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User:The Millionth One/Poliwhirl

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Poliwhirl
Pokémon series character
First gamePokémon Red and Blue (1996)

Poliwhirl (ニョロゾ, Nyorozo), known as the Tadpole Pokémon, is a large, amphibious, froglet-like Pokémon. Its hands make it seem as though it is wearing white boxing gloves. It is capable of living in or out of water; in order to live out of water, it must sweat to keep its body slimy.[1] It prefers to live underwater in ponds where there is less danger.[2] In battle, it subtly undulates the spiral-shape on its belly to put the foe to sleep, using a type of hypnosis.[3] It is also capable of easily escaping the grasp of foes due to its greasy skin.[4]

Concept and creation

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As a child, Satoshi Tajiri collected insects and other small animals around his Machida, Tokyo home. Tajiri drew inspiration for Poliwhirl from the tadpoles that he collected; the swirl on the Pokémon's stomach comes from Tajiri's memories of being able to see tadpoles' intestines through their transparent skin.[5] Poliwhirl's English name came from a combination of the word "tadpole" and "whirl"; the later half of the animal name was combined with the symbol on Poliwhirl's stomach.[6]

Appearances

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In the video games, Poliwhirl is a Pokémon commonly found while fishing or surfing, and can evolve into either of two other Pokémon: Poliwrath with the use of a water stone,[7] or Politoed when Poliwhirl is traded to another game while holding a king's rock.[8] In the Pokémon anime, Misty had a Poliwhirl in the Johto series, which later evolved into Politoed. In the Pokémon Adventures manga, a Poliwhirl named Poli was Red's first Pokémon and was obtained as a Poliwag before the first chapter. Along with Pika and Saur, it is one of Red's most frequently used Pokémon. In Buzz Off, Electabuzz!, Poli evolves into Poliwrath to save Red from drowning after touching a Water Stone, one of the four stones speculated to be at the bottom of Vermilion Harbor. During this, Red has a flashback to his little Poliwag evolving to save him from drowning before.

Promotion and reception

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Poliwhirl has been one of the most marketed of all the Pokémon.[9] It was featured, along with Pikachu, Charmander, and Gengar, in a line of chewable vitamins shaped like Pokémon characters.[10] It was one of the Pokémon that Sensodyne turned into a child's toothbrush.[11]

IGN strongly criticized Poliwhirl, especially the extensive use of the Pokémon by marketers. They argued that it is neither cute nor useful, and that it is not popular among most Pokémon fans.[9] The reviewer went as far as to say, "when are you PR people going to figure out that nobody likes Poliwhirl? It barely even qualifies as having a face!"[9] They expressed a desire "to kick his designers", and warned against using Poliwhirl in any type of serious battle situation.[9] Another reviewer called Poliwhirl "mediocre."[6] GameDaily named Poliwhirl the eighth weirdest looking Pokémon, citing its odd swirl and what they saw as its hypnotizing properties.[12] Time Magazine called Poliwhirl a "disk with bulging eyes."[13] Author Loredana Lipperini commented that cynics described Poliwhirl as a "swivel with purple gloves".[14]

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References

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  1. ^ Game Freak (1998-09-30). Pokémon Red (Game Boy). Nintendo. Pokédex: It can live in or out of water. When out of water, it constantly sweats to keep its body slimy.
  2. ^ Game Freak (2001-07-29). Pokémon Crystal (Game Boy Color). Nintendo. Pokédex: Though it is skilled at walking, it prefers to live underwater where there is less danger.
  3. ^ Game Freak (1999-10-19). Pokémon Yellow (Game Boy). Nintendo. Pokédex: Under attack, it uses its belly spiral to put the foe to sleep. It then makes its escape.
  4. ^ Game Freak (2003-03-17). Pokémon Ruby (Game Boy Advance). Nintendo. Pokédex: The surface of Poliwhirl's body is always wet and slick with an oily fluid. Because of this greasy covering, it can easily slip and slide out of the clutches of any enemy in battle.
  5. ^ Larimer, Tim (22 November 1999). "The Ultimate Game Freak". Time Asia. Vol. 154, no. 20. New York City: Time Inc. p. 2. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  6. ^ a b "#061 Poliwhirl". IGN. News Corporation. 1998. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  7. ^ "#062 Poliwrath". IGN. News Corporation. 1999. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  8. ^ "Pokemon of the Day: Politoed". IGN. News Corporation. 24 October 2003. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d "Pokemon of the Day: Poliwhirl (#61)". IGN. News Corporation. 31 January 2003. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  10. ^ Ferraro, Susan (14 May 2000). "Medicine Chest Pokémon Vitamins". Daily News. New York City: Mortimer Zuckerman. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  11. ^ "Brush up on Pester Power!". Chemist + Druggist. United Business Media. 20 January 2001. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  12. ^ Buffa, Chris (27 March 2008). "Top 10 Weirdest Looking Pokemon". GameDaily. AOL. Archived from the original on 15 April 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  13. ^ Orecklin, Michelle (10 May 1999). "Pokemon: The Cutest Obsession". Time. New York City: Time Inc. Retrieved 4 March 2010. {{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Lipperini, Loredana (2000). Generazione Pokémon: i bambini e l ... - Google Books. ISBN 9788882102494. Retrieved 5 April 2011.


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