Banjo & Kazooie

According to Rare, "We wanted the characters to primarily appeal to a younger audience but, at the same time, give them enough humour and attitude not to discourage older players."[5] The early prototype of the characters was called ‘Dream’, where players would control a boy through a prehistoric land with a sword.[6] When making the game, Rare decided to totally focus on Banjo and his abilities, and Kazooie was later conceived during the planning of such abilities.[7]

According to Gregg Mayles, who served as the head designer for both characters, "We came up with the [...] idea that a pair of wings could appear from his backpack to help him perform a second jump. We also wanted Banjo to be able to run very fast when required [so] we added a pair of 'fast-running' legs that appeared from the bottom of the backpack. [And soon after] we came up with the logical conclusion that these could belong to another character, one that actually lived in Banjo's backpack."[7] The character was named after a kazoo, which was considered an annoying instrument, "much like the personality of the bird," Mayles explained.[7] Instead of actual dialogue, all the characters in the game feature "mumbling" voices. This choice was made to convey their personalities without them actually speaking, as Rare felt the actual speech "could ruin the player's perception of the characters," as well as due to the limited development time available to implement the feature.[7] The game's sequel, Banjo-Tooie, introduced the ability for the characters to separate and be controlled independently of one another, with each one able to perform unique abilities that they would not otherwise be able to while joined.[8]

When Rare became a first-party developer for Microsoft's Xbox, character trademarks such as Banjo and Kazooie were retained by Rare.[9] When redesigning the characters of Banjo and Kazooie for Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Mayles and Bryan initially designed high-resolution characters for the protagonists, but Bryan recalled that they lacked "the charm" the original game held. Later during development, Bryan suggested that the characters in the game should appear cuboid, and thus finalized the designs with smooth edges, whilst retaining the two characters' original appearances.[10] Banjo-Kazooie lead programmer Chris Sutherland has voiced both characters in all of their appearances.[11]

Critics have praised the characters' unique and diverse speech patterns in the Banjo-Kazooie series.[30] Nintendo Power remarked that the characters "have more of a loud-mouthed attitude than Mario and crew."[31] In Banjo-Pilot, Eurogamer and VideoGamer both noted that characters such as Banjo were relatively obscure and would likely only be recognized by those who played the N64 Banjo games.[32][15] In Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, GameZone appreciated that Rare brought "Banjo's hilarious and indescribable jibber-jabber" back.[33] Edge claimed that its characters are "impossible to dislike."[34] Samuel James Riley of GamesRadar listed Banjo and Kazooie as the best video game duo, and further stated that, unlike some duos, Banjo and Kazooie's particular quirks really do work to improve one another.[35] Nick Gillett of The Guardian listed Kazooie as the best video game sidekick, and further stated that Kazooie's relationship with Banjo is a pleasing inversion of the normally acquiescent sidekick schtick.[36] Gus Turner of Complex Networks listed Banjo and Kazooie as one of the best-forgotten video game heroes, and further stated that "Rare's animal duo caught on in a big way with N64 gamers."[37] Ravi Sinha of GamingBolt listed Banjo & Kazooie's designs in Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts at fourth in their "Worst Video Game Character Design" list, stating that "If you played Banjo Kazooie and their intermittent sequel, the dynamic duo came across as cute but not overbearingly so. Kazooie's biting wit and Banjo's friendly nature felt just right. So of course, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts had to turn them into more "cutting edge" figures. Kazooie is practically dripping sass while Banjo looks, well, shady. Thanks, Microsoft!"[38] Fan art and numerous fan games featuring the characters have been created over the years.[39][40]

Before being announced for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Banjo and Kazooie were a popular choice for inclusion in the roster,[41] and were suggested for addition by fans as well as gaming websites, including Screen Rant,[42] IGN,[43] Metro,[44] and Paste.[45] Banjo and Kazooie's popularity has increased, particularly due to the reactions their fans had to their addition to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster.[46][47] Steve Mayles, a former artist at Rare and the original artist of the characters, said that the addition of the Banjo and Kazooie to the Super Smash Bros. series could end up saving the Banjo-Kazooie series. Mayles also praised the artwork and animation of the duo in Smash Bros. Ultimate, and was surprised by the reception that fans had to the addition of the characters.[48][49] Cecilia D'Anastasio of Kotaku said that Banjo and Kazooie's appearances in Smash Bros. are puzzling, criticizing their slow moves and lag, and deemed that the characters aren't as good as they seem.[50] Bryce Johnson of Screen Rant put Banjo and Kazooie in eighth on his ranked list of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC characters.[51] Mitchell Saltzman of IGN praised the design of the characters, saying that it "stays true to their N64 designs while simultaneously making them more expressive than ever."[52] David Lozada of GameRevolution claimed that Banjo and Kazooie's reveal was "weird".[53]

Various merchandise of the characters has been released, including an amiibo released in 2020,[54] a figure by Totaku,[55] and collectibles and vinyl figures by Youtooz.[56][57]