Kevin Bayliss
| Kevin Bayliss | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | August 8[1] |
| Super Mario–related role(s) | Character designer, animator |
Kevin Bayliss is a former Rare employee who worked as a graphics and character artist for many of Rare's franchises since he was hired in 1987, including the Donkey Kong Country series and Diddy Kong Racing. In Donkey Kong Country, he was in charge of the redesign of Shigeru Miyamoto's original concept of Donkey Kong to his current 3D appearance,[2] as well as creating Diddy Kong and the basic Kremling idea.[3][4] In addition to art-related work, Bayliss also voice acted for several games. He left the company in 2005 to work as a freelance artist.
Portrayals[edit]
Works[edit]
- Donkey Kong Country – Character Designer
- Diddy Kong Racing – Artwork / Graphics
- Donkey Kong 64 – Support Team
- Rare Treats: DONKEY KONG 64 Revisited – Artwork
Gallery[edit]
Bayliss breaking down Donkey Kong's design in front of a classroom in Norway
Artwork[edit]
Rare Treats: DONKEY KONG 64 Revisited album cover
![Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong in the style of Killer Instinct[7]](https://mario.wiki.gallery/images/thumb/7/79/DK_Killer_Instinct.jpg/87px-DK_Killer_Instinct.jpg)
Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong in the style of Killer Instinct[7]
![Sketches of Donkey Kong's and Diddy Kong's faces used by Bayliss to pixelate the characters[8]](https://mario.wiki.gallery/images/thumb/5/5f/X_Kev_Bayliss_2024-07-10.png/120px-X_Kev_Bayliss_2024-07-10.png)
Sketches of Donkey Kong's and Diddy Kong's faces used by Bayliss to pixelate the characters[8]
![Pixel art of Donkey Kong intended to showcase how he would have looked with Bayliss's redesign in an NES game[9]](https://mario.wiki.gallery/images/thumb/b/b9/X_Kev_Bayliss_DK_pixel_art.jpg/120px-X_Kev_Bayliss_DK_pixel_art.jpg)
Pixel art of Donkey Kong intended to showcase how he would have looked with Bayliss's redesign in an NES game[9]
![Artwork depicting a possible port of Diddy Kong Racing to the Nintendo Switch[10]](https://mario.wiki.gallery/images/thumb/0/05/DKR_Switch.jpg/85px-DKR_Switch.jpg)
Artwork depicting a possible port of Diddy Kong Racing to the Nintendo Switch[10]
![Artwork of Diddy Kong Racing characters[11]](https://mario.wiki.gallery/images/thumb/b/b2/DKR_Group_Kevin_Bayliss.jpg/84px-DKR_Group_Kevin_Bayliss.jpg)
Artwork of Diddy Kong Racing characters[11]
![Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong in the style of Killer Instinct[7]](/File:DK_Killer_Instinct.jpg)
![Sketches of Donkey Kong's and Diddy Kong's faces used by Bayliss to pixelate the characters[8]](/File:X_Kev_Bayliss_2024-07-10.png)
![Pixel art of Donkey Kong intended to showcase how he would have looked with Bayliss's redesign in an NES game[9]](/File:X_Kev_Bayliss_DK_pixel_art.jpg){kind=tracking}
![Artwork depicting a possible port of Diddy Kong Racing to the Nintendo Switch[10]](/File:DKR_Switch.jpg)
![Artwork of Diddy Kong Racing characters[11]](/File:DKR_Group_Kevin_Bayliss.jpg)
Notes[edit]
- In response to fans' reaction to Donkey Kong's redesign in Mario Kart World, Bayliss approved of the redesign while stating that "[y]ou can take the [Kong] out of the Country, but you can't take the Country out of the Kong,"[12] and later stated that the original design is his "personal DK."[13]
References[edit]
- ^ "Born August 8" – Kevin Bayliss (@Kev_Bayliss). Profile. X. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ July 8, 2015. Men at Work. Playtonic Games. Archived July 8, 2015, 15:28:31 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- ^ "I never voiced those guys. There's some wrong stuff on the net. I designed & built orig Diddy & the basic Kremling idea." – Kev_Bayliss (October 13, 2015). Post. Twitter. Retrieved October 14, 2015. (Archived October 14, 2015, 21:43:05 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ Kevin Bayliss in Twitter (November 18, 2023)
- ^ "Drumstick - Lee Ray Tricky - Chris Sutherland Bluey - Keith Rabbette Bubbler - Kevin Bayliss Smokey - Johnni Christensen" – Norgans [Graeme Norgate, former Rare employee] (April 14, 2021). Post. X. Retrieved July 13, 2024. (Archived April 14, 2021, 10:37:01 UTC via Wayback Machine.) (Screenshot.)
- ^ "A few in Starfox Adventures, DKR & KI . Wizpig, Glacius, Jago, Tricky - can't remember others." – Kev_Bayliss (December 15, 2016). Post. X. Retrieved July 13, 2024. (Archived July 13, 2024, 21:43:16 UTC via archive.today.) (Thread screenshot.)
- ^ "If I’d made Donkey Kong for Killer Instinct, it would have been BANANAS! Happy Birthday to my CGi creations! 30 years of KILLER INSTINCT & DONKEY KONG COUNTRY! and THANK YOU NINTENDO for giving me the opportunity to recreate him back in the early 90s!" – Kev_Bayliss (July 11, 2024). Post. X. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
- ^ "Here are the sketches I would use to pixelate the characters. Although I re-designed him, I don't think I ever draw DK the same way ever! He looks a bit different every time I do it, as with Diddy. But then, there are no rules for me. I don't care! You know who they are!" – Kev_Bayliss (July 10, 2024). Post. X. Retrieved July 13, 2024. (Archived July 13, 2024, 20:54:16 UTC via archive.today.)
- ^ "Had I originally been given the task of redesigning Donkey Kong during the NES era...😂😂" – Kev_Bayliss (July 13, 2024). Post. X. Retrieved November 1, 2024. (Archived November 1, 2024, 20:35:24 UTC via archive.today.)
- ^ "We need this…" – Kev_Bayliss (October 27, 2024). Post. X. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ "I'll come up with some more facts about the characters I've created - I got lots of new followers over the weekend & feel I should come up with some new stuff! Have a great day - Welcome!" – Kev_Bayliss (January 27, 2025). Post. X. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ "You can take the KONG out of the Country, but you can't take the Country out of the Kong! (I love it - this is really funny! - Everything changes! - Change is good!)" – Kevin Bayliss (January 20, 2025). Post. X. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ "Everyone has their fave. And although I built the 1994 Donkey Kong, the ORIGINAL 8 bit character will always be my personal DK. I always felt a bit of ‘imposter syndrome’ when my design hit the shelves, it was greatly enhanced by the 3D rendering. I’m actually prouder with my Diddy Kong, because he was created from scratch. And I hope he gets the same cool makeover that his uncle just received! 😃😃😃" – Bayliss, Kevin (April 3, 2025). Post. X. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
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