Jigglypuff
Jigglypuff ( ), known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species. Jigglypuff first appeared in the video games "Pokémon Red" and "Blue" and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. Jigglypuff is voiced by Rachael Lillis in English and by Mika Kanai in Japanese. In the live-action musical "Pokémon Live!", Jigglypuff is portrayed by Leah Smith. Jigglypuff is also very well known for singing a lullaby in the Pokémon anime series. Known as the Balloon Pokémon, 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", intended to relate 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 the "Pokémon" series, Jigglypuff has received generally positive reception. It has been featured in several forms of merchandise, including figurines, plush toys, and the "Pokémon Trading Card Game". It also has appeared as a playable character in every entry of the "Super Smash  Bros." series. Design and characteristics. Jigglypuff was one of 151 different Generation I Pokémon designs conceived by Game Freak's character development team and finalized by Ken Sugimori, for the first-generation of "Pocket Monsters" games "Red" and "Green", which were localized outside Japan as "Pokémon Red" and "Blue". Its Japanese name "Purin", derives from the Japanese loanword for custard or pudding. 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. Deciding  to use a name better suited for its jelly-like appearance, the species was renamed "Jigglypuff", a combination of the words "jiggly" and "puff". When a Jigglypuff is exposed to a Moon Stone, it evolves into Wigglytuff. It has a pre-evolution, Igglybuff, which evolves when it reaches a certain point of happiness. Known as the Balloon Pokémon, Jigglypuff is shaped like a round ball with pink skin, large blue or green eyes, pointy ears, and a tuft of fur on its forehead. It can inflate its body like a balloon (usually when it becomes angry; this is accompanied by  a distinctive "honk" sound), or flatten its body, much like fellow Nintendo character Kirby. An exact limit to the size it can grow to in this manner is unknown. 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. They can easily adjust the wavelength of their voices to that of the brain waves of a sleeping being, allowing for their pleasing melody to put its audience to sleep. They sing  without pausing to take a breath, so if the opponent is resistant to sleeping, they potentially run out of air. 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. Appearances. In video games. Jigglypuff first appears as one of the 151 species of Pokémon in the "Pokémon Red" and "Blue" Versions. When a Jigglypuff is exposed to a Moon Stone, it evolves into Wigglytuff. In "Pokémon Gold" and "Silver", a pre-evolution, Igglybuff, was introduced, which evolves when it reaches a certain  point of happiness. It later appeared in several sequels, including "Pokémon Ruby" and "Sapphire", "Pokémon FireRed" and "LeafGreen", "Pokémon Diamond" and "Pearl", and "Pokémon HeartGold" and "SoulSilver". Since "Pokémon X" and "Y", it is a dual Normal/Fairy type. Outside of the main series, Jigglypuff has appeared in "Pokémon Pinball", "Pokémon Snap", "Pokémon Conquest", the "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon" games, the "Pokémon Ranger" games, and the "Pokémon Rumble" games. Jigglypuff is a playable character in all five "Super Smash Bros." games. It is one of the two original representatives of the "Pokémon" franchise in the "Super Smash Bros." series along with  Pikachu. Jigglypuffs are referred to as an "it" but the character can be either male or female. Despite not being a lead character in the "Pokémon" franchise, game director Masahiro Sakurai selected it to appear due to its similarities to Kirby, which allowed the staff to reuse the model and many animations as a base for Jigglypuff. Jigglypuff's moves in its "Super Smash Bros." appearances are Sing, Rollout, Pound, and Rest. Rest's mechanics are changed entirely; instead of recovering Jigglypuff's health, the move launches foes that touch it. In anime. In the "Pokémon" anime series, Jigglypuff is  a recurring character who aspires to be a great singer after the inspiration of Ash and 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 around to fall asleep. It carries around a trademark marker, 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. During Jigglypuff's first appearance ("The Song of  Jigglypuff"), it was found standing on a stump. Misty tried to capture it with the help of her Staryu, but felt bad when the Jigglypuff started crying. They soon realised that Jigglypuff was upset because it could not sing, and after a series of failed vocal exercises, Brock gave it a piece of fruit which soothed its throat. Now capable of singing, it performed for them, putting everyone within hearing range to sleep. This upset Jigglypuff, which angrily dug into Ash's backpack and pulled out a marker which it used to draw on the faces of everyone who fell  asleep. Only on two occasions has Jigglypuff believed that anyone had heard its song to the end: in the first, Jigglypuff realizes that Misty's Psyduck was sleeping with its eyes open, and in the second ("A Poké-Block Party"), a Whismur had heard the song for the first time and stayed awake due to its Soundproof ability, but on the second time it was tired and fell asleep. In "Beach Blank-Out Blastoise" Jigglypuff somehow got stuck inside one of Blastoise's hydro cannons but was later freed by Squirtle and Pikachu. In "The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis", Jigglypuff  sang to two gigantic Pokémon battling each other, but these two Pokémon did not fall asleep, and instead, Jigglypuff was knocked away by the energy of their battle. In the Pokémon short "Pikachu's Exploration Club", Jigglypuff is parodied by a Marill, which, in the same fashion, puffs up angrily after putting its audience into sleep with its song. In "Pokémon Chronicles", Marina has a Jigglypuff, but when the Jigglypuff uses Sing, people are not affected in part because of Beedrill, whose beating wings are too loud. In 2006, Viz released ten DVDs based around individual Pokémon in celebration of  Pokémon's 10th anniversary in the United States. The Pokémon featured were determined by an online poll on pokemon.com. Out of 45 choices, Jigglypuff's received second place and was released as volume 2, 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 by Viz Video, now Viz Media and 4Kids Entertainment. Jigglypuff's last appearance was in "Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire"s "Advanced Generation" after over a decade, and disappeared after . Another Jigglypuff appear in , but as a minor character Pokémon under its ownership of an unnamed girl Trainer, in which it has lost its battle against Ash's Charmander that has become middle-evolved Charmeleon, and then now fully-evolved Charizard during his battle against Cross's Incineroar. In printed adaptations. In the "Electric Tale of Pikachu" manga, a girl named Mimi owns a Jigglypuff, who helps defend a herd of wild Clefairy from Jessie and James of Team Rocket. The "Magical Pokémon Journey" manga series has a female Jigglypuff as one of the main characters, parodying Hello Kitty, and  is introduced to the series in a volume called "Cooking With Jigglypuff". The Jigglypuff in "Magical Pokémon Journey" is spoiled and rich, living in a mansion with Wigglytuff and Squirtle, the former being her sister and the latter her butler. "Jigglypuff's Magic Lullaby" is part of the "Pokémon Tales" series for very young children. Written by Megumi Hayashibara and 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 the "Pokémon Adventures" manga, 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 a hot-air balloon as well as block narrow passageways—a tactic instrumental in helping Silver and her escape the Masked Man. It evolved in "Breaking the Restraint" into a Wigglytuff alongside two of Green's other Pokémon with the power of her Moon Stones. In other media. Jigglypuff makes a cameo appearance in a season six episode of "Last Week  Tonight with John Oliver", in which the host accidentally kills one while playing "Pokemon GO". Jigglypuff is one of the Pokémon that appear in the "" film, voiced using archived recordings of Rachael Lillis from the anime. The character briefly appears at a coffee bar having accidentally put its trainer to sleep with its song. Promotion and reception. Jigglypuff has proven a popular character since its introduction. Described as "perhaps the most ridiculously named Pokémon" of the original 151 by "The Virginian-Pilot", Jigglypuff has been noted as one of the series' most popular characters and one of Nintendo's mascots . The book "Pikachu'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 as Squirtle or Charmander. The journal "Sex Roles" noted 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 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. The "Australian Journal of Language and Literacy" cited 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 of GamesRadar disagreed, calling Jigglypuff's anime appearances "totally badass" while also criticizing its unoriginal, overused design. David Caballero of "Screen Rant" listed Jigglypuff as the cutest normal type Pokémon, and stated that it is one of the  franchise's most recognizable and popular Pokémon that has been around since the early days of Generation I. GamesRadar editor Carolyn Gudmundson listed the "huggable pink blob" type Pokémon as one of the most overused Pokémon designs, stating that it had a memorable run on the anime. Author Harry Schlesinger wrote that Jigglypuff was popular among girls. James Whitbrook of "Gizmodo" stated that Jigglypuff is the most iconic creatures. Caitlin Griffin of "Screen Rant" listed Jigglypuff as a cutest fairy-type Pokémon, and stated that it is one of the most recognizable fairy Pokemon. Daniel Kurland of "Comic Book Resources  listed Jigglypuff as the most adorable normal type Pokémon, and stated that Jigglypuff is the cutest of its evolutionary line. Kevin Slackie of Paste" listed Jigglypuff as 19th of the best Pokemon. Steven Bogos of "The Escapist" listed Jigglypuff as 32nd of their favorite Pokemon, describing it as one of those iconic Pokemon that has quite a bit of sticking power. "International Business Times" cited Jigglypuff as an example of best Pokémon design in Generation I. Jigglypuff's performance in the "Super Smash Bros." led to some controversy. During the 2019 tournament of "Super Smash Bros. Melee", a melee player  decided to drop over opponent's Jigglypuff stalling, with character's floaty mechanic. 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 professional "Super Smash Bros." player Hungrybox relies 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. The move has a very small range, making it hard to connect, and, regardless of whether or not it successfully hits, leaves Jigglypuff asleep and completely vulnerable for a long time afterwards; as such, failure to connect with Rest, or failure to knock the opponent far enough to kill them, can result in massive damage inflicted on Jigglypuff, or, if the damage is already high, in an instant kill; sometimes, Jigglypuff does not wake up fast enough to avoid getting attacked even if the opponent did lose their stock. After the recent controversial in Melee , the Super Smash Con has made some rules against “ledge-camping”, as the character is so effective with the tactic that the fighters are breaking the game. IGN editor Lucas Thompson described it as a popular punching bag in the "Super Smash Bros." series, but also has dedicated players who make good use of it in battle. Jeremy Parish of Polygon ranked 73 fighters from "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" "from garbage to glorious", listing Jigglypuff as 42th. Scott Baird of "Screen Rant" considered Jigglypuff on "Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U" as worthless, and stated that it  is the lightest character in the game that can easily be KO. David Lozada of "GameRevolution" listed Jigglypuff as the worst "Super Smash Bros." character, and stating that how light the character, and can only KO an opponent that has 75 percent on "Super Smash Bros. Brawl". A fan-made video has been made and posted on Reddit a gameplay montage of "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" with Can-Can music of Jigglypuff. Gavin Jasper of "Den of Geek" ranked Jigglypuff as 14th of "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" characters, and calling it as a better Pokémon, because it’s both cute  and deadly. Jigglypuff is often featured on products where a scene of several Pokémon are shown. An example of this is the full-sized Pokémon 747 aircraft by Boeing. 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. "Solaseed Air" also has Pokémon theme such as Jigglypuff. Jigglypuff has been made into several different toy and plush forms, as well as other items. These include a four-inch action figure by Tomy Toys, a  small beanbag plush toy by Hasbro, a Halloween costume by Disguise Costumes, a six-inch plush "Christmas Jigglypuff", and an articulated action figure also by Hasbro. In 2015, An Amiibo of Jigglypuff has been made by Toys 'R Us. A Jigglypuff Bluetooth speaker was made by GameStop’s ThinkGeek brand, and has been published by the Federal Communications Commission. A variety merchandise of Jigglypuff has been also made such as clothing, sweatshirts and hoodies, hooded scarp, plush, build a bear workshops, fashion boots, wireless earbuds, controller, necklaces, kids shoe line, and jewelry collection has been also made. In 2016, after  the popularity of "Pokémon Go", According to BabyCenter, parents has been naming their babies as Pokémon creatures such as Jigglypuff. 2018, Jigglypuff singing habits become an Internet meme. Twitter account @jigglysinging has been made that overlay hit songs for a clip of Jigglypuff performance. In 2019, Westboro Baptist Church recruits Jigglypuff against LGBT community on "Pokémon Go".