Nintendo is making a bold move by introducing a redesigned Donkey Kong, first spotted by fans in the gameplay reveal of Mario Kart 9 during the Nintendo Switch 2 event. For years, even decades, Donkey Kong's iconic look has remained consistent across various titles such as Mario Kart 8, Mario Tennis, and Donkey Kong Country Returns. However, Nintendo is now shifting towards a design that echoes the charm seen in the successful The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Although the revamped Donkey Kong was initially only seen in Mario Kart 9, Nintendo has now unveiled a variety of merchandise featuring this new look. As reported by Nintendo Life, a user named cookiemaster221 showcased 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 portrays Donkey Kong with a more friendly appearance, notably featuring a rounded brow instead of the familiar furrowed one. "They're giving him the Kirby treatment, but backwards," remarked SmallBlueSlime in the comments. "Instead of making him angry, they're making him chill." Other users expressed mixed feelings about the change. One said, "They really are dead set on redesigning DK," while another lamented, "I'm gonna miss that eyebrow looking down. Always made DK seem both kind and strong." Yet, a fan in favor of the new look noted, "It's alright in my opinion. They probably did it to make him look more goofy and less angry."
Since the brief glimpse of Donkey Kong in Mario Kart 9, fans have been eager for a better look at the redesign. They might get their wish in April when Nintendo hosts a Switch 2 focused Nintendo Direct, promising an extended view of Donkey Kong in action.
The console reveal trailer for the Switch 2 offered only a few hints about the new hardware, emphasizing its design. It confirmed that the Switch 2 is largely backwards compatible, introduced a mysterious new button on the Joy-Cons, and supported the theory that the controller can be used as a mouse.
