Donkey Kong
ドンキー・コング
Description
Jumpman -- known today as Mario -- must traverse levels structures to save his girlfriend, Pauline, from Donkey Kong before time runs out. The levels include Girders, Rivets, Elevators, and Conveyor Belts. Mario must avoid flames, barrels, and bouncing rivets to reach his goal.
Donkey Kong was produced by Nintendo in 1981.
Nintendo released 106 machines in our database under this trade name, starting in 1970. Nintendo was based in Japan.
Other machines made by Nintendo during the time period Donkey Kong was produced include: Space Fever Color, Space Fever (Black & White), Heli Fire, Radar Scope, Sheriff, Sky Skipper, Popeye, Donkey Kong Junior, Mario Bros., and Donkey Kong 3
Specs
| Name | Donkey Kong |
|---|---|
| Developer | Nintendo (Japan) |
| Year | 1981 |
| Type | Videogame |
| KLOV/MOG # | 7610 |
| Class | Wide Release |
| Genre | Platform |
| Monitor |
|
| Conversion Class | Nintendo Classic |
| Game Specific | Donkey Kong Pinout |
| Dipswitch Settings | |
| # Simultaneous Players | 1 |
| # Maximum Players | 2 |
| Game Play | Alternating |
| Control Panel Layout | Single Player |
| Controls |
|
| Sound | Unamplified Mono (requires one-channel amp) |
| Cabinet Styles |
|
| Instructions | Donkey Kong Instructions Image |
| Bezel | Donkey Kong Bezel Image |
| Control Panel | Donkey Kong Control Panel Image |
| Side Art | Donkey Kong Side Art Image |
| PCB | Donkey Kong PCB Image |
Game Play
You are a workman named Mario who climbs girders and ladders and will stop at nothing to save his stolen love from the clutches of the giant ape.
Using the joystick and the Jump button, you maneuver Mario over rolling barrels, away from falling barrels, over or away from fireballs and cement tubs, away from bouncing rivets, up and down ladders, along girders and conveyor belts, onto elevators, over rivets to remove them and over dangerous crevices, to get to where the ape holds the girl captive. For additional points, Mario gathers umbrellas, hats, purses and other bonus items that the girl has dropped on her way to the top of the building. Mario can also grab a hammer by jumping up to it to smash barrels, fireballs, and cement tubs for additional points but the hammer can only be used for a limited amount of time.
On the Girder, Elevator and Conveyor Belt levels, whenever Mario reaches Pauline, Donkey Kong will grab her and carry her off to the next higher level. But on the Rivet level, Mario must remove all the rivets on each and every floor by running or jumping over them. After all the rivets are removed, Donkey Kong will fall head first onto a stack of girders and be knocked out and then Mario and Pauline will be together again for good. Afterwards, the game starts over again with increased difficulty.
Donkey Kong KLOV/IAM 5 Point User Score: 4.23 (46 votes)
Fun Factor: 4.25
Overall Like |
4.48 |
|---|---|
| Fun (Social) | 3.74 |
| Fun (Solo) | 4.32 |
| Collector Desire | 4.16 |
Technical Rating: 4.34
| Gameplay | 4.50 |
|---|---|
| Graphics | 4.20 |
| Originality | 4.68 |
| Sound/Music | 4.14 |
Personal Impressions and Technical Impressions each account for half of the total score.
Within the Personal Impressions category, Like
carries a little more weight than the other factors.
Log in to rate this game!
Cheats, Tricks, Bugs, and Easter Eggs
The first version of Donkey Kong that was released in America red cabinet version had a trick that could be done on the barrell board. Move Mario up a ladder so that his hands are at the top of the ladder and the barrells will not come down on Mario. Only a barrell thrown from Donkey Kong or a fireball can get Mario when doing this. The best way to tell if your Donkey Kong machine has this older version of the software is to watch the title screen during the demo. Underneath the name, and Donkey Kong himself, you will see the copyright of Nintendo. If it reads: "1981 Nintendo" you have the older version the regular version of the program reads "1981 Nintendo of America". This is important to check because many of the cabinets that had the older version of the program got updated with new chips. The early cabinets also had a trick that could be done with a drinking straw to give unlimited gameplay. A straw inserted in the middle outside section of the upper hinge would turn sideways inside the machine and be positioned just above the credit switch. By jiggling the straw up and down, you could get up to 99 credits in seconds.
Hacks
- A Cure For Cancer - Carnage must rescue the T-1000 that was stolen by the big enemy.
- Clinton Kong - Changes Donkey Kong into Bill Clinton.
- Donkey Kong 2600 - Changes the graphics to make them look more like the Atari 2600 Version.
- Monkey Donkey - Uses a different color scheme.
- Pac-Kong - Changes the graphics to make them more like those of Pac-Man.
- Wilford Kong - Changes Donkey Kong into Wilford.
Images
Trivia
Mario was originally a carpenter, not a plumber as he became later with the introduction of Mario Bros. The word "donkey", in Donkey Kong, is a play on the Japanese word for "stupid". Pauline is the name of Mario's girlfriend in Donkey Kong. In the Japanese version, her name is Lady, but she got her name changed when Nintendo released the Famicom version.
Another story on how the game's name evolved was that it was supposed to be "Monkey Kong", but due to a barely legible fax transmission, the screenprinters created thousands of pieces of artwork that read "Donkey Kong" instead. Since the manufacturers were in a rush to get the game released, they opted to change the game's title rather than wait for the artwork to be reprinted.
This game appeared in an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood where a young boy explains a little to Fred Rogers what the game is about and how it is played.
A modern version of Donkey Kong was made called Donkey Kong 94 for Super Game Boy. This version begins exactly the same as the original with the same four stages with updated graphics and play mechanics. But when you finish these levels, instead of repeating them over, the player is taken to 96 more levels, each with tons of puzzles to solve.
Cabinet Information
There are two different American cabinet styles. The most common is the light blue variety, but the first Donkey Kong machines were red.
Nintendo also produced cabaret or "mini" versions of this game.
Miscellaneous
SPINOFFS: Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. Mario appears in these games with his brother Luigi
VAPS Arcade/Coin-Op Donkey Kong Census
There are 15,339 members of the Video Arcade Preservation Society / Vintage Arcade Preservation Society, 9,699 whom participate in our arcade census project of games owned, wanted, or for sale. Census data currently includes 167,290 machines (7,016 unique titles).
Very Common - There are 1,590 known instances of this machine owned by Donkey Kong collectors who are active members. Of these, 1,359 of them are original dedicated machines. 56 of them are conversions in which game circuit boards (and possibly cabinet graphics) have been placed in (and on) another game cabinet. 162 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired.
For Sale - There are 37 active VAPS members with a Donkey Kong machines for sale. There are 7 active VAPS members with a Donkey Kong circuit boards for sale.
Wanted - Very Popular - There are 105 active VAPS members currently looking for Donkey Kong. There are 3 active VAPS members looking for Donkey Kong boards sets.
This game ranks a 98 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census ownership records.
This game ranks a 97 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census want list records.
Rarity and Popularity independently are not necessarily indications of value. [More Information]
Flyers
1981
/ 2 Pages
1981
/ 2 Pages
1981
/ 2 Pages
Technical
There are two versions of this boardset. One is a four board sandwich layout with a bunch of plug connectors, and the other is a two board sandwich layout with a 22/44-pin edge connector.
Legacy
- Donkey Kong
- Donkey Kong Junior
- Donkey Kong 3
Manuals
Foto-Finder® (Books)
- The Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256) Page: 121; Color photo Price guide: No
- The Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256) Page: 157; Color photo Price guide: No
- Arcade Fever Sellers (ISBN 0762409371) Page: 66; Color photo
- Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256) Page: 121; Color photo
Additional References (logged in members often see more)
- 3D Model (External): Kong Off (12eb3191c03bf872844c61dcfe3cf617)
- 3D Model (External): Sequel (9d161c011684b32db56265edc340dccf)
- 3D Model (External): Cabaret (14c80796f521c80533276a8c0b1c862)
- 3D Model (External): Upright (8278741387b8a630d06e6be4f8954ac)
Arcade Map - Play This Game
Our members have reported that Donkey Kong is playable at 10 locations:
| Name | Location | State | Country | Details | Check-ins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkadia Retrocade | 1478 N College Ave, Fayetteville | Arkansas | United States | Arcade | 1 |
| Bartari | 101 Adams Ave, Scranton | Pennsylvania | United States | Bar | 0 |
| Bit Bar | 278 Derby St, Salem | Massachusetts | United States | Unknown | 1 |
| District 82 Pinball Arcade | 800 O Keefe Road, De Pere | Wisconsin | United States | Arcade | 0 |
| Level One Bar + Arcade | 130 Hutchinson Ave, Columbus | Ohio | United States | Unknown | 0 |
| PinBar | 501 17 Ave SW, Calgary | AB | Canada | Arcade | 2 |
| Starcade Amusements | 400 Ernest W Barrett Pkwy NW, Kennesaw | Georgia | United States | Arcade | 1 |
| Sting Rays Bar And Grill | 3112 East State Road 60, Valrico | Florida | United States | Unknown | 0 |
| The Very Best Arcade (The Very Best Weiner Shop) | 252 E High St, Pottstown | Pennsylvania | United States | Arcade | 1 |
| Upstate Pinball & Arcade Museum | 109A West Trade St, Simpsonville | South Carolina | United States | Arcade | 2 |
eBay Listings
Click to search eBay for Donkey Kong Videogame machines and related items.
Click to search eBay for Nintendo for machines and parts.
When you click on links below to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Such revenue helps to fund this site's operations. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
TOP WATCHED LISTINGS FOR: Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Countertop Arcade Machine Upgraded with 60 Games
Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 1 day
Donkey Kong by Nintendo Video Arcade Game-ORIGINAL!
Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 5 days
Midway Cocktail Arcade (Donkey Kong And 59 Other Games)
Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 5 days
DONKEY KONG 3 NINTENDO 1983 COIN ARCADE VIDEO GAME INSTALL + OPERATION MANUAL
Auction ends in: 3 days, 15 hours
Vintage 1981 Nintendo Donkey Kong Table Top Mini Arcade Game. Good Condition.
Auction ends in: 1 week, 6 days
Vintage Rare 1980s Original Donkey Kong Arcade Machine Poster
Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 4 days
Donkey Kong Junior Arcade PCB with Freeplay/High Score Save - Working
Auction ends in: 2 weeks, 3 hours
Contribute
- Log in to contribute content to this page
- Please consider donating to the International Arcade Museum Library