Monchee
| Monchee | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork from Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) | |||
| First appearance | Donkey Kong (1994) | ||
| Latest appearance | Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) (2024) | ||
| |||
Monchees,[1] generically referred to as monkeys,[2] are simian characters appearing in the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong, as well as Mario vs. Donkey Kong and its remake. They have a long tail that hangs low, which the player character can grab on to.
History[edit]
Donkey Kong series[edit]
Donkey Kong (Game Boy)[edit]
Monchees are allies in the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong. They are first encountered in Stage 4-3 in the Jungle. The long tail of a Monchee can be used by Mario in the manner of a regular vertical rope to cross gaps. The Monchee lets out a squeak if Mario holds on its tail and another object at the same time. Monchees do not hurt Mario, simply passing through him if touched from the sides.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong[edit]
Monchees reappear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong as enemies. They have a toylike design, resembling cylindrical, almost barrel-like cymbal-banging monkey toys. The game introduces a faster moving robotic variation named Robo Kikki. Monchees are mostly the same, but they can now hurt Mario and cost him a life if he touches one from the side. A Monchee's tail can allow Mario to cross spikes. In the original version only, the Monchee's eyes bulge if it falls, which can occur if Mario activates a switch while the Monchee is on a color-coded platform.
Super Mario Kodansha manga[edit]
In the Super Mario Kodansha manga, Monchees appear in the Donkey Kong-related adaptations, with one having a quite important role.
Debuting in chapter 2 of Super Mario: Donkey Kong 2, a Monchee appears at first as a regular slow-thinking monkey, helping Mario and Luigi to get out of the jungle in one piece if they help him release his hand from a pot of candy, which they do by simply asking to let go of the candies he was clutching in his first go so that the hand can slip out of the hole, only for him to immediately get his hand stuck in the same pot again. He rescues the Mario Bros. with his tail by saving them from a Bukubuku and Snapjaw-infested pond, and by teaching them how to swing on a vine to safe themselves from a hoard of Dotties. He then helps them find Pauline's lost items throughout Donkey Kong Island. He then uses his tail again to save luigi from a tiger trap, allowing him to spin on a rope. He disappears in chapter 3, until the end when he reveals to be the god of the island, saving Mario from a pit inside his temple and then putting Luigi on a Honest Woodcutter-inspired trial, elarging to him and the crew Kakkoii Mario (which is actually him in disguise, conveniently appearing when the real Mario is temporarely out of commission). In chapter 2 of Super Mario: Donkey Kong 2, he reveals Kakkoii Mario's identity to Donkey Kong's army to make them stop attacking Mario and his friends, then, at the end of the chapter, bids Mario and Co. farewell. He reappears in chapter 3, having grown a white beard and bushy eyebrows from getting old, resulting in him looking quite similar to Cranky Kong. The god Monchee makes one last appearance at the end of Super Donkey Kong with Mario 2, where he carefully tends to Luigi together with one of Daisy's clones, whose abrubt methods result in her hurting Luigi more. In this story, Monchee no longer has the beard.
Unrelated Monchees do appear in the manga: in the bonus chapter of Super Mario: Donkey Kong 1, a Monchee is one of the animal attractions in Peach Zoo, and in chapter 3 of Super Mario: Donkey Kong 2, one is seen helping the Kongs fight the Kremling Krew, until DK and Donkey Kong Snr. are knocked out, causing the Kong army to retreat after the defeat of their leaders. In chapter 1 of Super Donkey Kong with Mario 1, a Monchee appears as regular members of the Kongs, implying Diddy Kong might be part of the same subspecies in this continuity.
The god Monchee is easily distinguished by the regular Monchees from the toga he wears and the sleepy expression. As a little nod to this, some Grinders in the Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island adaptation display the same expression.
Profiles and statistics[edit]
Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten[edit]
| モンキッキ (JP) / Monchee (EN) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Original text (Japanese) | Translation | ||
| ビースト |
Tribe | Beast clan | |
| やんちゃ | Disposition | Naughty | |
| Game appearances | GB Donkey | ||
| キーキー |
Squeaking monkeys A monkey walks around with its long tail wagging. This tail can be held on to and used as a moving rope. If you hold on to it and make it unable to move, it will squeak. | ||
Mario vs. Donkey Kong[edit]
- Instruction booklet description:
- English:
Grab their li'l monkey tails and ride across large gaps in style.[1]
- English:
Gallery[edit]
Sprite from Donkey Kong (Game Boy)
Artwork from Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Sprite from Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Sprite from Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Naming[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch) | Model/Monchee.bfres.zs | Monchee | - |
Names in other languages[edit]
Monchee[edit]
The name "Monchee" is only ever encountered in the context of the original version of Mario vs. Donkey Kong, being used in both English and non-English paratext for the game. However, its Japanese counterpart, Monkikki, dates further back to Donkey Kong for Game Boy.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | モンキッキ Monkikki |
Portmanteau of "monkey" and「キーキー」(kīkī, Japanese onomatopoeia for monkey's screech) | [4][3][5] | |
| Dutch | Monchee | - | [6] | |
| French | Monchee | - | [7]:61 | |
| German | Monchee | - | [7]:41 | |
| Italian | Monchee | - | [7]:121 | |
| Spanish (Europe) | Monchee | - | [7]:101 |
monkey[edit]
Promotional material for the Nintendo Switch remake of Mario vs. Donkey Kong exclusively uses generic descriptors to refer to this enemy, with "monkey" being most often used.[2][8]:5:11
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | saru |
monkey | [10] | |
| Dutch | aap | monkey | [11] | |
| French | singe | monkey | [12] | |
| German | Affe | monkey | [13] | |
| Italian | scimmia | monkey | [14] | |
| Portuguese | macaco | monkey | [15] | |
| Spanish (Europe) | Mono | Monkey | [16][17] |
References[edit]
- ^ a b 2004. Mario vs. Donkey Kong instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 29.
- ^ a b Nintendo of America (September 14, 2023). Mario vs. Donkey Kong - Nintendo Direct 9.14.2023 (0:51). YouTube (American English). Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ a b November 20, 1994. 「パーフェクト版 マリオキャラクター大事典」 (Perfect Ban Mario Character Daijiten). Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN 4-09-259067-9. Page 221.
- ^ Motoyama, Kazuki (9 Jan. 1995). Super Mario: Donkey Kong 1, Super Mario, vol. 28. Tokyo: Kodansha (Japanese). ISBN 4-06-319559-7. Page 68.
- ^ 2004. マリオ
vs. ドンキーコング (Mario buiesu Donkī Kongu) instruction booklet (PDF). Japanese. Page 15. Retrieved December 11, 2022 from nintendo.co.jp. - ^ 2004. Mario vs. Donkey Kong European instruction booklet. Nintendo (Dutch). Page 81.
- ^ a b c d 2004. Mario vs. Donkey Kong European instruction booklet (PDF). Nintendo (French, German, Italian, Spanish). Page 41, 61, 101, 121. Retrieved June 8, 2025 from nintendo.com.
- ^ a b Jordan, Play Nintendo channel (November 4, 2024). Let’s Play Mario vs. Donkey Kong Part 2 😎 Gameplay For Kids | @playnintendo. YouTube. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
Referenced timestamps (with quotes): - ^ "Last time, Mario hitched a ride on a monkey tail, played around on some monkey bars, and, of course, faced off against the biggest monk—I mean, baddie in the jungle, Donkey Kong!" – Jordan, Play Nintendo channel (February 17, 2025). Let’s Play Mario vs. Donkey Kong Part 3 😲 Gameplay For Kids | @playnintendo (0:14). YouTube. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Nintendo 公式チャンネル (September 14, 2023). マリオvs.ドンキーコング [Nintendo Direct 2023.9.14] (0:46). YouTube (Japanese). Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Nintendo Nederland (September 14, 2023). Mario vs. Donkey Kong komt op 16 februari 2024 naar de Nintendo Switch (0:46). YouTube (Dutch). Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Nintendo France (September 14, 2023). Mario vs. Donkey Kong arrive le 16 février 2024 sur Nintendo Switch (0:46). YouTube (French). Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Nintendo DE (September 14, 2023). Mario vs. Donkey Kong erscheint am 16. Februar 2024 für Nintendo Switch (0:46). YouTube (German). Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ NintendoItalia (September 14, 2023). Mario vs. Donkey Kong marcia su Nintendo Switch il 16 febbraio 2024 (0:46). YouTube (Italian). Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Nintendo Portugal (September 14, 2023). Mario vs. Donkey Kong chega à Nintendo Switch a 16 de fevereiro de 2024 (0:46). YouTube (European Portuguese). Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ «Espera a que el Mono que hay por allí se ponga a tu lado, y entonces agárrate a su cola.» – Guía, trucos y ayuda de Mario vs. Donkey Kong FASE 2-3A (DONKEY KONG JUNGLE. Guías Nintendo (European Spanish). Retrieved June 12, 2018. (Archived April 26, 2020, 04:39:21 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ Nintendo España (September 14, 2023). Mario vs. Donkey Kong desembarcará en Nintendo Switch el 16 de febrero de 2024 (Nintendo Switch) (0:46). YouTube (European Spanish). Retrieved October 27, 2023.
