Pauline (Japanese: ポリーン, Hepburn: Porīn, pronounced [poɾiːɴ]) is a fictional character from the Donkey Kong and Mario video game franchises by Nintendo. She was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and first appeared in Donkey Kong (1981) as the damsel in distress, being held captive by Donkey Kong at the top of a large construction site.