A newly surfaced collection of trade show footage from the 1990s has offered a surprising glimpse into what Charles Martinet's Donkey Kong might have sounded like. While Martinet is universally recognized for his iconic portrayals of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi, his work with Nintendo's famed ape was far less documented.
The unearthed audio features Martinet exclaiming, “Ohhhhh baby, I’m back and I’m proud,” and addressing the crowd with greetings like, “Hello all you beautiful people out there. Ow, the first day of the Consumer Electronics Show is coming to a close, baby. And I want to say a big hello to my friend An-Tho-Ny from New YAWK!” This verbose style contrasts sharply with Donkey Kong's signature grunts in the final game.
This vocal exploration for Donkey Kong predates the character's 3D debut in Donkey Kong Country and aligns with Martinet's early career of performing roles live for trade show audiences before such performances were integrated into games. His work on "Real Time Mario" renders at trade shows was a precursor to his eventual in-game voice acting.
The extensive footage, comprising over a dozen hours from events like CES and E3, was compiled by retail representative Anthony Parisi. This collection includes uncut looks at unreleased games and industry panels. Parisi has since donated this archive to the Video Game History Foundation for public study and enjoyment.
Beyond the notable Donkey Kong vocalizations, the archive offers a rare look at various unpublished games and early builds of well-known titles. Among these are early footage of Super Mario 64, Tomb Raider, and Ocarina of Time. The collection also features glimpses of unreleased games such as Earthbound 64, a Lobo fighting game, and Twelve Tales: Conker 64, which was the original concept for Conker before Rare's reimagining of the character.
This trove of material provides a unique perspective on the elaborate pageantry used to market video games during a formative era for the industry. It stands in contrast to modern promotional methods, highlighting a period when publishers invested heavily in creating engaging experiences to sell their products, a stark difference from current digital presentations.