Donkey Kong 64's coconut gun turned into a real-life weapon

There are some weapons in video games that can, and do, and some don't, and don't, in the real world. By now, you've firmly placed the Coconut Shooter DK used in Donkey Kong 64 in the latter category. Well, it's time to change that, because the coconut-shooting log now exists in the real world, not just DK Island.

Someone has made a lore-accurate real-life DK Coconut Gun replica

You can thank the good folks at No Bitrate for that. In their latest video, they detail the four-month process that culminated in them creating a knowledge-accurate, real-life replica of the Coconut Shooter, or Coconut Gun, from Donkey Kong 64.

For those unfamiliar with the weapon, it's basically just a hollowed-out log that looks like a gun, which DK uses to take out enemies, firing coconuts out of it. The simplicity of the Coconut Shooter might make you think that turning it into an actual weapon would be relatively simple. A preview of the video that briefly explains the journey of No Bitrate why this couldn't be further from the truth.

Despite its name, the Coconut Gun is less a gun and more a cannon. Cannons are historically made of pretty thick metal. Making one out of wood means there is a strong possibility of exploding when used. Therefore, when its creators run their first tests, they light the fuse and then run away as fast as possible.

In the full video, which shows how they overcome the obstacle of the coconut gun having to be wooden instead of metal, they finally reach a point where they can hold the shooter in their hands and fire the coconut. The scary part then is the damage the coconuts inflict on the ballistic dummies.

Dummies are specially designed to mimic human anatomy and are used to demonstrate how people are affected in certain situations and, in this example, what happens to a person if a coconut is hit at full velocity. It turns out not good, with one of the shots clearing the dummy's head.

I will never be able to look at DK the same way again

Smiling Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Banana.

I don't see Donkey Kong in the same light anymore, after watching the video, knowing he's using such a deadly weapon, and in the name of collecting bananas. Looks a little stuffy. I can easily sleep that the gun hasn't appeared in another DK since then, though. Donkey Kong in Bananza is a very mild-mannered version of the Nintendo icon and wouldn't dream of trying to take someone's head off by throwing a coconut straight at their face.

It goes without saying that you should not attempt to make your own science-perfect coconut gun at home. If you want to know what it's like to get hold of it, Donkey Kong 64 is now available to play on NSO. Nintendo revealed the news about its impending arrival on the tenth anniversary of Harambe's death. I still can't decide if that was intentional or a happy accident.