History Trivia / Kirby

* CreatorsPest: Masahiro Sakurai allegedly hated Adeleine from ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards'' due to her being a TokenHuman, which he didn't want in ''Kirby'', to the point of enforcing a [[ExecutiveMeddling no human mandate]] on ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'', causing her to be ExiledFromContinuity in that anime. Notably, in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series, Adeleine is one of the few ''Kirby'' characters to not be acknowledged in any form, not even via a sticker or spirit, likely as a result of this.

** ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' lists the song "Strong Star Warrior" from the Japanese version of ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'' as "Checker Knights" from ''VideoGame/KirbyAirRide''.

* MarthDebutedInSmashBros: [[https://wikirby.com/wiki/Kirby_Star_Allies:_The_Original_Soundtrack The official soundtrack]] for ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' lists "Decisive Battle With a Mighty Boss" as originating from ''VideoGame/KirbysBlowoutBlast'' despite appearing in ''VideoGame/TeamKirbyClashDeluxe'' first. This implies that the song was originally composed for ''Blowout Blast'', as it fits better with that game's style of music.

* DevelopmentGag: A two-part {{leitmotif}} was composed for one incarnation of the ultimately canceled UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube platformer, featuring both an introductory segment and a main four-bar passage. Despite the game's cancellation, the leitmotif would become [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZK_6-kamVI a recurring feature of the series]], starting with Yin-Yarn's battle themes in ''VideoGame/KirbysEpicYarn''.

** Between ''Kirby Air Ride'' and ''Kirby's Return to Dream Land'' (''Epic Yarn'' was developed by Good-Feel instead), HAL Laboratory made repeated attempts to create a home console game for the ''Kirby'' series. Their most known attempt was the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube game, announced in 2004, and widely believed to be reincarnated as ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand''. However, [[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/interview/sukj/vol1/index.html an interview]] revealed that the [=GameCube=] game was only the first of ''four'' attempts at a home console game, the final being ''Return to Dream Land''.
** ''Kirby Air Ride'' itself was trapped in DevelopmentHell for quite some time. It was originally announced as a UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} launch title in 1995, but after spending many years in production (during which it evolved from a sequel to ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamCourse'' to a standalone racing game), it quietly disappeared from Nintendo's product lineup. It was eventually moved to the [=GameCube=], but development still wasn't going well, so Masahiro Sakurai was brought on to restart the game's development once last time. This is the version of the game that was shown at E3 2003 and released that same year.

** Though the ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'' [[https://miketendo64.com/2016/08/26/kirby-planet-robobot-ask-a-thon-round-2/ Miiverse Ask-a-thon]] confirmed that -- at least for that game -- extra games like Meta Knightmare Returns and The True Arena are [[ForWantOfANail "what-if" scenarios]], it doesn't necessarily mean elements ''within'' them are non-canon (i.e. Galacta Knight's existence), which some fans initially thought to be the case. Shinya Kumazaki later clarified in a ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'' [[https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/03/25/kirby-forgotten-land-features/ interview]] that the ''Kirby'' series itself essentially operates on a LooseCanon; the games are generally canon to each other in terms of basic plot points and character development, but [[BroadStrokes the specifics are negligible]] to avoid restraining future plot ideas too much.

** The Super NES version of ''Kirby's Star Stacker'' never got released outside of Japan due to being released there in 1998, '''two years''' after the Nintendo 64's release and one year after the discontinuation of the SNES in North America. However, it is regularly given call-backs in later installments, starting with ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'' including a sticker of its final boss Gryll and some of its music in the EX stages.

** ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'' also resulted in an influx of newcomers to the series thanks to positive reception and word-of-mouth, interestingly despite the game being much more continuity-based than previous titles. Music/{{Siivagunner}} making its mark on the same year as ''Robobot''[='s=] release and featuring the game in many rips also likely helped the game reach a wider audience than it would have otherwise.

* TheWikiRule: NIWA's [[https://wikirby.com/wiki/Kirby_Wiki WiKirby]], Fandom/Wikia's [[https://kirby.wikia.com/wiki/Kirby_Wiki Kirby Wiki]], and Miraheze's [[https://kirby.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Kirby_Encyclopedia The Kirby Encyclopedia]].[[note]][[http://kirbysrainbowresort.net/ Kirby's Rainbow Resort]]'s Kirbypedia was merged into Kirby Wiki, and now redirects to it.[[/note]]

* ThrowItIn: Kirby's appearance was originally intended to be a placeholder.

* TropeNamers: This series named the following tropes:
** AmericanKirbyIsHardcore
** FountainOfMemes (after the Fountain of Dreams)

* TheMerch: ''Kirby'' has a surprisingly huge and diverse range of merchandise (although most of it bar plushes are [[NoExportForYou Japan-only]], unless you frequent import shops). Aside from the typical plushes and keyrings, Kirby merchandise has taken the form of towels, blankets, stationery, bento boxes and cups, sweets, and even ''make-up kits.'' He also has [[Literature/ItsKirbyTime a range of picture books]], which, while nominally in Japanese only, has been [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slkvuh2KOWg officially translated for the Nintendo channel]] as part of the franchises's 30th Anniversary celebrations. The success of the merchandise can likely be put down to Kirby's cute and simple design, making it easy to put his face to practically anything, as well as Japan's love of UsefulNotes/{{Kawaisa}} in general.

** A common rumor is that Masahiro Sakurai and Shigeru Miyamoto fought over Kirby's color scheme (the former wanting him to be pink and the latter wanting him to be yellow), and that this indecision led to the international box art of ''Kirby's Dream Land'' featuring a white Kirby until the issue was decided. However, Kirby was always intended to be pink from the beginning, with [[https://cdn.wikirby.com/f/f9/Popopo.jpg early concept art]] making this clear, and the two never fought over it.[[note]]It also fails to hold water because the Japanese version, which features a pink Kirby on the box, came out three months before the first international release (April 27, 1992 in Japan, August 1, 1992 in the US).[[/note]] The misconception stems from Miyamoto saying that [[https://shmuplations.com/kirbysadventure/ he thought Kirby was yellow until he saw the color artwork]] because of similar characters such as Pac-Man. Sakurai believes that the international version's white Kirby stemmed from [[https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/43007166520627200 a miscommunication with the artists,]] while Satoru Iwata stated in his GDC keynote that he believed it was an attempt to make the character more marketable in the west.

* HeyItsThatSound: The series [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-hNChQF0fk frequently uses]] the Fairlight CMI's [="ARR1"=] sample in its soundtracks, to a downright memetic degree among fans. The sample was previously a staple of popular music in the '80s, being audible in songs such as [[Music/SongsFromTheBigChair "Shout"]] by Music/TearsForFears, "Moments in Love" by Music/ArtOfNoise, "Zoolook" by Music/JeanMichelJarre, [[Music/InvisibleTouch "Domino"]] by Music/{{Genesis|Band}}, and [[Music/{{Security}} "Lay Your Hands On Me"]] by Music/PeterGabriel (among many, ''many'' others).

* FlipFlopOfGod: [[RiddleForTheAges Does Kirby have red feet, or is he wearing red shoes?]] Nothing really touches on this question except for a few [[DependingOnTheWriter licensed]] [[DependingOnTheArtist comics]]. Among [[WordOfGod series directors]], [[https://archive.fo/hpLlI Sakurai]] once stated that Kirby [[DoesNotLikeShoes does not use shoes]], but when asked what Kirby's feet look like without shoes, [[https://archive.fo/0qw9a Kumazaki]] instead laughed and replied with "[[HandWave the mysterious composition of Kirby’s body is top secret.]]" [[https://archive.org/details/nintendo-magazine-system-uk-44-may-1996/page/88/mode/2up Another source]] vaguely refers to Kirby's feet having "gummy pads" allowing him to cling to surfaces, though it also falsely claims that Kirby can get the ability to fire "lightrays" from his eyes, so it may be facetious[[note]]unless one counts the Laser ability, but at this point, Kirby used his arms instead of a visor, and it describes the wrong game[[/note]]. There's also the fact that many other characters and species have similar-looking appendages, including Meta Knight, who started off with what appeared to be plainer limbs which [[ArtEvolution later evolved]] into padded armor. However, the original ''[[VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand Twinkle Popo]]'' [[https://www.chrismcovell.com/secret/GB__1991Q4.html reveal artwork]] clearly depicts the red portion as a sock or slipper-like texture with a hint of pink skin, so despite the promotional design being tweaked, it shows that they were at the very least intended to be some kind of footwear.

* ShortLivedBigImpact: While the ''Kirby'' series itself has trucked on continuously since 1992, the "Dark Matter Trilogy", as the nickname implies, only occupied three games: ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand2'', ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3'', and ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards''. Their creator, as mentioned, is a ReclusiveArtist who faded from the public view after 2002. Despite this brevity, the three games have had a tremendous impact on the ''Kirby'' series since their release, introducing a greater level of "show, don't tell" storytelling, emphasis on more intricate puzzle solving (compared to the Sakurai-directed games' action-oriented approach), and willingness to delve into [[SurpriseCreepy surprisingly dark and disturbing]] imagery and subject matter that later games would follow. This is most noticeably displayed with ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' and the games that followed its example, which despite orienting the games back in a ''Super Star''-esque direction owe much of their puzzle-solving elements, atmosphere, and storytelling styles to the template that the Dark Matter Trilogy first set.

* AscendedFanNickname: The Waddle Dee with a bandana was commonly referred to as Bandana Waddle Dee as fans, and come ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'', that became his canon name. The developers had initially considered calling him Bandee, but decided to make him representative of Waddle Dees as a whole rather than his own character.

** Shinya Kumazaki has mentioned that his favorite Copy Ability is Hammer.

* ReclusiveArtist: Despite his sizable contributions to the franchise through directing the Dark Matter Trilogy (''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand2'', ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3'', and ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards'') and working as a map designer on several other games, developer Shinichi Shimomura suddenly disappeared from the public eye following the release of ''Nightmare in Dream Land'' (which he co-directed alongside Creator/MasahiroSakurai) in 2002. He hasn't been seen or credited on any games since, and is so elusive that a sizable contingency of people assumed that he was actually Creator/SatoruIwata operating under a pseudonym, which was eventually debunked when [[https://twitter.com/ObscureKirby/status/1491294200079745026 two pictures of Shimomura]] from a Japanese ''Kirby's Dream Course'' guidebook surfaced online in 2022.

* UncreditedRole: As of 2023, the designer who has been voicing Meta Knight since ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' remains uncredited.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Has [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/Kirby its own page]]