Nintendo revamps Switch profile icons with updated designs for Mario, Donkey Kong and Pikmin
The new version 20.0.0 Switch update has given some user icons a makeover
Nintendo has updated some of its Switch profile icons to match its newer character designs.
The console received a major firmware update today, bringing it up to version 20.0.0. While this update is mainly focused on adding new features and changing some others in preparation for the release of Switch 2 in June, it also includes a number of smaller tweaks.
As noted by OatmealDome on X, one of these tweaks includes the changing of a number of Switch profile icons to update their appearance. A total of 17 icons have been changed with the new update – 14 from the Super Mario series and three from the Pikmin series.
Many of these changes are somewhat negligible – the likes of the Green Shell, Question Block, Fire Flower and Star from the Super Mario games appear almost unchanged unless you look at them side-by-side.
The changes to the Pikmin are clearer when the images are compared, with the new icons sporting new eyes and more realistic flowers on their heads.
Other tweaks include the enlargement of Yoshi’s nose, and changes made to Mario, Luigi, Peach and Bowser to make their new art styles, which appear to be based on Super Mario Bros Wonder.
By far the most obvious difference, however, is the Donkey Kong profile picture, which now shows the redesigned Donkey Kong as he looks in upcoming Switch 2 titles Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza.
[Nintendo Switch Firmware Update]
Some default profile icons were changed in 20.0.0. Here’s a handy chart to compare the differences.
(I hope that image compression doesn’t make it hard to compare… If it does, I’ll post a link to the raw image in the replies.) pic.twitter.com/tGY6ebFsq0
— OatmealDome (@OatmealDome) April 30, 2025
As with any redesign, some players have welcomed Donkey Kong’s new look while others disapprove, but one person in favour of the change is Kevin Bayliss, who was previously responsible for redesigning Donkey Kong in the past when he worked at Rare.
Earlier this month Bayliss, who was in charge of the 3D computer-generated look first used for the character in Donkey Kong Country, took to X to say he saw no reason why anyone should be angry with the character’s latest makeover.
“I don’t understand why there’s any debate to be had,” Bayliss wrote. “It’s still DK, only better looking. People need to embrace change more! All good things get better with age (I would say that though, since I’ve been doing this for almost 40 years now). Everyone give a big warm welcome for the new DK!”
