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, Nintendo Power [2]
Pipsy is a lightweight, yellow mouse, debuting in Diddy Kong Racing, and reappearing for its remake, Diddy Kong Racing DS. She wears a red hairbow with white polka-dots on it, a blue and white sailor suit and a pair of red gloves. In the original game, she is the only female character, until the Nintendo DS remake introduces Tiny Kong and Dixie Kong. She was created by Rare Ltd., and due to the Microsoft buy out of the company, the rights to her character are now owned by Microsoft.
Character 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.[4]
Early "Astro Mouse" design
Differently colored Pipsy
Pipsy's kangaroo design
History
Donkey Kong franchise
Diddy Kong Racing
Pipsy is one of the main playable characters in Diddy Kong Racing, having been kicked out of her home by Wizpig. She is the only female in this version and 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.
Diddy Kong Racing DS
Pipsy goes relatively unchanged in the remake, Diddy Kong Racing DS.
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.
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 (page 23): "(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!"
- Player's Guide (page 6): "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."
- Nintendo Power Volume 103 (page 15): "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."
- 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."
- Nintendo 64 Game Secrets, 1999 Edition Prima's Official Strategy Guide (page 34): "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."
- 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!"
Diddy Kong Racing DS
- Character stats
- Speed: 1/5
- Acceleration: 5/5
- Handling: 5/5
Gallery
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 |
Trivia
- 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.
References
- ^ Twitter confirmation by former Rare employee Graeme Norgate
- ^ @DKVine, Twitter.
- ^ RareGamer.co.uk (Accessed on 01-14-14)
- ^ @Render_Archive. Twitter.
