Tickled Pink

Ms. Splosion Man is an obvious homage to Ms. Pac-Man and distaff counterparts in general. It’s fairly common to see female versions of established male characters, and they often adhere to gender stereotypes. While Ms. Splosion Man shares her explosive attributes with her male counterpart, she was given lipstick, a bow, and long eyelashes to signify that she’s a chick. (She also loves shoes, because of course she does.) Her pink skin is the most obvious indicator of them all, and most people could accurately assume her gender even if she didn’t have any of the aforementioned fashion accessories. Women obviously shouldn’t be defined by fashion or arbitrary colors, so it’s important to examine Ms. Splosion Man through a satirical lens. She might look like a chauvinistic caricature, but she’s actually a deconstruction of the “Ms. Male Character” trope.

Theme park mascots usually create welcoming environments for would-be guests, but Robbie the Rabbit is more likely to chase them away. The pink bunny can be found slumped over in various locations around Lakeside Amusement Park, and he has the posture of a dead man. It’s unclear if there’s anyone inside the suit at all, and this makes the scenario even more unsettling. Recurring Silent Hill characters tend to be hideous or otherworldly in appearance, but Robbie is a relatively innocuous part of the town’s culture. While Pyramid Head is busy defiling mannequins, Robbie spends most of his time sitting motionless on park benches. His blood-soaked mouth is straight-up nightmare fuel, but this doesn’t appear to have affected souvenir sales. When it comes to merchandising, Robbie has found success in the game and in the real world.

Mister Typhon – also known as Typhoon or Chupon – is a menacing monster who first appeared in Final Fantasy VI. He’s largely defined by his grotesque face and toothy grin, and he also has a second face on his ass! Although Typhon looks imposing, he’s often painted in a humorous light due to the company he keeps. He has more power than his partner in crime, but the dude always seems to have a cold. This works to his advantage, however, since his trademark “snort” ability can remove his foes from battle by sending them flying into the distance. (He’s obviously never heard of basic respiratory etiquette, but I digress.) Typhon is a reliable source of entertainment and one of the most underrated Final Fantasy bosses. He would have been rated higher on this list if not for the fact that he’s sometimes purple instead of pink.

The Animal Crossing series is home to over 400 colorful villagers, and dozens of them would be eligible for a spot on this list. Chrissy probably isn’t the most obvious choice, but she’s been one of my favorite villagers since the GameCube days. The aspiring pop star is always in a good mood, and she’s easy to befriend. Although she dreams of fame and fortune, she still appreciates the finer things in life. She’s endlessly entertained by the most trivial of subjects, and she obviously takes fashion cues from Wonder Bread. People with too much energy can be annoying, but a quick conversation with Chrissy can brighten anyone’s day. She’s seldom seen without a smile, and she has a knack for making others smile too. She once told me that I should have my own action figure, and further implied that she would buy two! What a cool thing to say!

Most Dragon Ball characters aren’t eligible for the lists on this website, but Android 21 is an exception since she was introduced in a video game. As the main antagonist of Dragon Ball FighterZ, the top-heavy scientist can hold her own against the strongest fighters in the universe. Although she tries to pass herself off as a typical human, she was actually created from the DNA of powerful warriors and intelligent researchers alike. She’s one of the smartest characters in the Dragon Ball pantheon, but she’s unable to control her compulsive instincts. The cells of Majin Buu gave her phenomenal cosmic powers and an insatiable sweet tooth, so she often turns her enemies into confectioneries. She also inherited her pink skin from Buu, so everyone should be able to tell how dangerous she is with a simple glance.

Pinky was one of the four enemy ghosts in the original Pac-Man. Female video characters were a rare sight in 1980, and this likely explains why Pinky was often depicted as a male in early appearances. (Her feminine traits were further emphasized in subsequent games.) Although she occasionally chases Pac-Man directly, Pinky also has a strategic mind. She’s smart enough to anticipate his movements and quick enough to ambush him. She’ll take alternate paths around the mazes in order to get the drop on her target, and it’s no wonder why she’s also known as Speedy. Pinky’s status as an antagonist has been reduced over time, and she’s occasionally depicted as one of Pac-Man’s allies. She’s even shown to have romantic feelings for Pac-Man, and she’s completely infatuated with him in the Pac-Man World series.

This entire list could have been filled with Pokémon if the “one entry per franchise” guideline wasn’t in place. Slowpoke, Likitung, Clefary, and Mew were all contending for a spot on this countdown, but Jigglypuff was the clear choice. The fairy-type Pokémon is mostly defined by its enigmatic eyes and enchanting lullabies, and it can also float through the air by inflating its body. Jigglypuff could be likened to Kirby in many regards, and that likely explains its inclusion in the original Smash Bros.. Its spherical body could be rendered with a limited number of polygons, after all, and the pink puffball shared many moves with Kirby. Jigglypuff somehow earned a Smash invite before iconic Nintendo characters like Princess Peach and Bowser, and this made it one of the first Pokémon to achieve crossover success.

Birdo (known as Catherine in Japan) is a dinosaur-like creature that made her debut in a Famicom Disk System game called Doki Doki Panic. She can be identified by her oversized bow, and she primarily attacks her foes by shooting eggs and fireballs out of her cannon-like mouth. Doki Doki Panic was a promotional tie-in for a Fuji TV festival, so it may very well have been Birdo’s only role. Thankfully, Nintendo gave the game a new coat of paint and released it in the West as Super Mario Bros. 2. Birdo has been given all sorts of opportunities thanks to her association with Mario. She has raced go-karts, played tennis, and competed at the Olympic games. She’s been featured in over 70 games thus far, and she shows no signs of slowing down. That’s not a bad career trajectory for someone who was once considered an oddity.

Amy Rose made her debut in Sonic CD as the self-proclaimed girlfriend of Sonic the Hedgehog. She was the first female character in the series, so her color was basically a formality in 1993. Amy followed the blue blur around like a lovesick puppy, and hearts would literally flutter in the air whenever he was near. Although her feelings were not reciprocated, she was still determined to win his heart. Although I admire her optimism, her infatuation with Sonic borders on the obsessive. She often lets her emotions get the better of her, and she’s constantly breaking down in tears or blowing up in anger. To her credit, she becomes more self-sufficient over time and learns how to stand up for herself. Incidentally, all the time she spent chasing the hero around helped her evolve into a stronger individual.

We have already recognized Kirby as one of gaming’s greatest white characters, but his inclusion on that countdown was intended to be facetious. Although Nintendo of America apparently thought that Kirby should be white, Masahiro Saukrai had always intended for him to be pink. Kirby is one of the most loveable characters in gaming, and his simple design appeals to a wide range of demographics. The little guy has appeared in over 50 games since making his debut in 1992, and he has seen success in multiple genres. He’s one of Nintendo’s most versatile heroes, and his ability to acquire new powers from his enemies allows him to adapt to nearly any scenario. Kirby has seen tremendous crossover success in other forms of media, and he has established himself as one of the industry’s biggest merchandising giants.