Jigglypuff

Jigglypuff(/ˈdʒɪɡlipʌf/JIG-lee-puf), known in Japan asPurin(Japanese:プリン),is aPokémon species. Jigglypuff first appeared in the video gamesPokémon RedandBlueand subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. Jigglypuff is voiced byRachael Lillisin English and byMika Kanaiin Japanese. In the live-action musicalPokémon Live!, Jigglypuff is portrayed by Leah Smith. Jigglypuff is also known for singing a lullaby in thePokémon anime series.
Known as theBalloonPokémon, Jigglypuff evolves from Igglybuff when it reaches a certain point of happiness, and evolves into Wigglytuff when exposed to a Moon Stone. Its English name is a combination of the words "jiggly" and "puff", relating to its jelly-like appearance. The character has been featured in a recurring role in the anime series and served as the focus for several printed adaptions of the franchise. Since it appeared in thePokémonseries, Jigglypuff has received generally positive reception. It has been featured in several forms of merchandise, including figurines, plush toys, and thePokémon Trading Card Game. It also has appeared as a playable character in every entry of theSuper Smash Bros.series.
Jigglypuff is a species of fictional creatures called Pokémon created for thePokémonmedia franchise. Developed byGame Freakand published byNintendo, the Japanese franchise began in 1996 with the video gamesPokémon RedandGreenfor theGame Boy, which were later released in North America asPokémon RedandBluein 1998.In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon. Some Pokémon can transform into stronger species through a process calledevolutionvia various means, such as exposure to specific items.Each Pokémon have one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon.A major goal in each game is to complete thePokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.
Jigglypuff was one of one hundred and fifty one differentgeneration I Pokémondesigns conceived by Game Freak's character development team and finalized byKen Sugimorifor the first-generation ofPocket MonstersgamesRedandGreen, which were localized outside Japan asPokémon RedandBlue.Its Japanese name "Purin", derives from the Japaneseloanwordforcustardorpudding.Nintendo decided to give the various Pokémon species "clever and descriptive names" related to their appearance or features when translating the game for western audiences as a means to make the characters more relatable to American children.According to directorJunichi Masuda, there were initially concerns that Jigglypuff's cuter design would not take off with western audiences, and considerations to redesign it were made, but ultimately scrapped.Deciding to use a name better suited for its jelly-like appearance, the species was renamed "Jigglypuff."When a Jigglypuff is exposed to a Moon Stone, it evolves intoWigglytuff. It has a pre-evolution,Igglybuff, which evolves when it reaches a certain point of happiness.In English, Jigglypuff has been portrayed byRachael LillisandMichele Knotz,and it has been portrayed byMika Kanaiin Japanese.In the stage musicalPokémon Live!, Jigglypuff was portrayed by Leah Smith.
Known as theBalloonPokémon, Jigglypuff can inflate its body like a balloon or flatten it. Jigglypuff are characterized by putting their enemies to sleep by singing a lullaby.Before beginning to sing, they mesmerize the opponent with their soft, glowing eyes and, if they inflate themselves, they can sing for longer periods of time.Game Freak's staff have noted Jigglypuff as both one of their and the public's favorite Pokémon, in terms of both anime and video game appearances,and it was one of the more heavily pushed and marketed Pokémon prior toPikachubeing the determined mascot for the series.During development of the filmDetective Pikachu, Jigglypuff's design initially started as very fluffy, but was rejected, withThe Pokémon Companystating it should look more like pigskin. This design did not look as appealing, and thus more fur was added to the design. The design was made to resemble "fur groomed into a ball" instead of a more balloon-like design.
Jigglypuff first appears inPokémon RedandBlue. InPokémon GoldandSilver, a pre-evolution,Igglybuff, was introduced.It later appeared in several sequels, includingPokémon RubyandSapphire,Pokémon FireRedandLeafGreen,Pokémon DiamondandPearl,andPokémon HeartGoldandSoulSilver.Jigglypuff was a "Normal" type in the series, but sincePokémon XandY, Jigglypuff's typing was changed, now gaining an additional "Fairy" type.A Paradox Pokémon heavily resembling Jigglypuff, namedScream Tail, appears inPokémon ScarletandViolet.
Outside of the main series, Jigglypuff has appeared inPokémon Pinball,Pokémon Snap,Pokémon Conquest, thePokémon Mystery Dungeongames,Pokémon GO,Pokémon UNITE, thePokémon Rangergames, and thePokémon Rumblegames. Jigglypuff is a playable character in all fiveSuper Smash Bros.games. It is one of the two original representatives of thePokémonfranchise in theSuper Smash Bros.series along withPikachu.Despite not being a lead character in thePokémonfranchise, game directorMasahiro Sakuraiselected it to appear inSuper Smash Bros.due to its similarities toKirby, which allowed the staff to reuse the model and many animations as a base for Jigglypuff.Jigglypuff's moves in itsSuper Smash Bros.appearances are Sing, Rollout, Pound, and Rest. Rest's mechanics are changed entirely; instead of recovering Jigglypuff's health like in thePokémonseries, the move is a brutally strong move that launches opponents. However, if it misses, it can leave Jigglypuff open to attack.
In thePokémonanimeseries, Jigglypuff is a recurring character who aspires to be a great singer after the inspiration ofAshand company. Unfortunately, most potential audiences fall asleep before the song finishes.Jigglypuff's singing can often prove problematic to the series' protagonists, as it causes all who can hear it to fall asleep. It carries around a trademarkmarker, which it uses as a microphone due to its resemblance to such when it is capped. When it realizes those who have been subject to its song have fallen asleep, it angrily uses the marker to draw on their faces.
This Jigglypuff's appearances began to decline, eventually making one last appearance inPokémon: Advanced. It remained absent from the series untilPokémon the Series: Sun and Moon, where it once again became a recurring character.
In 2006, Viz released ten DVDs based around individual Pokémon in celebration ofPokémon's tenth anniversary in the United States. The Pokémon featured were determined by an online poll on pokemon.com.Out of forty-five choices, Jigglypuff's received second place and was released as volume two, with Pikachu's being the first volume.Another compilation of Pokémon anime episodes, including "The Song of Jigglypuff" in which Jigglypuff is introduced, is available on both VHS and DVD, entitled "Jigglypuff Pop", which was released byViz Video(nowViz Media) and4Kids Entertainment.
Jigglypuff appears in various Pokémon manga adaptations.TheMagical Pokémon Journeymanga series has a female Jigglypuff as one of the main characters, parodyingHello Kitty. The Jigglypuff inMagical Pokémon Journeyis spoiled and rich, living in a mansion withWigglytuffandSquirtle, the former being her sister and the latter her butler.Jigglypuff's Magic Lullabyis part of thePokémon Talesseries for very young children. Written byMegumi Hayashibaraand illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno, it tells the story of a Jigglypuff who wants to make the other Pokémon happy by singing for them. Yet, as usual, her song puts them to sleep, and this makes her very sad until her friend helps her resolve the situation.
In thePokémon Adventuresmanga, one of the main characters,Green, has a Jigglypuff which is capable of swelling up to several times its size. This allows Green to float with it like ahot-air balloonas well as block narrow passageways—a tactic instrumental in helpingSilverand her escape theMasked Man.It evolved inBreaking the Restraintinto a Wigglytuff alongside two of Green's other Pokémon with the power of her Moon Stones.
Jigglypuff made a cameo appearance in a season six episode ofLast Week Tonight with John Oliver, in which the host accidentally kills one while playingPokémon GO.Jigglypuff is one of the Pokémon that appear in thePokémon: Detective Pikachufilm, voiced using archived recordings ofRachael Lillisfrom the anime. The character briefly appears at a coffee bar after it accidentally put its trainer to sleep with its song.
Jigglypuff is often featured on products and in promotion for the series. An example of this is the full-sized Pokémon 747 aircraft byBoeing.Jigglypuff appeared on the starboard nose of the original white 1998 aircraft and above the starboard wing of the 1999 blue aircraft. Jigglypuff was also on the nose of the international version of the plane.Jigglypuff has been made into several different toy and plush forms, as well as other items.A Jigglypuff Bluetooth speaker was made byGameStop’sThinkGeekbrand, and has been approved by theFederal Communications Commission.A variety merchandise of Jigglypuff has been also made such as clothing,plushies,and jewelry.
Jigglypuff has proven to be a popular character since its introduction.Jigglypuff has been noted as one of the series' most popular characters and one of Nintendo's mascots.The bookPikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon'described Jigglypuff as popular with a young, female audience across the franchise as a whole, attributing said popularity to both the immediate attraction of children to its pink color and its contrast to Pokémon species more popular with young males, such asSquirtleorCharmander.Author Harry Schlesinger also noted that Jigglypuff was popular among girls.The journalSex Rolesnoted that while Jigglypuff's gender in the anime was never explicitly stated, it was identified by a majority of people as a female character in the series. Additionally, it was the most often named "female" Pokémon by children when asked to recall one, which the study attributed to its pink color and ability to sing its opponents to sleep.TheAustralian Journal of Language and Literacycited Jigglypuff as a tool to use for introducing children to drama, citing its mannerisms in the anime.
Andrew Tei of Mania.com complained that Jigglypuff's portrayal in the anime quickly becomes irritating.Carolyn Gudmundson ofGamesRadar+disagreed, calling Jigglypuff's anime appearances "totally badass" while also criticizing its unoriginal, overused design.She later described it as falling into the "huggable pink blob" archetype Pokémon, which she believed to be one of the more overused Pokémon designs.James Whitbrook ofGizmodopraised its appearance in the original games, highlighting its uncommon encounter rate and unique design as making it standout in comparison to other wild Pokémon. He also noted its high popularity, especially in marketing, labelling it as "ascendant" in comparison to other Pokémon in the series due to its notability.Steven Bogos ofThe Escapistsimilarly described Jigglypuff as "iconic" but criticized its lack of power.
Jigglypuff's floaty and campy playstyle in theSuper Smash Bros.series has led to some controversy. During a 2019 tournament ofSuper Smash Bros. Melee, a player decided to quit due to an opponent who played Jigglypuff repeatedly stalling.Largely credited with elevating the Melee community's perception of Jigglypuff's viability in competition and setting the standard of how to play the character, a notable professionalSuper Smash Bros.PlayerHungryboxrelies heavily on a defensive, counterattack-centric playstyle revolving around avoiding his opponent until he finds an opportunity to attack and capitalize on their mistakes; it is considered a "high risk high reward" playstyle, as Hungrybox's usual goal is to eventually hit his opponent with Rest, a move unique to Jigglypuff which inflicts instant high knockback on opponents, but leaves Jigglypuff open to attack.In response to the controversy, the tournament Super Smash Con made some rules against “ledge-camping”, as the character is so effective with the tactic that some people considered it "game-breaking" and making the game not fun to watch.
In 2018, Jigglypuff's singing habits became anInternet meme, and aTwitteraccount known as @jigglysinging was created to overlay popular songs over a clip of Jigglypuff singing.A Las Vegas street was also named after Jigglypuff.