''Bonk'', known as in Japan and as ''PC Kid'' or ''B.C. Kid'' in

PAL territories Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a color encoding system for analog television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25& ...

, is a

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

character and former

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

for

NEC is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered at the NEC Supertower in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It provides IT and network solutions, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Inte ...

PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation, it launched in ...

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can typically be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally ...

. Three

platform games A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

featuring the character appeared on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, as well as two spin-offs featuring

Air Zonk ''Air Zonk'', known in Japan as , is a horizontally scrolling shooter released for the TurboGrafx-16 in 1992. ''Air Zonk'' was an effort to update the company's image with a modern, punkish character named Zonk, who bears a deliberate resemblan ...

. The protagonist is a bald

caveman The caveman is a stock character representative of primitive humans in the Paleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, when Neanderthals were influentially described as " simian" or " ape-like" by Marcellin B ...

named Bonk who attacks using his comically large head. His Japanese name PC-Genjin is a

pun A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...

on the PC Engine, with his European name ''PC Kid'' similarly referencing the system's name (the console is also called PC Engine in Europe). The "PC" part of his Japanese and European names also stands for "

Pithecanthropus The terms ''Anthropopithecus'' ( Blainville, 1839) and ''Pithecanthropus'' ( Haeckel, 1868) are obsolete taxa describing either chimpanzees or archaic humans. Both are derived from Greek ἄνθρωπος (anthropos, "man") and πίθηκος ( ...

Computer A computer is a machine that can be Computer programming, programmed to automatically Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic set ...

urus", a fictitious

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

name for the character. The American title ''Bonk'' is also not used in the European versions due to the word "

bonk Bonk may refer to: People * Bonk (surname) Arts and entertainment * Bonk (video game series), ''Bonk'' (video game series), a caveman character and video game series *Bonk!, a soft drink company in the first-person shooting game ''Team Fort ...

" being connoted with having sex in

British English British English is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United Kingdom, especially Great Britain. More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly, to ...

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

now owns the rights to the ''Bonk'' series as a result of its absorption of the series' publisher

Hudson Soft was a Japanese video game company known for releasing numerous titles across video game consoles, home computers, and mobile phones. Headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo, it also maintained an office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. F ...

in 2012.

Origin

As stated on Hudson Soft's website, in their "The Definitive Bonk" article, Bonk was originally created as a comic character, PC Caveman (Genjin), in a magazine for the PC Engine. Many people liked the character and there were talks held on giving him a game of his own. In addition to this, many people even mistook him for an upcoming game character even before his game was in development, because the magazine frequently featured comics of upcoming games.

Games

Bonk's Adventure ''Bonk's Adventure'', known as in Japan, ''PC Kid'' and ''B.C. Kid'' in Europe, is a scrolling platform game developed by Red Company and Atlus and released in 1989 in Japan and 1990 in North America for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. The Japane ...

'' (''PC-Genjin'' in Japan, ''PC Kid'' in Europe) was the first game starring Bonk and was released for the

TurboGrafx-16 The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation of video game con ...

in 1989. A variation of the TG-16 original eventually appeared on the

NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

with fewer colors and reduced graphic quality. Another variation was released for the

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...

under the name ''BC Kid''. A completely new game, with 2-player co-op, was released for the arcades, while another new game utilizing the same name was released for the

Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...

. A

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of the original was released in Japan many years later on the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

and the

GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...

. ''

Bonk's Revenge ''Bonk's Revenge'', known as in Japan and ''PC Kid 2'' in Europe, is a 2D platform game, platformer set in prehistory, originally for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 console, created in 1991 by the Red Entertainment, Red Company for Hudson Soft, and ...

'' (''PC-Genjin 2'' in Japan, ''PC Kid 2'' in Europe) was released for the

in 1991, while a completely different game using the same name made it to the

, the TurboGrafx-16 version was re-released for Windows on December 13, 2013, and the Wii U Virtual Console on March 12, 2014, in Japan. '' Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure'' (''PC-Genjin 3'') was released for the TurboGrafx-16 as 2 versions in 1993: a TurboChip (cartridge) version and a Super CD-ROM version, the latter of which featured an updated redbook audio soundtrack. '' GB Genjin Land: Viva! Chikkun Kingdom'' was a collection of mini games starring Bonk, released for the

. '' Super Bonk'' (''Super Genjin'', ''Super B.C. Kid'') was the 4th game in the series and was released for the

Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe and Oceania a ...

in 1994. It was the first entry in the ''Bonk'' series to not be released for the TurboGrafx-16. ''Super Bonk'' was later re-released for Nintendo's

Virtual Console The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on pa ...

in Japan on November 16, 2010, the PAL region on December 10, and in North America on April 4, 2011. '' Super Genjin 2'' was the 5th and final console game in the series. It was the follow-up to ''Super Bonk'', and was released in 1995 only in Japan on the

Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...

(Super NES). ''Genjin Collection'', a collection of the 3 Game Boy titles, was released for the

. ''Bonk's Return'' was released for mobile phones. It features gameplay similar to that of the first two ''Bonk'' games. , released on iPhone OS on 2008 in Japan, is part of ''Do the Hudson!!''. , released on iPhone OS on 2008 in Japan, is part of ''Do the Hudson!!''. , released on iPhone OS on 2008 in Japan, is part of ''Do the Hudson!!''. , released on iPhone OS on 2008 in Japan, is part of ''Do the Hudson!!''. The TurboGrafx-16 version of ''Bonk's Adventure'' was released for the Virtual Console service at its launch on November 21, 2006. ''Bonk's Revenge'' was released on April 16, 2007, and ''Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure'' was released on September 3 in the same year, in the United States.

Unreleased games

A conversion of ''PC Genjin'' titled ''Genjin Show: Tobidase! VB Genjin'' was planned for the

Virtual Boy The Virtual Boy is a 32-bit tabletop portable video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo and released in 1995. Promoted as the first system capable of rendering stereoscopic 3D graphics, it featured a red monochrome display viewe ...

, with a former Hudson Soft employee stating that he played ''Virtual Bomberman'' as reference during development but the adaptation was scrapped due to the commercial and critical failure of the platform. ''PC Alajin'', ''Bonk Strategy'' (''Uesugi Genjin'' in Japan), ''PC Genjin no Te-to-Risu'', ''Bonk IV: The Role-Playing Game/Bonk's Quest'' (''RPG Genjin'' in Japan), ''Ultra Genjin'' and ''Bonk 3D'' were planned for the TurboGrafx-16, Nintendo 64 and Nintendo 3DS respectively, but were never released. ''Ultra Genjin'' eventually became '' Bomberman Hero'' for the Nintendo 64. A new ''Bonk'' game developed by

Pi Studios Pi Studios was a video game developer 2002 in video gaming, founded in 2002 by Robert Erwin, John Faulkenbury, Rob Heironimus, Dan Kramer and Peter Mack whose first commercial work can be found in Activision's ''Call of Duty: United Offensive''. ...

, ''Bonk: Brink of Extinction'', was announced for the

PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...

Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (or XBLA) was a video game Digital distribution in video games, digital distribution service that was available for the Xbox (console), Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. It focused on smaller downloadable games from both major publisher ...

WiiWare WiiWare was a digital media entertainment service operated by Nintendo that allowed the download of games and applications developed for the Wii video game console. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the W ...

and the

Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...

. The title would have included cooperative play but it was cancelled.

Other media

Manga

* ''PC Genjin-kun'' (PC原人くん), was a manga that was released in February 1992 to April 1994, and published by Shogakukan and Author Hikawa Hirokazu. * The event of ''Bonk's Revenge'', featuring Bonk, was adapted into a manga featuring the Hudson characters titled ''Hudson Makyou'' (ハドソン魔境) by Minori Shobo on 1992. * In the 2010 manga titled ''

Hi Score Girl is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rensuke Oshikiri that ran from October 2010 to September 2018. The story revolves around the life of gamer Haruo Yaguchi, the arcade game scene of the 1990s (particularly fighting games) ...

'' (ハイスコアガール ''Haisukoagāru''), Bonk makes a cameo in the cartridge for the PC Engine.

Notes

Also see Zonk, Gamesack coverage

References

External links

The Bonk Compendium
(Covering all games and references to Bonk)
''The Definitive Bonk''
an article at Hudson Entertainment on the history of Bonk and his various appearances, spin-offs, and names.
Hudson Selection Vol. 3: PC Genjin
(''Bonk's Adventure'' remake for Nintendo GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonk Bonk Konami franchises Platformers Prehistoric people in popular culture Red Entertainment games Video games about shapeshifting Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 1989 Works about cavemen