Pipsy
| Pipsy | |
|---|---|
 Pipsy as depicted in Diddy Kong Racing DS | |
| Full name | Pipsy the Mouse |
| Species | Mouse |
| First appearance | Diddy Kong Racing (1997) |
| Latest appearance | Diddy Kong Racing DS (2007) |
| Portrayed by | Eveline Fischer[1] |
- “I may squeak under the wire, but don't call me a pipsqueak.”
- —Pipsy[2]
Pipsy is a lightweight yellow mouse who appears mainly in Diddy Kong Racing and its Nintendo DS remake. She wears a red hairbow with white polka-dots on it, a blue and white sailor suit and a pair of red gloves. Though she is a Western character, Pipsy has appeared in some Super Mario media released only in Japan, such as Mario no Bōken Land. After Microsoft's acquisition Rare in 2002, Pipsy and the other characters of Diddy Kong Racing (except Diddy Kong and Krunch) have been owned by the company.
History
Concept and creation
Pipsy's design was born out of a canceled game project called Astro Mouse. After the plans to make Astro Mouse a full game fell through, its main character was redesigned by Rare Ltd. artist Kevin Bayliss and included in Diddy Kong Racing as Pipsy.[3] Early drafts of Pipsy's redesign would see her with peachy pink fur and yellow clothing, or as a kangaroo donning boxing gloves named "Roo".[4][5]
Diddy Kong Racing / Diddy Kong Racing DS
Pipsy is one of the main playable characters in Diddy Kong Racing and its remake. She is the only female character in the original version, until the remake, where Tiny Kong and Dixie Kong appear in. Pipsy is one of many characters to assist Diddy Kong and Timber in preventing Wizpig from taking over Timber's Island. In the ending, Pipsy is seen riding on a pink triceratops. Her vehicle color is pink and her vehicle number is 3. Pipsy's statistics are tied with Tiptup for best acceleration and handling. Her top speed without bananas is 53.5 mph, and her theme instrument is steel drums.
Mario no Bōken Land
Pipsy makes a small non-speaking cameo in the Diddy Kong Racing segment of, Mario no Bōken Land, titled "Go Go Diddy!". She is shown competing in a race, in her car, in 10th place. In the finale of the story, she is seen celebrating Diddy Kong being awarded a crown for defeating Wizpig.
4-koma Gag Battle
Pipsy appears throughout the 4-koma Gag Battle manga adaptation of Diddy Kong Racing.
Mario Artist: Paint Studio
Her Diddy Kong Racing artwork appears as a stamp in Mario Artist: Paint Studio.
Unused appearances
Diddy Kong Racing Adventure
A "Dark" version of Pipsy would have appeared in Diddy Kong Racing Adventure, which was a rejected video game pitch idea. Her special move would have been throwing triangular cheese wedges that damage the player.
Profile and statistics
Diddy Kong Racing
- Character stats
- Weight: Light
- Acceleration: 5/5
- Handling: 5/5
- Top Speed: 1/5
- Vehicle Color: Pink
- Instruction booklet bio: (High acceleration, light weight, excellent handling, medium top speed) Evicted from her mountain home by the wicked Wizpig, Pipsy the mouse turns to her friends for help and gives them yet another reason to want the intruder out. She might seem delicate, but take her on in a race and you’ll find that she’s a lot tougher than she looks![6]
- Player's Guide: When it comes to skill and speed on the race track, this mighty mouse is certainly no pipsqueak. Driven out of her mountain home by the wicked Wizpig, she has a lot at stake in the coming challenge.[7]
- Nintendo Power Volume 103: Pipsy rules. She may seem like a light-weight, but when it comes to handling and acceleration, this mousy miss can thrash the rest of them. Her top speed is only medium, but she can make up for that with boosts and zippers. In a hovercraft, her light weight makes handling tricky for all but the most persistent mouse fans.[8]
- Diddy's Drivers Ed: On courses with lots of sharp turns, Pipsy can't be beat. She can turn on a dime in the car or the plane, but in a hovercraft she's almost unmanageable. Like Tiptup, collecting bananas and hitting every zipper is essential to winning with Pipsy.[9]
- Nintendo 64 Game Secrets, 1999 Edition: Pipsy’s a lady—and a regular front runner. Her top speed is mediocre, but on a par with the other racers. Her handling is excellent, and you’ll notice she holds the road like few other drivers—very little need to skid around those corners. Her acceleration also lies at the high end of the scale; even the tightest turn won’t slow her down for long. On the minus side: Pipsy is a pip-squeak. Her light weight means she’s all over the place in the Hover, and the heavier racers have little trouble knocking her out of the way.[10]
- Rarewhere: Evicted from her mountain home by the wicked Wizpig, Pipsy the mouse turns to her friends for help and gives them yet another reason to want the intruder out. She might seem delicate, but take her on in a race and you’ll find that she’s a lot tougher than she looks![11]
Diddy Kong Racing DS
- Character stats
- Speed: 1/5
- Acceleration: 5/5
- Handling: 5/5
Gallery
Early "Astro Mouse" design
Differently colored Pipsy
"Roo", Pipsy's kangaroo precursor
Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing
On Diddy Kong Racing's character selection menu
Diddy Kong Racing
Pipsy firing a missile while driving her hovercraft in Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing
Beginning the status
Cast of Diddy Kong Racing, Japanese commercial
Mario no Bōken Land
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ピプシー[?] Pipushī |
Pipsy | |
| French | Pipsy[12] | - |
References
- ^ Norgate, Graeme. Post on X by Graeme Norgate.
- ^ November 1997. Nintendo Power Volume 102. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 29.
- ^ Lerako (September 14, 2011). Top 4 Rare Characters With Concepts Entirely Different From The Final Product. RareGamer.co.uk. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
- ^ @Render_Archive (October 4, 2021). "Some diddy kong racing test renders shared by kev bayliss on tik tok". X. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ Kev_Bayliss (May 11, 2023). "Roo! Was replaced by Pipsy! Which #DiddyKongRacing character do you prefer? I think she’s have had a hard time steering with those gloves!". X. Retrieved May 11, 2023. (Archived May 11, 2023, 18:33:38 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ Nintendo (1997). Diddy Kong Racing instruction booklet. Nintendo of America. Page 23.
- ^ Swan, Leslie (1997). Diddy Kong Racing Nintendo Player's Guide. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 6.
- ^ December 1997. Nintendo Power Volume 103. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 15.
- ^ Diddy's Drivers Ed. dkr.com. Archived December 6, 1998, 06:57:14 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ^ April 7, 1999. Nintendo 64 Game Secrets, 1999 Edition Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games. ISBN 978-0761521037. Page 34.
- ^ Rarewhere: DKR Cast List. Rarewhere. Retrieved March 28, 2023. (Archived July 5, 1998, 00:52:50 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ February-March 1998. Official Nintendo french magazine N3. Page 25.
