On the Origin of Species: Wooper: Investigating the inspirations behind Pokémon

[BulbaBot]

On the Origin of Species: Wooper: Investigating the inspirations behind Pokémon

In the first of a new series of columns exploring the likely cultural and zoological origins of Pokémon species, the spotlight falls upon Wooper.

Read more on Bulbanews

 

[VeggiePopper]

Nice article. Wooper indeed is one of Gen II's best Pokémon designs. And of course, I feel proud that the inspiration behind it s a Mexican species.

 

[cowboy dan]

I never used to like Wooper or his evolution, but I must say the two have grown on me, and Wooper's got a cool source of inspiration.

 

[LightningTopaz]

Very fascinating, and cool!

 

[Zesty Cactus]

I'm still tired of editorials :/ can't we at least keep them off the main feed? Interesting subject matter, though.

 

[Katherine]

That was a great read. I've heard of the axolotl, but I didn't know all that stuff about it, and it's fairly strong connection with Woopers.

I hope that there'll be more editorials like that in the future. I've always been fasinated by the connection between certain Pokemon and the animal species they are based off of.

 

[PDL]

The article mentions Wooper's lack of arms, there is a good reason for that aside from just artistic license:

It's basically the same reason that Poliwag doesn't have arms, It all boils down to their immaturity. They're just starting to Metamorphozie into adult amphibians. They've grown the legs but they haven't grown the arms.

Also, I'm kinda dissapointed that the article fails to mention the actual phenomena behind Wooper's condition: Neoteny.

It isn't just Axolotls that display it, flightless birds, toy dogs, even human beings have a degree of it (Our ability to learn well after the adult stage is reached can be considered neoteny since other apes seem to stop once adulthood is reached).

 

[V Faction]

Feh. Big Woop.

 

[Magmaster12]

A while ago I actually created a web of pokemon and I did make poliwag a close decendent to wooper.

I'm also willing to accept any quesitons.
http://www.victoryroad.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=412&d=1267142796

I mainly based it off pokemon in the same egg groups.

 

[Bikini Miltank]

It is I, the author. Um, I have a different name on here, but it is me.

The article mentions Wooper's lack of arms, there is a good reason for that aside from just artistic license:

It's basically the same reason that Poliwag doesn't have arms, It all boils down to their immaturity. They're just starting to Metamorphozie into adult amphibians. They've grown the legs but they haven't grown the arms.

Also, I'm kinda dissapointed that the article fails to mention the actual phenomena behind Wooper's condition: Neoteny.

It isn't just Axolotls that display it, flightless birds, toy dogs, even human beings have a degree of it (Our ability to learn well after the adult stage is reached can be considered neoteny since other apes seem to stop once adulthood is reached).

I did get into a discussion of neoteny in the first draft, but it ended up being really long, and eventually I just chucked the whole thing. There's so many different types of neoteny that it became awkward to explain in a way that seemed concise. But that's what this thread is for, I suppose!

I never really thought about Wooper's lack of arms that way. Not sure I'm convinced, but it's an interesting thought.

Galactic Grunt: That's impressive. I've thought about the same idea myself. But then there are problems such as one Pokemon having two distinct origins (such as Bulbasaur, both plant and animal) and also different members of an evolutionary chain being totally unrelated in real life (Remoraid and Octillery) so I never really got very far.

 

[mini-chan]

wooper is my little bros favourite pokemon. i make tons of splices and recolours for him

 

[MasterKenobi]

This is a very interesting editorial to read, I did know quite a few things though already.

In the future if it interests people I could make something that shows the relation between Pokemon and their counterparts in the real world as the Wooper being based on an axolotl is a very interesting fact and does indeed show how it is influenced by its counterpart.

 

[Garren]

So, any ideas on who you're going to do next?

 

[LibraSnakes13]

You mention in your article that

"Pokémon evolution can be seen as an exaggerated version of the natural phenomenon of metamorphosis. In real life, many groups of creatures, including mammals and birds, don't ever undergo metamorphosis, but the Pokémon games imagine what it might be like if they could." (Hutcheon, On the Origin of Species: Wooper)​

I always have had a conflict with the idea of what it means when a pokemon evolves. A pokemon shouldn't be said to "evolve" since, in many examples like the Caterpie Family for instance, it's more or less a progression from a baby organism to an adult. True, it IS a big time change that many people would call evolution, but in reality, it should be metamorphosis.
I like the idea you have about how pokemon games expand upon the idea of metamorphosis from not just insects but all organisms in general. "Evolution" in general has been misrepresented in the games and should be taken lightly when dealing with Pokemon Systematics or the Evolutionary History of Pokemon.

BTW, Wooper is one of my favorite generation 2 pokemon so I enjoyed this article very much and makes me want to get an axolotl as a pet.

 

[Joshawott]

That was an interesting read. I already knew Wooper's basis, but it was interesting to read closer in depth about it. Also, Wooper just plain rules.

 

[Lugnut]

That was a good read! Wooper is a cool Pokemon, and I always like to read things about the link between real animals and Pokemon.

 

[The Outrage]

I'm still tired of editorials :/

Then don't read them?

It's not like they're stopping the main news from coming in.

 

[Iteru]

This was a great, interesting read. Hope to see more like this.

 

[Lief Katano]

I'm still tired of editorials :/

I hate people just writing whatever they want, too...this one is more closer to real Bulbanews, though.

 

[JohnnyCool708]

Ok not be a smart alec but I actually have known this for awhile. Back in the fifth grade I did a overwritten (for a fifth grader) six page report on this little marvel of a creature we call an axolotl. I was looking through the wikipedia article, when I noticed that Wooper was designed after an axolotl. Plus, the picture of the axolotl in the article was my cover. Agreeing with someone who said this previously, i was disappointed Bikini Miltank didn't mention neotony.