DK Island: Jungle Japes

Announced at E3 2001, Jungle Japes is a stage that is unlocked from the start of Super Smash Bros. Melee. It is also Donkey Kong's home stage. Young Link and his teammates are faced here in All-Star mode.

The stage is divided into three parts. The right and left sections are about equal in length and are a little taller then the middle section. The middle section is the longest, with a smaller platform suspended above it. This stage may sound simple, but is actually rather dangerous. Getting caught in the current under the stage is likely to result in a KO as it is hard to get back on the stage. Klaptraps occasionally jump out of the water; getting attacked by one will result in a one-hit KO.

In Brawl, however, it is easier to get back on stage when caught in the current because all characters can swim for a short time, which will allow them to float in the river instead of sinking. However, the swift current will carry one away very quickly, so be sure to act quickly.

Trivia

 * In Brawl, a Klaptrap will appear every 10 seconds, exactly.
 * In Brawl, this stage has one of the highest, if not the highest, ceilings available. Characters with potent vertical knockback fair much poorer here than those with good horizontal kill moves.  Likewise, heavy characters who have a slight vertical KO resistance are even less likely to be killed off-the-top.
 * Playing against a Fox CP on this level is almost a guaranteed win with this strategy: after he gets KO'd once, moving to the platform on the right before Fox returns will cause him to self-destruct repeatedly. A glitch causes Fox to jump underneath the middle platform and use Fire Fox. This pattern will endlessly repeat unless Fox is attacked or the human-controlled player moves.
 * A common strategy for winning all the time involves this stage (in Melee only) with a CPU Level 9 Ness, with One Stock. Starting off as any character, stay on the left platform. Ness will jump, double-jump, and try to perform a PK Thunder. The PK Thunder will hit the edge of your platform, however, and he will be helpless and fall below, die, and let you win.
 * When battling Giant Donkey Kong in Adventure Mode with any character, another glitch can result in a simple victory. The player should go to the edge of the platform he or she started on. When Giant DK approaches, pressing and holding the B button will cause him fall through the gap. Giant DK will also suicide if standing still at the edge of the same platform using Ness, Pikachu, Captain Falcon and Kirby.
 * Cranky Kong makes a cameo in the house in center stage. He appears as a silhouette in a rocking chair and occasionally gets up to pace. His cabin is designed the same way as it was in Donkey Kong Country. Also, if you zoom the camera in the the window, you will notice test tubes and flasks filled with colored liquids. This is a homage to Cranky's role in Donkey Kong 64, where he was a scientist who brewed potions for the Kongs to drink so they could learn new abilities.
 * The building on the left distinctly resembles the barrels from Donkey Kong Country, but appearences can be deciving: If one zooms in and looks underneath it, there is a hole cut out from it's bottom. It is an outhouse.
 * In the background near the sunset, a flock of Neckies can sometimes be seen flying across the horizon from left to right. In DKC, Neckies were among the most common enemies.
 * The attack from the Klaptrap is a Meteor Smash
 * Though the first world of Donkey Kong 64 is called Jungle Japes, Brawl listed the game origin of this stage as Donkey Kong Country.
 * In Brawl, the Pokémon Trainer stands on top of Cranky Kong's house.