History YMMV / DonkeyKongCountry

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The redone graphics for the GBA ports of ''Donkey Kong Country 1'' and ''2'' were received poorly by both critics and fans and are considered to be a blight on what are otherwise considered to be {{Polished Port}}s. This is in part due to the colors getting brightened and oversaturated with the darker levels receiving new brighter colors in order to make them visible on the GBA (which at the time, was notorious for its dark screen). While this was understandable, many felt the saturated and brighter colors came at the expense of and ruined much of the atmosphere of the original games. This does not apply to the port of ''3'' as it largely remains faithful to the SNES version (thanks to being released around the GBA SP, which had a front/backlit screen).

** "That's nuts. I had no idea he was real"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A comment on a YouTube video of a behind-the-scenes look at Medialab, the studio behind this show, in which DK is superimposed on top of a crate while speaking with an employee. Comes up in other instances where fictional characters appear in a real-world environment.[[/labelnote]]

* EnsembleDarkHorse: [[GadgeteerGenius Funky Kong]], DK's TotallyRadical friend that rents out and repairs vehicles and weapons. His status as a BreakoutCharacter led to him being included on the roster in ''VideoGame/MarioKartWii'', before being PromotedToPlayable in ''[[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze Tropical Freeze]]''.

** "Yes Means No," if taken out of context.

* FridgeHorror: In the pilot episode, Krusha is considerably more intelligent than he in all other episodes. Since the last we see of him in that episode is getting beat up by DK, it's possible that the beatdown ''gave him brain damage.'' A later episode then gives an x-ray of his body. His brain is actually missing from his skull, being down by his gut instead. It's possible that it got dislodged during the beatdown, [[ArtisticLicenseBiology seeing as this is a cartoon]].

** The Kremlings, basically since their inception, but the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom has made them into icons of BaraGenre artwork that emphasizes their masculinity and/or muscles. K. Rool and Krusha, in particular, are loved by furries and muscle enthusiasts. The gay fanbase got an exponential boost thanks to K. Rool's appearance in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', against all expectations.

** [[https://tenor.com/view/donkey-kong-mine-cart-ride-dispair-diddy-kong-gif-22844465 This gif]] tends to be used in instances describing a group of people riding in a vehicle and leaving after something disappointing, or even [[BlackComedy horrible and traumatic]], such as a group of people in the UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity heading out after participating in a tournament and getting zero wins between all of them, or a family returning home after going out to an event that turned out to be terrible.

* NarmCharm: The whole show can count as this. Even with the writing being wildly inconsistent in quality and the animation being incredibly primitive, these can make the whole show an absolute treat to watch, with bits of legitimately good slapstick and wit to help. Also, depending on who you ask, some of the songs fall into this category.

* OnceOriginalNowCommon: The show was one of the first to use (very crude) MotionCapture technology. Impressive and revolutionary in mid-90, completely ubiquitous two decades later.

** After the SNES trilogy, the role of the [[PowerUpMount animal buddies]] [[DemotedToExtra decreased greatly]]. ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'' only features Rambi the rhino and Enguarde the swordfish, who appear in one main level each (Rambi also appears in the final level, while Enguarde gets a minigame); you don't get to ride them either, your Kong just transforms into them. Rambi is the lone buddy in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'', and he appears in just three or four levels in each game.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The redone graphics for the GBA ports of ''Donkey Kong Country 1'' and ''2'' were recieved poorly by both critics and fans and are considered to be a blight on what are otherwise considered to be {{Polished Port}}s. This is in part due to the colors getting brightened and oversaturated with the darker levels recieving new brighter colors in order to make them visible on the GBA (which at the time, was notorious for its dark screen). While this was understandable, many felt the saturated and brighter colors came at the expense of and ruined much of the atmosphere of the original games. This does not apply to the port of ''3'' as it largely remains faithful to the SNES version (thanks to being released around the GBA SP, which had a front/backlit screen).

* DancingBear: While the SNES trilogy has always been loved for its super-fun gameplay, it's obvious that the main draw of the series in its heyday (and the obvious key to its staggering success) was [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome the superb pre-rendered CGI sprites]], which were nothing short of jaw-dropping for a SNES game, and all without any add-ons or even a Super FX chip. This ironically became a criticism of the game, saying it wouldn't have been as loved or fun without the graphics—-which prompted Rare to develop the ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongLand'' series on UsefulNotes/GameBoy (and later successfully porting the first ''DKC'' onto UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor) which kept the solid gameplay of the consoles intact, in spite of the inevitable downgrade to 8-bit (but still first rate for handheld) graphics. In hindsight, while the graphics are dated now, the series (particularly the first two) are still acclaimed as legitimate platformer classics, once again owing to their still first-rate gameplay, and the appealing cartoon art has helped take the burden off the dated CGI.

** Many also have this view of Creator/AronTager's performance as Cranky Kong in the show, since the voice compliments Cranky's role as the GrumpyOldMan perfectly.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: Oftentimes, a character's mesh will end up clipping with itself (especially noticeable with the model used for General Klump[=/=]Captain Skurvy) during the first season. The second season, while having noticeably stiffer looking movements and was overall much brighter, generally avoided this. The animators also seem to have taken a page from ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' and made the body parts separate from each other.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: While the CGI, especially the bizarre expressions and body gestures of the characters, is made fun of nowadays, it's worth noting that back in 1996-1997, it was really quite a big advance in the field of CGI animation for television. Notably, it was the first show to be entirely animated using MotionCapture technology.

* EvilIsSexy: [[spoiler:The Candy Kong robot used to weaken DK by cutting his hair.]]

** Upon receiving a head injury in ''Speed'', Krusha turns into a [[TheStarscream power-hungry]] GeniusBruiser that proves to be [[KnightOfCerebus far viler and more competent than K. Rool]]. Despite loads of potential, this would offer to shake up the show's dynamic, Krusha [[StatusQuoIsGod returns to normal after receiving another head injury]] with his more vile personality never resurfacing.

* NarmCharm: The whole show can count as this. Even with the bad writing, the combination of terrible animation and wonderfully exaggerated performances can make the whole show an absolute treat to watch, with bits of legit good slapstick and wit to help. Also, depending on who you ask, some of the songs fall into this category.

* ValuesResonance: A much lighter example. Cranky being a TakeThat against nostalgic gamers who pine for the difficulty of older games has aged incredibly well.

** The Donkey Kong featured in the DKC games and the modern Mario spin-offs is not the Donkey Kong from the original arcade games. The original arcade DK is explicitly confirmed to be Cranky Kong, with modern DK being a LegacyCharacter who inherited the name from Cranky. Trying to suggest otherwise is a good way to raise the hackles of ''DKC'' fans. Not helped by Nintendo themselves saying this in the early 2000's with Donkey Kong's bios in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros64'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' saying that he first appeared in the original arcade games and the back of the ''VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong'' box saying "For the first time in ages, Mario faces off against his original foe!". ''VideoGame/MarioSuperstarBaseball'' was the first Nintendo game to say that Cranky was the arcade game Donkey Kong with ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' keeping it up for GrandfatherClause (Cranky Kong's Spirit Battle in ''Ultimate'' is against a white-furred Donkey Kong with the 25m Music playing).

** When you beat the bosses in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' with the right timing, you can flail the Wiimote like crazy, which causes DK to massively pummel the Tiki controlling the boss. The more punches he gives, the more awesome it sounds.

* ReplacementScrappy:
** The Tiki-Tak Tribe from ''Returns'', who replaced the iconic Kremlings as the villains. Their goofy, unimposing appearance didn't help. They have become so hated that certain parts of the fandom [[FanonDiscontinuity refuse to acknowledge the existence]] of ''Returns''. [[spoiler:Except usually for [[BigBad Tiki Tong,]] who is considered a proper intimidating villain and a great final boss.]] This was fully averted with the Snowmad Tribe from ''Tropical Freeze'', which were much better received.

* EvenBetterSequel: ''Tropical Freeze'' is generally considered better than its predecessor ''Returns'', featuring better level design, more unique settings and David Wise's soundtrack.

* GoodBadBugs: A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNTiJYOsOTQ glitch]] in the first game's level can cause Rambi's sprites to be mistakenly replaced with a copy of the player's character with a messed-up palette. This can be combined with another glitch which causes Donkey Kong to get stuck in a certain animation while riding "himself," making the situation resemble [[ScrewYourself something else]]...

** "If you don't buy this game, '''you are stupid!''' Yes, I know that's insulting, but it's also the truth."[[labelnote:Explanation]]A quote from ''Series/GamingInTheClintonYears''[='=] review on the first ''Donkey Kong Country'', which immediately gained attention as a subject for parody thanks to the contrast between its simultaneously upbeat-yet-dry delivery and aggressive language.[[/labelnote]]

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw1c5UqyLKw Disappointed Kongs]]" is a meme based on the original game, wherein Donkey Kong and Diddy arrive at their empty banana hoard, with [[TakeThat whatever the user doesn't like]] placed over the "Kong's Banana Hoard" sign, before performing their animations whenever they fail a bonus game.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: In the first game, the second half of Gang-Plank Galleon sounds very similar to the Music/IronMaiden song "Hallowed Be Thy Name."