Animal Buddies in Donkey Kong Series

Animal buddies

Rambi

see main article, Rambi

Rambi was a powerful rhino who aided the Kongs in most of their adventures. Rambi's horn makes him the strongest of the animals- there is almost nothing that can withstand his horn especially in midcharge. Rambi was helpful for plowing down enemies and smashing into hidden passages. Rambi's only disadvantage was his lack of jumping power, making chasms his greatest enemy.

Enguarde

see main article, Enguarde

Enguarde is a swordfish whom has often worked with the Kong family as an animal buddy. He is the Kong's aquatic protector. He is almost like an underwater version of Rambi in that Enguarde's sharp bill can cut through every obstacle (unless it has spikes).

Squawks

see main article, Squawks

Squawks is a green parrot who serves the Kongs in different ways throughout their adventure. There seems to be more than one Squawks. In some games (including its debut in Donkey Kong Country), Squawks is shown as a small parrot, too small to help the Kongs beyond carrying lanterns or delivering messages. A larger Squawks has also appeared, able to transport the Kongs with its talons and spit eggs at enemies. Purple varieties have also appeared.

Expresso

Expresso is a helpful ostrich who is gifted with great speed. His long legs also allow him to step over smaller enemies, and his small wings can give him a boost in the air. However he has no means to defend himself against the larger enemies and can be beaten much more easily then the other animal buddies (except Parry of course).

Expresso lends his services to Donkey and Diddy Kong when their bananas go missing in Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Land. After that, he was bought by Cranky Kong around the time Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest started. Cranky wanted to use Expresso as a racing ostrich in Crocodile Island's various ostrich races, and he used Golden Feathers delivered by Diddy and Dixie Kong to modify Expresso's abilities. Expresso only appeared in the Game Boy Advance remake.

Expresso also makes a small cameo appearance in a level Banjo Pilot, due to game originally being Diddy Kong Pilot. Several Expresso-like ostriches were also seen in the Donkey Kong jungle course of Mario Kart Arcade GP. Expresso also appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Winky

Winky the frog was one of the original animal friends of the Donkey Kong family in the original Donkey Kong Country game. Winky is an expert leaper, and she can jump amazingly high even when she has a gorilla sitting on her. Her pounce can slam most enemies into submission. This professional jumper left the animals after her first adventure, but she was later seen in Cranky Kong's Monkey Museum in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.

Rattly

Rattly shows us one power the rattlesnakes on the Discovery Channel don't show; with his coiled up tail, he can spring ten feet into the air. Rattly joins the Kongs in their quest to beat K. Rool in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, taking Winkly's place as the team jumper who can hold the weight of several simians. Rattly proved very useful in the quest, although he hasn't been on any adventures since.

Squitter

Squitter the spider was one of the new recruits who helped the battle on Crocodile Island in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. He took Expresso's place as the sneakers-wearing animal. Squitter's specialty was shooting webs. He could shoot projectile webs to defeat enemies, or special webs that expanded into platforms on command. With web platforms Squitter could go nearly anywhere he wanted, but the platforms were only temporary. And aside from his web projectiles there was nothing to protect Squitter from enemy attacks.

Although Rattly wouldn't return to any future games, Squitter proved that he was no quitter. He returned to help the Kongs in both Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie's Double Trouble and Donkey Kong Land III. Then he quit.

Clapper

Clapper is a seal who comes to help the Kongs in their quest on Crocodile Island during Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Clapper first meets Diddy and Dixie Kong in Crocodile Cauldron. Clapper helps the Kongs indirectly by spraying ice breath into boiling water, cooling it down temporarily so the Kongs can swim on and proceed. The only thing preventing Clapper from constantly cooling water is that someone needs to bounce on his back to make him spit the ice.

Clapper returned to help the Kongs in their final charge on K. Rool's Keep. There was no way Diddy and Dixie could swim through the waters of the icey cavern without being attacked by a Snapjaw- so this time Clapper's breath instead froze the water temporarily, so that the Kongs could walk safely on the ice. Several seals who dress and talk like sailors appear in Donkey Kong 64, but none are conclusively identified as Clapper.

Glimmer

Not all life on Crocodile Island is evil. Glimmer the angler fish is proof of that. Glimmer is a small fish living in the dark depths of Krem Quay. He has on real powers. But when Diddy and Dixie Kong get lost in the dark swamp in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Glimmer gladly comes to their aid and shines a light for them until they pass through safely. Afterwards, he stayed in his swamp to live the rest of his days. Hopefully he escaped Crocodile Island's explosion.

In Donkey Kong Land 2, Glimmer was replaced with a series of barrels that temporarily provided light when activated.

Ellie

Ellie the elephant was just a baby when she aided Dixie and Kiddy Kong in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie's Double Trouble. Despite her age, she was a capable fighter. Ellie's nose could suck up barrels or water that she could spit at enemies. Her only weakness was her fear of mice that she never really overcame- one look at a Neek would send her running.

Ellie's big baptism of fire came when she had a one-on-one boss fight with Squirt in Cottontop Cove. Squirt spat jets of water in an attempt to shove Ellie over the cliff, but Ellie fought water with water by spraying Squirt's eyes until he fell. Ellie continued to help the Kongs in Donkey Kong Land III, but hasn't done much since. Ellie still hangs around Donkey Kong Island and was one of the first to hear Donkey Kong play the Pokemon theme with Bongo drums in Donkey Konga.

Parry

Parry is one of the new friends who accompanies the Kongs in their latest quest in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie's Double Trouble. He's a parallel bird so he always travels at the same distance directly above Dixie or Kiddy, always changing his altitude to parallel theirs, never once meeting them directly. Parry was useful for collecting high items or beating Booty Birds. And if he was delivered safely to the end of a level he'd leave behind valuable items- once even an actual Bonus Barrel. Unfortunately Parry was vulnerable to all the other high-flying hazards, which made protecting him a burden on the Kongs.

Nibbla

Not exactly an Animal Buddy, a Nibbla does follow Dixie and Kiddy Kong through an underwater level of Donkey Kong Country 3. His appetite is shown through his color; he is blue when his hunger is content, but he slowly turns red as he gets hungrier. If he gets hungry enough he will attack Dixie and Kiddy. Thus Dixie and Kiddy must make sure he eats alot along the level, although eating Lurchins will only make Nibblas hungrier.

Glower

Glower is a small, tadpole-like creature found only in the Gloomy Galleon area of Donkey Kong 64. He fulfills Glimmer's role, as he uses a light attached to his head to guide the Kongs through some of the Gloomy Galleon's darker areas.

• Note: Glower is an unofficial name.

Hoofer

One of Donkey Kong's animal companions in "Jungle Beat". Hoofer was a fast moving ram that Donkey Kong could ride to take down anything that got in his way. This was best put to use by taking down as enemies to gain beats. After eating fruit, Hoofer was capable of making incredibly long jumps which Donkey Kong could use to gain even more beats. However besides making Hoofer jump, DK had no way of controlling the creature's direction.

Orco

A killer whale that would allowed Donkey Kong to take a ride. As to be expected it was found underwater generally just swimming about aimlessly. By grabbing on to the dorsal fin, DK could take a high speed ride underwater. Orco's bulky size was excellent for breaking down barriers. In addition the whale could jump out of the water quite high, enabling DK to get more beats or reach places he couldn't normally reach on his own.

Flurl

A flying squirrel often found sleeping, conveniently around a cliff of some sort. In "Jungle Beat", DK would use Flurl as a way to safely float down a chasm and reach a safe place. Although Flurl only floated downwards due to DK's weight, he could gain a slight air boost if a upward air current caught him.

Helibird

A species of flying birds often found among the forests. During Jungle Beat, Donkey Kong often used the birds to reach new heights. As they were often several Helibirds, he could quickly transfer to one Helibird from another (and easily earn Beats this way). However he wasn't the only one to use the birds, as the small white monkeys did as well as the Ninjapes.

Yoshi

see main article, Yoshi

Baby Donkey Kong rides Yoshi in Yoshi's Island DS, making Yoshi, technically, an animal buddy. Additionally, Yoshi can ride a Kangaroo in the game, in some kind of super perversion against Master Hand.

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