Banana Coin

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Banana Coin
Artwork of a Banana Coin from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
Artwork of a Banana Coin from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
First appearance Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995)
Latest appearance Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo Switch) (2018)
“Blood may be thicker than water, but Banana Coins are thicker still. Get in here.”
Cranky Kong, Donkey Kong Country Returns

Banana Coins, also known as Banana Bunch Coins[1][2] (or Banana Bunch Koins[3]), are a currency used in the Donkey Kong franchise, starting with Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. They are coins depicting a banana, or a Banana Bunch in earlier games. Their purpose varies between games, but are generally used to purchase an item or service from another Kong. Banana Coins were replaced with bear coins in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! and its handheld follow-up, Donkey Kong Land III.

History[edit]

Donkey Kong Country series[edit]

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest / Donkey Kong Land 2[edit]

A Banana Coin
Artwork from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Land 2, Banana Coins, referred to as "Kong Family Coins" in Kong Kollege, are scattered throughout each level. Diddy and Dixie Kong use them to pay for services offered by the Kong Family: use of Funky Kong's Biplane Barrel at Funky's Flights II, obtain advice from Cranky Kong at Monkey Museum, saving the game and receiving advice from Wrinkly Kong at Kong Kollege, and playing Swanky Kong's quizzes at Swanky's Bonus Bonanza. The Kongs can carry up to 99 Banana Coins at a time. Additionally, the Game Boy Advance version allows the Kongs to fight a boss again by paying ten Banana Coins to Swanky, and Wrinkly no longer offers to save the Kongs' progress for a fee since save functionality was integrated into the world map's menu.

Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Color)[edit]

A Banana Coin
A Banana Bunch Coin in Donkey Kong Country (GBC)

Banana Bunch Coins appear in the Game Boy Color version of Donkey Kong Country, as a collectible item in all six of Candy's Challenge. Each challenge involves an objective of Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong having to participate in a challenge to obtain a Banana Bunch Coin. The six Banana Bunch Coins are shown from the main menu's "View Items" option, under "Bonus". The ones not yet obtained by the Kongs are represented by a black silhouette.

Donkey Kong Country Returns / Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D[edit]

In Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, Banana Coins were redesigned to only depict a single banana instead of a Banana Bunch. Their main purpose is for purchasing various items at Cranky Kong's Shop. Banana Coins are scattered throughout every level. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong can collect up to 999 Banana Coins.

The Kongs can also obtain Banana Coins by jumping on three to seven enemies in succession (enemies from the eighth onward give Red Balloons instead), or as a prize from the Slot Machine Barrel.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit]

In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port, Banana Coins have a similar role as its predecessor, Donkey Kong Country Returns. They were recolored from yellow to golden, and continuously sparkle. Banana Coins are still used for purchasing items, this time at Funky's Fly 'n' Buy. Like the previous game, the Kongs can collect up to 999 Banana Coins.

Donkey Kong 64[edit]

Banana Bunch Coins, from Donkey Kong 64

In Donkey Kong 64, numerous Banana Bunch Coins are scattered throughout every level. They appear in five colors, each corresponding to a Kong: yellow ones can only be collected by Donkey Kong, red ones by Diddy Kong, blue ones by Lanky Kong, purple ones by Tiny Kong and green ones by Chunky Kong. Each Kong has to spend Banana Bunch Coins at Funky's Store to purchase weapons and ammo from Funky Kong, at Cranky's Lab to purchase moves and abilities from Cranky Kong, and at Candy's Music Shop to purchase musical instruments from Candy Kong. In total, every Kong spends 21 Banana Bunch Coins on personal upgrades, Donkey Kong spends an extra 2 to replay the Donkey Kong arcade game, and a total of 53 are used for shared upgrades. There are 974 Banana Bunch Coins in total. After all coins possible are spent, the Kongs will have a remaining 814 Banana Bunch Coins among themselves if all coins are collected. The maximum number of Banana Bunch Coins for each Kong are as follows: 179 for Donkey Kong; 183 for Diddy; 190 for Lanky; 198 for Tiny; and 224 for Chunky. The Mystery mode has an unlockable cheat allowing the player to have 999 Banana Bunch Coins; this cheat can be unlocked by collecting twenty Banana Fairies.

A unique type of Banana Bunch Coin, known as 5-Banana Coins are also featured in the game, hidden under DK Dirt Piles. These coins are larger than normal ones, and give five Banana Bunch Coins to each Kong, equaling a total of twenty-five.

DK: Jungle Climber[edit]

Banana Coins return in DK: Jungle Climber. In this game, five are found in each level. After completing the game, the Banana Coins can be spent on extra levels.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

A Banana Coin appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a sticker. In The Subspace Emissary, it can be used by any character and increases the strength of its user's leg attacks by four.

Profiles and statistics[edit]

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest[edit]

  • Wii U Virtual Console electronic manual bio: "These coins are used to pay the various members of the Kong Family for their help."

Donkey Kong Land 2[edit]

  • Virtual Console electronic manual bio: "Use these to enlist the help of various members of the Kong family."

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

Sticker
Banana Coin
Banana Coin sticker
Artwork from: Donkey Kong 64
Effects in The Subspace Emissary: [Leg] - Attack +4
Usable by: Anyone

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese バナナコイン
Banana Koin
Banana Coin

French Pièce banane
Banana Coin
German Bananenmünze
Banana Coin
Italian Moneta Banana[5][6]
Moneta banana
Banana coin
Spanish (NOA) Moneda banana[4]
Banana coin

References[edit]

  1. ^ Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest instruction booklet. Page 15.
  2. ^ Donkey Kong 64 instruction booklet. Page 21.
  3. ^ Donkey Kong Land 2 instruction booklet. Page 12.
  4. ^ Club Nintendo (Chile) La Jungla de Donkey Kong: Edición Especial. Page 45.
  5. ^ Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, GIG's Italian manual
  6. ^ Donkey Kong Land 2 Italian manual, pag. 14