Kirby is arguably one of those characters that are simultaneously very simple and yet instantly recognizable. The pink little blob first appeared on the GameBoy in the game Kirby’s Dream Land. He was originally intended as a simple placeholder character, but the design stuck.
Originally he wasn’t pink due to the limitations of the original GameBoy. The artwork would depict him as white instead. It was when Kirby arrived on the NES in the game Kirby’s Adventure that he got the pink shade that he is now famous for. The game also established a lot of Kirby’s core abilities. His copy ability first appeared in this game and became a signature mechanic after this.
According to a recent test made by Computer Disposals Limited, Kirby is also the most recognizable character in gaming. They put him in a test where the objective is to identify famous video game characters based on rough shapes. And in 90% of the results, Kirby was correctly identified.
A Recognizable Shape
According to the results, out of the 1000 people who looked at the test, only 60% were able to correctly guess all the characters. In contrast, 90% of people were able to guess Kirby. The least recognized character was Simon from Castlevania, only 10% were able to guess him.
The purpose of the test was to serve as a reminder to look back on the classics. We’re in a time where a new generation of consoles are coming out, so it might be good to look back and recognize the video game characters that helped shape the gaming landscape.
Kirby of course does stand out. The pink blob’s unique shape and playstyle make him instantly recognizable to pretty much most gamers. And it’s nice knowing that even in 2020, almost 30 years since his first arrival, Kirby remains as recognized as ever.
