Nintendo Unveils Donkey Kong Redesign for Switch 2, Mario Kart 9

Nintendo has made a significant move by unveiling a redesign of Donkey Kong, first spotted by fans in the gameplay of Mario Kart 9 during the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal event. For years, even decades, Donkey Kong has maintained the same iconic look across various titles, including Mario Kart 8, Mario Tennis, and Donkey Kong Country Returns. However, Nintendo is now shifting gears towards a design reminiscent of the highly successful The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

While the revamped look for Donkey Kong has only been showcased in Mario Kart 9 thus far, Nintendo has expanded this redesign into a new range of merchandise. As reported by Nintendo Life, user cookiemaster221 shared images of these products on Reddit, stating, "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 reveals a more approachable Donkey Kong, with his once furrowed brow softened into a rounder shape. Reddit user SmallBlueSlime commented, "They're giving him the Kirby treatment, but backwards. Instead of making him angry, they're making him chill." Other fans have mixed feelings about the change. One user remarked, "They really are dead set on redesigning DK," while another expressed nostalgia, saying, "I'm gonna miss that eyebrow looking down. Always made DK seem both kind and strong." However, some are in favor of the new look, with one fan suggesting, "It's alright in my opinion. They probably did it to make him look more goofy and less angry."

Since the brief appearance in Mario Kart 9, this merchandise offers the clearest look yet at Donkey Kong's redesign. Fans can expect an extended showcase of Donkey Kong in action during Nintendo's Switch 2 focused Nintendo Direct in April.

The console reveal trailer for the Switch 2 provided only a few hints about the new hardware, emphasizing its appearance. It confirmed that the Switch 2 is mostly backwards compatible, features a mysterious new button on the Joy-Cons, and supports the theory of using the controller as a mouse.