Museum of the Game ®

International Arcade Museum® — Killer List of Videogames®


Donkey Kong Junior

Donkey Kong Junior - Cabinet - Video Game Marquee

Description

The player controls a small monkey who must leap from platforms, climb vines, and avoid enemies to rescue Donkey Kong from Mario. The game has several distinct levels with similar goals. Fruit can be dropped on enemies leg traps and birds to kill them.

Donkey Kong Junior was produced by Nintendo in 1982.

Nintendo released 106 machines in our database under this trade name, starting in 1970. Nintendo was based in Japan.

Other machines made by Nintendo during the time period Donkey Kong Junior was produced include: Donkey Kong, Space Fever (Black & White), Vs. UniSystem, Sheriff, Heli Fire, Popeye, Sky Skipper, Mario Bros. (PlayChoice), Mario Bros., and Donkey Kong 3

Specs

Name Donkey Kong Junior
Developer Nintendo (Japan)
Year 1982
Type Videogame
KLOV/MOG # 7612
Class Wide Release
Genre Platform
Monitor
Conversion Class Nintendo Classic
Game Specific Donkey Kong Junior Pinout
Dipswitch Settings

Donkey Kong Junior Dipswitch Settings (user contributed)

# Simultaneous Players 1
# Maximum Players 2
Game Play Alternating
Control Panel Layout Single Player
Controls
  • Joystick: 4-way (up, down, left, right)
  • Buttons: 1 - Jump
Sound Unamplified Mono (requires one-channel amp)
Cabinet Styles
  • Upright/Standard - 211 lbs
  • Cocktail
  • Upright/Standard
Control Panel Donkey Kong Junior Control Panel Image
PCB Donkey Kong Junior PCB Image

Game Introduction

The game's basic concept is the same as Donkey Kong except the good guys and bad guys have changed places. The player controls Donkey Kong Junior, a small ape who must rescue his father, Donkey Kong, from his nemesis Mario.

Game Play

The games has four different levels: The Vines, The Chains, The Jumpboard and The Hideout.

On the Vine level, Junior must climb up vines and walk across platforms to get to the key at the top of the screen while avoiding or jumping over red and blue Snapjaws. The red Snapjaws move back and forth but the blue Snapjaws only move in a straight line and in random directions. Junior can also destroy these pursuers by dropping fruit onto them. Junior can also jump over them while he moves across a platform. When Junior reaches the key at the top of the screen, Mario pushes the cage with Donkey Kong in it away and then you proceed to the next level. The same thing happens on the Jumpboard level and Hideout level.

On the Jumpbaord level, Junior can jump onto jumpboards to make himself jump high, he also must jump onto moving platforms and grab onto and climb moving cables followed by chains while avoiding deadly purple birds.

On the Hideout level, Junior must avoid or drop fruit onto deadly electrodes that move across the platforms and on the cables that are climbed on.

On the Chain level, Junior must climb up and down chains and place keys into the keyholes to help Donkey Kong break free while avoiding or dropping fruit onto red Snapjaws and blue birds. After Junior has freed Donkey Kong from the cage when the last key is placed in it's keyhole, the screen freezes, all the game elements disappear, and Mario and Donkey Kong both fall down. Junior catches his father safely and then they punch Mario a good one to teach him a lesson. Afterwards, the game starts over again with increased difficulty.

Donkey Kong Junior KLOV/IAM 5 Point User Score: 3.78 (17 votes)

Fun Factor: 3.79

Overall Like 3.94
Fun (Social) 3.19
Fun (Solo) 3.94
Collector Desire 3.71

Technical Rating: 3.77

Gameplay 4.00
Graphics 3.94
Originality 3.88
Sound/Music 3.18

Personal Impressions and Technical Impressions each account for half of the total score. Within the Personal Impressions category, Like carries a little more weight than the other factors.

Log in to rate this game!

Cheats, Tricks, Bugs, and Easter Eggs

Play Forever Cheat. This is an awesome cheat that allows you to play DKJr forever in the arcades. Works well emulated too. Select a two-player game and control player one as you would normally. Now with player two, on the first board, move Junior as far to the right as possible without falling off the ledge that you start on. Make sure DKJ is in a sitting position, not the ready to jump position. Now wait until a blue snapper comes down the next vine. As soon as the snapper gets off the vine, jump towards it. You should hit the water and the snapper at the same time. Instantly, the game will revert you back to player one and not lose the player two DKJ. When player one's game is over, use this cheat with player two and the game will revert you back to player one again. Use this cheat every time player one dies to play forever. This cheat is hard to master and it may take four or five times the first time you try it just to get it working. It works under both players, so if you are emulating, I suggest setting the switches to give you six Juniors. Then, play two players and alternate the cheat until you have mastered it.

Images

Trivia

This is the only game where Mario is used as a villainous character.

VAPS Arcade/Coin-Op Donkey Kong Junior Census

There are 15,174 members of the Video Arcade Preservation Society / Vintage Arcade Preservation Society, 9,629 whom participate in our arcade census project of games owned, wanted, or for sale. Census data currently includes 166,343 machines (6,975 unique titles).

Very Common - There are 875 known instances of this machine owned by Donkey Kong Junior collectors who are active members. Of these, 662 of them are original dedicated machines. 17 of them are conversions in which game circuit boards (and possibly cabinet graphics) have been placed in (and on) another game cabinet. 192 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired.

For Sale - There are 22 active VAPS members with a Donkey Kong Junior machines for sale. There are 7 active VAPS members with a Donkey Kong Junior circuit boards for sale.

Wanted - Very Popular - There are 33 active VAPS members currently looking for Donkey Kong Junior.

This game ranks a 92 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census ownership records.

This game ranks a 60 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census want list records.

Rarity and Popularity independently are not necessarily indications of value. [More Information]

Flyers

Legacy

  1. Donkey Kong
  2. Donkey Kong Junior
  3. Donkey Kong 3

Manuals

Foto-Finder® (Books)

  1. The Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256) Page: 157; Color photo Price guide: No
  2. Arcade Fever Sellers (ISBN 0762409371) Page: 92; Color photo
  3. Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256) Page: 157; Color photo

Additional References (logged in members often see more)

  1. 3D Model (External): Upright (cb6928767f6edd10844c61dcfe3cf617)
  2. 3D Model (External): Upright B (cb6928767f6edd10844c61dcfe3cf617)

Arcade Map - Play This Game

Our members have reported that Donkey Kong Junior is playable at 2 locations:

Name Location State Country Details Check-ins
Level One Bar + Arcade 130 Hutchinson Ave, Columbus Ohio United States Unknown 0
Upstate Pinball & Arcade Museum 109A West Trade St, Simpsonville South Carolina United States Arcade 2

eBay Listings

Click to search eBay for Donkey Kong Junior Videogame machines and related items.

Click to search eBay for Nintendo for machines and parts.

When you click on links below to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Such revenue helps to fund this site's operations. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

TOP WATCHED LISTINGS FOR: Donkey Kong Junior

Ebay Compatible Application

Donkey Kong Jr Arcade Pcb Not Working Won’t Boot

Auction ends in: 6 days, 45 minutes

AuctionWithBIN
$75.00

Nintendo Donkey Kong JR PCB Tested Working

Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 6 days

FixedPrice
$300.00

ARCADE PCB - DONKEY KONG JR. - ALT

Auction ends in: 4 days, 20 hours

Auction
$56.99

DONKEY KONG/ DONKEY KONG JR. CONTROL PANEL BUTTON SET - MikesArcade

Auction ends in: 2 weeks, 18 hours

FixedPrice
$26.00

Nintendo Donkey Kong Junior Jr Arcade PCB 2 Board Set - Tested Working

Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 1 day

FixedPrice
$319.99

Auction Results

Logged in members can see all related auctions.

Auctions Recap

Year Count Median $ Average $
2018 1 354.00 354.00
All Years 1 354.00 354.00

Contribute

  1. Log in to contribute content to this page
  2. Please consider donating to the International Arcade Museum Library