Diddy Kong

Diddy Kong (ディディーコング, Didī Kongu) is a fictional character in the Donkey Kong series of video games, first appearing in the 1994 game Donkey Kong Country. He lives on Donkey Kong Island in the Kongo Jungle, and is identified by his red hat, which has a Nintendo logo on it, and shirt. He is described as the “wannabe nephew” of Donkey Kong in the Donkey Kong 64 manual and occasionally as a chimpanzee, despite his monkey-like tail. He is noted for his ability to use a jet pack fashioned from a barrel and a pair of wooden guns that shoot peanuts. He was originally created by Donkey Kong Country developer Rare as an updated version of Donkey Kong Jr., but renamed due to Nintendo’s response.

Diddy Kong has made many appearances in the Donkey Kong series, appearing in all Donkey Kong Country games and Donkey Kong Land games, notably as the lead character in Donkey Kong Country 2 along with Dixie Kong. He received a spin-off called Diddy Kong Racing, and more recently as co-star to Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Country Returns. Through his relationship with Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong has become a prominent character in the Mario franchise, appearing in several spin-offs. He also made an appearance as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Outside of video games, Diddy Kong appeared in the TV show Donkey Kong Country, where he is played by Andrew Sabiston.

Since appearing in Donkey Kong Country, Diddy has received mostly positive reception, one strong enough to create a fan following, resulting in Diddy getting his own spin-off. He has been featured in several pieces of merchandise, including plush toys and candies. He has been considered a quality character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, with UGO Networks editor Russ Frushtick citing various attributes, including his appearance. However, his design has been met with criticism; Kotaku editor Mike Fahey called him the “Scrappy Doo” of the Donkey Kong series. GameSpy editor Phil Theobald criticized Rare’s character designs in the Donkey Kong series, specifically citing Diddy.