Nintendo is making a bold move with a complete redesign of 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 has maintained the same iconic look across various titles such as Mario Kart 8, Mario Tennis, and Donkey Kong Country Returns. However, Nintendo is now shifting gears to a design that many fans believe echoes the successful aesthetic of The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

While the revamped Donkey Kong was initially seen only in Mario Kart 9, Nintendo has now unveiled a series of merchandise featuring this new look. 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 showcases Donkey Kong with a more approachable appearance, notably featuring a softened, less furrowed brow. 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 about the change. One user remarked, "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 warming up to the new look, with one saying, "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 a more 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 only a few hints about the new hardware, focusing primarily on its appearance. It confirmed that the Switch 2 will be mostly backwards compatible, introduced a mysterious new button on the Joy-Cons, and validated theories about using the controller as a mouse.