Original Donkey Kong Promotional Artwork Rescued From Nintendo's Trash Heads to Auction

Historic 1981 Donkey Kong arcade promotional art created by Leslie Cabarga and rescued from Nintendo disposal heads to auction with estimates up to $150,000.

An extraordinary piece of early Nintendo history has emerged from a former employee's personal collection. Original promotional artwork associated with the 1981 arcade release of Donkey Kong is being offered for auction, with the story receiving fresh coverage on October 15. The artwork was preserved by Donna Darbous, a former Nintendo advertising manager who reportedly rescued it from material being discarded during a company storage-room clearance. According to Darbous, she obtained permission from her supervisor before keeping the artwork. The surviving piece was created by illustrator Leslie Cabarga and measures approximately nineteen by fifteen inches. Its importance extends beyond the popularity of Donkey Kong itself. The illustration belongs to the earliest commercial period of characters who would eventually become central to Nintendo's identity, including Donkey Kong, Pauline and the character originally known as Jumpman, later renamed Mario. Unlike reproductions or contemporary merchandise, original production artwork provides direct evidence of how a company presented its products before their cultural importance became obvious. The piece retains the layered construction associated with traditional commercial illustration, making it especially interesting to collectors of advertising and graphic-design history. Auction specialist LandryPop estimates its potential selling price at approximately $100,000 to $150,000, although the final result will depend on bidding. Darbous is also offering other Nintendo-related material, including additional artwork and historical promotional items. The collection illustrates a recurring preservation problem: objects that eventually become culturally significant are often treated as ordinary workplace materials when originally produced. Many important videogame documents, prototypes and illustrations have disappeared through routine office clearances. In this case, a former employee recognised that discarded artwork might deserve a better fate. The original Donkey Kong game famously involved rescuing someone from danger. Forty-five years later, its promotional artwork has apparently experienced a rescue adventure of its own.