King Kong [1] is the name of an iconic 20th century character (in film and other media), and also the name given to a number of plays, musicals and films since 1933.

The original text

King Kong (originally simply "Kong") is the name given to the colossal gorilla, a character created by filmmaker Merian C. Cooper and scriptwriter Edgar Wallace (1875–1932) [2] for the sensational 1933 RKO film by the same name.

Adaptations

The film went on to become an influential cinematic legend, with the character firmly established as one of the world's most famous movie icons, and both the character and the theme (of a ravaging huge monster) inspiring countless sequels, remakes, spin-offs, imitators, parodies, cartoons, books, comics, video games, theme park rides, and even a number of stage plays. His role in the different narratives varies, ranging from a rampaging monster to a tragic antihero.

In 1959 a musical called King Kong opened in Johannesburg, South Africa - though not based on the Edgar Wallace character. (See King Kong: An All-African Jazz Opera below.)

In 2013 a musical called King Kong, this time based on the film story, opened in Australia[3].