By Jo
Bats normally symbolize fear, darkness, and at times even super heroes. Though what I love about Pokemon is that the creators normally cause people to reevaluate what they’d normally think of when seeing something and turning the tables on them. Woobat and Swoobat are prime examples of said table turning.
Woobat, the Bat Pokemon, is small and furry. It’s about the least scary thing you could think of, which is the exact opposite of what normally comes to mind when thinking of bats. Its body consists of a great blue ball of fluffy fur, a small set of black bat wings and a pink, circular nose with heart-shaped nostrils. Its eyes appear to be hidden by its blue fluff, and its mouth only contains a pointed tooth in the center. A main character in the thirteenth Pokemon movie wore a hat with a Woobat on it. It was one of the first Unova region Pokemon to be seen. According to its pokedex entries, Woobat inhabit dark forests and caves. They emit ultrasonic waves from their nose to learn about their surroundings. The suction from their nostrils enables them to stick to cave walls during sleep. They apparently leave heart-shaped marks behind. Woobat seems to be the literal interpretation of bat with a heart-shaped nose and may be based off from a type of albino fruit bat. Its name seems to be a combination of the words ‘woo’ (a possible reference to the fact that it evolves based on happiness) and ‘bat’. The Woobat line shares many similarities with the Zubat line as they both evolve into their final form via happiness, both are referred to as being of the Bat Pokemon species and both lines have the ‘bat’ suffix at the end of their names.
Woobat is one of the only Pokemon fifth generation to evolve through happiness (the only other being Swadloon). It’s a bit larger than Woobat, though appears to be equally nonthreatening. Instead of its entire body consisting of just a puff of fluff, its torso and waist are the only extremely parts of its body. Its puff of fur is about the same light blue as Woobat’s, and its bottom, head, and ears are a darker shade of blue. It has large eyes (that almost appear to be dilated), a wide smile, and a pink, heart-shaped nose. Its black wings come off from its torso and are a bit larger than its pre-evolution’s. Unlike Woobat, though, Swoobat has a pink, twisting tail. According to its pokedex entries, Swoobat emit sound waves in various frequencies from its nose to clear rocks from its path. It’s said that anyone who comes in contact with the ultrasonic waves that are given off by a courting male experience a positive mood shift. Swoobat’s name is most-likely a combination of the words ‘swoon’, ‘swoop’ and ‘bat’. Like Woobat, it seems to be an interpretation on a bat with a heart shaped nose.
Tags: Nintendo DS, Pokemon Black & White, Swoobat, Woobat