The disturbing Donkey Kong design flaw you'll wish you could unsee
It's a mouth in foot moment.
Donkey Kong isn't really a character we've thought much about. What we do know about him is that he definitely isn't a donkey. And he has his own game. But recently a new fact about Donkey Kong has come to light, and it's not pretty.
In Mario Kart Wii, if you look closely at Donkey Kong (DK) is on the selection screen, you'll see that DK's feet are actually the same texture as his mouth. That's right. He has red, fleshy feet. Or, at least, a red fleshy part to his feet where it looks almost as if his toes have been amputated.
Supper Mario Broth pointed this out to the world on Twitter recently, and even provided an explanation as to why this has happened. Apparently, these mouthy feet are a mapping error that mean DK's mouth texture is applied to his feet. This seems a pretty big 3D error, although in all fairness, no one appears to have really noticed until now.
To get your own textures to apply on whatever foot or mouth you like, see our free textures post. You could also check our character design tips for advice on creating memorable characters (who don't have mouthy feet).
On the character selection screen of Mario Kart Wii, looking closely at Donkey Kong's innermost toes shows a red texture resembling painted nails (left: normal view, middle: zoomed in). This is actually a mapping error that applies Donkey Kong's mouth texture to his feet (right). pic.twitter.com/3aq3jVUyP3February 1, 2020
It seems we're not the only ones to be shocked. Some Twitter users wished they'd never been alerted to this design quirk.
pic.twitter.com/yoSCHNUrI0February 2, 2020
There were plenty of foot in mouth jokes...
It's like the opposite of that saying you put a foot in your mouthFebruary 1, 2020
And nor is this the only place where these mouth feet appear.
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Double Dash has the exact same error. pic.twitter.com/iy4JVVh8DRFebruary 1, 2020
What's the lesson here? Double check your textures. And try not to put your mouth in your foot when you're creating characters.
If you think you could do better, or you want to up your own 3D skills, don't miss our best 3D software picks.
Join us in London for our unmissable event for 2D and 3D artists, featuring workshops from over 20 professional artists from film, video games, VFX and illustration. Book now: www.vertexconf.com
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Rosie Hilder is Creative Bloq's Deputy Editor. After beginning her career in journalism in Argentina – where she worked as Deputy Editor of Time Out Buenos Aires – she moved back to the UK and joined Future Plc in 2016. Since then, she's worked as Operations Editor on magazines including Computer Arts, 3D World and Paint & Draw and Mac|Life. In 2018, she joined Creative Bloq, where she now assists with the daily management of the site, including growing the site's reach, getting involved in events, such as judging the Brand Impact Awards, and helping make sure our content serves the reader as best it can.
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