Nintendo has made a bold move by revamping the iconic Donkey Kong design, as spotted by fans during the Mario Kart 9 gameplay reveal at the Nintendo Switch 2 event. For years, even decades, Donkey Kong's appearance has remained consistent across various games such as Mario Kart 8, Mario Tennis, and Donkey Kong Country Returns. However, Nintendo is now steering towards a new look that many fans believe echoes the style seen in the highly successful The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
While the revamped Donkey Kong was initially showcased only in Mario Kart 9, Nintendo has now extended this redesign to a range of Donkey Kong merchandise. As reported by Nintendo Life, Reddit user cookiemaster221 shared images of the new products, stating, "History is being rewritten in front of our very eyes."
History is being rewritten in front of our very eyes
byu/cookiemaster221 in donkeykong
The new merchandise features Donkey Kong with a softer, friendlier appearance, particularly noticeable with his once furrowed brow now more rounded. In the comments, SmallBlueSlime noted, "They're giving him the Kirby treatment, but backwards. Instead of making him angry, they're making him chill." Other fans expressed mixed feelings about the change, with one saying, "They really are dead set on redesigning DK," and another lamenting, "I'm gonna miss that eyebrow looking down. Always made DK seem both kind and strong." However, some fans supported the new look, with one commenting, "It's alright in my opinion. They probably did it to make him look more goofy and less angry."
Since the brief glimpse in Mario Kart 9, where Donkey Kong appeared in only a few scenes and not very clearly, fans have been eager for a more detailed look at the redesign. They will likely get their wish in April when Nintendo hosts a Switch 2 focused Nintendo Direct, promising an extended look at Donkey Kong in action.
The console reveal trailer for the Switch 2 teased just a few hints about the new hardware, focusing primarily on its appearance. It confirmed that the Switch 2 is mostly backwards compatible, that the Joy-Cons feature a mysterious new button, and that a theory about using the controller as a mouse seems accurate.
