Non-Video Donkey Kong Games
Let's take a look at non-digital DK games for a moment. (And in reverse release order, just to change things up a bit)
The imaginatively titled Jenga: Donkey Kong Collector's Edition came out in 2008. It is, at first glance, just jenga with the blocks painted up to look like girders, but there's a bit more to it than that.
Included in the box are some little plastic figurines:
And a spinner:
Utilizing these opens up a new play mode for your DK Jenga needs. You pick your color of Jumpman, insert his little peg into a girder at the bottom of the stack, and spin the spinner to determine what you get to do on your turn, allowing you to remove girders in typical jenga fashion and progress up the construction zone towards the top, where DK waits with Pauline.
It's a fun little twist on Jenga and a nice physical party game adaption of Donkey Kong. Not bad really. I have two of them for some reason (I'm not sure where the second one came from).
*****
A bit further back, in 1983, Donkey Kong Card Game was released.
The game comes not with just cards, but also with a multitude of other little plastic game pieces of girders, Jumpmen, and, of course, Donkey Kong.
I don't actually have a copy of this one, so here's the description from BoardGameGeek: "Players place ladder and girder cards in a particular pattern on the playing field starting from a girder strip to build a high-rise structure up to Donkey Kong who sits on his cardboard throne. Each time a card is played, the player moves their respective Mario pawn by die count up the card structure.
In addition to the plain ladder and girder cards are obstacle and remedy cards that are self-explanatory. If you're the first player to move your pawn up, above the highest girder where Donkey Kong sits, then you'll capture Donkey Kong and win the game. Oh joy!"
Sounds a bit like Dominoes, actually. Maybe they should come out with Domino: Donkey Kong Collector's Edition?
*****
Going even (okay only a little) further back, we come to 1982 and the release of Donkey Kong, an out and out board game this time.
"Based on the Mario Brothers Donkey Kong video game, Save the girl, avoid the barrels, same as the video game. Can you battle Donkey Kong and save the fair maiden?"
From what I can gather, it's a bit like snakes and ladders, with players drawing cards to tell them how far they can move and attack, with barrel pieces being moved down the board a number of spaces determined by die roll and players trying to reach Pauline and DK at the top.
The DK Dice and Figurine (with barrel throwing action!)
Mario(s) doing his best impression of a sassy black woman.
*****
Finally, just because of its importance and legacy, 1965 saw the release of Barrel of Monkeys.
From the instruction manual: "Dump monkeys onto table. Pick up one monkey by an arm. Hook other arm through a second monkey's arm. Continue making a chain. Your turn is over when a monkey is dropped."
Arguably, the game that started it all.
*****
And that's all for this post. If there's any Arcade-based physical DK games I missed, let me know! I'm always on the lookout for more stuff!