is refered in Super Paper Mario as an "middle-aged" man, that is 35, 40 or 40+ but he then Super Paper Mario was set in 2007 while Donkey Kong was set in 1981.

[@orinanime]

4:15 - for perspective. $3.8 billion back then is roughly equivalent to $11,975,985,492 today

[@enbae2808]

is this the wrong series for the prophet HAS SPOKEN?? shit iconic bro

[@houyo]

It was me, I won the Donkey Kong Cereal contest. They never gave it to me though because of the assault charges.

[@11shoopdawhoop]

I lost it when the danganronpa music started playing. The rabbid hole went too deep. I loved the video, thank you for the entertainment.

[@ryanwinter8813]

I still think Cranky Kong being the original DK was just a meta joke made by Rare about how old the arcade game was at the time, I don't think any games ever actually brought this up in the game itself besides Snake's codec in Smash, but that's the same franchise that claimed King K. Rool and Kaptain K. Rool were siblings so..., as far as I know, it was only ever a thing in the manuals. I get the feeling it's not recognized as canon by Nintendo. That bit about the movie doesn't even confirm anything other than Cranky being DK's father. Not trying to start shit or deny word of god or anything, it's just a hunch I have, kind of like how the Koopalings quietly became minions rather than Bowser's children. I really think this is the thinking behind the scenes, the Mario Vs Donkey Kong series and Baby Donkey Kong especially give me the idea that DK has been the same character all along. As for Junior... I get the feeling Nintendo considers him "still out there, but not being used in games at this time" and he co-exists with DK, Cranky, and the other Kongs... kind of like how, again, Bowser Junior now co-exists with the Koopalings, and Baby Bowser.

[@johanstenfelt1206]

Huh, interesting, I have learned things that I wasn’t thinking about.

[@ianeons9278]

Why am I watching this at 3 am lol

[@rrsaga]

Being 50 and watching these clips makes me wish I was young again.

[@Super-Animation]

Smg4 honestly keeps coming up with simple topics and makes it entertaining.

[@stefanchristian8268]

i normally wouldnt have believed your final theory, but you decided to play the danganronpa track in the background and that automatically makes you correct

[@anitamiller8175]

Masterful ending

[@RoboyZHunter]

I think I want to consider this video canon with this whole cranky and donkey kong thing.

[@dicapriodelorean2888]

broke: the zelda time line is confusing woke: the donkey kong timeline is confusing

[@gracekim25]

Yay history!😊

[@anabeatrizgoncalvesporto8379]

This is the best theory I have ever heard about mario franchise

[@justingarrett1675]

What if the mystery role that Charles Martinet has in the Mario movie is Jumpman? And he is the Mario Brothers' father?

[@hugocastilla3102]

Well well

[@dekade420]

No donkey Kong is -1 point, no Virtual On! machine... -100

[@TBoneTony]

Donkey Kong from the Country and beyond is always going to be the Son of Cranky Kong. Also Cranky Kong is 64 Years Old in my view, he is so old he is cray-cray.

[@HIPHOPHER]

The Heisenberg of KZbin Ladies and Gentlemen! 👏🏼 👏🏼 … and no I don’t mean the theoretical physicist. 😉

[@Anna-ie3yp]

You conivined me from now on jr is moderns ukel and thats Canon for me 😅

[@PHOENIXGUNDAM]

You gotta play...with your HANDS?? but thats like a BABYS TOY!! sorry but that line from back to the future 2 popped into my head when you mentioned Wild Gunman. also Rookie Kong sounds like an actual canon character, finally Stanley needs to be in smash. hashtagJusticeForStanley

[@KestrelDC]

No idea how or where they got it and my own memories are very faint since I was very little, but at one point when my brother and I were little kids, there was a dentist office that had a Donkey Kong arcade cabinet in the lobby and my brother actually liked going because he could play Donkey Kong.

[@TheMentok]

Interestingly enough, I first played Donkey Kong 94 on a Super Gameboy cartridge at my dentist office whenever I was getting my retainers molded. Interesting to see someone else go through a similar experience

[@ggbrady]

Your theory only makes sense. He's Donkey Kong! If he was the son of DK Jr, then he'd be DK III. But he isn't! Therefore DK Jr, would HAVE to be his uncle! Indeed, you saved the Nintendo world!