You know how Donkey Kong 64 took Super Mario 64's floating haunted books and made them little ripoffs of Banjo-Kazooie's Cheato? It's virtually illegible in the actual game, but a closer look reveals them all as "DK64 Players [sic] Guide" copies! What a stupid library.

6 59

The Gangplank Galleon underwent significant visual upgrades in the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country. Not only was K. Rool's flagship updated to include three masts (the standard for any Rare galleon), but Krow's Nest from DKC2 was also included!

27 150

Donkey Kong Jr. was originally DK's partner in Mario Kart Double Dash!! It was only after Nintendo began standardizing Kongtinuity after Rare's departure in September 2002 that they replaced him with Diddy, relegating Jr. to Waluigi Stadium's crowd. 1/2

28 262

As revealed by Gregg Mayles, a "Banana Animal" menagerie was considered for Donkey Kong Country 2. Banana Birds were revived as a collectible by the subsequent DKC3 team, while Retro Studios would hit upon something close to the original intent for their Banana Sprites!

14 72

Donkey Kong Country 3 character Bramble is listed as "Bellamy" in the European manual! While this isn't reflected in the PAL game itself, it suggests it was either his original name or an abandoned Brit-centric localization based on famed botanist David Bellamy.

12 59

Before becoming It's Mr Pants, Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers may have portrayed the fate of the Gangplank Galleon. One puzzle setting was at a seabed shipwreck, but look closer: The hull livery matches K. Rool's flagship, and its breach is exactly the same as in DKC2!

17 108

What's the only Kremling created for Donkey Kong Country 3 to appear in a game past Donkey Kong Land III (after Re-Koil was scrapped for DK64)? It's Kopter! In this case, a unique Kopter took to the skies as a playable character in Barrel Blast/Jet Race!

8 57

The 1995 "Sears Wish Book" catalog published between August and September featured a placeholder box for Donkey Kong Country 2. Lacking the subtitle, the mockup also used the early render of Diddy and Dixie shoving one another, Dixie sticking her foot* in Diddy's face!

20 140

Also of note are the three Snowmads themselves. Only the walrus would be implemented as a stock baddie (as the Waldough-class), while the polar bear would appear in the Snowmad's forces as the boss Bashmaster. The arctic fox/wolf would never make it to the final game.

1 20

Unlockable concept art exists of a Bonus Stage in Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze that would be a snowball fight with Snowmad baddies, suggesting that Retro at one time toyed with implementing Bonuses similar in structure to the "Destroy Them All!" games of DKC2.

16 104

K. Rool's airships, starting with the Flying Krock in Donkey Kong Country 2 and the previously-unnamed vessel in Donkey Kong 64, were retconned as the K. Kruizer I and II in Paon's DK games. King of Swing featured the K. Kruizer III and Jungle Climber debuted number IV!

18 108

The Game Boy Color version of Donkey Kong Country expanded the overworld from the original game, incorporating three islets and a pier where the Crosshair Cranky challenges took place. Along with DK Land's worlds and Banana Fairy Island, these make up the full DK Isles.

24 126

As pointed out by , Donkey Kong 64's Troff 'N' Scoff lack their in-game pierced nipples on official renders. This is because someone thought twice and edited them out... but not before they were sent out to some official Nintendo publications!

46 230

This Donkey Kong Jungle Beat promotional wallpaper was made available from Nintendo of Japan in 2004. No, you're not seeing things. It proclaimed Donkey Kong as "The King of Kings."

I mean, it's Kiddy Kong who can skip over water, but sure.

8 46

In Donkey Kong Country 3, the Queen Banana Bird is trapped behind a barrier bound by magical glyphs. While most seem to be generic shapes, K. Rool's crown is at the top of the radial (and on the sides), while the Kremling 'K' (seen on map screen flags) is at the bottom.

27 119

Wrinkly's book from DKC2 has legible print! On one page, a declaration that Diddy's Kong Quest is "the best game in the [illegible] world" and to "watch out for more great games from RARE." The other is a recipe for worm pie.

Is worm pie Wrinkly's nickname in DK64? 1/2

36 226

Red balloons are worth one life in Donkey Kong games, with green two and blue three. Another was almost added in DKC Returns. Concept art shows yellow balloons worth SEVEN. In the game, they're replaced with seven individual reds, but they remain on Cranky's tin roof!

19 105

While rumored off-and-on over the years, we finally got confirmation that conceptual work had been done on the game in a mini-documentary that was unlockable in Rare Replay. The real question is: WHO'S THAT MONKEY RACING WITH BANJO? 4/4

5 40

The earliest known render of Dixie Kong is this piece, created to promote Donkey Kong Country 2 in the months leading up to its release. Note the lack of pre-rendered fur. This is the only render of Dixie crafted with the original DKC-style clay-like fur texture.

49 226