Nintendo is making waves with a significant redesign of Donkey Kong, first spotted by fans in the Mario Kart 9 gameplay showcased during the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal event. For years, even decades, Donkey Kong's iconic look has remained consistent across titles like Mario Kart 8, Mario Tennis, and Donkey Kong Country Returns. However, Nintendo is now shifting gears to a design reminiscent of the highly successful *The Super Mario Bros. Movie*.
While the revamped Donkey Kong was initially only seen in Mario Kart 9, Nintendo has expanded this new look to a range of merchandise. As reported by Nintendo Life, Reddit user cookiemaster221 shared these products, sparking a conversation with the comment, "History is being rewritten in front of our very eyes."
History is being rewritten in front of our very eyes
by u/cookiemaster221 in donkeykong
The new merchandise showcases Donkey Kong with a friendlier appearance, notably featuring a rounded brow instead of his traditional furrowed one. Commenter 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, with one saying, "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." However, some fans are embracing 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, this merchandise offers the clearest view yet of the redesign. Fans can expect an extended look at Donkey Kong in action during Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 focused Nintendo Direct in April.
The console reveal trailer for the Switch 2 provided just a few hints about the new hardware, focusing primarily on its appearance. It confirmed that the Switch 2 is mostly backwards compatible, the Joy-Cons feature a mysterious new button, and a theory about using the controller as a mouse seems to be accurate.
