Nintendo has showcased its revamped look for Diddy Kong, after previously changing the company’s decades-old design for his bigger pal Donkey Kong.
Earlier this year, Nintendo fans noticed some distinct changes had been made to Donkey Kong’s look within official artwork for the character, as well as in early Mario Kart World footage.
Now, Nintendo has given us a look at some changes to Diddy Kong as well, via artwork from the company’s website and brand images on display at Licensing Expo 2025, which is currently taking place in Las Vegas.
As spotted by Nintendo Life, the following images show a slightly more cartoony take on Diddy, with more rounded eyes and a cheekier, friendlier smile.
Attendees at the Licensing Expo 2025, an event for brands to showcase their franchises and secure merchandising and partnership deals, can also see the new-look Diddy (and Donkey) Kong there, as seen in photos from attendee Cptn_Alex on social media.
Nintendo has not commented on the changes to Diddy Kong, and earlier Donkey Kong, though the alterations have widely been linked to the character’s look in the lucrative The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Even Princess Peach has been given a slight redesign. The Mushroom Kingdom’s ruler had her appearance switched on the box of her Switch game Princess Peach: Showtime! to an appearance more similar to her big screen version, IGN sister site Eurogamer previously noted.
Of course this post is popping off lmao. Here’s a better look at the new render 🙂
via Nintendo booth @ Licensing Expo pic.twitter.com/QzxJOWs9gF
— CptnAlex (@Cptn_Alex) May 20, 2025
Donkey Kong will next take centre stage in the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 title Donkey Kong Bananza, and while his sidekick Diddy Kong has yet to be confirmed, the inclusion of other Kong relatives such as Cranky Kong — and Nintendo going to the trouble of polishing up Diddy Kong’s look now — would point to it being very possible.
And then there’s the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel, which looks to be titled Super Mario World. After Donkey Kong’s major presence in the first film (and a cameo from Diddy Kong), it seems likely we’ll be seeing more of Nintendo’s great apes there, redesign and all.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
