Winky

“You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but Winky is one of the most powerful animals. He can jump higher than any of them, and with his strong legs, he can jump attack some enemies that even Donkey can't touch. Winky is fond of damp, dark places, but he is known to turn up almost anywhere!”

—Donkey Kong Country manual, page 25

Winky the Frog is an Animal Friend from the original Donkey Kong Country who has the least number of playable appearances of all the Animal Friends, being playable in only one game; however, he is referenced by Cranky Kong in the Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong 64 instruction booklets along with Expresso the Ostrich.

Donkey Kong Country game designer Gregg Mayles expressed a dislike of Winky as a player character, sarcastically saying "[ Rattly and Winky] had rubbish controls and hits to test player skill. Good design. Gregg's brother and Donkey Kong Country character designer Steve Mayles similarly stated "it was always best to never get on the frog."

History

Donkey Kong franchise

Donkey Kong Country

In Donkey Kong Country, Winky uses his strong legs to jump extremely high and defeat enemies that Donkey and Diddy Kong cannot defeat on their own; he has similar abilities to Rattly, another Animal Friend who seemingly replaced him in Donkey Kong Country 2. He is also the most powerful Animal Friend, in which he can defeat Zingers by landing on them.

Levels:

• Winky's Walkway
• Bouncy Bonanza
• Millstone Mayhem
• Rope Bridge Rumble

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Winky makes a cameo in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, where he appears as a figurine in Cranky Kong's Monkey Museum. Small Winkys also appear hop around the swamp-themed stages in the Game Boy Advance remake.

Donkey Konga 3: Tabehōdai! Haru Mogitate 50 Kyoku

Winky makes a cameo appearance in Donkey Konga 3: Tabehōdai! Haru Mogitate 50 Kyoku, where he occasionally appears in the background while the player performs a song.

Club Nintendo

Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24

In the Club Nintendo comic "Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24", Cranky and Kiddy Kong are briefly seen riding Winky to an airport.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

In the Donkey Kong Adventure story of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, the design of Rabbid Cranky's Croaker Disposer is based on Winky the Frog. The weapon's flavor text reads: "Whether it's Monkey Mines or monkey shines, Winky is always BOUNCING with enthusiasm." The weapon is also described as an officially licensed Barrel Bolt.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U trophy information

Name	Image	Appears in	Description
Winky		SNES Donkey Kong Country (11/1994)	NA: The Kongs have all kinds of animal friends. Mammal friends, fish friends, bird friends. Winky is a frog. He defeats those pesky Zingers by bouncing on top of them. You might worry about falling off that slippery back of his, but all concern will wash away as you are hopping through the skies. PAL: The Kongs' Animal Friends come in all shapes and sizes. There are mammals, fish, birds... There's even a frog! Winky's high-hopping abilities make him really useful when it comes to taking out those pesky Zingers. Best of all, you don't need to worry about accidentally falling off that slippery back of his - it just never happens!

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ウィンキー Winkī	Winky

Gallery

Artwork

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  Artwork of Diddy Kong riding Winky the Frog

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  A front view of Winky idling

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  A side view of Winky

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  A Winky token

Sprites

• WinkyDKC.PNG

  Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo)

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  A Winky Crate in Donkey Kong Country

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  Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Color)

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  Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Advance)

Trivia

• Cranky Kong referenced Winky in the Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest instruction manual by saying, "A more tragic looking bunch of useless no-hopers you'll never see! I liked Expresso and Winky--where have they gone?", as well as in the Donkey Kong 64 instruction manual with, "I just hope they've included poor old Winky and Expresso this time instead of that bone-brained rhino that always seems to get in the games."
• Flibbits, the tropical frogs from Banjo-Kazooie, are based on Winky's design.
• In Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts for the Xbox 360, there's a large vehicle shaped like a frog called 'Big Winky', presumably a reference to Winky the Frog by Rare (who developed both games).