Lanky Kong: Donkey Kong 64's Goofy Orangutan

CharacterLanky KongDonkey Kong 64

"He has no style, he has no grace": his own theme song makes fun of him. An orangutan with endless arms created by Rare for Donkey Kong 64 in 1999, Lanky Kong is the most slapstick member of the family. This profile breaks down his arsenal of absurd powers, his legendary DK Rap verse and his comebacks, from Barrel Blast to Bananza.

Arms that almost drag along the ground, a goofy grin and an impossible walk: Lanky Kong (same name in English) is without a doubt the most outlandish member of the Kong family. This big orangutan landed in Donkey Kong 64 in 1999 and has never really left players' memories.

Between his slapstick powers, his blue color and his cult verse in the famous DK Rap, Lanky has become a little video game legend. Here is everything you need to know about the clown of the crew led by Donkey Kong.

Contents

• Who is Lanky Kong?
• The blue Kong of Donkey Kong 64
• An arsenal of slapstick powers
• "He has no style, he has no grace": the star of the DK Rap
• From Barrel Blast to Bananza: his comebacks
• Quick facts
• FAQ

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Who is Lanky Kong?

Lanky Kong is the only orangutan in the Kong family, and you can tell at first glance: orange fur, red nose, blue eyes and, above all, endless arms that brush the ground. He wears blue overalls over a white shirt that is visibly far too small for him.

According to the game's storyline, he comes from a faraway island before joining Donkey Kong Island, where he discovered he was related to the rest of the crew. Personality-wise, Lanky is the resident clown: nonstop funny faces, absurd humor and the attitude of an eternal prankster make him the zaniest Kong of the group.

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The blue Kong of Donkey Kong 64

Donkey Kong 64, released in 1999 on Nintendo 64 and developed by the British studio Rare, is the game that gave birth to Lanky. In it he is one of the five playable Kongs, alongside Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Tiny Kong and Chunky Kong.

Each Kong is tied to a color, and Lanky's is blue. In practice, he is the only one who can collect the blue bananas, the blue banana coins and the blue blueprints scattered across the levels. To trigger his special abilities, he first has to step on pads bearing his own likeness, a principle shared by every Kong in the game.

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An arsenal of slapstick powers

Lanky's powers are true to the character: completely off the wall. His signature abilities in Donkey Kong 64 carry English names that have stayed famous:

• OrangStand: he flips into a handstand and walks on his hands to climb slopes far too steep for the other Kongs.
• OrangStand Sprint: a sped-up version of that handstand, which he powers by spending crystal coconuts (Crystal Coconuts , to use the in-game name).
• Baboon Balloon: he literally inflates like a balloon and floats up into the air for a few moments.

On top of that comes his personal weapon, the Grape Shooter (literally a grape launcher, a name that never got an official French version), which fires grapes to defeat enemies, pop blue banana balloons and flip certain switches.

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"He has no style, he has no grace": the star of the DK Rap

If Lanky has become a genuine internet icon, it is largely thanks to the DK Rap, the deliciously kitsch theme song of Donkey Kong 64. Composed by Grant Kirkhope, the track introduces the Kongs one after another, and the verse devoted to Lanky is the one nobody has ever forgotten.

You can hear the lines: " He has no style, he has no grace / This Kong has a funny face " — no style, no grace, and a very funny face indeed. This deliberately mocking passage, which also nods to his handstand and his ability to puff himself up, turned Lanky into a cult meme, quoted and remixed over and over by Nintendo fans.

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From Barrel Blast to Bananza: his comebacks

After 1999, Lanky never completely dropped out of sight. He returns as an unlockable racer in Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast, a racing game developed by Paon, released in 2007 in Japan and North America, then in 2008 in Europe under the title Donkey Kong Jet Race.

The Super Smash Bros. series has also given him several nods: he shows up as a trophy in the Brawl and Wii U entries, then as a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. More recently, the orangutan slips into a cameo in Donkey Kong Bananza (2025), notably through an unlockable statue and a sign bearing his likeness. Proof that, decades later, this wacky Kong has not lost an ounce of his madness.

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Lanky Kong at a glance

Name (FR)	Lanky Kong
Name (EN)	Lanky Kong
Name (JP)	ランキーコング (Rankī Kongu)
Species	Orangutan
First appearance	Donkey Kong 64 (1999, Nintendo 64)
Original studio	Rare
Associated color	Blue (blue bananas)
Notable games	Donkey Kong 64, Barrel Blast, Smash Bros.

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FAQ

• What is Lanky Kong's French name?
  His official French name is Lanky Kong, strictly identical to the English one: the character has never been translated or renamed in French-speaking Europe.
• Which game does Lanky Kong first appear in?
  He debuts in Donkey Kong 64, released in 1999 on Nintendo 64 and developed by the Rare studio. In it he is one of the five playable Kongs.
• What species is Lanky Kong?
  Lanky Kong is an orangutan, recognizable by his orange fur and his very long arms. He is the only orangutan in the Kong family.
• Why is Lanky Kong so famous among fans?
  Mostly because of his verse in the DK Rap, the Donkey Kong 64 theme song written by Grant Kirkhope: the lines "He has no style, he has no grace, this Kong has a funny face" turned him into a cult meme.
• Which color is associated with Lanky Kong in Donkey Kong 64?
  Blue. He is the only Kong able to collect the game's blue bananas, blue banana coins and blue blueprints.

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