Nike’s .Swoosh division, which previously focused its efforts on NFTs, has now pivoted to actually selling tangible products. Their pivot away from that space doesn’t surprise me, but Nintendo’s lack of involvement as of now does. Okay, so there is no word of an official collaboration yet, but it sure looks like Nike drew inspiration from Donkey Kong for these new shoes. The new Nike Air Max 1 Low Poly colorway is allegedly nicknamed “Big Head Origins,” according to Sneaker News.
The drop seems very inspired by the ironically barefoot monkey. Considering Swoosh’s tagline on its website: ” Swoosh is Nike’s Home for Gaming,” this is totally plausible. The shoes follow a brown and red colorway like Donkey Kong himself. The shoe’s upper features brown fuzzy brown suede…or should I say hairy. Of course, this mimics Donkey Kong’s fur.
The iconic Nike Swoosh is red with a polygonal design, making it less smooth and more Nintendo 64 vibes. The tongue of the sneaker says Nike Air Max in a pixelated design keeps this same old-gen game theme. On the back of the shoe, there is a yellow circular rubber Nike Air badge that screams banana coin.
Speaking of the Nintendo 64, I think this sneaker takes some graphics from Donkey Kong 64 because of the insoles. Which features a ground pattern similar to the one from the game. Additionally, the coins that are so close to DK but say DS for DotSwoosh. I don’t know about you, but with all the other details, the banana peel is giving Donkey Kong Country 2.
The shoe collaborations are ramping up as of late with Red Hulk clogs also releasing recently. There is currently confirmed no release date. However, the shoes will likely drop in Spring or Summer 2025 with a retail price of $150.