Trivia / Chibi-Robo!

• Acclaimed Flop: The original game was positively received by critics but bombed sales-wise, due to being exclusively released on a fairly unpopular console at the tail end of its lifespan.
• Colbert Bump: Scott The Woz's frequent references to the series (especially his hatred of Zip Lash, which became a Running Gag) have helped Chibi-Robo gain more attention over the years.
• Creator Killer: Zip Lash can be seen as this to not only the entire Chibi-Robo franchise, but also to Skip, Ltd. themselves. Fans weren't pleased by the game's new direction, and critics were largely nonplussed towards the game, resulting in it becoming a major commercial flop. Skip stopped making games after Zip Lash, and rumors began speculating in 2020 that the company closed that were ultimately confirmed in 2024.
• Fan Translation: The third game in the series, Welcome Home, Chibi Robo! Happy Rich Big Sweep, has a fan translation.
• Fan Nickname: Fans of the aforementioned Fan Translation have taken to using the translator's name for the game, Chibi Robo: Clean Sweep.
• Invisible Advertising: The whole franchise has suffered a lot of this in the US, but Park Patrol is the worst offender. At the very last minute Nintendo opted to make it exclusive to Walmart, and it was released a mere day before the far more anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass on the same platform, ensuring it would be completely overshadowed on top of receiving little fanfare from Nintendo themselves.
• Keep Circulating the Tapes: Not a single game in the entire series has ever seen a re-release outside of the Japanese-exclusive "New Play Control" remake of the first game. The original game is the worst case of this, as its heavy Cult Classic status in addition to being an Acclaimed Flop means it's one of the most sought after GameCube games on the market, on a platform that's already notorious for high secondhand prices. The prices frequently exceed $100 for a loose copy.
• No Export for You:
  • Park Patrol in Europe. The rest of the world likely won't see the third game with the DS long being exceeded.
  • Despite having also been released in North America, the original GameCube game was only re-released in Japan as part of the New Play Control line for the Wii.
• Screwed by the Network: Outside of Japan, the franchise has been plagued with a combination of No Export for You and Invisible Advertising. The worst example is Park Patrol, which not only got little marketing up to its release, but also was made store-exclusive (only available in Walmart stores in North America) at the last minute.
• What Could Have Been: The original plot of the first Chibi-Robo game was about Chibi-Robo defending his creator's house from robbers. It was also originally intended to play in a style reminiscent of Point-and-Click games.