Due to how Pauline's AI works in Donkey Kong Bananza, players are unsure if she isn't quite sure what specific fruits look like.
You're not going to believe this, but Donkey Kong Bananza has a lot of bananas in it. While Mario is out there collecting stars, moons, and shines in both sun and cat form like a loser, the big man is focused on one thing: bananas. However, there are a lot of bananas, the gold in the Mario realm has some connection to bananas, the streets are made with banana, and even the lens flare is banana.
The sheer amount of bananas has clearly affected young Pauline, as players have noticed that sometimes she has trouble identifying fruit. A Reddit post reads, "She's a little confused, but she's got the spirit," as the clip shows Pauline exclaiming, "An apple!" as DK approaches the giant glowing banana that is seconds away from being devoured.
She's a little confused but she's got the spirit from r/donkeykong
Granted, Mario universe lore expert Supper Mario Broth has explained this on Bluesky, saying, "In Donkey Kong Bananza, Pauline will often point out a banana when Donkey Kong approaches it. Due to a quirk in the game's item noticing priority, it is possible for Pauline to shout 'An apple!' when approaching a banana, appearing confused about the nature of the fruit."
So while there is an actual reason, players, of course, have other theories. One poster notes, "I love people's reads that are going between 'she's traumatised and confused' and 'she's a child and doesn't know much better'. But I am a personal advocate of 'She KNOWS it's a banana, but calling it an apple is just funnier.'" Regardless, some don't see this as a big issue, with another comment saying "We love an occasional girlfailure who eventually grows up to be a bonafide girlboss mayor."
