However, this is contradicted by the deposition he gave during Universal Studio's lawsuit against Nintendo. Miyamoto was later informed by Nintendo of America staff that the word "donkey" is not a synonym for "idiot" in English, but he decided to ignore this because he liked the name "Donkey Kong".
, while "Kong" was considered a generic term for large apes in Japan. Miyamoto says that he chose the name "Donkey" to reflect the character's stupidity. 7.2 Donkey Kong Country: Rumble in the Jungleĭonkey Kong's character design was created by Shigeru Miyamoto for the Donkey Kong arcade game, in which the big ape kidnaps Mario's original girlfriend, Pauline.2.36 Other appearances, cameos, and references.2.27.5 Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.2.27.4 Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.2.27.3 Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.2.27.2 Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.2.27.1 Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.2.20.5 Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move.2.14.10 Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.