Donkey Kong wears pants now — is this Seth Rogen’s doing?

Donkey Kong will break new ground in his new Switch 2 game, Donkey Kong Bananza. I mean that literally, in the sense that the 3D action-adventure game is about destruction and digging into the hard earth with DK’s meaty fists. But Bananza will also push the Donkey Kong series forward by putting pants on Nintendo’s iconic ape. That’s right, Donkey Kong is no longer just weirdly wearing a tie but otherwise completely naked; this Kong wears trousers (and suspenders).

Do we have actor, producer, and ceramics enthusiast Seth Rogen to thank for this? Maybe.

Rogen, who voiced Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, previously said in a behind-the-scenes interview about his role, “It’s a fun character, it’s a fun world. I would be thrilled to see Donkey Kong go on more adventures. Maybe give him some pants this time.”

That movie has definitely had an impact on Donkey Kong’s current design. But it is strange that Donkey Kong, who has famously not worn pants over the course of his career, is now just wearing britches out of nowhere. Other Kongs, like Funky Kong, Tiny Kong, and Lanky Kong have worn pants, but DK’s immediate family, including Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong, have been content Donald Ducking it for decades. So it clearly isn’t a shame thing.

Only rarely has DK worn anything below the waist, including what I’d consider non-canonical appearances in games like Skylanders: SuperChargers, where he wore a full outfit. Otherwise, including at events like the Olympics, Kong keeps things banana out. (Of his pockets. Because he has no pants pockets to put bananas in.)

It’s clear from Donkey Kong Bananza screenshots that at a certain point in the game, Donkey Kong will acquire (or lose) the pants. So it’s not like Nintendo has suddenly found new modesty regarding DK’s bare bottom, which will be presented with more realistic detail and seen directly from behind in Bananza (as opposed to side-on in the Donkey Kong Country games). The game’s trailer also shows many other apes wearing slacks, jeans, and bottoms, so maybe this is a new thing that primates in the Mario universe do.

We’ve asked Nintendo to shed some light on Donkey Kong’s new pants-wearing habit, and will update when the company responds with answers to this mystery.

But we may have to wait until July to fully understand the reasons behind Donkey Kong’s new wardrobe. Donkey Kong Bananza will be released on Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17.