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As an executive, I hated Donkey Konga[...] The first game actually sold reasonably well, but boy was I not a fan.
—Reggie Fils-Aimé
I'm going to take you back to the past. To a past in which the combined top 30 software charts in Japan would routinely sell over 400,000 units even with no major releases, and in which Nintendo were not nearly as ubiquitious as they are now. Yes my friend, the world was different then.
The year is 2003. The headlines about Nintendo in the press feature the GameCube and the GBA. The Nitro (codename of the Nintendo DS) and the Revolution (codename of the Wii) are products in development. Sony Playstation 2 dominates the charts in Japan and the Xbox is quickly becoming a powerhouse in the West. Super Mario Sunshine failed to light up the charts and so did The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. More than ever, Nintendo is #3 in the video game market. Enter now Donkey Konga.
Donkey Konga is a rhythm game and the first Nintendo game that took advantage of the conga accessories, used also in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (the first game produced by the Super Mario Galaxy team). These are two drums that you plug into your GameCube and which allow for a few basic actions.
Front shot of the congas. Pay attention to the Start button in the middle part.
Though limited in scope, this control scheme is quite effective to reinforce immersion. In particular, the team behind Donkey Kong Jungle Beat found ingenious ways to adapt its gameplay to the controller. Go play the game if you haven't.
The passing icons indicate which bongo (left, right, both) and position (center, rim) you should hit with your hand.
Not many could predict the evolution of Donkey Konga's sales when it hit Japan in December. It was supposed to be a product of its time, which back then, meant a game that would be gobbled up by the Nintendo loyal, and no one else. And that's what happened.
However, what sets apart Donkey Konga's sales from other games of that period is its trajectory; launched on Dec, 12th, it had a respectable debut of 61k which was enough to reach spot #9 on its launch week, while 14 other new releases charted as well (I told you the world was different then).
At that time, there were no sign yet that Donkey Konga would eventually become one of the stars of the holiday period. Back then (much like today), any newly released game would rapidly decrease in sales and exit the charts after just a few weeks. However, our game would not follow the norm. The next week, its sales increased and reached 79k. That was good enough to climb two places to now be #7.
Charting above the game is another title that should be familar to most here: Taiko no Tatsujin on the PS2, which, like Donkey Konga, also saw its sales increase compared to the week prio. A juggernaut, it had a life-to-date tally of 357,000 units at that point, while Donkey Konga would stand at 141,000. There was no contest as to which was the more popular game.
However, things would begin to change the week after. While Donkey Konga managed to increase its sales again, topping 97k, Taiko no Tatsujin's weekly sales dropped by 4%. And while Donkey Konga's weekly sales did finally begin to decrease in its fourth week in the market (but by merely 10%), it was clear to observers that the game was the surprise of the year. With a total tally of more than 400,000 units, it eventually landed not too far from Taiko (about 580k), which occupied the same niche on a much more popular console.
Donkey Konga weekly sales in Japan (credit: Nichebarrier.com, Famitsu figures)
The game's encouraging sales prompted Nintendo to release a sequel only eight months later. Unfortunately, Donkey Konga 2 didn't make as much of an impression on the charts and only reached a quarter of its predecessor's total sales—a result that could be largely attributed to the GameCube's rapid decline in Japan, as well as to a fatigue effect due to coming so soon after the first game. A dual pack 'Donkey Konga 1+2' was released at the same time as the sequel and added 27k copies to DK1's LTD tally. A third game, Donkey Konga 3: Tabehōdai! Haru Mogitate 50 Kyoku, a Japan-only title, sold even less. And so, like many Nintendo series, Donkey Konga eventually got shelved.
As far as reptrospectives go, Donkey Konga was also (infamously) remembered for not having its best tracks featured in the Western releases; in particular, the absence of 'Ambitious Japan!' in Donkey Konga 2 hurt fans badly (well me, at least). This is just one example. Many forums voiced their concerns with each installement released, and that certainly didn't help with the popularity of the series overseas.
But still. Globally, Donkey Konga went on to sell 1.18 million, enough to beat Metroid Prime 2. It earned its place in the top 25 most-sold Nintendo-published games on the GameCube. And while it is a largely obscure game as far as the sales community is concerned, I felt its sales trajectory was striking enough to be deserving of its own feature.
I hope you enjoyed this piece, and that it brought back memories from a time when being a Nintendo fan was anything but easy. Thank you.
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The most important thing is that you got your article finished, unlike someone who shall remain The Nameless ('I blame society...'), meaning it's a Tuesday without a new Sales Story article. 
