Nintendo is making a significant shift with the redesign of Donkey Kong, which was first spotted by fans during the gameplay reveal of Mario Kart 9 at the Nintendo Switch 2 event. For years, even decades, Donkey Kong has maintained the same iconic look across various games such as Mario Kart 8, Mario Tennis, and Donkey Kong Country Returns. However, Nintendo is now introducing a new design that many fans believe draws inspiration from the successful The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Although the revamped Donkey Kong was initially seen only in Mario Kart 9, Nintendo has since unveiled a series of merchandise featuring this new look. As reported by Nintendo Life, user cookiemaster221 shared images of these products on Reddit, commenting, "History is being rewritten in front of our very eyes."
History is being rewritten in front of our very eyes
byu/cookiemaster221 indonkeykong
The new merchandise showcases Donkey Kong with a more approachable appearance, notably featuring a less furrowed brow. In the Reddit comments, user SmallBlueSlime noted, "They're giving him the Kirby treatment, but backwards. Instead of making him angry, they're making him chill." Another user expressed mixed feelings, saying, "They really are dead set on redesigning DK. I'm gonna miss that eyebrow looking down. Always made DK seem both kind and strong." However, some fans are warming up to the change, with one stating, "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 in great detail, fans have been eager for a better look at the redesign. They will likely get their wish in April when Nintendo hosts a Switch 2 focused Nintendo Direct.
The console reveal trailer for the Switch 2 offered only a few hints about the new hardware, focusing primarily on its appearance. It confirmed that the Switch 2 is mostly backwards compatible, introduced a mysterious new button on the Joy-Cons, and supported the theory that the controller can be used as a mouse.
