Wrinkly Kong: the grandmother who comes back to haunt the Kongs

CharacterKong FamilyDonkey Kong Country

The only Nintendo character who keeps giving advice after her death. Cranky Kong's wife, Wrinkly ran a school for the Kongs before taking charge of their save files. This profile covers her Kong Kollege, her retirement among the Banana Birds and, above all, her ghostly return in Donkey Kong 64 — a one-of-a-kind case of a deceased character who carries on in her role as the family's memory.

Among the Kongs there is one character whose passing never interrupted her career: Wrinkly Kong, wife of Cranky Kong and the grandmotherly figure of the clan.

Schoolteacher, keeper of save files and then advisory ghost, she holds a place very few video game characters can claim. Here is a portrait of the eldest of Nintendo's apes.

Contents

• The wife of the oldest Kong
• The Kong Kollege, the apes' school
• Retirement, Banana Birds and a save cave
• A ghost who keeps on advising
• A place of her own in the clan
• Wrinkly Kong at a glance
• FAQ

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The wife of the oldest Kong

From her very first appearance, Wrinkly is introduced as the wife of Cranky Kong, the cantankerous veteran who was himself the Donkey Kong of the arcade cabinets. In the clan's family tree, she therefore belongs to the oldest generation.

The contrast between the two spouses is the whole charm of the pair. Where Cranky spends his time grumbling about the youth of today and praising the good old days, Wrinkly is warm-hearted, patient and genuinely invested in Donkey Kong and the younger Kongs.

Her look drives the point home: glasses, a plain dress, a stooped frame. She is a grandmother through and through, in a series that had none until then.

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The Kong Kollege, the apes' school

Her first major role is that of a schoolteacher. In the second installment of Donkey Kong Country, she runs the Kong Kollege, a small establishment where Diddy and Dixie come looking for help.

• She hands out tips about the levels, free of charge or traded for a few Banana Coins.
• Above all, she handles saving the game, a vital feature at a time when it was anything but a given.
• Her school becomes one of the mandatory stops on the game's map.

This role of save-file keeper would later be taken over by other members of the clan, notably Candy Kong — proof that the job Wrinkly invented had become a genuine institution within the family.

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Retirement, Banana Birds and a save cave

In the third installment, Wrinkly has hung up her chalk. She leaves teaching behind and settles further north, in a save cave that bears her name.

There she enjoys an active retirement, between sessions of gymnastics and rounds of video games — a delicious wink for a character supposed to embody old age.

Most of all, she takes in the Banana Birds that the heroes set free over the course of the adventure, turning her cave into a sanctuary for rescued creatures. The character thus moves from schoolhouse to sanctuary, without ever ceasing to help.

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A ghost who keeps on advising

This is where Wrinkly becomes unique in Nintendo's entire catalogue. In Donkey Kong 64, she reappears in the form of a ghost — and the game makes no secret of it: she explains herself that her body has been gone since the third installment, but that she is still there in spirit to help the apes.

In practice, she haunts coloured doors scattered through the lobbies of the levels. Each door matches a member of the team — Chunky, Tiny, Lanky and the rest — and delivers the hint that particular Kong needs.

The trick is clever twice over: it preserves the character's helper role while fully owning her death, something exceedingly rare in a universe this colourful.

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A place of her own in the clan

Wrinkly has never been playable, has never fought King K. Rool and has never rescued anyone by sheer muscle. Her place in players' memories rests entirely on her supporting role — and on the particular tone she brought with her.

She embodies the idea that passing on knowledge matters as much as action: in a series built on jumps and exploding barrels, she is the one who explains, who tidies up, who keeps the memory alive.

Her openly acknowledged passing and her spectral return also make her one of the rare characters in the Donkey Kong galaxy to have a genuine arc from one game to the next, old age and mourning included.

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Wrinkly Kong at a glance

Name	Wrinkly Kong
Family	Cranky Kong's wife
First appearance	Donkey Kong Country 2 (1995)
First role	Schoolteacher at the Kong Kollege
Key function	Saving the game and giving tips
Third installment	Retirement in her save cave
In her care	The rescued Banana Birds
Donkey Kong 64	Returns as a ghost
Distinctive trait	A deceased character who keeps on helping

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FAQ

• Who is Wrinkly Kong?
  She is Cranky Kong's wife and the grandmotherly figure of the Kong clan. Introduced in Donkey Kong Country 2 in 1995, she runs the Kong Kollege there, a little school where the heroes come for tips and for saving their game.
• What is the Kong Kollege?
  It is the establishment run by Wrinkly in Donkey Kong Country 2. Diddy and Dixie get hints about the levels there, free or paid for with Banana Coins, and above all the chance to save their game.
• What becomes of Wrinkly in Donkey Kong Country 3?
  She has left teaching behind and moved into a save cave that bears her name, where she does gymnastics, plays video games and takes in the Banana Birds freed by the heroes.
• Why is Wrinkly a ghost in Donkey Kong 64?
  Because the character died after the events of the third installment. The game owns it: she explains that her body is gone but that she is still there in spirit to help the Kongs.
• What does Wrinkly do in Donkey Kong 64?
  She haunts coloured doors set up in the lobbies of the levels. Each door matches a member of the team and delivers the hint suited to that particular Kong.

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