View source for Conker the Squirrel

{{Infobox character
|name=Conker The Squirrel
|image=[[File:Conker.png|250px]]
|gender=Male
|first_appearance=''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]'' (1997)
|color=Orange
|eyes=Blue
|species=Red squirrel
}}
{{Redirect|1=Conker|2=the nut used for [[Slingshot]] ammo|3=[[Conker (item)]]|4=the franchise of the same name|5=[[Conker (franchise)]]}}
{{Quote|It's true what they say. The grass is always greener, and you really don't know what it is you have, until it's gone... gone... gone.|Conker The Squirrel}}
'''Conker The Squirrel''', otherwise known by his first name '''Conker''', is a {{w|red squirrel}} and the main protagonist of the [[Conker (franchise)|''Conker'' franchise]]. His first appearance was in the Nintendo 64 racing title, ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]''. Conker has a girlfriend named [[Berri]].

Since his debut, Conker started a family-friendly character. His series was the same, with the release of ''[[Conker's Pocket Tales]]'' and the planned release of ''[[Twelve Tales: Conker 64]]''. The latter title was cancelled, then entirely reworked into the infamous ''[[Conker's Bad Fur Day]]'', which was designed for mature audiences. Conker and his franchise were for mature audiences ever since (excluding ''Young Conker'' for Microsoft's HoloLens).

Conker's name is directly taken from "conker", which is a nickname given to horse chestnuts in the United Kingdom.

==Appearance==
Conker has always been portrayed with his trademarked orange-red fur, with tan-yellow patches of fur on his torso and bottom part of his face, and a blue hue in his eyes. He has big eyes and buck teeth. His appearance from ''Diddy Kong Racing'' and ''Conker's Bad Fur Day'', while having recognizable differences in clothing and fur, is relatively similar.

Prior to ''Bad Fur Day'', Conker had a shirt that was blue on the front and yellow on the back. He wore white gloves that appeared to blend in with his fur. His sneakers were blue and white. His mouth area was entirely white, as well as the tips of his ears. The tip of his tail was a more beige color. Conker was also larger in the hip area, which gave him a chubby appearance.

By ''[[Conker: Live & Reloaded]]'', Conker wore a darker blue jacket and green pants. His gloves and chubby look were removed. His ''Bad Fur Day'' look was reinstated for ''[[Conker's Big Reunion]]''.

While not related to physical appearance, Conker has cartoon-like facial exaggerations in ''Bad Fur Day'' and ''Live & Reloaded''. Examples include when Conker's eyes enlarge out of shock from the [[Haybot]] or when Conker grabs himself [[Cash]]. Conker's entire face can stretch and widen based on his emotion.

==History==
===''Diddy Kong Racing''===
[[File:Diddy Kong Racing character select.png|thumb|200px|Conker is one of the playable characters in ''Diddy Kong Racing''.]]
Conker's first appearance was in the Nintendo 64 title, ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]''. The game was revealed at E3 1997 along with his own starring adventure title, ''Conker's Quest'' (which was renamed to ''Twelve Tales: Conker 64'' in 1998). Conker's inclusion in ''Diddy Kong Racing'' was part of Rareware's plan to familiarize gamers with him and therefore help popularize the then-upcoming ''Conker's Quest''. This proved to be successful in Banjo's case, as his inclusion helped with promoting his own adventure title, ''{{w|Banjo-Kazooie}}''.

Conker is of one of the playable characters. In the story, Conker helps Diddy Kong, Timber, Taj, and the other characters prevent Wizpig from taking over Timber's Island. Conker is a middleweight racer, but his vehicles have heavyweight attributes, with speed above average and acceleration and turning below average. Conker's top speed without Bananas is 56.5 mph, which is shared with Bumper and Timber.

Every character has their own "theme instrument" for the character selection menu's music. The music's instrumentation changes based on which character the player selects. Conker's theme instrument is a flute.

Despite being his first appearance, ''Diddy Kong Racing'' did little to establish Conker's personality or voice. Conker did not reappear in the Nintendo DS remake, ''[http://mariowiki.com/Diddy_Kong_Racing_DS Diddy Kong Racing DS]'', where he was replaced with Dixie Kong. His exclusion is a result of [[Microsoft Gaming Studios|Microsoft]]'s ownership of the ''Conker'' franchise since their acquisition of [[Rare]]ware in 2002.

===''Twelve Tales: Conker 64''===
Conker was planned to have his first starring role in ''[[Twelve Tales: Conker 64]]''. The game was planed for a release in late 1998 but was ultimately cancelled and drastically changed into ''[[Conker's Bad Fur Day]]'', which was made for mature audiences. Conker's would have a second adventure on the Game Boy Color title, ''Conker's Pocket Tales'', which was not cancelled and thus became Conker's actual first starring role.

The story involves Conker, whose [[Present]]s were stolen and scattered by a gang of animal hoodlums. Conker and [[Berri]] had to retrieve all 100, similar to how Mario would collect all 120 Stars in ''[http://mariowiki.com/Super_Mario_64 Super Mario 64]''.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/19990501110845/http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/052798b.html Nintendo: Press Release - May 27, 1998 (Wayback Machine)]</ref>

===''Conker's Pocket Tales''===
[[File:Conker's House.png|thumb|left|Conker in ''Pocket Tales''.]]
In ''[[Conker's Pocket Tales]]'', [[Berri]] throws a surprise party for Conker. However, the [[Evil Acorn]] hides in a cake and ruins Conker's party. He kidnaps Berri and steals all of Conker's Presents. Conker goes on an adventure to rescue her and retrieve his Presents.

Berri was held captive in the final area, the [[Catacombs]]. Conker eventually found her there. After he gets to her, the Evil Acorn plants a bomb in the area, with a 5-minute timer. Conker and Berri managed to escape, and the Evil Acorn was blasted into space. The game ended happily, with Berri and Conker at the sunset.

===''Conker's Bad Fur Day''===
[[File:CBFD gameplay.png|thumb|200px|Conker in the Windy chapter.]]
Conker's best known role is in ''[[Conker's Bad Fur Day]]'', which marked a turning point in the ''Conker'' series. Since this game's release, the series was shifted from a family-friendly audience and into a mature one. Conker's personality was drastically changed, but his appearance remained relatively similar. Conker became a young adult, with a greedy and alcoholic personality. His girlfriend, [[Berri]], was also changed entirely.

At the start of ''Bad Fur Day'', Conker sits on his throne, as the king of the [[Panther Kingdom]]. He introduces a story of how he became king yesterday, which he calls a "bad fur day". The whole game took place that day, and it all leads up to when Conker became king.

The story starts at [[The Cock and Plucker]]. Conker first seen leaving an automated phone message to Berri. He later gets drunk from consuming too much alcohol. Conker feels unwell and decides to go home. However, due to his hangover, Conker accidentally goes the wrong direction and ends up in the [[Panther Kingdom]], starting with the chapter [[Hungover]].

Meanwhile, the [[Panther King]] cannot place a glass of [[Milk]] on his table because it is missing a leg. He calls in his assistant, [[Professor Von Kriplespac]], to fix his table. Kriplespac did a lot of math and scientific research, and he concluded to the Panther King that a red squirrel would precisely fill in for the missing table leg. The Panther King orders the [[Weasel Guard]]s to search for a red squirrel. They specifically try to capture Conker, who happens to be one.

Conker gets caught in a series of misadventures throughout the [[chapter]]s. This includes vampires, killer robots, dinosaurs, zombies, cavemen, and [[The Great Mighty Poo]].
[[File:Heinrich Battle BFD.png|thumb|200px|left|Conker battles the final boss, Heinrich.]]
In the final chapter [[Heist]], [[Don Weaso]] orders Conker and Berri to rob the [[Feral Reserve Bank]]. When two reach the bank's vault, the Panther King reveals himself and that the entire event was a trap.

After the Panther King orders Don Weaso to shoot Berri, the Panther King gets indigestion. Kriplespac somehow placed an alien egg in his Milk, and the Panther King digested it. After a while, a giant Xenomorph hatches and then bursts out of the Panther King's stomach, which kills him. Kriplespac names the alien [[Heinrich]] and orders it to fight Conker as revenge for destroying all of the [[Tediz]]. Conker eventually pulls a lever that activates the air lock. This sucks most of the characters, including Kriplespac, into outer space. Conker is left alone to fight Heinrich.

The game locks near the end of the battle, except for Conker. He communicates to the [[Programmer]] and requests for help to kill Heinrich, who he cannot defeat from throwing out the airlock. He asks for a selection of weapons, and is offered a whole selection. Conker decides on using a [[Katana]] and requests the scenery to change to the Throne Room of the [[Panther King's Castle]]. Conker then slices off Heinrich's head and kills him. Afterward, Conker is greeted and congratulated by the residents of the [[Panther Kingdom]], who crown him as the new king. However, Conker is unhappy with his position because the Programmer left, and he forgot to ask him to revive Berri.

The game ends with Conker in The Cock and Plucker. He later comes out drunk. He looks both directions, but this time he takes the correct path home. He was originally planned to commit suicide in the ending.

Conker is playable in the [[Multi]] mode if the player enters the code ''WELLYTOP'', or ''EASTEREGGSRUS'' for him to wear his Heist outfit.

===''Conker: Live & Reloaded''===
[[File:Conker the King LnR.png|thumb|200px|Conker's new design in ''Live & Reloaded''.]]
Conker reappears in ''[[Conker: Live & Reloaded]]'', a port of ''Bad Fur Day'' to the Xbox.

While the single player mode is a remake of ''Bad Fur Day'', the multiplayer mode is its own little game. The plot of the multiplayer mode can somewhat be considered a sequel (as well as a prequel) to ''Conker's Bad Fur Day''. The multiplayer involves [[Professor Von Kriplespac]] having survived being sucked into outer space and returning to Earth, creating a new species of Tediz known as the [[Machine Tediz]]. These new Tediz wreak havoc on the [[Panther Kingdom]] having King Conker send his troops out to go fight against them. It is unknown if this is an official sequel to ''Conker's Bad Fur Day'' or not. Conker Live & Reloaded also has updated graphics and the profanity is toned down.

=== ''Conker's Big Reunion'' ===
After 10 years without a new game, Conker appears in the digital add-on, ''[[Conker's Big Reunion]]'' for Project Spark. He wakes up in the same way he did in his ''Bad Fur Day'', except this time, he is naked.

===Other appearances===
[[File:Conker in Xbox Trailer.png|thumb|200px|left|Conker in the 2004 Xbox trailer.]]
Conker was featured in a 2004 trailer promoting Rare and Xbox. His appearance is based on his look from ''[[Conker: Live & Uncut]]''. Conker's main role in the trailer was when he used a [[chainsaw]] on the Xbox logo to spell "Rare". Kameo then flies down, and Conker falls in love with her. Lovestruck, Conker throws the chainsaw behind, and accidentally hits [[jiggywikki:Banjo|Banjo]] with it. As Conker is about to flirt with her, she stuffs him into her pouch and flies away, ending the trailer.

==Personality==
As a young boy, Conker was told by his [[Conker's parents|parents]] never to drink alcohol, be materialistic or "urinate in a public place".<ref name="cbfdpg7">[[:File:CBFD manual pg 7.png|''Conker's Bad Fur Day'' manual, page 7.]]</ref> In ''Diddy Kong Racing'' and ''Conker's Pocket Tales'', Conker seemed to listen to his parents, as he was a stereotypically friendly, innocent, happy-go-lucky character. In ''Conker's Bad Fur Day'' however, Conker went through a dramatic change in personality. He had become a materialistic, alcoholic squirrel.

Conker obviously disobeyed his parents, who were described as "a bit disappointed".<ref name="cbfdpg7" /> Conker is ignorant, ditzy and carefree, just like most of the other squirrels; one example is when he still did not notice he was going the wrong way from his home in the [[Hungover]] chapter.

Even in ''Bad Fur Day'', Conker has a good-natured side. Even though he has adult traits of alcoholism and greed, Conker almost never uses profanity. The only swears he has uttered were "fellatio" (which he mistook as the password to [[Rock Solid]]), "bitch" and "ass", although the latter two were used in quotes taken from a movie verbatim. Conker is also shown to have a helpful personality—he helps almost every character, regardless of the task's difficulty or what the character wants.

==Other names==
In ''Conker's Bad Fur Day'', Conker was given various nicknames by other characters, usually insults.

{|width=50% cellspacing=0 border=2 cellpadding=1 style="border-collapse:collapse"
|-style="background:#FFA500;"
!Nickname
!Named by
|-
|Mr. Squirrel
| [[Mrs. Bee]], [[Jack]], [[Little Girl]], [[Franky]]
|-
|Red Squirrel
| [[Panther King]], [[Professor Von Kriplespac]]
|-
|Squirrel
| Mostly Everyone
|-
|Squerfudgee
| [[Uga-Buga]]s
|-
|Prick
| Gregg
|-
|Smart Arse
| Gregg
|-
|Boy
| SHC Sergeant
|-
|Twat
| [[Carl]], [[The Great Mighty Poo]], [[Gargoyle]]
|-
|Furrius Squidgeterrius
| [[Professor Von Kriplespac]]
|-
| Ginger bastard
| [[Cash]]
|-
|Great guy
| [[Rodent]]
|-
|[[Honker]]
| Sheriff
|-
|Caveman
| [[Berri]]
|-
|Bloody Squirrel
| [[Tediz]] Surgeon
|-
|
Furry Guy
| [[Fire Imp]]s
|-
|Wise Guy
| [[Don Weaso]], [[Wayne and the Wankas|Wayne]], Cash
|-
|Squirrel Person
| The Catfish
|-
| Greedy bastard
| Cash
|-
|(Conker) Honey
| Berri, Catfish, Sunflower
|-
| Shithead
| Cash
|}

==Trivia==
*Conker's full name is Conker The Squirrel, as he states to [[Gregg the Grim Reaper]]. This means that his real middle name is ''"The"'' and his last name is ''"Squirrel"'', as stated by many characters.
*[[Professor Von Kriplespac]] states that a Red Squirrel's scientific name is ''Furrius squidgeterrius'', however, in the real world it is ''Sciurus vulgaris''. Humorously, the species name, ''vulgaris'', contains the word, vulgar, which can easily describe Conker's personality.
*Conker also makes a cameo in a newspaper in ''{{w|Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts}}''.
*Conker can hover in the air for a few seconds if his tail spins like a propeller. This likely references Tails of the ''{{w|Sonic the Hedgehog}}'' series, whose signature move is propelling his tails.
*Conker can sometimes be seen with playing with a yo-yo in one of his idle animations. This could be a possible reference to Crash Bandicoot, who would often play with a yo-yo when left idle in three of his first four games.

==Gallery==
{{Main-gallery}}
<gallery>
Conker art DKR.png|''Diddy Kong Racing''
Conker art PT.png|''Conker's Pocket Tales''
Conker art BFD.png|''Conker's Bad Fur Day''
Conker dollar eyes BFD.png|Conker has a cash symbol on both his eyes.
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>
{{CPT}}
{{CBFD}}
[[Category:Squirrels]]
[[Category:Males]]
[[Category:Squirrel High Command]]
[[Category:Twelve Tales: Conker 64]]
[[Category:Conker's Bad Fur Day]]
[[Category:Conker: Live & Reloaded]]
[[Category:Conker: Gettin' Medieval]]
[[Category:Conker's Big Reunion]]
[[Category:Young Conker]]