50 Fun Facts About Pikmin

Who created the Pikmin series?

He said the Super Mario 128 tech demo from 2000 was effectively played by everyone 'in a game called Pikmin'.

On which console was the original Pikmin released in 2001?

It was one of the first planned first-party titles for the system and later got a Wii port and a Switch remaster.

What is the name of the planet the Pikmin live on?

It is Earth-like and strongly implied to be Earth long after humans have gone.

Captain Olimar comes from which planet?

Its atmosphere lacks the oxygen that is poisonous to him on the Pikmin planet.

Olimar's rocket, the S.S. Dolphin, is named after what?

Olimar's own name in Japanese is a syllabic anagram of Mario.

Olimar's Japanese name, Orimā, is a syllabic anagram of which other Miyamoto character?

Both characters were created by Shigeru Miyamoto.

Olimar names the creatures 'Pikmin' because they resemble what from his home planet?

In Pikmin 2 Louie loses a shipment of golden Pikpik carrots, or so he claims.

In the first game, how many days does Olimar have to repair his ship before his life support fails?

Pikmin 2 removed the deadline entirely, letting players spend as many days as they liked.

Roughly how long does one in-game day last in Pikmin?

Everything left out at sunset is eaten by nocturnal predators, so the clock drives the whole design.

How many total ship parts must be reclaimed in the first game to earn the best ending?

Only 25 are required to escape; missing all of them turns Olimar into a Pikmin-Hocotatian hybrid.

In the worst ending of the first Pikmin, what happens to Olimar?

The Pikmin carry his body to an Onion after the Dolphin fails to launch.

Which three Pikmin colours appear in the original game?

Later games added purple, white, rock, winged, ice and glow varieties.

Which Pikmin colour is immune to fire?

They are also the strongest of the original trio in combat.

Thanks to their gills, which Pikmin can move through water?

Everyone else drowns, which is why water is one of the series' most persistent hazards.

In Pikmin 2, Yellow Pikmin lost the ability to carry bomb rocks but gained immunity to what?

From Pikmin 3 on they also became the fastest diggers alongside Rock Pikmin.

Purple Pikmin have the strength and weight of how many ordinary Pikmin?

They move slowly but can stun enemies with a shockwave when they land.

White Pikmin damage an enemy in what unusual way?

They are also the fastest runners and can spot treasure buried underground.

Bulbmin, found only in certain caves in Pikmin 2, are Pikmin that have parasitised which enemy?

Adult Bulbmin are hostile, but the juveniles can be recruited and are immune to every hazard.

Which two Pikmin types were introduced in Pikmin 3?

Rock Pikmin smash crystal and cannot be crushed; Winged Pikmin fly over water and lift items through the air.

Which two Pikmin types were introduced in Pikmin 4?

Glow Pikmin are used on the new night expeditions and are immune to every element.

Mushroom Pikmin, which attack other Pikmin, are created by spores from which enemy?

They are the only Pikmin that turn on their own kind.

What are the Pikmin's mothership-like nests called?

Feed one and it produces seeds that grow into new Pikmin to be plucked from the ground.

What grows on a Pikmin's head to indicate its strength and speed?

Feeding a Pikmin nectar or leaving it planted advances it up the stages.

According to the series lore, a Pikmin is roughly as tall as which object?

Olimar himself is described as about one inch tall.

The name 'Pikmin' derives from which Japanese word used to count the creatures during development?

It became 'Piki', then 'Picky', and finally 'Pikmin'.

The art style of the first Pikmin was inspired by the work of which filmmaker?

The theming drew on the film Fantastic Planet and Richard Dawkins's book The Selfish Gene.

Which 2000 tech demo did Miyamoto say people had 'already played' in the form of Pikmin?

The demo animated up to 128 Marios at once, showing off the crowd technology that became Pikmin.

Which song, used in the Japanese ads for Pikmin, became a hit that eclipsed the game's own sales?

It was recorded by Strawberry Flower and briefly boosted the game's weekly sales when it charted.

In Pikmin 2, why do Olimar and Louie return to the Pikmin planet?

A bottle cap Olimar brought home as a souvenir turns out to be worth a fortune.

In Pikmin 2, Louie claims a shipment of luxury carrots was eaten by what?

The epilogue reveals Louie ate them himself and falsified his report.

The final boss of Pikmin 2, on which Louie is found perched, is what kind of creature?

It is called the Titan Dweevil, and a ship's log implies Louie may have been controlling it.

Pikmin 3 was released for which console?

It was announced for the Wii in 2008 and moved to the Wii U by E3 2011; a Deluxe Switch port followed in 2020.

The three captains of Pikmin 3 come from which planet?

Alph, Brittany and Charlie are hunting fruit seeds to save their home from famine.

In Pikmin 3, Alph is the engineer and Charlie the captain. What is Brittany?

Louie later steals their food supply along with Charlie's rubber duck.

What is the name of the two-player split-screen mode in Pikmin 3?

Each player has a 4-by-4 grid of items and races for four in a row.

Hey! Pikmin, the series' first handheld game, was released on which system?

It was a 2D side-scroller developed by Arzest, and its release coincided with the New Nintendo 2DS XL.

In Hey! Pikmin, how much Sparklium must Olimar collect to repair the S.S. Dolphin II?

The 'treasures' are mostly ordinary household objects like glasses and toothpaste.

Pikmin Bloom, the mobile spin-off, was developed by which company?

It rewards walking in the real world, in the same spirit as the developer's Pokémon Go.

In Pikmin 4, what is the name of the dog-like creature that helps the player?

Olimar bonds with a similar creature that he names Moss.

In Pikmin 4, the player is a rookie member of which organization?

Its ship crashes on arrival, so the newest recruit has to save the rescuers as well as Olimar.

Pikmin 4's competitive mode is named after which Japanese word for efficient planning?

Fans adopted the word as shorthand for the whole series' multitasking philosophy.

Pikmin 4 was the first in-house Nintendo EPD game built with which third-party technology?

It was co-developed with Eighting and became the series' best seller with over three million copies.

In Pikmin 4, castaways afflicted with a leafy condition that lets them breathe oxygen are called what?

Even Oatchi catches it, sprouting a leaf on his tail that stops the crew leaving the planet.

Olimar first became a playable fighter in which Super Smash Bros. game?

He could command up to six Pikmin in that game, cut to three in later entries.

Pikmin gummy candy sold in Japan in 2021 gave which flavour to the Blue Pikmin?

Reds were apple, yellows orange and whites lemon.

Under what label were Pikmin and Pikmin 2 ported to the Wii in 2008 and 2009?

Pikmin 2 later joined the Nintendo Selects budget line in 2012, and both games were remastered for Switch in 2023 as Pikmin 1+2.

Which entry in the series is its best seller, with more than three million copies sold?

Critics praised its visuals and accessibility while faulting its low difficulty and limited multiplayer.

The three 2014 Pikmin Short Movies were first shown at an event in which city?

The shorts, including 'The Night Juicer' and 'Treasure in a Bottle', were later used to promote Pikmin 3 Deluxe.

Which Wii U launch title included the team attraction 'Pikmin Adventure'?

The GamePad controlled Olimar while Wii Remote players took on robotic versions of Pikmin enemies as Pikmin.

Which studio co-developed Pikmin 4 with Nintendo EPD?

Veteran Pikmin developer Yuji Kando served as chief director, with Takashi Tezuka producing and Miyamoto as general producer.