For those who don’t know, years ago the Donkey Kong franchise was in danger, given that in the years when the original arcade was gaining strength, Universal opposed the success of the franchise with a huge lawsuit that had Nintendo against the ropes if it weren’t for the lawyer John Kirby. And one of the ways they were trying to get out of it was to change the ape’s name, which fortunately didn’t happen, since the nickname sounded really bad.
Here is the final argument that the judge said in the case and with which Nintendo was saved:
Donkey Kong creates a humorous impression by jumping up and down and strutting back and forth to mock Mario. Donkey Kong the gorilla is thus very different from King Kong, a ferocious gorilla in pursuit of a beautiful woman who wreaks havoc, chases people, crushes them underfoot or throws them to the ground, and fights dinosaurs, giant snakes, airplanes and helicopters, all culminating in his tragic and bloody death.
This was followed by the game historian Norman Caruso published court documents online in 2020. Where the proposed names for the character come from, including Kong Dong, Funny Kong, Kong the Kong, Jack Kong, Bill Kong, Steel Kong, Giant Kong, Big Kong, Kong Down, Mr Kong, Custom Kong, Kong Chase, Kong Boy, Kong Man, Kong Fighter, Wild Kong, Rookie Kong and Kong Holiday.
Fortunately, things didn’t have to be altered, and in the end we have the ape that everyone knows and loves. Remember that the remaster of Donkey Kong Country Returns is thrown in 2025.
Via: Nintendo Everything
Author’s note: Luckily they managed to get the judge on their side and Universal didn’t get their way. How ironic that they are now working closely with them to create the Mario movies and the amusement parks.
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