Kirby: Difference between revisions

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The character originally went by the name Popopo (ポポポ). HAL Laboratory eventually changed the name because they wanted it to appeal to kids outside of Japan, and polled Nintendo of America for suggestions. Among the candidates were "Gasper" and "Kirby".<ref name="kirbysadventure">[http://shmuplations.com/kirbysadventure/ ''Kirby's Adventure'' developer interview]</ref> In an interview with [[nwiki:Shigeru Miyamoto|Shigeru Miyamoto]] at [[wikipedia:Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011|E3 2011]] by Game Informer, Miyamoto confirmed rumors that the name Kirby was chosen partially to honor [[wikipedia:John Kirby (attorney)|John Kirby]], the attorney who defended Nintendo in the case [[wikipedia:Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd.|Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd.]] Miyamoto, however, explained that the name was also chosen because of the Japanese trend to give cute characters "very soft names with soft sounds in them". Miyamoto thought that the name Kirby had "harsh sounds" to it, and that "the juxtaposition of this cute character with this harsh-sounding name was very funny".<ref>[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/06/17/miyamoto-wii-amp-wii-u-are-colored-white-for-all-ages-appeal.aspx?PostPageIndex=3 Miyamoto Talks Wii, Zelda And Nintendo's Past - Game Informer]</ref>
The character originally went by the name Popopo (ポポポ). HAL Laboratory eventually changed the name because they wanted it to appeal to kids outside of Japan, and polled Nintendo of America for suggestions. Among the candidates were "Gasper" and "Kirby".<ref name="kirbysadventure">[http://shmuplations.com/kirbysadventure/ ''Kirby's Adventure'' developer interview]</ref> In an interview with [[nwiki:Shigeru Miyamoto|Shigeru Miyamoto]] at [[wikipedia:Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011|E3 2011]] by Game Informer, Miyamoto confirmed rumors that the name Kirby was chosen partially to honor [[wikipedia:John Kirby (attorney)|John Kirby]], the attorney who defended Nintendo in the case [[wikipedia:Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd.|Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd.]] Miyamoto, however, explained that the name was also chosen because of the Japanese trend to give cute characters "very soft names with soft sounds in them". Miyamoto thought that the name Kirby had "harsh sounds" to it, and that "the juxtaposition of this cute character with this harsh-sounding name was very funny".<ref>[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/06/17/miyamoto-wii-amp-wii-u-are-colored-white-for-all-ages-appeal.aspx?PostPageIndex=3 Miyamoto Talks Wii, Zelda And Nintendo's Past - Game Informer]</ref>


It is commonly thought that Miyamoto wanted Kirby to be yellow, and Sakurai decided to make him pink late in ''Kirby's Dream Land''{{'}}s development, hence why he appears as white on the game's international box art. This is incorrect, as it can be clearly seen that Kirby was pink in concept art for the game, even before his name was finalized. Miyamoto explained that he thought Kirby would have been yellow based on the monochrome sprite, and was instead pleasantly surprised to see him as pink in the color art.<ref name="kirbysadventure"/> Presumably in reference to this misinterpretation, later games often use a yellow Kirby as the second player, starting with [[Keeby]] in ''[[Kirby's Dream Course]]''. Meanwhile, it is unclear why Kirby was initially depicted as white on the international box art; [[Satoru Iwata]] believed it was a deliberate change to make him more marketable,<ref>{{cite person|quote=In addition, some people in the Western market said a pink soft character floating in air would never be accepted. So in the West, they changed Kirby's colour on the box from pink to white.|name=Satoru Iwata|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a86nyE9Ha0U|title=GDC 2011 keynote}}</ref> while Masahiro Sakurai believes it came from a simple mistake due to the colorless sprites of the Game Boy.<ref>{{cite person|quote=海外のカービィが白だったのは、ゲームボーイのROMが白黒だけだったため、海外の人が勘違いしたから。|name=Masahiro Sakurai|url=https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/43007166520627200|title=Twitter}}.</ref>
It is commonly thought that Miyamoto wanted Kirby to be yellow, and Sakurai decided to make him pink late in ''Kirby's Dream Land''{{'}}s development, hence why he appears as white on the game's international box art. This is incorrect, as it can be clearly seen that Kirby was pink in concept art for the game, even before his name was finalized. Miyamoto explained that he thought Kirby would have been yellow based on the monochrome sprite, and was instead pleasantly surprised to see him as pink in the color art.<ref name="kirbysadventure"/> Presumably in reference to this misinterpretation, later games often use a yellow Kirby as the second player, starting with [[Keeby]] in ''[[Kirby's Dream Course]]''. Meanwhile, it is unclear why Kirby was initially depicted as white on the international box art; [[Satoru Iwata]] believed it was a deliberate change to make him more marketable,<ref>{{cite person|quote=In addition, some people in the Western market said a pink soft character floating in air would never be accepted. So in the West, they changed Kirby's colour on the box from pink to white.|name=Satoru Iwata|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a86nyE9Ha0U|title=GDC 2011 keynote}}</ref> while Masahiro Sakurai believes it came from a simple mistake due to overseas staff misinterpreting the colorless sprites of the Game Boy.<ref>{{cite person|quote=海外のカービィが白だったのは、ゲームボーイのROMが白黒だけだったため、海外の人が勘違いしたから。|name=Masahiro Sakurai|url=https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/43007166520627200|title=Twitter}}.</ref> The ''[[20th Anniversary Kirby Pupupu Encyclopedia]]'' also states that this was likely to be a mistake from misunderstanding the monochrome screen.<ref>{{cite book|quote='''海外ではカービィは白かった!'''<br>
''{{furi|同|おな}}じく{{furi|海外|かいがい}}の{{furi|話|はなし}}だが、{{furi|初代|しょだい}}『{{furi|星|ほし}}のカービィ』のアートワークは、{{furi|現在|げんざい}}のピンク{{furi|色|いろ}}のカービィではなく、{{furi|白色|しろいろ}}で{{furi|発売|はつばい}}されている。{{furi|海外|かいがい}}のスタッフが、ゲームボーイの{{furi|白黒|しろくろ}}{{furi|画面|がめん}}を{{furi|見|み}}て、{{furi|勘違|かんちが}}いをしたからだという。''<br>'''''Kirby Was White Overseas!'''''<br>''On another international topic, the artwork for the original Kirby's Dream Land did not feature the modern pink Kirby; it released with a white Kirby instead. It is said that there was a misunderstanding with the overseas staff due to the black-and-white screen of the Game Boy.|book=20th Anniversary Kirby Pupupu Encyclopedia|publisher=Shogakukan|page=59}}</ref>
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