This year, the Donkey Kong series is celebrating its 45th anniversary, with the original arcade machine launching in July of 1981. To mark this milestone, I've gone out in search of some data that properly emphasizes the cultural, financial, and wider impact of Nintendo's great ape, who so often isn't placed on the same pedestal as his rival Mario, Link, or some other classic gaming IP.
Outside of pure data, this tribute to DK also includes some facts you might not know, including some of the powerful primate's unlikely gaming appearances and staggering in-game statistics. Simply put, given that Nintendo hasn't revealed anything special for Donkey Kong's anniversary at the time of writing, outside of the slightly lackluster DK challenge, we're taking it upon ourselves to celebrate the past, present, and future of this significant simian. So, let's get into it.
132,000 arcade machines
While arcades might be a bit niche these days, they were once the only place to game before the dawn of the home console revolution. Alongside the likes of Pac-Man and Space Invaders, Donkey Kong was a true icon of the arcade, with Nintendo producing around 132k arcade machines and distributing them globally, so everyone from Tokyo to Toronto could experience the psychic pain of watching the great ape bounce barrels off Mario's head on his mission to save Pauline.
These days, original Donkey Kong cabinets are a bit of a rarity. However, they did get thrust back into the spotlight in 2007, thanks to a documentary called The King of Kong. The film detailed the burgeoning rivalry between Billy Mitchell, a name any Donkey Kong fan is likely aware of, and the upstart Steve Wiebe. To this day, there's still an active arcade speedrunning community, though, as with many speedrunning scenes, it hasn't been without its controversies.
3,821 collectibles
3,821 is the number of collectibles in Donkey Kong 64, and yes, you read that right. That might seem like a lot, and that's because it is, with the Nintendo 64 game still holding the record for the most individual collectibles ever to this day. Admittedly, there's a bit of an ongoing debate surrounding the legitimacy of that number, with some more recent data-mining projects pointing to a final tally of 2,142. Still, either way you shake it, that's a lot of bananas.
For context, that number is significantly higher than any of the collectible totals in all the best Mario games, while also beating out everything from Banjo-Kazooie's 900 musical notes to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's 900 Korok seeds. DK's only real competition in this area is Spyro, with all three of the original trilogy games containing thousands of gems, but these aren't individual collectibles and function more as an in-game currency, which I'd argue is a completely different thing. The same goes for Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time.
Over 100 appearances
Outside of his own core series and spin-offs, Donkey Kong has made over 100 appearances in other properties, including both games and films. He appears in every Mario Party, Super Smash Bros., and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games game, while also popping up in every Mario Kart title but the original, which instead featured Donkey Kong Jr., as well as almost all of Mario's sporting spin-offs. That isn't to mention the blockbuster Super Mario Bros. Movie, which has Seth Rogen voicing the tie-wearing primate. We don't see DK in the 1993 film, but honestly, that probably works in his favor.
While those appearances are pretty well documented, they're not the only examples of Donkey Kong cameos. The Nintendo Wii version of Punch-Out!! features DK as a secret boss - spoilers, sorry, but it came out in 2009 - fulfilling his destiny after appearing in the original arcade game as a spectator. He also appeared in the Nintendo Wii U version of Skylanders: SuperChargers, while making further, non-playable appearances in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, Tetris DS, and Paper Mario: The Origami King.
247 levels
You can't have a conversation about legendary 2D platformers without bringing Donkey Kong Country into the mix. From the first game through to the latest, Tropical Freeze, the Country series features 247 levels, full of blasting barrels, rideable rhinos, and minecart madness. Some of my own earliest gaming memories are of Rare's original Donkey Kong Country on the SNES, which likely explains why I still hold the ape and the developer in such high regard to this day.
Of those 247 levels, there are plenty of hits, but some have found a special place in the hearts of the Donkey Kong community. Take DKC2's Klobber Karnage, an absolute gauntlet of a level that sees you face off against every type of Klobber and more than your fair share of Zingers to boot. Or, if we're looking at the more modern series entries, there's Donkey Kong Country Returns' Sunset Shore, a masterpiece of platforming design that sees you guide DK's silhouette through an entire level while the sun sets behind you.
Over 80 million units sold
You don't get to celebrate 45 years as a gaming IP without making a buttload of cash, and Donkey Kong has done just that for Nintendo by way of shifting over 80 million games in the last four and a half decades. That covers everything from arcade cabinets, NES ports, Rare's Country trilogy, and beyond. As of the latest estimates, the franchise has grossed billions of dollars for Nintendo, and that's before even factoring in Bananza, one of the best Switch games of recent memory.
For context, that means that Donkey Kong alone has outsold other mammoth franchises such as Street Fighter, God of War, and Metal Gear, as well as Nintendo stablemates Kirby and Star Fox. Sure, that still leaves Donkey Kong slightly lagging behind some of Nintendo's other IPs, most notably Mario and The Legend of Zelda, but considering that, before Donkey Kong Bananza, we hadn't received a 3D platformer starring DK for 26 years, it's still wildly impressive.
One Kong
Ultimately, none of this would have been possible were it not for Nintendo's ability to turn a barrel-throwing nuisance into one of the most endearing, charismatic, and beloved characters in all of gaming, at least, in my opinion. Data is great, but it's emotion that drives most of us, and it's emotion that's brought me back to Donkey Kong time and time again.
It's not just Nintendo we have to thank, though; there's Rare, which managed to convince the Japanese giant to commission one of the finest gaming trilogies of the '90s, Retro Studios, the team behind the return of the Country series after years lying dormant, and countless other developers that have factored Donkey Kong into their games in one way or another. All of them have played a part in the tapestry that is the life of a Kong.
Now, as we stomp towards the first anniversary of Donkey Kong Bananza, it feels like there's never been a better time to be a fan of the franchise. We've had our low points, sure, but with the latest game's status as the first Nintendo Switch 2 masterpiece - something I keenly pointed out in my Donkey Kong Bananza review - and the ape's appearance in the first of Mario's recent cinematic debuts, the future is brighter than a gold banana.