Nintendo's significant redesign of Donkey Kong, first glimpsed in the Mario Kart 9 gameplay shown during the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal, is now confirmed across a range of merchandise. This marks a departure from Donkey Kong's decades-long consistent design, seen in titles like Mario Kart 8 , Mario Tennis , and Donkey Kong Country Returns .新外觀讓人想起了《超級馬里奧兄弟》電影中角色的刻畫，引發了粉絲的大量討論。
Reddit user cookiemaster221 shared images of the new merchandise, prompting comments like "History is being rewritten in front of our very eyes."更新的設計具有更柔軟，更圓潤的眉頭，取代了他以前的皺紋表情。一些用戶將這種變化與“ Kirby治療”進行了比較，指出從憤怒的舉止轉變為更輕鬆的舉止。 While some fans expressed nostalgia for the original design, others welcomed the change, suggesting it might make Donkey Kong appear more playful and less intimidating.
與Mario Kart 9預告片中的簡短外觀相比，商品對重新設計的景色更清晰。 A more comprehensive look at Donkey Kong's new design and role in Mario Kart 9 is anticipated during Nintendo's April Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct.
Switch 2揭示了預告片本身提供了有關控制台功能的有限細節，主要集中在其美學上。 However, it did confirm backward compatibility, showcased a new button on the Joy-Cons, and validated speculation about using the controller as a mouse.
