Mr. Arcade
| Mr. Arcade | |
|---|---|
| |
| Species | Human |
| First appearance | Donkey Kong (tabletop arcade game) US commercial (1982) |
| Latest appearance | Donkey Kong Jr. (Table Top) US commercial (1983) |
Mr. Arcade is a character who appears in American commercials made by Coleco for tabletop versions of arcade games like the Donkey Kong tabletop arcade game and the Table Top Donkey Kong Jr. Game & Watch.[1] He has shrinking powers.
In the first commercial, Donkey Kong (played by an actor in a gorilla suit) is hogging a Donkey Kong arcade game and frightening the other patrons. They call out for Mr. Arcade, who comes and shrinks the machine. He lures Donkey Kong away by taking the tabletop version with him. He tells Donkey Kong that its portability means he can take it home with him. The commercial ends with Donkey Kong playing the game on a treetop.[2]
In the second commercial, he meets a group of people watching Donkey Kong Jr. (portrayed by a real-life chimpanzee) play the Donkey Kong Jr. arcade game. Since Jr. is not skilled at the game, Mr. Arcade helps him by shrinking the arcade machine into a portable handheld game so he can save Donkey Kong at home, resulting in Jr. giving him a kiss. The narration at the end of the commercial then says that Mr. Arcade also "shrinks prices" of Coleco's tabletop arcade games.[3]
Notes[edit]
- Mr. Arcade's character as a greaser-like human who befriends Donkey Kong Jr. is similar to Bones Bailey.
