Donkey Kong (character)

Donkey Kong (ドンキーコング, Donkī Kongu), sometimes referred to simply as DK, is a Nintendo video game character that first appeared in 1981. He is a large, muscular gorilla, weighing in at 800 pounds, who currently lives deep within the jungles of his very own island. Since 1994 he has worn a characteristic necktie, his sole item of clothing. He appears as both the protagonist and antagonist of the Donkey Kong games. He was created by Shigeru Miyamoto.

There are two theories to explain why the game was named Donkey Kong. Both theories agree that the "Kong" portion of the name is due to the character being a gorilla. The mistranslation theory suggests that the game was supposed to have been named "Monkey Kong" and that due to a mistyped fax, blurred fax, or poor phone connection, the game's name was changed to Donkey Kong. The other theory is that Shigeru Miyamoto, the game's inventor, used the word "donkey" to convey a sense of stubbornness and the name "Kong" to invoke the image of a gorilla.