Swanky Kong
- “Give them a big hand folks! Good evening, I'm Swanky Kong and you're tonight's contestants on my Bonanza! It's easy to play! Just pick a game and you're away!”
- —Swanky Kong, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Swanky Kong is a member of the Kong Family, and a game show host. He is notable for being a flashy entrepreneur; he wears a fancy suit and has an afro hair style. In his second appearance, however, he wears a hat instead.
Appearances
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
In Donkey Kong Country 2, he hosts a game show called Swanky's Bonus Bonanza. Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong can pay Swanky, the game show’s host, some money and attempt to answer trivia questions about the game. If they answer correctly, they are rewarded with extra lives. In the Game Boy Advance version, Swanky's role remains relatively the same, except now he has Candy Kong as his assistant on the show.
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
After Crocodile Isle was destroyed, Swanky decided to seek a new venture. In Donkey Kong Country 3, Swanky hosts an on-the-road throwing contest in a circus tent called Swanky's Sideshow. Travelers can pay Swanky a certain number of Bear Coins to compete in a variety of throwing contests against a skilled competitor - Cranky Kong. If a contestant can best the elderly Kong, Swanky will reward them with Bananas and Bear Coins. In the Game Boy Advance version, Swanky opens up a virtual reality dome where Dixie Kong (and only Dixie Kong - Kiddy Kong cannot participate, as he is not old enough) can compete in a gold star collecting minigame.
List of Appearances by Date
| Title | Description | Release Date | System/Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donkey Kong Country 2 | Non-Playable Character | 1995 | SNES |
| Donkey Kong Country 3 | Non-Playable Character | 1996 | SNES |
| Donkey Kong Country 2 (remake) | Non-Playable Character | 2004 | Game Boy Advance |
| Mario Superstar Baseball | Cameo | 2005 | Nintendo GameCube |
| Donkey Kong Country 3 (remake) | Non-Playable Character | 2005 | Game Boy Advance |
Names in other languages
Trivia
- Swanky’s tent from the Super Nintendo version Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! makes a cameo appearance in Donkey Kong's field in Mario Superstar Baseball. Swanky himself can be seen on a wooden billboard in the game as well.
- In the Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, Swanky wears the same blue coat as he does in Donkey Kong Country 2. In the original version of Donkey Kong Country 3, Swanky wears a yellow vest with a diamond-topped cane.
- Swanky and Candy are the only Kongs from the Donkey Kong video game series who have yet to become playable.
- His quiz possibly inspired the quizzes from the Banjo-Kazooie series, featuring the evil witch Gruntilda as host (excluding Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts).
- Chunky Kong was first mentioned before his actual appearance in one of the quiz' questions, as a false answer, just as the Banjo-Kazooie Humba Wumba did.
