Newly released documents from the landmark 1982 case, in which Universal Studios tried to sue Nintendo over the release of the Donkey Kong arcade game, reveal insights into the game’s development, including some of the original names Shigeru Miyamoto and others at Nintendo pitched for the title. Now, the public can see which other names were placed beside “Kong” before Nintendo ultimately decided that their first main antagonist would be as stubborn as a donkey.
Many know that Donkey Kong was originally envisioned as a Popeye the Sailor Man arcade game. However, when Nintendo couldn’t get the rights to Popeye, they pivoted and created the three characters that would go on to be known as Mario, Pauline, and the original DK, later known as Cranky Kong.
Build On, Kong.
Documents from the lawsuit became available on the Internet Archive thanks to Norman Caruso of the Gaming Historian YouTube channel. On April 3, Norman announced his retirement from making YouTube content. However, as he had planned to make a video on the lawsuit, he made the documents he used in his research available to the public as a final gift to his audience.
Among the dozens of documents are notes from Shigeru Miyamoto on naming ideas for his arcade game. He had considered names like “Kong on the Run,” “Kong Chase,” and “Attack of the Kong.” Among the names is also one that does not feature the word Kong. “Build On” was a suggestion.
Ultimately, the name Donkey Kong came from a suggestion by Shinichi Todori.
Other documents in the archive include licensing documents from Nintendo regarding the Donkey Kong character and an agreement with Coleco, which licensed the title.
Today, Donkey Kong is one of the most iconic Nintendo characters and was recently featured in his own Nintendo Switch 2 title, Donkey Kong Bananza. Learn more about the creation of that game here.
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