Nintendo Switch 2 Donkey Kong redesign seems permanent as new merch revealed
Nintendo Switch 2 Donkey Kong redesign seems permanent as new merch revealed
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The new Mario Kart won’t be the only game to feature Donkey Kong’s new look, if a line-up of updated merchandise is anything to go by. In the run-up to the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Donkey Kong creator Shigeru Miyamoto revealed the great ape’s new design and implied that it would be used for future games as well as just the movie.
![[Donkey Kong driving car in Mario Kart]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236191799-e284.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
That didn’t appear to go anywhere since all of DK’s subsequent appearances, be it in games or the Super Nintendo World theme park, stuck with the look he’s had since Rare’s redesign in the 90s. So, it’s no wonder fans were caught by surprise by DK’s new design showing up in the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal. And if you thought that might just be a one-time thing, for the next Mario Kart, new evidence has emerged to suggest otherwise.
![[Famicom Donkey Kong box art]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_237690658-5a0d.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The Japanese Nintendo store has recently added some new Donkey Kong themed merchandise; all of which shows DK in his movie appearance, as indicated by the gentler looking eyes (which is ironic considering he was a pretty mean character at first in the movie).
There’s a perfect comparison of the two designs over on Reddit since one of the new Donkey Kong bookmarks features a piece of artwork of DK and Diddy Kong that’s practically identical to a previous one. Looking at the two side by side, the new design really is mostly in the eyes, although DK’s face somehow seems slightly rounder than before. Diddy meanwhile is completely unchanged, so don’t expect him to look too different should he appear in Mario Kart 9 or a new Donkey Kong game.
