Step 1 : Introduction to the question "What cartoon was the inspiration for the 1981 arcade hit Donkey Kong?"
...Before becoming one of the most popular video games of all time, Donkey Kong began as a very different project. Nintendo originally sought to create an arcade game based on the popular cartoon sailor Popeye, with Popeye rescuing Olive Oyl from Bluto. When the licensing deal fell through, designer Shigeru Miyamoto reworked the concept and replaced Popeye with Jumpman (later known as Mario), Bluto with a giant ape, and Olive Oyl with Pauline. The gameplay mechanics remained, but the characters changed, giving rise to Donkey Kong, launching both Mario and Nintendo into video game history.
