Funky Kong

"Whoa, Dudes! My name's Funky Kong! My bodacious Jumbo Barrel can launch you to any point on the island!"

- Funky Kong

Funky Kong is a recurring Kong in the Donkey Kong franchise. He first appears in Donkey Kong Country. While portrayed as an easygoing surfer, Funky is a very skilled mechanic, creating many vehicles and other inventions from limited materials, namely barrels. In most of his appearances, Funky operates a transportation service for the Kongs using one or more of his vehicles.

Since Rare left the rights to the Donkey Kong franchise to Nintendo after being purchased by in 2002, Funky Kong has occasionally appeared in spin-off Mario franchise titles as a playable character.

Donkey Kong Country
In Donkey Kong Country, Funky is the owner of Funky's Flights, a rental service where he allows Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong to use his Funky Barrel to travel between worlds that they have either accessed or completed.

In both the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance remakes, Funky hosts the Funky's Fishing mini-game, where the Kongs' objective is to catch as many fish within the time limit. In the Game Boy Color version, Funky's Fishing is only playable from the main menu. Funky does not appear in the mini-game itself, and is only suggested as its host.

In the Game Boy Advance version, Funky hosts the mini-game along with his flight service during the main game. Donkey Kong and Diddy are no longer required to visit Funky to use his Funky Barrel, as the player can select the "CALL FUNKY" option from the Start menu. In each world, Funky provides a different objective for each Funky's Fishing challenge, such as in Kremkroc Industries, Inc., where Donkey Kong and Diddy must fish out ten bottles. In the same version, Funky is shown during the ending cutscene with the other Kongs.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Funky Kong returns in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. He hosts another flight service, Funky's Flights II, in every world except the Lost World. Funky allows Diddy and Dixie to use the Biplane Barrel if they pay two Banana Coins, although every trip after the first one are free. In the original Super Nintendo version, Funky is shown to surf in midair with his hoverboard.

In the Game Boy Advance version, Funky hosts a bonus game, Funky's Flights, in each world of the game. The Biplane Barrel is replaced with the Gyrocopter, which Funky allows Diddy and Dixie to freely use from the world map after they complete the Aerial Loop challenge. Funky hosts a different challenge in each world, and if Diddy and Dixie complete a challenge, Funky rewards a DK Coin to them. In the same version, Funky also appears with the Gyrocopter in the ending, and he rescues Diddy, Dixie, Donkey Kong, and Cranky from The Flying Krock before it crashes onto the ground. In the 102% ending, Funky drops a bomb onto Kaptain K. Rool from the Gyrocopter to stop him from escaping.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, Funky has a larger role than in the previous two games. He operates Funky's Rentals from the Northern Kremisphere, where he allows Dixie and Kiddy to rent various watercraft to travel across the waters of the Northern Kremisphere. At first, the Motor Boat is the only vehicle that Funky has available. As the Kongs obtain certain items along the way, Funky can use them to construct a few more vehicles, each one more powerful than the previous.

At the start of the game, Dixie must visit Funky, who gives Kiddy to her, and use the Motor Boat. As Dixie and Kiddy progress through the game, they can gain various items and give them to Funky, who will use them to create new, more powerful vehicles for them to use and reach new locations. After completing Kremwood Forest, the Kongs obtain the patch, which they can take to Funky for him to create the Hover Craft. After completing Cotton Top Cove and Mekanos, the Kongs can return the skis to Funky for him to create the Turbo Ski.

Throughout the game, the Brothers Bear reference a "secret project" that Funky is working on; if Dixie and Kiddy ask Funky about the project, he acknowledges it but requires the Kongs to obtain every DK Coin to let them use it. If the Kongs bring every DK Coin to Funky, he allows them to use the Gyrocopter.

In the Game Boy Advance remake, Funky hosts a series of four minigames. If the Kongs complete all of them, Funky rewards them with a Banana Bird.

Donkey Kong 64
In Donkey Kong 64, Funky operates a weapons store, Funky's Store, in every level except Hideout Helm. He first sells a shooter to each respective Kong when they first visit. In later levels, Funky also sells two ammo belt upgrades, a sniper scope, and the ability to pick up homing ammo. Each time the Kongs are low on ammo, right before a Kong leaves the store, Funky refills their ammo supply entirely.

After defeating King Krusha K. Rool at the boxing arena, Candy walks in and distracts him. Meanwhile, Funky walks in and fires a boot at K. Rool, knocking him up through the ceiling of the arena. During the end credits, Funky mimics the sounds of some weapons such as aerial bombs and machine guns on a cliff, then does some acrobatics.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
After six years of not appearing in games, Funky Kong returns in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port as the owner of the item shop, named Funky's Fly 'n' Buy. In this way, he replaces Cranky Kong's role as the owner of a shop in the previous installment due to the elderly Kong being a playable character. Funky Kong sells various items to the Kongs in exchange for Banana Coins, including DK Barrels, balloons, Banana Juice, Squawks the Parrot, Heart Boosts, and Crash Guards. He also sells collectible toys from the Capsule Toy Machine. The shop operates on every island in the game except Secret Seclusion.

The game's Nintendo Switch port marks the first time Funky Kong is a playable character in the main series, as he is playable via the new "Funky Mode", which is catered towards beginner players. When selected in "Funky Mode", Funky Kong replaces Donkey Kong as the main playable character. His abilities, aided by his surfboard, are a combination of Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky, and they include double jumping, hovering, treading on Spiked Floors, and surfing on water in a similar fashion to water skipping. He can perform perpetual Roll Attacks and Corkscrews as well. In addition, he wears a yellow pair of goggles with a snorkel whenever he plunges underwater, enabling him to breathe without having to collect Air Bubbles. Lastly, Funky's surfboard enables him to safely jump on enemies that the other Kongs (except Cranky) cannot safely jump on, such as the Snaggles. He can also perform a Ground Pound like Donkey Kong, even on spikes. He can also execute the new Pluck move slightly faster than even Donkey Kong can, though unlike the latter, he cannot carry the other Kongs on his back, even in multiplayer.

While playing as Funky Kong, his shop, Funky's Fly 'n' Buy, is run by a parrot named Tawks, whose speech purposely mimics Funky. If Funky shops at his store, Tawks gives him an employee discount.

Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle
In the 1995 novel Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle, Funky Kong owns a custom-built plane made from a Barrel, which he uses to transport clients around Donkey Kong Island. He promises Diddy Kong an exciting ride as a passenger while he performs tricks in the air. During their flight, they notice smoke coming from the long abandoned Big Ape City, which Funky prefers not to investigate because he doesn't enjoy looking for trouble. After Diddy's flight, Funky gets attacked by a swarm of flying pigs near Big Ape City, causing his plane to crash. Donkey Kong, Cranky Kong, and Diddy cross the jungle on foot, to where he has been held captive by the Kremlings within Big Ape City. The Kremlings believe that Funky Kong is a spy, and they intend to use a painful "truth machine" on him, as ordered by King K. Rool.

After breaking out of his cell, Funky involves himself in defeating a group of Kremlings, although he is normally "too laid back" to fight. He later inspects his plane in the cargo room, and finds that he is able to easily repair most of the damage, although he requires a new water pump for the engine. He draws a map of the factory so that the other Kongs can find a replacement, due to having seen most of the factory while the Kremlings were deciding where to take him. After Funky successfully repairs the engine, all of the Kongs board the plane and Funky flies out from the factory through a hole in the wall. The plane is attacked by the flying pigs a second time, however Funky has the idea to pour the plane's entire banana milkshake supply onto the pigs so that they are no longer able to fly. Funky then maneuvers his plane over King K. Rool's zeppelin, which allows Donkey Kong and Diddy to plant it with TNT Barrels. After destroying the Factory, Funky Kong flies the others back to their tree house in the jungle.

Donkey Kong Land 2
In Donkey Kong Land 2, Funky has the same role as in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. If Diddy or Dixie pay Funky two Banana Coins, he allows them to use the Biplane Barrel to travel between worlds from the world map.

Donkey Kong Country television series
In the Donkey Kong Country television series, Funky Kong appears as a major character, with his character being relatively the same as in the games - the adventure loving owner of Funky's Flights and one of Donkey Kong's best friends. As well as enjoying surfing and dancing, Funky is portrayed as exceptionally spiritual in the show, known to talk about subjects such as quite often. On the show, Funky is portrayed as having golden colored fur instead of brown, wears more goggle-like glasses and speaks with a Jamaican accent, provided by voice actor Damon D'Oliveira.

Bumm-Badabumm im Urwald
In the Donkey Kong comic "Bumm-Badabumm im Urwald", Funky (being called "Funky-Kong", with a hyphen in his name) despite not actually appearing in the story, does play a crucial role in it. In the comic, Funky is the one who alerts Donkey, Diddy and Dixie Kong, through drumming, that the Kremling Krew has plundered all the bananas on Donkey Kong Island.

Club Nintendo
In the German edition Club Nintendo, Funky Kong appears in a somewhat minor role in the comic "Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24", where he appears at the celebration the Kong Family has at its end. In Club Nintendo's comic book length adaptation of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Funky makes a brief appearance in the scene where Cranky explains Banana Coins and Kremkoins to Diddy and Dixie.

DK: King of Swing
In DK: King of Swing, Funky makes a minor appearance in both the opening and ending cutscenes of Adventure mode. Funky is a playable character in the Jungle Jam mode marking his first playable debut, where his attack is strong but his jump is weak.

DK: Jungle Climber
In DK: Jungle Climber, Funky, along with the bulk of the Kong Family, goes on vacation to Sun Sun Island. When Donkey, Diddy, and Cranky meet the banana alien Xananab and decide to help in his quest to reclaim his Crystal Bananas from King K. Rool, Funky aids the four by flying them to the different islands as they track down the Kremlings. If Donkey Kong collects a certain amount of oil barrels, he can give them to Funky Kong to power his airplane, which can fly them to a smaller version of the island they're on. Funky Kong is also playable in the game's VS. Mode.

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
Funky Kong is an unlockable playable character in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast. The player can unlock him by completing the Diamond Cup as a Kong character. Funky's stats are shared with Kludge, having very low boost and agility but maximum speed.

Mario Kart Wii
In Mario Kart Wii, Funky Kong makes his first appearance in the Mario series. He is an unlockable large-sized character, unlocked by unlocking four Expert Staff Ghost Data on Time Trial mode, by winning 25 WFC Ghost Races, or by playing 2,250 races. Funky Kong is the Staff Ghost for GCN DK Mountain. While he does not have his own race course, he does have his own battle arena: Funky Stadium.

Although Funky Kong features a good speed bonus, it is not as good as that of Baby Luigi and Baby Daisy. However, being a large-sized racer, Funky can use the Jetsetter and Spear, which are the fastest kart and bike in the game, respectively.

Some of Funky Kong's voice clips from Donkey Kong Barrel Blast are reused for his voice in this game.

Mario Kart Tour
Funky Kong returns in Mario Kart Tour as a High-End driver, being made available on May 20, 2020. He was part of the first week's spotlight of the Jungle Tour, alongside the Bolt Buggy and the Banana Wingtip. Funky also returned as part of the 2nd week spotlight of the 2020 Los Angeles Tour. Starting with the 2021 Cat Tour, he is now a regular High-End driver, and starting with the Bowser vs. DK Tour, he has his own self-named cup. Funky Kong’s special item is the Banana Barrels, which is shared with Diddy Kong.

Mario Super Sluggers
Funky Kong is an unlockable playable team player in Mario Super Sluggers, where he has good batting and decent fielding skills, while lacking in pitching and running skills. He is the only Kong in the game who bats with his right hand, while fielding with his left hand. He has good chemistry with all the Kongs and bad chemistry with all the Kremlings. He is unlocked after he joins the player in Challenge Mode.

Other appearances and references
Although Funky Kong does not appear in Donkey Kong Country Returns, he is referenced by Cranky Kong, who wishes that someone with a plane (such as Funky) could get them to the top of the island.

Funky Kong's face appears in Picross NP Vol. 8 as one of the images that must be cleared. After solving the puzzle, he shows his eyes to the player.

A trophy of Funky Kong is obtainable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. He also appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a master spirit. He runs a shop called Funky Kong's Shack, where he sells snacks, skill spheres, support items, and spirits that are themed around transportation.

Funky Kong also appears in issue 14 of Super Mario-Kun. He allows Mario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Diddy Kong to ride the Funky Barrel.

Additionally, some merchandise based on Funky Kong has been released, most of it based off his appearance in Donkey Kong Country or the television series; this includes objects such as statuettes, plush dolls, mini figures, and keychains.

Physical appearance
Funky Kong has the same general build as fellow Kongs such as Donkey and Kiddy Kong, being both large and muscular. Funky's fur is generally light brown in color, though the shade of it varies in his appearances and artwork, being either light or dark. In all of his appearances, Funky wears a pair of sunglasses which conceal what his true eyes look like; however, in Donkey Kong Country, Funky could be seen lifting his sunglasses and revealing a pair of eyes just like Donkey Kong's, and in Donkey Kong 64, his sunglasses were transparent and tinted red, so his eyes were still visible. Funky's sunglasses were originally black in color in Donkey Kong Country, but virtually all subsequent appearances depict as being purple tinted.

In Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, and Donkey Kong Land 2, Funky Kong's attire is essentially the same, with him wearing a red bandanna with white polka-dots, medals around his neck (""), a purple swimsuit, and sandals.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! radically alters Funky's appearance, having him discard his medals and replace them with tools slung from a tool belt; Funky also wears a white muscle shirt, blue shorts and black boots in this game. Additionally he has an upright posture and is taller than his last appearance.

Donkey Kong 64 has Funky radically change his attire once again, with him wearing a navy blue camouflage print attire and army hat, black combat boots and red teashades. He is noticeably more muscular then DK, though not as burly as Chunky Kong.

More recently, Funky's appearance has remained consistent, being identical to his attire from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, with his tool belt being replaced by a regular one and no boots.

While Funky's bandanna has always been red with white polka dots in official artwork, in-game sprites depicted it as purple in the first two Donkey Kong Country games and solid red in the third. DK: King of Swing introduced Funky's modern design, and it is the first game where Funky has a polka-dot bandanna.

Personality
Funky Kong is a laid-back primate like Donkey Kong. According to his guide bio from Mario Kart Wii and as he himself states in the story from the manual of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Funky Kong abhors adventuring, preferring to aid his friends through other means, such as through his shops and flight services. Funky is portrayed as bold and energetic, and often uses casual phrases in his speech (e.g. "This. Stuff. Is. Awesome. I have no idea what it is, dude, but it tastes radical!"). Also, despite his dislike for adventuring, it seems that he is willing to adventure to help his friends, as he is a playable character in the Nintendo Switch version of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Funky's hobbies include such things as surfing and tinkering with and building various machinery such as vehicles and weapons.

German Donkey Kong 64 website
"The coolest ape in the world has once again changed his occupation. Some time ago he discovered his predilection for weapons technology. He has succeeded in transforming harmless tropical fruit and colorful feathers into effective projectiles. Switches that are located outside the range of the Kongs or that cannot be activated even using all of one's body strength no longer pose a problem due to the use of these special weapons. The integrated target functions and the add-on target-searching-ammunition make the weapons an indispensable aid in the search for the golden bananas. Funky also offers, as a further service, refilling of the ammunition supply. The weapons and their extensions, however, cannot be had for nothing. But Funky always has especially low prices for his friends."

DK: King of Swing

 * Instruction Booklet: "The sunglasses wearing, coolest of the Kongs. Preferring attack-based contests to races, he's the dark horse of the Jungle Jam."
 * Jump: 2
 * Attack: 4

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast

 * Unlock method: Win the Diamond Cup with a Kong.
 * Boost: 1/5
 * Speed: 5/5
 * Agility: 1/5
 * Rival: Kludge

Mario Kart Wii

 * Size: Large
 * Actual Bonuses
 * Speed: +4
 * Off-Road: +3
 * Guide Bio: "This funky monkey doesn't like adventuring, so he's split his time between surfing, drumming, and learning some of the craziest kart shortcuts around!"

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

 * "Whoa, long time no see! Welcome to Funky's Fly 'n' Buy. Don't tell me you forgot your pal Funky Kong? I'm here to help ya on another epic adventure!" (introducing himself when first entering his shop)
 * "Pitfalls got ya down? Way down? This balloon will really lift your spirits!" (Selecting a Green Balloon)
 * "Feeling the need for some jet-powered action? Diddy's got the skills!" (Selecting a Diddy Kong Barrel)
 * "''Wanna get the jump on those frozen flipper-heads? Dixie's your dudette! (Selecting a Dixie Kong Barrel)
 * "''Need a little extra spring in your step? Cranky's no spring chicken, but he sure is spry! (Selecting a Cranky Kong Barrel)
 * "Radical! I was about to say, if I had a coin for every time I saw you fall out there, I'd be surfin' instead of sellin'!" (Buying a Red Balloon)
 * "Groovy, gotcha down for an appointment with the bodacious bird! What, didja think you owned him now? Nah!" (Purchasing Squawks)
 * "With this, you'll totally show those annoying Snowmads what it means to be on like Donkey Kong!" (Buying Banana Juice)
 * "Three's totally better than two, right? Yeah, that's totally right." (Buying a Heart Boost)
 * "Whoa, slow down there, dude! You're totally overloaded!" (Trying to buy a Red Balloon when at maximum capacity)
 * "Whoa, dude, you've got all the toys there are! Hey, wanna do some trading later?" (Trying to buy a figurine when the player has the whole collection)
 * "Remember to work with your buddies, Kong. A little extra help might be what ya need to find some cool hidden stuff!" (Leaving the shop)
 * "Those Snowmads are a gnarly bunch! I hear they're enjoyin' your island. Go get 'em, DK!" (Leaving the shop)
 * "Show those pesky penguins the radical righteousness of us supreme simians!" (Leaving the shop)

Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle

 * "Just surfing the wind currents, dudes. Nothing to get uptight about. Stay mellow, stay cool."
 * "That used to be the biggest city on Donkey Kong Island. It's called Big Ape City."
 * "I don't go looking for trouble, and most of the time it doesn't come looking for me."

Portrayals

 * Damon D'Oliveira - Donkey Kong Country television series
 * Unknown voice actor (1999) - Donkey Kong 64
 * Toshihide Tsuchiya (2007-present)
 * Jim Cummings (2023 film)

Trivia

 * "Funky Kong" was one of the proposed names for Donkey Kong that was rejected during the eponymous game's development.
 * In Issue #261 of Nintendo Power's "The Score," a page listing the results of online polls, Funky Kong was voted the most wanted Kong who is not present in Donkey Kong Country Returns.
 * Funky Kong's Mario Super Sluggers baseball card listed his Rookie Year as 1999, even though his first appearance was in Donkey Kong Country, which was released in 1994.
 * In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, when the player visits Funky's shop and they highlight the Crash Guard option, Funky will say: "Vehicle troubles? It's dangerous to go alone- take one of these!" This is a reference to the first The Legend of Zelda game in which Link acquires his first weapon by entering a cave and speaking to an elderly man, who offers a wooden sword speaking similar words.

Funky Kong Funky Kong