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No discussion of the pantheon of video game heroes is complete without mentioning HAL Laboratory’s Kirby. Including his recently-released 20th anniversary collection, the adorable pink puffball has close to two dozen appearances under his belt, which is an impressive feat for someone who lacks a waist.

Kirby has also gotten a bit of free publicity from website TV Tropes, with its “American Kirby is Hardcore” entry, which catalogues how the images of Kirby and other fictional characters are “toughened up” in marketing to make them more appealing to U.S. audiences.

In recent years, Kirby’s earned enough gamer goodwill to be as cute as he wants to in any market. Even still, we’re guessing he would have had a tough time of it initially in overseas markets if HAL had stuck with the character’s original name.

In the early promotional sheet for the character’s 1992 debut on the Game Boy, shown above, he introduces himself with, “My name’s Popopo! Easy to remember, isn’t it?”

Apparently even HAL thought the triple helping of “Po” was a bit much, as the advertisement goes on to give the initial name of the game as Twinkle Popo, which was later changed to Kirby of the Stars before becoming Kirby’s Dream Land for its international release. The character himself was renamed Kirby prior to the title’s Japanese release.

Here’s how Japanese Internet users reacted to Kirby’s more flamboyantly named and simpler-looking drawing board design.

His name aint Popopo!

He reminds me of Snorlax from Pokemon.

So why didn’t they just keep Popopo?

Is this Kirby’s Chinese knock-off version?

Why is he wearing lounge slippers?

So congratulations, Kirby, on your two decades in the industry. And after so many years together, we hope you won’t mind if we call you Popopo now and again, as long as there’s no one else around.

Source, image: Ajajashita