Donkey Kong makes a cameo in the original Nintendo 64 version of Banjo-Tooie in the form of a plush doll held by one of Bottles' children, Goggles, obviously referencing how Rare developed games for both franchises at the time. While this doll would reappear in the game's Xbox Live Arcade remaster in 2009, its texture was modified, with DK's brow ridge replaced by generic googly eyes to avoid any potential legal issues with Nintendo. The original texture and doll design would later be restored for Banjo-Tooie's re-release on Nintendo Switch Online in 2024. For the 2026 Evercade port of the game, this doll would instead be replaced with one of Conker.