Nintendo who brought us “Donkey Kong” has recently filed a trademark for the popular catch phrase “It’s on like Donkey Kong.” While this seems like some corporate douche-bauchery, it’s merely a part of Nintendo’s plan to reclaim the classic phrase for their upcoming Donkey Kong video game. This means two things:
One, mysterious shady men in dark suits won’t be suing you if you ever decide to ever say the phrase in public; and two, the phrase is apparently still relevant according to Nintendo’s marketing team.
Here’s the entire press release below:
NINTENDO FILES OFFICIAL TRADEMARK FOR CATCHPHRASE ‘IT’S ON LIKE DONKEY KONG’
Nov. 10, 2010
In honor of the upcoming Nov. 21 launch of Donkey Kong Country™ Returns for the Wii™ console, Nintendo has filed a request with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the pop-culture phrase “It’s on like Donkey Kong.” For those unfamiliar with the term, “It’s on like Donkey Kong” is an old, popular Nintendo phrase that has a number of possible interpretations depending on how it’s used. In addition to Nintendo’s use, it has been used in popular music, television and film over the years, pointing to Donkey Kong’s status as an enduring pop-culture icon and video game superstar.
Donkey Kong™ is one of the oldest and most recognizable video game characters. He has been a pop-culture icon since the launch of his 1981 self-titled arcade game. Donkey Kong again rose to prominence in the 1994 Super NES™ game Donkey Kong Country. His new game, Donkey Kong Country Returns, marks his triumphant return in a new side-scrolling adventure with new challenges amid a beautiful setting. The game features the first simultaneous cooperative game-play mode for the series, with one player controlling Donkey Kong and the other controlling his agile pal, Diddy Kong™.
On Nov. 21, It’s on like Donkey Kong™!