Editing Square Kirby

[[File:Square Kirby.png|thumb|right|300px|Official artwork of '''Square Kirby''']]
'''Square Kirby''' is [[Kirby]] but with a square body, which was introduced on April 1st, 2019 as [[Kirby Portal|the official Japanese ''Kirby'' website]]'s April Fool's prank. It was preceded by the [[Waddle Dee 25th Anniversary]] prank in 2018.

==Description==
[[File:Square Kirby description.png|thumb|right|300px|Japanese description of '''Square Kirby''']]
The official website gives a description of Square Kirby in Japanese:

{|class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="2"
!Original
!Translation (unofficial)
|-
|'''星のカービィが四角くなります'''
|'''Kirby Has Become Square'''
|-
|1992年に誕生して以来、まんまるピンクの変わらぬスタイルで<br>世界中のみなさまにご愛顧いただいて参りましたが、<br>このたび、カービィのかたちが「まる」から「しかく」に変わります。
|Since his birth in 1992, Kirby has been loved by people all over the world for his unchanging round and pink style. But now, Kirby's shape has changed from "round" to "square".
|-
|これから先も長く愛されるキャラクターを目指して、<br>より多面的な活躍、多角的な発展を遂げ、<br>よりエッジィな魅力を持った存在に成長すべく、<br>カービィとにスタッフ一同邁進して参ります。
|With this, the staff hopes to give Kirby an edgy charm that will allow for the multi-faceted development of multi-angled products, so that we can create a character who will be loved for years to come.
|-
|四角くなって安定感をすこれからのカービィを、<br>今後ともよろしくお願いいたします。
|We look forward to your support for a more stable, square-shaped Kirby.
|}

Descriptions like 多面的 (multi-faceted), 多角的 (multi-angled), エッジィな魅力 (edgy charm), and 安定感 (stable) are all references to squares, in addition to being interpreted as character traits. 
{{clear}}

==Miscellaneous==
The official websites for ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]'' and ''[[Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn]]'' had their main artwork temporarily replaced with equivalent art of Square Kirby; the banner links to these game's sites on the main page were also changed to match. The [[Kirby (series)|''Kirby'' series]]' Japanese name, 星のカービィ ("Kirby of the Stars"), is altered into 四角のカービィ ("Kirby of the Squares"), with 四角 stylized as a single kanji (四 at the top and 角 at the bottom) to resemble 星. These links lead to pop-up illustrations of [[Marx]], [[Hyness]], or [[King Dedede]] clarifying the April Fool's prank, providing actual thumbnails and links to games' sites. The merchandise section of the Square Kirby website features actual square/rectangular products, such as carrying bags for the [[Nintendo Switch]] console and a rectangular power bank. The "return to top" button also features Square Kirby with a square helmet in a [[cannon]].

When the prank was over, the site was moved from the main ''Kirby'' page to a sub-page, where it can still be accessed today. The bottom of the website is appended with a notice that Square Kirby is a joke and Kirby will remain round as always. The official websites for the previously-mentioned games were also reverted back to their original forms, though their Square Kirby versions were not preserved like the main page was.

In a tie-in to the Square Kirby joke, [[Qbby]] became round, and ''BOXBOY!'' was changed to マルボーイ ("Round Boy") for April Fool's Day in 2019.<ref>[https://twitter.com/Hakoboy_HAL/status/1112370524133310464 BOXBOY's offical Twitter post]</ref> In the [https://twitter.com/Kirby_JP/status/1112882387434659840 Channel PPP post announcing Kirby's return to normal], Qbby can be seen in the bottom right corner of the poster. Additionally, Channel PPP speculates that Kirby might have inhaled something strange, implying that he may have inhaled Qbby.

==Trivia==
[[File:SSBU Kirby Steve.png|thumb|200px|[[Kirby]] after [[Copy Ability/Super Smash Bros.|copying]] Steve in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'']]  
*Before this April Fool's prank, Square Kirby had appeared as jokes in several official manga series. In addition, [https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B01MQV5RDD/ official plushes of Qbby and Kirby by Sanei Boeki] were released along with ''BYE-BYE BOXBOY!'' in Japan in early 2017, in which Kirby takes the form of a cube (albeit with a look similar to Qbby).
*In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'', Kirby's [[Copy Ability/Super Smash Bros.|copy ability]] when copying [[smashwiki:Steve (SSBU)|Steve]] resembles Square Kirby due to ''Minecraft''{{'}}s cubical art style.

==Gallery==
{{center|<gallery caption="Square Kirby">
Square Kirby cannon.png|'''Square Kirby''' waiting in a [[cannon]]
Square Kirby shot.png|'''Square Kirby''' launched from a cannon
Square Kirby Star Allies.png|'''Square Kirby''' for ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]''
Square Kirby Star Allies logo.png|Altered logo of ''[[Kirby Star Allies]]'' ("Kirby of the Squares: Star Allies")
Square Kirby Yarn.png|'''Square Kirby''' for ''[[Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn]]''
Square Kirby Yarn logo.png|Altered logo of ''[[Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn]]'' ("Yarn Kirby Square Plus")
</gallery>}}
{{center|<gallery caption=Clarification>
Square Kirby caution.png|Caution icon featuring '''Square Kirby'''
Square Kirby Hyness.png|[[Hyness]] clarifying the April Fool's joke
Square Kirby Marx.png|[[Marx]] clarifying the April Fool's joke
Square Kirby Dedede.png|[[King Dedede]] clarifying the April Fool's joke
</gallery>}}

==External link==
*[https://www.kirby.jp/squarekirby/ Square Kirby permanent link (JP)]

==Names in other languages==
{{Names
|ja=四角いカービィ<ref>https://twitter.com/Kirby_JP/status/1112368991417200646</ref>
|jaR=Shikakui Kābii
|jaM=Square/Rectangular Kirby
*This Japanese name is used as the Twitter hashtag.
}}
{{ref}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Parody]]