We are all familiar with Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards. Annually, it recognizes the favorite video game of the year through the Favorite Video Game Award. This year, Minecraft was awarded the winner of the award.
The award was established in 1995. Are you curious which game first received the Favorite Video Game Award in Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards?
It's no other than Donkey Kong Country by Nintendo. Here are some fascinating trivia about the game.
Background of 'Donkey Kong Country'
Donkey Kong Country is a 1994 platform game developed by Rare. It was published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is a reboot of Nintendo's Donkey Kong franchise.
The game follows the gorilla Donkey Kong and his nephew Diddy Kong. Donkey and Diddy are set out to recover their stolen banana hoard from the crocodile King K. Rool and his army, the Kremlings.
'Donkey Kong Country' was Developed in Actual Jungle-like Conditions
Before they landed the Donkey Kong gig, Rare was a relatively small company. Therefore, they don't have a place to put the millions of dollars of new hardware that Nintendo sent them in order to develop Donkey Kong Country. With the new equipment squeezed in Rare's small office, it generated so much heat, making the working area a jungle-like place.
There are Over 35 Different Versions of 'Donkey Kong'
Over 35 different versions of Donkey Kong are available including Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Country, and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. There are also collaboration with other characters like Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars.
Read Also: Got An NES Classic Edition? Here's Your Guide To Cheats, Tips, Tricks And More
Donkey Kong Jr. was Initially in the Game
"Diddy Kong was originally supposed to be Donkey Kong Jr." according to Uproxx. However, Rare gave him "too much cool 90s baseball cap-wearin' 'tude." With this Nintendo wanted Rare to change his name. Various awful names such as Diet DK, DK Lite, Titchy Kong were proposed by Rare. Dinky Kong is the one that stuck.
'Donkey Kong Country' was Initially Pitched as a Boxing Game
Donkey Kong Country, with a new 3D visuals style, was initially pitched as a boxing game. The creators Rare pitched the idea to Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda. The two gave their approval to create a game. Fifteen years later, "Donkey Kong appeared in Punch-Out!! for the Wii as an unlockable character," according to The Fact Site.
'Donkey Kong Country' is the Best Selling (non bundled) 16-bit Game of All Time
Donkey Kong Country sold around nine million copies. This probably gives you a good idea of how much the video game industry has grown over the past two decades.
The Origin of Donkey Kong's Name
According to The Fact Site "the name "Donkey Kong" comes from a mash-up of "King-Kong" a Japanese phrase used across the country for a gorilla, and the first English word creator Miyamoto found to describe "Stubborn and dumb."
Nintendo was Sued for the Use of the Name Donkey Kong
Universal sued Nintendo over the use of Donkey Kong in 1982. The reason is the name is too similar to their film "King Kong." However, "King Kong" was already in the public domain years ago. The case was dropped and Universal pay Nintendo's legal fees.
Related Article: Shigeru Miyamoto Talks About Donkey Kong Trivia That Wasn't Published Before
