Kinopio-kun
The title of this article is official, but it comes from a non-English source. If an acceptable English source is found, then the article should be moved to its appropriate title.
| Kinopio-kun | |
|---|---|
| |
| Species | Toad |
Kinopio-kun is a Toad with a green-colored mushroom cap similar to that of a 1-Up Mushroom and wearing a green vest, similar to the green, mustached Toads from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and its remake. He is the mascot of Nintendo's LINE social media account. The application is designed for users to text one another, but Nintendo has designed Kinopio-kun as a bot that will automatically respond to users, with prewritten messages. For example, if users text him the name of certain Nintendo characters, Kinopio-kun responds with his opinions on said character.[1] His speech can be characterized by frequent, sometimes ungrammatical use of です (desu) as a polite marker. He makes it clear that he is not Toad himself, but rather a friend of his. His name derives from the Japanese name for Toad ("Kinopio") and the "-kun" part being a suffix used in Japan, usually to denote a man younger or the same age as the speaker. According to the calendar wallpaper images as well as material related to Nintendo LINE, he is friends with a Boo and a few little birds.
A Toad resembling Kinopio-kun appears in concept art in The Art of Super Mario Odyssey.[2]
On May 21, 2021, it was announced that Nintendo is phasing Kinopio-kun out of the LINE account.[3]
Gallery
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Kinopio-kun.
Kinopio-kun icon
Kinopio-kun, searching for a four leaf clover
Kinopio-kun, unboxing his Nintendo Switch
Kinopio-kun, captured by Cappy
Wallpaper featuring Kinopio-kun's drawing of himself
Kinopio-kun in the style of Mario Kart Tour
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | キノピオくん Kinopio-kun |
Toad-kun |
External links
- Topic about Kinopio-kun from Nintendo in Japan. Accessed January 18, 2020.
References
- ^ Kotaku (October 1, 2015). Nintendo's New Text Bot is Kooky. Kotaku. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ^ https://twitter.com/VGArtAndTidbits/status/1655581750574153728
- ^ AUTOMATON (May 21, 2021). 【ニュース】任天堂のLINEイメージキャラ「キノピオくん」卒業。知る人ぞ知る、可憐と狂気を持ち合わせたぶっとび宣伝キャラクター (Japanese). AUTOMATON. Retrived May 22, 2021.
