A Donkey Kong fan made a parody of the intro to the animated show King of the Hill, but now with characters from the Donkey Kong series as they appeared in Donkey Kong 64. The parody has gained traction on social media with many praising the creator for their humorous animation.Although it has been over eight years since the last mainline Donkey Kong game, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, the titular character and his family have continued to be relevant in the minds of gamers everywhere. Much of this fanfare comes from the more quirky aspects of Donkey Kong, particularly Donkey Kong 64's DK Rap, an infamous song that became popular online for its ridiculous nature and descriptions of the Kong family. Despite the game itself not being looked upon with much praise from critics, Donkey Kong 64 still has a fanbase with many looking at the game's quirks with fondness rather than ridicule.As one might expect for a game with this kind of reputation, Donkey Kong 64 has long been the subject of memes and parodies online. This is something a YouTuber who goes by Udge is well aware of, having made numerous Donkey Kong memes in the past with some gaining viral fame. Their latest work is a parody of the intro to the animated sitcom King of the Hill with the cast being replaced by characters from Donkey Kong 64. Udge posted the video on YouTube and TikTok as well as on Twitter wishing everyone a happy Donkey Kong December, a reference to a video by YouTuber videogamedunkey.
Udge mentioned on Twitter that they spent over 80 hours on the 30-second meme, animating it in the 3D graphics program Blender, mostly using assets ripped directly from the game. It currently sits at over 60 thousand views on YouTube, 29 thousand likes on TikTok, and 23 thousand likes on Twitter. It was notably retweeted by famed video game composer Grant Kirkhope who composed Donkey Kong 64 as well as the acclaimed Switch game Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope.
Despite never reaching the same level of mainstream success as other Nintendo properties like Mario and The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong still sits as one of the most recognizable gaming mascots. Some of this can be attributed to the appearance of Donkey Kong in many Mario spinoff games like Mario Party, Mario Kart, and a variety of Mario sports games. However, it has still been eight years since the last mainline Donkey Kong game with no word on when gamers might get another one.
Recent trademark filings from Nintendo have sparked speculation on a new Donkey Kong game, but no official announcement has been made. The character's continued popularity shows that there is an audience for a new Donkey Kong game, and with the Switch being as popular as it is, it would likely be a success. In any case, Donkey Kong will continue to be popular in the minds of gamers everywhere.