Nintendo’s Original ‘Donkey Kong’ Artwork Just Sold for an Absolutely Insane Amount

Nintendo fans looking to snag original artwork for their collection: one unique piece is off the market. A poster for the original Donkey Kong game recently sold at auction for more than $300,000, making it the reigning champ of expensive video game art ever sold at auction. 

The poster features Donkey Kong himself atop a series of steel girders, the exact place one would expect to find a large gorilla. Angrily wielding a barrel over his head, Donkey Kong appears to threaten the overalls-wearing man standing on the girders below him. Behind Donkey Kong, blocked from escape, a blonde woman named Pauline swoons in a tattered pink dress, understandably upset by the whole situation. 

The man in overalls is Mario of “It’s-a me!” fame, and this poster actually features his first-ever public appearance. Known at the time merely as “Jumpman”, Mario has gone on to become one of the most iconic video game characters of all time and certainly one of the most famous plumbers. He has starred in or appeared in over 300 games, including Super Mario Galaxy and its 2010 sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2. 

Donkey Kong went on to have a big career of his own, featuring in solo titles like Donkey Kong Country Returns and starring alongside Mario in the Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., and Mario Party games. The poster at auction was for the first Donkey Kong game, which was released in 1981. Drawn by artist Leslie Cabarga, it was intended as a promotional flyer for arcades. 

Rare ‘Donkey Kong’ Poster Sells for $329,400, Setting a Video Game Art Record

According to a press release from Landry Pop Auctions, an auction brand centered on comics and pop culture, the Donkey Kong poster sold for $329,400, making it the most expensive video game art ever sold. The title was previously held by original artwork for the Prince of Persia game, which sold for $63,000. So the gap between the two sales is roughly the cost of a starter Lamborghini. 

Incredibly, for original artwork of such a famous franchise, especially for a piece that would end up selling for over $300,000, it seems like the poster was almost thrown away. Landry Pop Auctions said a former Nintendo employee named Donna Darbous rescued the poster from the would-be disposal pile.

For anyone itching for a bit of nostalgia, thanks to this astronomical sale, Donkey Kong and Mario games are available on Nintendo consoles, including both the Switch and the Switch 2, including Donkey Kong Bonanza and Super Mario Odyssey. 

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