Kongs, Tiny and Candied

One of the more striking aspects of the newly released remake Diddy Kong Racing DS: bit player Tiny Kong's transformation from the extended Kong family's kid sister to a full-grown sexpot. Given Nintendo's split with Rare, it's odd to me that Rare would have still developed this title, but they did. And it's also notable that Rare excised non-Nintendo properties Banjo and Conker from the cast of playable characters in favor of Dixie Kong and her once-younger sister Tiny Kong.

What's even weirder, however, is Tiny's apparent growth spurt. Here's Tiny Kong as of her Donkey Kong 64 days, looking every bit Dixie's little sister.


And here's the notably more mature Tiny, looking more like Dixie's babysitter.


Nice bared midriff, Tiny. Very strange, if for no other reason than it makes me uncomfortable to watch an anthropomorphic animal become womanized, if not outright sexualized. (It's also got to be strange for Nintendo purists, especially because Dixie has yet to age a day since being introduced to video gamedom back in 1995.) Tiny's transformation reminds me of what happened to Candy Kong, Donkey's girlfriend and notably the one recurring simian in the Donkey Kong Country universe yet to appear as a playable character. Note the original version, looking all blonde and pink and more-or-less a Kong analogue to Mario's Princess Peach.


And note what she's evolved into: a bikini-clad monkey babe with visible cleavage, as evidenced by this bit of promotional art for Candy in DK: King of Swing.


It... makes me uncomfortable. Not just the boobs, but the idea that Rare would create a Tiny and have her first ape Dixie and now ape Candy.

Ha. "Aping."