Billy Mitchell Again Is Champion Of Donkey Kong — And Jr. Too

On the day he was to be enshrined with the inaugural class of the International Video Game Hall of Fame, Billy Mitchell was once again certified as the world record holder in Donkey Kong – and also Donkey Kong Jr.

The certifications, timed to coincide with the IVGHOF’s “Big Bang” celebration this weekend in Ottumwa, Iowa, returns Mitchell to the top spot in Donkey Kong with 1,062,800, and gives him the Donkey Kong Jr. crown with 1,270,900. Twin Galaxies, the global sanctioning authority for video game high scores, certified Mitchell achieved the marks at Boomers-Grand Prix Arcade in Dania, Fla.

Mitchell’s Donkey Kong record unseats Hank Chien, whose 1,061,700 took the top spot in early March. The Donkey Kong, Jr. record tops Mark Kiehl’s 1,253,000, which in April topped Mitchell’s rival and fellow IVGHOF inductee Steve Wiebe in a back-and-forth.

In a statement released by Twin Galaxies, Mitchell said that he originally intended to beat the Donkey Kong score, then decided to go after the Donkey Kong Jr. mark on the spur of the moment. “I remember a lot of celebration; hugs, kisses and a lot of hooting and hollering,” Mitchell said. “Once that died down, stood there looking at Donkey Kong Jr. and thought ‘there’s one more thing I have to take care of’.”

Mitchell evidently quit his Donkey Kong game immediately after beating Chien’s mark. Asked why, Mitchell said: “Some say I’m being cocky. Some say I’m being lazy. I say, I’m being Billy Mitchell.”