Crystal Coconut

“It's magical, it's mysterious! It's the 8½ wonder of the world, the Crystal Coconut! This is no ordinary crystal! It's a fortune-teller! A teleporter! A power supplier and a wish fulfiller! In other words… whoever's got the coconut rules!”

—Cranky Kong, "Bad Hair Day"

The Crystal Coconut is an extremely powerful item in the Donkey Kong franchise.

History

Donkey Kong Country television series

The Crystal Coconut on its open globe pedestal.

The Crystal Coconut first appeared in the Donkey Kong Country TV series. Its history on the show was that it was stolen from an unknown source by the great-great-grandfather of one of the show's main characters, Kaptain Skurvy. Skurvy's great-great-grandfather hid the Coconut on Kongo Bongo Island, specifically in the eye of the mystical idol Inka Dinka Doo. However, after many years the coconut pops out of its hiding place and is found by Donkey Kong, who is then proclaimed the future ruler of Kongo Bongo Island. The show's main antagonists King K. Rool and the aforementioned Kaptain Skurvy constantly try to steal the coconut from the Kongs; the former wants to use it to take over Kongo Bongo Island; the latter believes it is his birthright as his ancestor stole the Coconut, and seems to want to use it to "rule the seven seas" as well.

The Coconut's powers in the show range widely. It is known to be able to heal wounds, turn people invisible, freeze time (though living animals are unaffected), put someone in an endless sleep, and occasionally characters can look into it (like a crystal ball) and see whatever they wish to know. Occasionally the Coconut projects images on its own, often warning the Kongs when Kaptain Skurvy and his crew are returning to Kongo Bongo Island (this may suggest that the coconut possesses some level of intelligence). Cranky Kong seems to be able to use the coconut to teleport (in an astral form) to different places, though he must always return to where the Coconut is, even if it has been removed from its original location. For the duration of the show, the Crystal Coconut is kept in Cranky Kong's Cabin, inside a safe disguised as a celestial globe. The only way to open the safe is for Cranky to tap his cane on the ground, but many times Cranky opens the safe unintentionally.

Donkey Kong 64

Donkey Kong 64 Crystal Coconut.

In Donkey Kong 64, Crystal Coconuts are used as power sources for each Kongs' special ability. For example, Donkey Kong's Strong Kong ability allows him to become invincible, but uses up Crystal Coconuts. They are semi-common items that can be found in most levels.

Once a Kong learns an ability, the Crystal Coconuts become activated, and are set to a maximum limit of 20. For every Banana Fairy collected, one Crystal Coconut is added to the limit. That means the player can have up to 40 Crystal Coconuts. If the player collects all Banana Fairies, a cheat will become unlocked that gives an infinite supply of Crystal Coconuts when activated from the Mystery menu.

DK: King of Swing

In DK: King of Swing, Crystal Coconuts are most commonly found in bonus stages. Collecting all of them unlocks Wrinkly Kong in the Jungle Jam mode.

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast

Item sprite.

Crystal Coconuts also appear in the game Donkey Kong Barrel Blast. They are one of the items that come out of Red Item Balloons. If the player gets one, they will be invincible, have unlimited Wild Moves and can also hurt other racers by simply touching them. Unlike most other items obtained from a Red Item Balloon, it doesn't get an effect boost if a Kong uses one.