Hiryu's Blog

Top: in 2026, an officially licensed Donkey Kong Bananza plush was released in Japan that featured an expression on Donkey Kong's face that appears to be a frown from most angles. Together with the "thumbs up" gesture this creates a humorous mismatched effect.

Bottom left: this inadvertently resembles a reaction GIF that is very widespread on the Internet, featuring Brent Rambo from a 1990s Apple promotional video. Note the distinct combination of a frown with a thumbs-up gesture.

Bottom right: interestingly, a Donkey Kong version of this reaction was made in 2023 by video creator Udge that has itself gained popularity. While it is unlikely that these GIFs inspired the expression of the plush, it is a notable coincidence that Donkey Kong has already independently been depicted in a similar way by fan sources.

Source: plush, Apple video, Udge fan reaction video

Me in 2016: I’m still salty about that

Illustration from a 2006 feature on Shigeru Miyamoto in Time Magazine, featuring him standing in a field surrounded by Mario series and other characters.

Source: SuperGamer18

The 2014 Japanese official website for Pokémon Art Academy for the Nintendo 3DS featured a gallery of images, one of which was a Pikachu with a Mario-inspired hat and a Piplup with a Luigi-inspired hat.

Nintendo appears to have had a completely different attitude towards NES educational title Donkey Kong Jr. Math between Japan and America.

Top: in a 1986 interview, Shigeru Miyamoto claimed that Donkey Kong Jr. Math was a "rip-roaring good time" and "super popular among the staff at Nintendo", referring to the Nintendo Japan development staff.

Bottom: according to Bruce Lowry, former vice president of sales at Nintendo of America from 1981 to 1986, Donkey Kong Jr. Math was among the worst games the company released.

Promotional Mario folding fan distributed as a bonus for purchasing Mario games at Yodobashi Camera electronics stores in Japan.

From the Fire Emblem series comes the latest figure in a series of figures made by the developer of the series, INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS! From "Fire Emblem Fates" comes a 1/7 scale figure of Azura, the songstress at the mercy of fate! Raised as a princess of Nohr, yet taken away to Hoshido—Azura carries a past shaped by a complex and turbulent upbringing. Depicted in her White/Dark Songstress attire, this figure captures Azura as she continues to sing, defying the cruel fate that leaves her torn between two kingdoms.

She will release in October through December, 2027 and can be pre-ordered at the above links! The preorder ends June 10th of this year.

Board game pieces for cutting out, featuring Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser and the Shogaku Ichinensei magazine's bowtie-wearing Yoshi design, from a 1991 issue of the magazine.