Jigglypuff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jigglypuff |
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| Pokémon series character | |
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| Designed by | Ken Sugimori |
| Portrayed by | Leah Smith (Pokémon Live!) |
| Voiced by | Rachael Lillis, Michele Knotz (English) Mika Kanai (Japanese) |
| Information | |
| Species |
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| Gender | ♂ Male / ♀ Female |
| Type | Normal Fairy |
Jigglypuff ( jig-LEE-puf), known in Japan as Purin (プリン), 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, however in Pokémon Live! it sings Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen, which doesn't put people to sleep due to being like a party song.
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.
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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. A Paradox Pokemon heavily resembling Jigglypuff, named Scream Tail, appears in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
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. Like the other playable Pokémon in the game, Jigglypuff is referred to as an "it", and members of its species 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 Sapphires Advanced Generation after over a decade, and disappeared after.
Another Jigglypuff appears in Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, 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 Pokémon: Detective Pikachu 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.
