DONKEY Kong, the aggro ape from Nintendo, very nearly never existed and we have good old licensing issues and the protection of Popeye to thank for his appearance.

Legendary game designer and Nintendo director Shigeru Miyamoto originally sketched out Popeye and other characters Bluto and Olive Oyl from the cartoon series for his new game.

However Nintendo were unable to secure the rights to use the Popeye characters in time, so they decided to create their own original characters instead.

Popeye and Nintendo already shared a lengthy history so it was thought that licensing would have been a given.

At the time Nintendo hadn’t exploded into the games behemoth we know today, but the Kyoto-based company already had a big success with playing cards, including some featuring the sailor’s image,

But it is rumoured that the license holder for Popeye at the time though it would conflict with Robin Williams’ movie that was shot in Malta and came out out in 1980.

After the setback the character of Donkey Kong was created as the main villain of the game, with the goal of the player being to rescue a damsel in distress named Pauline from his clutches. The game was launched in 1981 and was a huge success, helping to establish Nintendo as a major player in the video game industry.

So while Donkey Kong may have started out as a potential Popeye game, he quickly became a beloved character in his own right and has remained a fixture in the gaming world for over four decades.

Early design document from the planning stages of Donkey Kong gives us a very interesting look into what the game was like when they were using characters from Popeye. Sprites for Olive Oyl, Popeye, and Bluto are seen in the top left. (Scan thanks to Gaming Historian!) pic.twitter.com/iAQLMCta41

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In the original sketches (above) the level layout appears to be fairly polished in terms of the overall concept, despite the absence of bombs and dynamite. Additionally, in the top left corner, there are sprites of Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Bluto, along with a depiction of Popeye in the bottom left.

Moreover, Miyamoto’s signature is prominently displayed in the top right, providing a captivating insight into the origins of Donkey Kong.

If Nintendo had succeeded in acquiring the rights to Popeye, the course of gaming history could have been significantly altered.

Let’s also not forget that Mario (Jumpman) first appeared in Donkey Kong, so without DK we may never have even had the funny little Italian plumber man! The mind boggles.