Helper Monkey

The Helper Monkeys are a species found in the game Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. They are a helpful group, telling Donkey Kong what to do, and tallying up his Bananas at the end of every kingdom. They are often shown to be playing instruments. It is unknown whether they are related to the malevolent Minkeys or Ninjapes, which they resemble. They seem to own the small stretch of jungle known as Opening Ceremony as they are predominantly found there. Helper Monkeys mainly help Donkey Kong by getting him to hard to reach places. Often, a green bush that is floating in the air will have a Helper Monkey in it. When Donkey Kong stands close to this bush and claps, the Helper Monkey inside it will grab him and throw him up to a higher area. More rarely, Helper Monkeys will hold on to each other and form a rope, which Donkey Kong can swing across on.

Trivia

 * Helper Monkeys were apparently meant to be enemies in Super Mario Galaxy, but were removed for unknown reasons.
 * In the beta version of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Helper Monkeys were originally regular brown monkeys, but were changed into gibbons in the final game.
 * The Helper Monkeys also appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a sticker.