#9 – Donkey Kong Was Almost Dropped From Mario Kart 64
The Mario Kart franchise is one of Nintendo’s biggest sellers no matter what console or handheld it is on. The series is known for trying to introduce at least a couple of new characters into each new game. Donkey Kong though is one of the characters to be in the series from the very start (well if you count DK Junior in the original) but he so nearly never made the cut in Mario Kart 64.
Early screen shots of the game showed a very different character select screen – one where the big ape was nowhere to be found. Instead there was the character of Kamek or if you prefer, Magikoopa instead of Donkey Kong.