Think you know all about the Mario Kart series? Well, you might learn something new and bizarre about one of its racers today.

Recently, several folks have brought up an interesting bit of trivia about Donkey Kong’s models in Mario Kart Double Dash and Mario Kart Wii. Namely, if one looks carefully at the ape’s feet in the character select screen, you’ll spot little red splotches on the inner corners. These are actually textures of Donkey Kong’s mouth resized and re-positioned there – thanks to the mapping process of these games.

https://twitter.com/TofuTTravesty/status/1223726486810587137?s=20

Did Nintendo intend for DK’s feet to look this way? It’s possible that the developers knew about these splotches of red, but left them alone since they’re rarely visible when DK rides a kart or motorcycle. Either way, now we’re stuck with the nagging thought that DK has been licking the floor all this time.

i can taste the ground when i walk

— Donkey Kong (@DonkeyKongApe) February 1, 2020