Original kirby game

When one thinks of the name Kirby, thoughts might go to the famous Jack Kirby of Marvel fame, but usually, they're thinking of this little guy. Though it sounds believable enough, Kirby was not named after the vacuum cleaner brand. Despite his powerful suction ability. The real inspiration behind the name might actually surprise you. The name comes from John Kirby, Nintendo's lawyer who defended them against lawsuits from Universal over similarities between King Kong and the arcade game Donkey Kong.

Supposedly, Kirby received a copy of Dream Land and had a laugh over the whole ordeal. That's one way to get your name out, we suppose. If you've ever played a Kirby game, you're probably familiar with the character's now-famous copy ability. When Kirby consumes an enemy, he takes on that creature's attack.

Because of this ability, Kirby has wielded a sword, shot lasers, and even spat fire. However, this was not the case for Dream Land. Kirby did not have his signature ability in his first outing, but it was added in for the NES sequel to give the game more action.

Aside from some impressive graphics changes for the system, the copy ability was the biggest improvement and feature for the series. As shocking as it may seem, Kirby was not even supposed to star in a game series at all. In fact, he wasn't even a real character in development. In the early days of programming, Sakurai put in a character known as Popopo to be the placeholder character until a real one was designed.

Nintendo and Sakurai soon found that the character's simple and cute design perfect for the game environment. He was colored pink, renamed Kirby, and as now one of Nintendo's most popular characters. Via: IGN.

Share Share Tweet Email. Related Topics Lists Kirby. Zach Gass 49 Articles Published. Kirby's Super Star Stacker. Kirby The Crystal Shards. Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble. Super Smash Bros. Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. Kirby Super Star Ultra. Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition. NES Remix 2. Kirby: Triple Deluxe. Kirby Fighters Deluxe. Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe. NES Remix Pack. Ultimate NES Remix. Another ability turns Kirby into a burrowing mole who can dig under enemies to attack.

The trailer also reveals that cooperative gameplay is returning with the latest Kirby game. A second player can join in and play as Bandana Waddle Dee. Kirby and the Forgotten Land hits the Nintendo Switch on March 25 and joins the ranks of tons of other exciting titles releasing in early This is the free app ISS astronauts use for Earth photos.