I think it's actually very simple really. If you take into account YI, DK94, DKjr, MB, and SMB, then the early Mario history is pretty straight forward.
Mario and Luigi were born in the MK (which accounts for their super human abilities), but because of the events in YI (and also the events soon to happen in M&L2), Mario and Luigi were sent to an alternate dimension for their safety. They were then raised by an italian couple who lived in Brooklyn, under whose care Mario eventually becomes a construction worker. Later, DK escapes from the zoo and captures Mario's girlfriend. Mario chases him through various places, on the way they pass through DK Island. Finally Mario captures DK and cages him up to be brought back to Brooklyn. On the way back he passes through DK Island again, at which point DK Jr rescues DK and they escape. Mario returns to Brooklyn, where he was likely fired from his job as a construction worker for basically destroying the whole construction sight (It WAS Mario who tore down the girders). Mario would then join up with Luigi and start a plumbing business, because of which they would run into a koopa invasion coming in through the sewers. They travel down, destroy all the koopas, and go into the warp pipes from which the Koopas had been coming. They would emerge in the Mushroom World, where they would see a people under seige whom they would free. After this, they basically continually protect the Mushroom Kingdom from attack.
Concerning DK Land, and Big Ape city, there is one thing we know for sure. Big Ape city is intended to be the Big City in DK94. But DK Land never shows or implies that Big Ape city is located on DK Island (and quite frankly, it doesn't make much sense for it to be there, nor does it ever get referenced again in all their time on the island). Therefore, it follows much more logically that Donkey Kong must have followed King K.Rool back to Brooklyn. If he could go there once, why not again? Since DK Land lacks a map screen, it never showed what means DK used to travel to Big Ape City. But if Big Ape city is in fact Brooklyn, then one can safely assume that he used a boat similarly to how DK Sr did in DK94.
Edited by - AIph on 9/27/2005 7:25:43 PM
