A better flavour then you'd think

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

For many Mario games, their internal project names are known through a combination of officially released material by Nintendo, datamining the files, and leaked development material. Most of the names are self-explanatory and those that are not immediately apparent often turn out to be elaborate wordplay instead, such as the clever "554g" for Paper Mario: Sticker Star, explained in this previous post.

One of the more mysterious project names is "Bastet", for Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move for the Nintendo 3DS eShop. Bastet is the name for an ancient Egyptian goddess, often depicted as a woman with a cat head.

It is theorized that since one of the roles attested to Bastet was that of a goddess of protection, and the player's task in this game is to guide the Mini Marios to the goal while protecting them from danger, then the player takes on a role of a deity of protection in this manner.

Taken From Episode 190: The Stolen Stones

First aired in the United States on February 16, 2002

Kōryū Densetsu Villgust Gaiden/Armed Dragon Fantasy Villgust