It’s crazy to consider DK named anything other than Donkey Kong, but there was a time when Nintendo considered other options including some wild the swings.
In the 80s, Nintendo and Universal went head-to-head 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 clutch (hehe) of ideas for possible Kong names before settling on the Donkey variety.
The documents, which were scanned by gaming historian Norman Caruso in 2020 before recently resurfaced thanks to Mario Supper fan account Mario Broth, detail just a few 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 listed followed by the document itself from Caruso:
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 with “Kong Dong” failing to make it to boot camp, but we can’t be the only ones laughing at people’s names up there – coming next year, ‘Bill Kong Country Returns HD’. Also, what kind of name is “Funky Kong”? Good job that it didn’t show up again…
The documents also include a shot by Miyamoto from a 1981 meeting for Donkey Kong. That sure wasn’t meant to be a monkey, was it?
Universal obviously lost the court case, with the presiding judge concluding that the two Kongs (Donkey and King) were completely different. Another document shared by Caruso contains the following comparison by Judge Sweet:
The farcical, childish and non-sexual Donkey Kong creates a humorous impression by jumping up and down and moving back and forth to tease Mario. Therefore, Donkey Kong’s gorilla is completely different from King Kong, a wild gorilla in search of a beautiful woman who goes berserk, chases people, tramples them under his feet or throws them to the ground, and fights with dinosaurs, giant snakes, planes and helicopters, all culminating in his tragic and bloody death.
We have to admit, he has a point. Billion dollar movies and theme parks would suggest that Nintendo and Universal are back in the bud now, but these documents are still an interesting look at what once was.
‘Kong Dong Country’ may never have been a thing – and we can all be thankful for that – but Donkey Kong Country is, and we’re getting a new HD version of it on Switch next January.