Klaptrap

“His huge teeth will dissuade you from roll attacks!”

—Donkey Kong Country instruction booklet, page 28

Klaptraps (also spelled Klap Traps or Klap-Traps) are small Kremlings that first appear in Donkey Kong Country. Klaptraps are usually light blue (with bright yellow stripes on their back), but they can also come in a variety of colors, such as red, green, or purple. Their name comes from "claptrap," a word meaning "nonsense," playing off the enemy's snapping bear trap-like jaws.

Klaptraps resemble real world crocodiles more closely than most Kremlings, as they are quadrupedal and have large pair of jaws, hence their name. Klampons and Krimps from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! respectively are similar in that regard.

History

Donkey Kong Country series

Donkey Kong Country

Artwork of Klaptrap for Donkey Kong Country

Klaptraps are common enemies in their debut appearance, Donkey Kong Country. They behave similar to Gnawties, by moving in a single direction. A notable difference with Klaptraps is that they repeatedly chomp while moving around. As such, frontal attacks do not work on Klaptraps, as they will just damage Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong if they attempt to beat them that way. Given their short size, the Kongs can easily avoid Klaptraps by jumping over them. Expresso is unaffected by Klaptraps because it has long legs that Klaptraps move straight through.

Klaptraps have a purple variant who appear in Loopy Lights and also a Bonus Area of Trick Track Trek. In the Game Boy Color version, these Klaptraps are changed to brown, and in the Game Boy Advance version, they are changed to red. These Klaptraps behave mostly the same as their light blue counterpart, except that they jump whenever the Kongs do, thus making them harder to avoid than normal ones. Some purple Klaptraps remain in one spot and do not move around.

Donkey Kong Land

Klaptraps are one of the three Kremling enemies who reappear in the handheld title, Donkey Kong Land, the other two being Krushas and Kritters. They have the same behavior as in Donkey Kong Country, although the jumping Klaptraps do not reappear, likely due to the lack of color in-game.

Donkey Kong 64

Klaptraps were entirely redesigned in Donkey Kong 64

Klaptraps reappear as enemies in Donkey Kong 64, where they are green rather than light blue. Their expression is more vicious rather than neutral, and their behavior is comparable to a guard dog. Contrarily, in some cutscenes, a Klaptrap is sitting on King K. Rool's lap, possibly referencing how villains often have a cat sitting on their lap.

Unlike their previous appearances, Klaptraps do not repeatedly chomp their jaws. Instead, when it sees the active Kong, it growls in a dog-like manner and chomps at them. Klaptraps can be defeated in one hit (including frontal attacks, which are ineffective in previous games); however, their set of dentures still remain and continually clamp after the Kongs. The dentures eventually break by either crashing into a wall or falling into water. If the Kongs use an Orange or their musical instrument move to defeat a Klaptrap, its teeth do not chase after it.

The game also features purple Klaptraps that are immune to every direct attack method that the Kongs have. They are even completely immune to the Kongs' shock wave attack; using it will just hurt the Kongs, while the purple Klaptrap is unaffected. They can only be defeated with an Orange or a musical instrument, and drop three Oranges upon defeat. There are also red Klaptraps, which only appear in two cutscenes. In one of them, the "Castle Intro", a giant red Klaptrap was sent out by K. Rool to execute a Kasplat.

A Klaptrap makes its first playable appearance during the minigame Beaver Bother, where its goal is to herd a number of Gnawties down a hole within a barrel.

Diddy Kong Pilot (2003)

In Diddy Kong Pilot's 2003 build, Klap Trap is a playable character and a member of Team Kremling. Klap Trap's name is in the first cup, Klap Trap Kup, and he can be unlocked by completing the cup and then beating him in a dogfight match. As a racer, Klap Trap has the highest acceleration and the lowest top speed of the racers. Unlike other games, Klap Trap speaks with vocalized dialogue and sounds like a bratty child. The Options screen has a "Multiplayer Weapons" option; if selected, a brief cutscene of a Klap Trap defeating another Klap Trap in a dogfight match is shown.

In Banjo-Pilot, Klap Trap was replaced with Humba Wumba, as indicated by their stats.

Donkey Konga

A blue and pink Klaptrap as they appear in 100M Vine Climb of Donkey Konga.

In Donkey Konga, light blue and pink Klaptraps appear as obstacles in the 100M Vine Climb minigame. Unlike their previous appearances, pink Klaptraps act no different from the light blue Klaptraps. The Klaptraps walk on the vines and their connected bushes. If Donkey Kong hits a Klaptrap while climbing the vines, he falls down, though he respawns on the vines seconds later.

Super Smash Bros. series

Two Klaptraps in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Klaptraps appear in Donkey Kong's stages, Kongo Jungle and Jungle Japes. They swim through the water rapids and jump out from it, attempting to damage fighters by biting them. Klaptraps can also fall into, occupy, and use the Barrel Cannon in Kongo Jungle. The Klaptraps on the Kongo Jungle stage are colored orange, while those on Jungle Japes are light blue.

Jungle Japes returns as a stage in both Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and Klaptraps reprise their roles in the stage.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Klaptraps in brown replacing orange and light blue appear in both Melee's Kongo Jungle (now renamed Kongo Falls) and Jungle Japes respectively, both of which return from Super Smash Bros. Melee. A Klaptrap also appears as the first and only Assist Trophy from the Donkey Kong series, where it lunges and bites on to opponents. If they are hit, they make the same sound they did when they were defeated in Donkey Kong Country. One additionally appears as an Advanced Attack spirit. The latter must be unlocked by playing Classic mode with King K. Rool and reaching the goal of the bonus stage within 45 seconds.

Mario Power Tennis / New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis

Green and red Klaptraps appear in Mario Power Tennis in Donkey Kong's Jungle Court. They try to bite players, causing them to slow down. Klaptraps also appear in the minigame Balloon Panic where the player's objective is to protect several balloons from hungry Klaptraps, including the regular blue Klaptraps. From this game onwards, the green and red Klaptraps have the same Donkey Kong Country design as the blue Klaptraps themselves.

Mario Superstar Baseball

In Mario Superstar Baseball, green Klaptraps are obstacles in the Donkey Kong Jungle stadium. Similar to Mario Power Tennis, Klaptraps try to bite the outfielders' heels, causing them to slow down. If the batter hits the baseball into a Klaptrap's mouth, they earn a Team Star.

Mario Party 7

Klaptraps attempt to bite Wario as he tries to collect coins in the lake.

In Mario Party 7, two green Klaptraps appear in a lake in an oasis on Pyramid Park. If a player lands on a Happening Space in front of the lake, they will be asked to swim in it and collect coins. The Klaptraps become visible, and attempt to bite the player. If successful in their attack, the player will lose two coins. This is the only time an enemy from the Donkey Kong series appears in a Mario Party game.

Appearances in other media

Donkey Kong Country novel

Illustration showing Diddy Kong with a Klap Trap, from Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle

An individual Klap Trap appears as an antagonist in the Donkey Kong Country novel. An employee of the Kremling factory, Klap Trap has a small chat with his coworker Zinger about King K. Rool's absence at the site and he then notices that the Kongs are eavesdropping on them. Klap Trap lunges at the group, but Diddy Kong defeats him by doing a cartwheel. The Kongs destroy the factory shortly after.

Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle

In the novel Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungle, while looking for a replacement part for Funky Kong's barrel plane, Diddy Kong encounters a Klap Trap within the Kremlings' supply room. Diddy Kong immediately tries to attack the Klap Trap, however it quickly evades all of his attacks, causing Diddy to crash into a storage shelf. Diddy manages to lodge a barrel in the Klap Trap's jaws while it was charging towards him, allowing Diddy time to escape the store room with the water pump.

Donkey Kong Country television series

Several Klaptraps inside a Klap-Blaster

In the Donkey Kong Country animated series, Klaptraps are, instead of soldiers, ammunition for a weapon called a Klap-Blaster. Unlike the Klaptraps of the games, the ones on the show are capable of speaking. Often times when a Klaptrap is seen, it makes a sarcastic comment about its job or what it had just eaten. The show also features a singular Klaptrap character larger than his brethren.

Levels

Donkey Kong Country

• Stop & Go Station (light blue)
• Orang-utan Gang (light blue)
• Snow Barrel Blast (light blue)
• Slipslide Ride (light blue)
• Ice Age Alley (light blue)
• Trick Track Trek (light blue and purple)
• Blackout Basement (light blue)
• Misty Mine (light blue)
• Loopy Lights (purple)

Donkey Kong Land

• Riggin' Rumble
• Snake Charmer's Challenge
• Pot Hole Panic
• Kong Krazy
• Skyscraper Caper

Profiles and statistics

Super Smash Bros. Melee trophy

Name	Image	Game	Description
Klap Trap		Donkey Kong Country 11/94	This low-slung alligator made its first appearance in Donkey Kong Country. You can subdue it by jumping on its back, but its powerful jaws make it dangerous to approach from the front. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, it swims in the river and sometimes jumps in the Barrel Cannon to stop players from using it.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl sticker

Image	Game	Effect
	Donkey Kong Country	[Electric] - Resistance +7

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirit

Name	Image	Game	Type	Class	Effect	How to obtain	Spirit battle
							Opponents	Battle conditions	Stage	Song
Klaptrap		Donkey Kong Series	Primary (0)	Advanced	Attack Weight ↓	Challenge (Classic Mode: As King K. Rool, reach the goal in Bonus Game within 45 seconds.); Spirit Board	Tiny King K. Rool	Rule: Assist Trophy Enemies (Klaptrap) Hostile assist trophies will appear	Kongo Jungle	Stickerbush Symphony

Game appearances

Title	Description	Release date	System/format
Donkey Kong Country	Enemy	1994	SNES
Donkey Kong Land	Enemy	1995	Game Boy
Donkey Kong 64	Enemy; Playable character in Beaver Bother	1999	Nintendo 64
Donkey Kong Country (remake)	Enemy	2000	Game Boy Color
Super Smash Bros. Melee	Stage hazard in Kongo Jungle and Jungle Japes; cameo as trophy	2001	GameCube
Donkey Kong Country (remake)	Enemy	2003	Game Boy Advance
Donkey Konga	NPC	2003	GameCube
Mario Power Tennis	Enemy	2004	GameCube
Mario Superstar Baseball	Enemy	2005	GameCube
Mario Party 7	Enemy in Pyramid Park	2005	GameCube
Super Smash Bros. Brawl	Stage hazard in Jungle Japes	2008	Wii
New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis	Enemy	2009	Wii
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS	Stage hazard in Jungle Japes	2014	Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	Cameo as Assist Trophy; Stage hazard in Kongo Falls and Jungle Japes	2018	Nintendo Switch

Gallery

Sprites and models

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  Donkey Kong Country

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  Donkey Kong Country

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  Donkey Kong Land

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  Donkey Kong Country (GBC)

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  Donkey Kong 64

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  Donkey Kong 64

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  Super Smash Bros. Melee

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  Diddy Kong Pilot (2003)

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  Donkey Kong Country (GBA)

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  A green Klaptrap in Mario Power Tennis

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  A red Klaptrap in Mario Power Tennis

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  Mario Party 7

Screenshots

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  A red Klaptrap in Donkey Kong 64

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  A purple Klaptrap in Donkey Kong 64

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  A Klaptrap next to the letter "K" letter in Donkey Kong Country (GBC)

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  Cutscene of a Klaptrap winning a dogfight match against another Klaptrap in Diddy Kong Pilot (2003)

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  A light blue and red Klaptrap in the cast of characters in Donkey Kong Country for Game Boy Advance.

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  Klaptraps in Pyramid Park in Mario Party 7

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  A Klaptrap in the Jungle Japes stage of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	クラップトラップ Kurapputorappu	Klaptrap
Italian	Klap Trap	-
Russian	Клаптрап Klaptrap	Klaptrap