Helper Monkey

Helper Monkeys are monkeys found in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. When talked to, they tell Donkey Kong tips and what to do, and they help tally up his Bananas at the Sacred Tree found at the end of every level. Often, they are shown playing instruments. In a pre-release build of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Helper Monkeys were generic, brown monkeys resembling smaller versions of Donkey Kong, but were redesigned for the final version. It is unknown whether they are related to the malevolent Minkeys, Ninjapes or Hurleys, which they resemble.

They are predominately found in the stretch of the jungle the game refers to as the Opening Ceremony, but they appear throughout the game. Aside from telling Donkey Kong what to do, the Helper Monkeys also assist him in getting to hard to reach places. Often, a green bush that is floating in the air will have a Helper Monkey in it; once Donkey Kong stands close to the bush and claps, the Monkey inside will grab him and throw him up to the higher area. More rarely, Helper Monkeys will hold on to each other and form a rope, which Donkey Kong can swing across on.

A Helper Monkey also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a Sticker (labeled Party Monkey), and it boosts the strength of head attacks by six and it can only be used by Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. A scrapped trophy for the Helper Monkey's can be found in the game files for Brawl. At one point, they were potentially considered to appear in Super Mario Galaxy, as a model of a Helper Monkey is found within the game's files.