Summary
The character designer behindDonkey Kong’s longest-running look has shared his feelings over the apparent redesign that the iconic Nintendo character will be seeing on the Switch 2.Donkey Konghas undergone three major transformations since his introduction to the world in 1981, and esteemed character designer Kevin Bayliss is now weighing in on the latest change.
Hired by Rare as lead character artist in 1987, Bayliss is credited with designing theDonkey Kong Countrycharacters, including an overhaul of the title character from his antagonistic 8-bit role to his newer heroic persona on the SNES. That series saw its first installment in 1994, and though minor changes have since occurred to keep up with graphical advances, Bayliss' design stood for 30 years as the standard look for Donkey Kong.
Another change seems to be on the horizon for the big ape. After months of speculation, Nintendo officially revealed the Switch 2 console in a trailer released earlier in January. While most of that trailer focused on the hardware, it also showed off footage from what appears to be an unreleasedMario Kartgame, with abig change to Donkey Kong’s design. Although this new design features much rounder, bulkier features and a more pleasant-looking demeanor than his now 30-year-old look, Bayliss seems highly accepting of the change. The designer made his thoughts known in a reaction on Twitter to a fan’s video that borrows footage from the live-actionSuper Mario Bros.movie from 1993 to detail the changes. “I love it - this is really funny! - Everything changes! - Change is good,” the post reads in part.
Iconic Donkey Kong Designer Loves the Character’s New Look
After being promoted to art director, Bayliss left Rare in 2005 after more than 17 years with the company. He has been employed with Playtonic, the creator of games likeLil Gator Gameand theYooka-Layleeseries, for the past 10 years. However, his classic design archetypes for theDonkey Kong Countrycharacters have stretched into 2025 with therelease ofDonkey Kong County Returns HDon January 16.
As for the new design for Donkey Kong, it may be an attempt by Nintendo to bridge the gap between its games and movies, forming a more unified multimedia franchise. Several comparisons have been made between the version of Donkey Kong seen in the Switch 2 trailer and theSeth Rogen-voiced character inThe Super Mario Bros. Moviefrom 2023, such as a rounder brow, larger forearms and fists, and more expressive eyes.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
WHERE TO PLAY
Help Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong recover their precious banana hoard from the villainous Tiki Tak Tribe! Stomp enemies, blast through barrels, and ride rockets and mine carts (and even Rambi the rhino) in 80 levels across nine worlds.Play the game as it was first designed for the Wii™ system, or reduce the difficulty for extra hearts and other goodies to make your journey a little easier. This barrel-blasting adventure is visually enhanced in HD for the Nintendo Switch™ system and includes the extra levels from the Nintendo 3DS™ version!Team up with a friend and take on the whole game as Donkey Kong and Diddy KongPass a Joy-Con™ controller to a buddy and take on the Tiki Tak Tribe as DK and Diddy in two-player local play. Pelt foes with Diddy’s Peanut Popgun and hover using his Barrel Jet, and slam bad guys into submission with DK’s Ground Pound—or just Barrel Roll right through them. Work together to reclaim those bananas by the bunch!
