Wooper

Wooper is a species of fictional creatures called Pokémon created for the Pokémon media franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Japanese franchise began in 1996, with the video games Pokémon Red and Green for the Game Boy, which were later released in North America as Pokémon Red and Blue in 1998.^[2] 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 called evolution via various means, such as exposure to specific items.^[3] Each Pokémon have one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon.^[4] A major goal in each game is to complete the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.^[3] Wooper is a blue creature with no arms, a flat tail, external gills, three curved lines on its stomach, and a large head with antennae protruding from it.^[5]

Wooper was first introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver. When developing the games, around 300 individual Pokémon designs were drafted by various members of the development team, with each deciding their names and features, revising the drafts as needed. During this process the team actively tried to avoid vague design concepts, as they felt this had caused difficulty in creating completed Pokémon during Red and Blue development. As the team selected which Pokémon would be included, they were drawn and finalized by lead artist Ken Sugimori.^[1] To maintain balance however, many of the newer species did not appear in the early stages of the game. Additionally, many of the Pokémon were designed with merchandise in mind, taking into account the related Pokémon toy line and anime series. As a result designs often had to be kept simplistic, something that caused strain for Sugimori and affected his approach to the next Pokémon franchise titles, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire.^[6]

Wooper's name comes from the term "wooper looper," a term coined in Japanese for pet axolotls.^[5] A feature introduced in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl saw certain Pokémon, including Wooper, given gender differences. Female Wooper have shorter antennae.^[7] Another design was later introduced, dubbed Paldean Wooper. Unlike Wooper, the pattern on its stomach resembles a rib cage, and instead of antennae, it has bones protruding from its head.^[8] The original Wooper evolves into Quagsire, while Paldean Wooper evolves into Clodsire.^[9]

First featured as one of one hundred new Pokémon added to Gold and Silver, Wooper has appeared in many subsequent releases in the Pokémon series. It is a Water and Ground-type Pokémon, and this form evolves into Quagsire, which retains this type combination.^[10][11] In the base release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Wooper does not appear outside of an in-game trade,^[12] though a regional Paldean variant appears instead. This form retains the Ground typing, but is a Poison type instead of Water. Instead of evolving into Quagsire, this Pokémon evolves into Clodsire.^[11] Regular Wooper eventually appeared in the downloadable content for Scarlet and Violet.^[13] Both forms of Wooper appear in Pokémon Go^[14][15] and the Pokémon Trading Card Game.^[16][17] A Pokémon mini themed after Wooper was also released.^[18]

Wooper has appeared in various spin-off video games. It appears in multiple entries in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, including Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Adventure Team for WiiWare, where it is a starter Pokémon in the Storm Adventure Squad version.^[19] It has been featured in other Mystery Dungeon releases, including Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky^[20] and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity, the latter which features it as one of a handful of Pokémon available that were not from the fifth generation of Pokémon species.^[21] It has also appeared in the Pokémon anime.^{[citation needed]}

Both forms of Wooper have received multiple pieces of merchandise, including stuffed animals, figurines, apparel, and jewelry.^{[22][23][24][25][26][27]} A large yawning Clodsire plush was also released, with buyers able to choose one that comes with two, five, or thirty Paldean Wooper.^[28]

 

Wooper has received generally positive reception, noted as a historically beloved Pokémon and the subject of frequent memes by IGN writer Rebekah Valentine.^[29] Inside Gamer writer Benjamin Ben considered Wooper among the best designs added to Pokémon Gold and Silver, praising its ability to make people happy with its simple smile. He also felt that its axolotl inspiration helped contribute to that.^[30] Following the leak of unused Pokémon in Pokémon Gold and Silver, Wooper's beta design became a particularly popular one, identified by Polygon writer Patricia Hernandez as the most popular who stated that some fans prefer the beta Wooper to the final design. Hernandez praised it for its cuteness and short stature, being unsurprised by its popularity and noting the large amount of fan art.^[31] Hobby Consolas writer Javier Escribano noted that, due to its chubbier design compared to Wooper, it has become a meme.^[32]

Upon being revealed in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Paldean Wooper became a popular Pokémon among fans, being given the nickname of "Pooper". Polygon writer Cass Marshall thought that Wooper was "always cute" due to its "silly expression."^[33] Game Rant writer Benjamin Jones suggested that its reveal was among the best at the time, noting how it being a Ground/Poison-type Pokémon was a notable change, arguing that the type combination was a powerful one, especially in combination with its ability, Water Absorb.^[34] GamesRadar+ writer Hope Bellingham also noted its Poison/Ground typing as a notable one, noting how it's the first time since Pokémon Red and Blue to have the type. They described it as a cute Pokémon, though noted that its type combination and abilities Poison Point and Water Absorb showed potential.^[8] Vice writer Renata Price noted that Wooper was a favorite Pokémon of theirs, appreciating that it got a new form that they made it a "dirty, grimy boy."^[35] Famitsu writer Count Tsukune appreciated the reveal, saying it was the cutest of the Pokémon revealed at the time, both in its game model and art. They stated that they decided to buy Scarlet and Violet after seeing Paldean Wooper.^[36] Despite the positive reception for Paldean Wooper, Fanbyte writer Imran Khan was critical of it, arguing that it was an example of a less inspired regional variant. He felt that Paldean Wooper was a less interesting idea for a Ground/Poison-type Pokémon than they could have done.^[37]

Critics have discussed the influences behind both Wooper and its Paldean form. Author Jean-Bruno Renard, while discussing fictional representations of axolotls, discussed Wooper, noting its various design and conceptual inspirations, citing its external gills and flat tail.^[5] While multiple authors noted that Wooper is based on an axolotl,^[30][5][38] GamesRadar+ writer argued that the Paldean form is based on the iberian ribbed newt. They argued that multiple design choices correlate between the two, including their brown skin, rib-like pattern, and their use of poison as a defense mechanism.^[8]

• Wooper on Pokemon.com
• Wooper at Bulbapedia, a Pokémon wiki