Nintendo resurrects two classic characters for Donkey Kong: Bananza DLC

Donkey Kong 64 fans celebrate! Nintendo will pay homage to a pair of classic N64 characters with upcoming game Great Vajra Bananza Emerald Rush DLC Challenges.

Nintendo announced today that both Chunky Kong and Lanky Kong will be returning as “exclusive in-game statues” in DLC after years in the wilderness Confirmedas part of the upcoming So Strong It's Fun in-game challenge.

The event will take place from November 25 to December 2 and will be located at the top of the game's mountain. So far, there's no word on exactly how many points players need to accumulate to get these latest cosmetics for decorating DK's island.

Regardless, long-time King Kong fans are just celebrating that Nintendo is finally referencing these long-lost characters after only seeing them a handful of times over the past few decades.

The strong but gentle Dwarf Kong (cousin of Dixie Kong) has only made three video game appearances since his debut in 1999's Donkey Kong 64. He made a cameo in the Donkey Kong Country 3 mini-game for the Game Boy Advance, and then appeared as a sticker and soul in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Ultimate Edition.

Eagle-eyed fans also spotted Chunky Kong in super mario bros moviestanding alongside Diddy and Dixie's equally brief appearances – though you need to pause the film to actually know it's him.

Fans are hoping that this appearance, and the fact that Nintendo took the trouble to tweak his design a little, is an indication that there will be many more appearances for Dwarf Kong in the future. In fact, Bananza's upcoming statue appears to have the same slightly tweaked appearance. Will we see more of him in upcoming episodes? super mario galaxy movieor it might even be the case The long-rumored Donkey Kong movie is about to be released spin off? Time will tell.

Meanwhile, long-armed skinny Kongs are also rare. He did not make a cameo in the Super Mario Bros. movie, but appeared as an unlockable character in the 2007 Wii racing game Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast. Will we see more of him in the future?

If you haven't picked it up yet, Bananza's DLC Filled with references to Donkey Kong 64 and other past classics, including Diddy, Dixie, Cranky, Squax the Parrot from Donkey Kong Country, and DK's house from Donkey Kong Country Returns. Other Kong mentioned (but not seen) include a Candy Kong poster (don't ask) and a pair of Donkey Konga bongo drums that you can bounce on.

So now, who's next to return?

Tom Phillips is IGN's news editor. You can contact Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social