Summary
Nintendo seems to be going full steam ahead withDonkey Kong’s controversial new design, offering up various merchandise of his recently revamped look. When Nintendo finally revealed the Switch 2 console and the newMario Kartgame that is being developed for it earlier this month, fans quickly noticed something different aboutDonkey Kong. In the shownMario Kartfootage, the great ape seemingly has a new design that more closely resembles his look in 2023’sThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, sporting a bulkier build, more rounded eyes, and a slightly different shade of fur.
This marks the third time that Donkey Kong has been significantly revamped since his arcade debut in 1981, and it didn’t take long for the internet to fill with reactions and arguments about his latest makeover. Some Nintendo fans have decried the change, while others are more accepting of Donkey Kong’s friendlier new design.Donkey Kong Countrycharacter artist Kevin Baylisseven weighed in on Donkey Kong’s new look, saying that he welcomes the change as something natural for a mascot as old as Nintendo’s beloved primate.
Nintendo seems to agree with this sentiment, as a variety of new merchandise featuring Donkey Kong’s newMario Kartdesign is being released on the My Nintendo Store. As reported byNintendo Life, this includes an assortment ofDonkey Kong-themed “charm straps” being offered in the US and UKNintendo stores. Meanwhile, theJapanese online Nintendo storeis selling a wider range of bookmarks, pencil cases, stickers, and more - all sportingDonkey Kong’s new design. Reddit user cookiemaster221 even compared some updated Nintendo Store artwork of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong to a previous version with the former’s old look.
Nintendo is Selling Redesigned Donkey Kong Merch
It seems like much of the responders to cookiemaster221’s post are accepting of Donkey Kong’s new design, saying that the differences aren’t that radical and that the detractors are reacting over nothing. One even playfully compared DK’s friendlier face toKirby’s calmer facial expressionsin the original Japanese releases of his games, which are often edited to make the pink puffball look more aggressive in the Western releases.
Donkey Kong has seen plenty of evolution over the decades, going from an antagonist in his original arcade titles to a banana-loving hero inlater games likeDonkey Kong CountryandSuper Smash Bros. It looks like Nintendo has changedDonkey Kongonce again for the forthcoming Switch 2 generation, even as fans debate which version of the classic platforming simian they prefer.
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong is both the name of a video game character and franchise originally created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. The franchise is primarily made up of platforming style games, but there have been a number of offshoots and the character has appeared in other video games ranging from Mario Party, Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, and much more.
