Professor Chops

“Who is that pig anyway? And why's he wearing glasses?”

—Cranky Kong , Donkey Kong Country Returns

Professor Chops is an ally in Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze . He is a stout, anthropomorphic pig who wears large, round glasses. His main role is providing information to the Kongs throughout their adventure.

History[edit ]

Donkey Kong Country series[edit ]

Donkey Kong Country Returns (3D / HD)[edit ]

In Donkey Kong Country Returns and its Nintendo 3DS port, Professor Chops is known as the tutorial pig,^{[1] [2]} but goes by his current name in the Nintendo Switch port's image gallery. As his old name suggests, the tutorial pig tells the player which buttons to press to perform a relevant action in the first level it is required, thus teaching the player the controls. Similarly, he appears for certain context sensitive actions for buttons, such as for such as climbing vines and using Rocket Barrels. Certain boss fights prompt tutorial pig to appear if the boss fight lasts long enough, in which case the player may have not realized what the action needed to deal damage to the boss is and the button prompt from tutorial pig indicates that action. Tutorial pig can appear from many points of the screen to provide controls, from the foreground, background, or behind a decoration in the main plane.

Tutorial pig has a number of other roles. He stands at unactivated checkpoints, brown booths with a darker brown checkmark printed facing the screen. Once the player passes, he jumps up and waves a green flag, marking the checkpoint. Tutorial Pig hides away afterward, bringing up a green sign displaying a "check". If the Kongs lose a life after passing a checkpoint, their Red Balloon floats them back to that checkpoint. If the Kongs lose eight lives in the same level, or five lives while in the port exclusive New Mode or Modern Mode, the tutorial pig appears behind a decoration at the start of the level and at all checkpoints waving a white flag. When the player walks up to him, tutorial pig tells them they can press Plus Button, Start Button, or Plus Button. This opens the prompt to activate Super Guide to show the player how to clear the level. If the player chooses to use it, tutorial pig calls Super Kong to clear the level.^[3] The tutorial pig officiates the Time Attack mode. At the start of the level, from behind the decoration, he does the countdown and waves a green flag to start. When the Kongs hit the Slot Machine Barrel at the end, the tutorial pig emerges from it waving a checkered flag. In silhouette levels, tutorial pig's flags are in color, as are the checkmarks of the checkpoints. The checkmark on the booth itself is green in a silhouette level.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit ]

Professor Chops returns in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port, fulfilling nearly every role from the previous game, including gameplay tutor, checkpoint marker, and Time Attack marshal. However, he does not offer the Super Guide feature, which was omitted from the game. His checkpoint also received a redesign.

Several duplicates of Professor Chops appear in a hidden area of Mangrove Cove, tossing Banana Bunches at the Kongs, who must collect them all in order to obtain a Puzzle Piece. This is the only instance within the actual game to reveal that Professor Chops may be part of a group of anthropomorphic pigs akin to him. Several pieces of concept artwork unlockable as extras further show that the factories inside Juicy Jungle were originally intended to be inhabited and operated by pigs like Professor Chops, and one artwork even depicts a Cycladic-like town populated by such pigs.

A figurine of Professor Chops can be dispensed at random by the Capsule Toy Machine after the player beats all levels in Secret Seclusion.

Donkey Kong Bananza[edit ]

“It's unclear why this polite porker lived in the jungle, but he always had the chops to help a Kong in need.”

—Fossil description, Donkey Kong Bananza

In Donkey Kong Bananza , Professor Chops appears on the rare fossils found in the Forest Layer.

Super Smash Bros. series[edit ]

Professor Chops appears in the form of a collectible item in a few games of the Super Smash Bros. series.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U[edit ]

In both Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U , there is a trophy of Professor Chops, unlockable in the former game by clearing all challenges on the second panel and in the latter game by purchasing it from the Trophy Shop. The trophy lists him as "Tutorial Pig," taken from his initial name, but makes note of his more recent name in the description.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit ]

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , Professor Chops appears as a Novice-class support spirit which, when used, occupies one support slot and increases the fighter's stamina in battle. In World of Light, the spirit is located at the south of the Light Realm, blocking the way to a treasure chest. The spirit's puppet fighter is a white Donkey Kong fought on the Kongo Falls stage; the color of Donkey Kong used for this spirit battle references the Super Kong guide from Donkey Kong Country Returns, which Professor Chops provides in that game.

Profiles and statistics[edit ]

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit ]

• Prima Games guide: "This somewhat husky pig makes a return visit from the previous title as the checkpoint guide and instruction guru. In the beginning and throughout some later levels, Professor Chops will explain and reiterate control maneuvers from basic to complicated. Be sure to heed his advice, as it may be the only way through to the next section of the level. This guy will also grant you checkpoint status once, twice, and, sometimes, three times in a level. Once he waves his flag as you pass, you will return to this point if misfortune occurs and you are defeated."^[4]
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Trivia Quiz (Play Nintendo): Professor Chops marks checkpoints, kicks off the level in Time Attack mode, and gives hints to help the Kongs perform certain actions, like climbing vines.

Super Smash Bros. series[edit ]

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U[edit ]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit ]

Gallery[edit ]

• Professor Chops in a barrel

  Professor Chops in a barrel

• Figurine of Professor Chops from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

  Figurine of Professor Chops from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

• Concept artwork of Professor Chops

  Concept artwork of Professor Chops

• Play Nintendo

  Play Nintendo

• Super Nintendo World

  Super Nintendo World

• Mine-Cart Madness at Super Nintendo World

  Mine-Cart Madness at Super Nintendo World

• Super Nintendo World keychain

  Super Nintendo World keychain

Naming[edit ]

"Chops" is likely derived from "pork chop", a cut of pork.

Names in other languages[edit ]

Tutorial Pig[edit ]

Professor Chops[edit ]

References[edit ]

• Checkpoints
• Pigs
• Donkey Kong allies
• Donkey Kong Country Returns characters
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze characters
• Super Nintendo World characters
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS trophies
• Super Smash Bros. for Wii U trophies
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirits

• Articles with unsourced foreign names