Donkey Kong, also shortened to DK, is a fictional character in the Donkey Kong and Mario video game series, created by Shigeru Miyamoto. A gorilla residing on Donkey Kong Island, he first appeared as the title character and antagonist of the eponymous 1981 game by Nintendo, which would spark the Donkey Kong series, notably the Donkey Kong Country platform subseries started with the eponymous 1994 game. Donkey Kong himself would switch from antagonist to protagonist for the rest of the series (although several instalments focus on his friends instead, notably Diddy Kong). He is considered one of the most popular and iconic characters in video game history.