Donkey Kong Turns 45: The Arcade Ape That Invented Mario
Every legend has a first appearance. Mario’s happened by accident, in July 1981, when Nintendo dropped an arcade game into the machines that wasn’t even about him.
The game was called Donkey Kong. The hero was a nameless carpenter, known internally as “Jumpman,” who climbed the scaffolding of a construction site to save a young woman from a giant, stubborn gorilla. Forty-five years later, that gorilla and that carpenter — now known as Mario — are the two pillars holding up the biggest video game company on the planet.
The game that saved Nintendo
In 1981, Nintendo was struggling to break through in the United States and was coming off an expensive flop. Donkey Kong was the bet of a young designer named Shigeru Miyamoto, who wanted to tell a simple story with charismatic characters instead of just ships and shooting.
It worked beyond anyone’s imagination. Donkey Kong was an instant arcade hit, became one of the most profitable games of the golden age of arcades, and put Nintendo on the Western map. Without that gorilla, there probably wouldn’t be the rest of the story.
How Jumpman became Mario
The carpenter in Donkey Kong had no proper name at launch. Legend says he was named “Mario” shortly afterward, inspired by the landlord of the warehouse Nintendo rented in the US. From carpenter he became a plumber, gained a brother, gained an iconic mustache, gained an entire kingdom — and became the most recognizable face in video games.
Donkey Kong, in turn, stopped being a villain and became the hero of his own franchise. The antagonist and the protagonist of the same 1981 screen went on parallel paths and never stopped.
45 years later, and more alive than ever
The proof that the duo aged well is in the present. Donkey Kong starred in Donkey Kong Bananza on the Switch 2, one of the big releases of Nintendo’s new generation, while Mario keeps dominating consoles and even conquered the big screen with massive box office numbers.
It’s rare for a character to cross 45 years without becoming a museum piece. Donkey Kong and Mario managed it because they were never just nostalgia: they’re the foundation Nintendo reinvents itself on with every generation. It all started with a gorilla, a few barrels, and a carpenter jumping over scaffolding. And, in a way, it’s still going.
Arcade nostalgia today. Check out our Ocarina of Time piece too — another Nintendo landmark that became a legend.
45 years of Donkey Kong and the duo has never been more alive 🍌 You can bring both home 👇