Pikmin in other media
Elements from the Pikmin series have appeared in several other Nintendo games. The Super Smash Bros. series in particular is well-known for having references and content of multitudes of Nintendo series and, more recently, those of other companies. Regardless, Pikmin content has made its way into other games and forms of media, be it with content directly taken from the franchise, or references.
Animal Crossing series
Animal Crossing
In the original Animal Crossing, there is an e-Reader card with a Pikmin design, which can be used for clothes, wallpaper, etc. It can be viewed here. (Series 2, D04)
Animal Crossing: Wild World
In Animal Crossing: Wild World, there is an item called "Pikmin". When touched, it says the word "Pikmin", sounding similar to the sound that plays at the start of either Pikmin game. There is also a character named Gulliver, whose story shares similarities with the plot of Pikmin. The player can hit him with a slingshot and make him crash, after which his ship parts need collecting. His ship is named the "Porpoise 5000", which is clearly a reference to the S.S. Dolphin.
Animal Crossing: City Folk
In Animal Crossing: City Folk, Gulliver and the same items reappear, as well as a DLC-exclusive Red Pikmin hat, to commemorate the release of New Play Control! Pikmin, and a to-scale model of the S.S. Dolphin, to celebrate the 40th year anniversary of the Apollo 11's successful landing on the moon.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, the S.S. Dolphin, Pikmin and Red Pikmin Hat items reappear, and two new items are added: the Blue Pikmin hat and the Yellow Pikmin hat. All of these items are received through fortune cookies.
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Yellow Pikmin hat.
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Blue Pikmin hat.
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The Dolphin.
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Red Pikmin planter.
Kid Icarus: Uprising
In Kid Icarus: Uprising, when playing a competitive match with AI characters, they will be given random, Nintendo-related names, some of which include Olimar, Louie, and Pikmin.
Mario series
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, if the player hits the ball into a flower bed, the three Pikmin types from the first game will fly out.
Luigi's Mansion
On Luigi's Mansion, there is an early trailer of Pikmin [1] that was released before the game's final production. It can be accessed by selecting Options, and then Pikmin Movie.
Super Mario Maker
In Super Mario Maker, players can spawn and collect a Mystery Mushroom on Super Mario Bros.-themed levels, that transforms Mario into a different character. Two of the costumes are from the Pikmin series: Captain Olimar and a trio consisting of the three main Pikmin. In the latter, the three Pikmin are next to each other, in the order yellow (flower), blue (bud), red (leaf), when facing the right.
Captain Olimar's costume is available by scanning an Olimar amiibo, or by getting it randomly, while the Pikmin costume is purely random. Each character costume also has sounds and sprites that reference the original series. The following table lists the references for the two Pikmin costumes. Both costumes use the standard Super Mario Bros. Starman theme.
| Action | Captain Olimar | Pikmin |
|---|---|---|
| Mushroom is collected | Olimar says "Olimar!". Same sound clip as when switching to Olimar in Pikmin 2. | The sound of a Pikmin being thrown plays. Only the Pikmin's sound, not the "whop" sound effect. |
 pose
|
Olimar whistles. The sound from Pikmin is heard. | The Pikmin flinch and pose as if they were whistled. The sound comes from Pikmin. |
| Crouch | Nothing to note. | The Pikmin lie down and pose like they do when idling in the Pikmin games. |
| Skidding | The sound Olimar makes when yawning while idling in Pikmin 2 plays. | Nothing to note. |
| Jumping | Olimar makes a sound for when he's idling in Pikmin 2. | The Pikmin make a sound from Pikmin 2. |
| Grabbing the flag pole | Nothing to note. | They grab the pole like they would a climbing stick. |
| "Level complete" jingle | Slight remix of the Koppai motif. | |
| Death | Plays the first four notes of the leader is down jingle from Pikmin 2. | Plays the sound for when a Pikmin dies and a spirit appears in Pikmin. |
In addition, the title screen uses a sound effect from Pikmin 3. By touching the "K" in "MAKER", an effect imitating an old movie is applied, and pressing the letter again will play a sci-fi "click" sound and remove the effect. The sound is the same sound that plays when a player touches the Go Here! button while it is grayed out.[2]
Nintendo Land
- Main article: Nintendo Land.
Nintendo Land includes a "Pikmin Adventure" mini-game, in which players play cooperatively as Miis dressed as Olimar or Pikmin to defeat a number of enemies over multiple levels.
Super Smash Bros. series
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Of Super Smash Bros. Melee's nearly 300 trophies, two are based on Pikmin. One features a group of standing red, blue and yellow Pikmin, while the other is a trophy of Captain Olimar that can only be obtained if there is a Pikmin save on the memory card. Interestingly, Melee came out before Pikmin did.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Main article: Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the third installment in Nintendo's cross-series 3D fighting game. Captain Olimar debuts as a playable character (referred to as Pikmin & Olimar) and his home stage is Distant Planet, a stage based on PNF-404, particularly Awakening Wood. There are 21 trophies and 16 stickers from the Pikmin series in this game.
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U
- Main article: Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U.
Olimar returns as a playable character in the fourth entry of the Super Smash Bros. franchise. Alph also appears as four of his alternate skins. In the 3DS version, Distant Planet returns as a stage; in the Wii U version, the Garden of Hope appears as a new stage instead.
WarioWare series
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
The Empress Bulblax makes a cameo appearance in the game WarioWare: Smooth Moves, wherein the player must tilt the Wii Remote to roll the beast from side to side in an endeavor to squash Pikmin. This mini-game is called "Pikmin 2", and the music is the theme played on the demo screens in Pikmin. The same music is also used as the "Louie's Dark Secret" theme in Pikmin 2.
WarioWare: D.I.Y.
Pikmin is a microgame in WarioWare: D.I.Y., made by 9-Volt. A target goes across the screen and the player must tap the touchscreen when it reaches the nectar, thus throwing the Pikmin towards it. If the player misses, the Pikmin will fall into the water, its spirit will come out, and the game will end in in a loss. If the Pikmin reaches the nectar, it will flower and the player will win.
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The "Pikmin 2" microgame in WarioWare: Smooth Moves.
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The "Pikmin" microgame in WarioWare: D.I.Y..
Nintendo DS family
- See also: 3DS.
In the 3DS built-in app AR Games, a Red, Yellow, and Blue Pikmin appear on an AR card.
Also, when one transfers their downloadable content from DSi to 3DS or Wii to Wii U, various types of Pikmin are seen "carrying" the data over.
StreetPass
In the 3DS Mii Plaza minigame Find Mii, one of the obtainable items for the player's Mii is the Pikmin Hat. This is similar to the Pikmin Hat in the Animal Crossing series, as mentioned above.
In another minigame named Puzzle Swap, there is a Pikmin-themed puzzle that features one of each of the three original types surrounded by Seeding Dandelions. It is a 15-piece puzzle that does not require Streetpass exclusive-puzzle pieces.
During a transfer of DSiWare, many of the standard three Pikmin can be seen carrying pellets over from one side of the screen to the other.
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The Puzzle Swap puzzle.
Yellow Pikmin hat.
Blue Pikmin hat.
Nintendo Badge Arcade
Pikmin content appears as badges in Nintendo Badge Arcade. A small variety of images exist, including Captain Olimar, an Onion, and Pikmin.
Nintendogs
A Red Bulborb toy is found in all versions of Nintendogs on a shelf in the second-hand shop. It is only part of the pre-rendered background shots and can not be obtained as an actual item for the dogs to interact with.
Wii U
On the Wii U, it takes a long time to transfer content from the Wii. To ease this, players get to view a little short film of the Pikmin "transferring" the data. First they carry the content across the land and onto an odd ship. Sometimes, a Pikmin will not make it onto the ship, so the ship has to reopen. Then it travels from the metaphorical Wii planet to the metaphorical Wii U planet, that looks like the sun. They then continue to carry their data to the memory core of the Wii U. This, and Nintendo Land, both show how the Wii U is the grand finale of Nintendo's past. None of the Pikmin types are from Pikmin 3, and there are no leaders to be seen.
Nintendo Monopoly (2010 edition)
Pikmin are featured on the sides of the box packaging for Nintendo Monopoly. B. & O. Railroad has been replaced with a red "Pikmin Onion". The S.S. Dolphin is also featured as a game piece.
TV shows
The Amazing World of Gumball
The Amazing World of Gumball is a cartoon series that occasionally references video game content. In the episode The Fury, in a retelling scene for a fighting tournament, a creature with a very strong resemblance to a Peckish Aristocrab can be seen.[3]
Mad
Mad is a TV series by Warner Bros. with short animated parodies of pop culture. Pikmin is the subject of one skit, titled Pikmin Pest B Gone[4]. It spoofs the typical TV infomercials, and in it, a farmer is distressed about his crops being constantly attacked. The narrator suggests the use of a product called "Pikmin Pest B Gone", which is essentially Captain Olimar on the S.S. Dolphin and a group of Pikmin along with an Onion. The narrator explains how the shipment may take 3 to 5 light-years to arrive, referencing the distance between Hocotate and Earth, and how the Pikmin can attack crop pests and grow in number after bringing back their bodies. The rate at which the Pikmin grow leaves the farmer worried about a new infestation – the Pikmin themselves. The narrator announces that there's a side-product called "Pikmin Pikmin B Gone", which is basically Olimar releasing Red Bulborbs from the S.S. Dolphin to bring down the Pikmin population. Now that the farmer is faced with an infestation of Bulborbs, the narrator suggests using "Pikmin B Gone B Gone". This product takes on the form of a blue S.S. Dolphin, but before he can explain what this is, the farmer decides it is best to just get rid of Olimar instead. He then grabs the Hocotatian and kicks him away.
Other media
Steven Universe BOOM! Studios comic
The main page for the Storytime issue of the Steven Universe comic made by BOOM! Studios shows Steven playing a console game that resembles a Pikmin game. On the TV screen, there is a dark-skinned man in a spacesuit throwing a creature that looks like a Yellow Pikmin, except it has a pointy nose like a Red Pikmin. At the top of the screen, there is also some HUD element with bars and a sun icon, most likely the Sun Meter.
Unreleased appearances
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
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This article or section is a short summary on Olimar's unused cameo at Starbeans Café. |
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga has unused sprites and conversation strings for a few Nintendo characters who were initially meant to appear in the café as cameos. The sprites contain Captain Olimar and a group consisting of the three basic Pikmin types. In the unused dialog, Olimar would speak to himself about the smell of the new coffee Mario (who he would call "Marlio", an anagram of "Olimar") holds, and attempt to attack Luigi, after seeing him as an enemy. Olimar was then meant to give Mario and Luigi the UV Lamp as a gift, but in the final game, this present was turned into the Cobalt Necktie.
Stage Debut
- Main article: Stage Debut.
Captain Olimar and Pikmin were planned to have large roles in the unreleased game Stage Debut.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
During Super Mario Galaxy 2's development, Donkey Kong and Pikmin cameos were proposed but they were turned down by Shigeru Miyamoto[5]. He explained that there has to be a functional reason to include characters of a certain type in a game and that the overall design of the Pikmin, being thin and tall, don't fit in the Mario universe where enemies are short and easy to stomp on.
Debatable references
The following is a list of spotted potential references to the Pikmin series, but whose veracity is debatable. For most of these cases, only a few characteristics of the referenced material matches the Pikmin world equivalent – not enough to completely assume that there is a full reference.
The Binding of Issac: Wrath of the Lamb
The Binding of Issac: Wrath of the Lamb features a boss and a boss re-skin known as "Daddy Long Legs" and "Triachnid", respectively. Both bosses act extremely similar to the Beady Long Legs, where it attacks by smashing with its feet and its head must be attacked. Both of their death animations are also very similar. The series is known to reference many Nintendo franchises.
The Daddy Long Legs.
The Triachnid.
Densetsu no Starfy R
The manga based on the The Legendary Starfy series (specifically, it is loosely based on Densetsu no Starfy 4) features a possible reference to Captain Olimar in chapter seven, Tenkai-koku, Game-Ou Ketteisen. At the end of the chapter, Starfy's best friend Moe is playing a game for the Famicom. According to the cartridge it is known as "Orima Brothers" (オリマブラザーズ?), based on the game Mario Bros.. However, this may have only been a play on "Mario" in reverse, rather than Captain Olimar. Additionally, Captain Olimar's Japanese name (オリマー?) is spelled differently, in that it has a long vowel mark elongating the "ma".
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
There is an enemy in The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap called the Puffstool. It is physically very similar to the Puffstool from Pikmin, having a red cap, yellow body, two legs, and even being a similar size due to being Minish-sized. However, the two have different names in Japanese, making the reference likely unintended by the original developers.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
In The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, when an insect is killed, the ghost that floats up is similar to a Pikmin's spirit. In addition, Bertie and Luv's daughter bears a resemblance to Captain Olimar.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker the three goddess statues resemble Red, Yellow, and Blue Pikmin. The statues all have a pole sticking out of their head (resembling a stem) and the Din statue has a nose, the Farore statue has ears, and the Nayru statue has a crack where the mouth should be.
Pokémon
The third generation of Pokémon introduced a grass/dark-type Pokémon named Nuzleaf. It has similar characteristics to Red Pikmin, having a pointed nose and a leaf on its head, and its "shiny" form has a red face and "trousers". Its highest stat is attack, and its ability, Chlorophyll, boosts a Pokémon's speed while it is sunny in battle, similar to how Pikmin grow flowers that boost speed after being buried for some time.
The sixth generation of Pokémon introduced a bug/flying-type Pokémon named Vivillon, that has several wing patterns, and the Fancy Pattern which was distributed via the Nintendo Network from July 8th to July 31st, 2014, has each wing contain three different colored flowers; a white, a red, and a lavender flower. This is a possible reference to the Pikmin's flower colors from all three games: white flowers for Red, Yellow and Blue Pikmin, magenta for Purple and White Pikmin, and lavender for Rock and Winged Pikmin.
Super Mario Galaxy
In Super Mario Galaxy's Space Junk Galaxy, there is a ship that bears great resemblance to the Hocotate ship in Pikmin 2. It serves no purpose other than as a planetoid, and hence, part of the level. It is not a precise recreation, and there has been debate over whether it is indeed modeled on the ship or whether any similarities are coincidence. The main features that allow a connection to be drawn are the colors, three fins and two bubble-shaped cockpit windows.
Yoshi's Island DS
In Yoshi's Island DS, one of the babies kidnapped by Kamek has a face very similar to Olimar's.
Ziggurat
The game Ziggurat has an enemy called "zombie carrot". It attacks in large groups, similar to how Pikmin attack in groups, and are carrot-shaped.
Televised programs
- In season 5, episode 6 of the television show "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy", the episode "Herbicidal Maniac" features one character, General Skarr, becoming a Pikmin-like creature.
General Skarr from "Herbicidal Maniac".
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See also
References
- ^ YouTube video showing the early Pikmin trailer from Luigi's Mansion
- '^ YouTube video in which the player touches the letter "K" in Super Mario Makers title screen (at 01:14)
- ^ YouTube video of the scene with the Peckish Aristocrab in The Fury
- ^ YouTube video of the Pikmin Pest B Gone skit
- ^ Miyamoto explains why Pikmin doesn't work in the Mario universe on Gamespot