Bonk (series)
Bonk, known as PC-Genjin in Japan and as PC Kid or BC Kid in PAL territories, is a video game character and former mascot for NEC's PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 video game console. Three platform games featuring the character appeared on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, as well as two spin-offs featuring Air Zonk. The protagonist is a bald caveman named Bonk who attacks using his comically large head.
| Bonk / PC-Genjin / BC Kid | |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Developer(s) | Red Company |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Platform(s) | PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, Arcade, SNES, NES, Game Boy, Amiga, PS2, GameCube, PSN, iOS, Virtual Console, Mobile |
| First release | Bonk's Adventure December 15, 1989 |
| Latest release | Bonk's Return November 1, 2006 |
His Japanese name PC-Genjin is a pun 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 Computerurus", a fictitious species name for the character. The American title Bonk is also not used in the European versions due to the word "bonk" being inappropriate slang in British English.
Konami now owns the rights to the Bonk series as a result of its absorption of the series' publisher Hudson Soft in 2012.