# Level 1: Donkey Kong (1981) - The Popeye Game That Changed Nintendo Forever

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/surely-you-can-t-be-serious-podcast-494776/level-1-donkey-kong-1981-the-popeye-game-that-changed-nintendo-forever.md
Podcast: [Surely You Can't Be Serious Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/surely-you-can-t-be-serious-podcast-494776)
Published: 2026-01-20T06:10:08+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/level-1-donkey-kong-1981-the-popeye-game-that-changed-nintendo-forever--69406715
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69406715/stream.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/surely-you-can-t-be-serious-podcast-494776/episodes/level-1-donkey-kong-1981-the-popeye-game-that-changed-nintendo-forever
Duration seconds: 1451

## Resource

Donkey Kong almost starred Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Bluto. Learn the shocking origin story behind Nintendo's 1981 breakthrough hit: the near-fatal lawsuit, how Mario and Donkey Kong got their names, and why their lawyer became immortalized in gaming history. This is the untold story of the arcade classic that launched a gaming empire and defined 1981 as the golden year of video games.

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