Donkey Kong Once Almost Had a Very Weird Name

Donkey Kong

By Charming Holiday

Published 2 days ago

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Donkey Kong

Highlights

Resurfaced documents reveal humorous alternate names for Donkey Kong, including Bill Kong and Kong Dong.
Donkey Kong's name was initially contested by Universal Pictures in a 1983 trademark lawsuit.
Donkey Kong continues to be a prominent Nintendo character, with a legacy spanning 43 years.

Resurfaced documents from a Nintendo court case have unveiled a lineup of hilarious and questionable names for Donkey Kong, giving fans a curious insight into the beloved ape's origins. Donkey Kong is considered to be among the most prominent video game characters of all time, but his story may have been drastically different had one of his originally pitched names been approved.

Nintendo has brought a number of legendary characters to the world, with Mario and Donkey Kong ranking among the oldest and best-known. The recent announcement of a Switch port for Donkey Kong CountryReturns has inspired many fans to take a deeper dive into the Nintendo icon's early beginnings, resulting in a humorous discussion around the alternate names considered for Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Developer Isn't Retro Studios

Donkey Kong fans may be interested to know that Retro Studios isn't working on Donkey Kong Country Returns HD for the Nintendo Switch.

In 1983, Universal Pictures filed a trademark lawsuit against Nintendo for Donkey Kong's name being too similar to the old Hollywood classic King Kong. Deposition papers from that lawsuit recently resurfaced courtesy of MarioBrothBlog, revealing a number of amusing names that were pitched for the Kong leader prior to his official name being chosen. Among the more comical names on the list are Bill Kong, Kong the Kong, Mr. Kong, and Kong Dong. Funky Kong, the sunglass-wearing proprietor of the Funky's Flights fast-travel spot in the Donkey Kong Country game series, was also on the list as a potential name for the headlining protagonist ape. Fans have been sharing in the hilarity of many of the names, and some have speculated that the franchise may not have seen its massive success had Donkey Kong been released to the world as Bill.

Proposed Names for Donkey Kong

Even 43 years after his gaming debut, Donkey Kong continues to maintain and further develop a shining legacy. The release of the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy on Nintendo Switch Online has introduced the retro classics to a new audience of gamers, and the development of multiple Donkey Kong Country theme park lands aims to keep the character within the modern cultural zeitgeist. Donkey Kong also served as a major supporting character in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and the January 2025 release of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD offers another exciting milestone for the banana-loving ape and his DK crew.

While Mario may be the primary mascot for Nintendo, Donkey Kong has helped to build a monumental legacy for the Japanese video game company. From his early days on old arcade cabinets to a future of exciting real-world offerings, Donkey Kong continues to delight fans new and old and reigns among the kings of the video game industry.

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong is both the name of a video game character and franchise originally created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. The franchise is primarily made up of platforming style games, but there have been a number of offshoots and the character has appeared in other video games ranging from Mario Party, Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, and much more.