Even though people have been using the phrase “It’s on like Donkey Kong” for two decades, Nintendo has just gotten around to filing a request with the Patent and Trademark office to slap a little “TM” on those words.

From CNN:

Nintendo claims that the catchphrase “is an old, popular Nintendo phrase that has a number of possible interpretations depending on how it’s used.”

“In addition to Nintendo’s use, it has been used in popular music, television and film over the years, pointing to Donkey Kong’s status as an enduring pop-culture icon and video game superstar,” they said Wednesday in a written release.

As the report points out, it’s a little hard to overlook the fact that this filing comes less than two weeks before the Nov. 21 release of Donkey Kong Country Returns.

Meanwhile, we’re just reminded of how much we used to listen to Ice Cube in high school:

Nintendo seeks to trademark ‘On like Donkey Kong’ [CNN]

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