One day, I'll grow up to be marketable

172: Pichu

Pichu is our introduction to a fairly small subclass of Pokemon, “Baby” Pokemon. Most of them are pre-evolved forms given to already existing Pokemon, and a lot of Gen 2's babies are a mixed bag. The concept of Baby Pokemon just in general feels like a mixed bag, really. I'm not entirely against the concept, but so many of the Pokemon that were given baby forms really feel like they should've gotten evolutions instead. ESPECIALLY since a notable amount of Baby Pokemon ate up the last space in a line's limit of 3 stages. At times it really feels like they're only there to advertise Gold and Silver's shiny new Breeding feature.

For the sake of speeding this up a bit, I'm gonna cover this first batch of babies all on one page. Especially since my opinion on the latter two are pretty much the same. Here to double-dip on its older brother's popularity, it's Pichu!

Thankfully though, Pichu's one of the better designed babies. Pikachu's cute and all but Pichu here is just entirely too adorable. I do like how its fur colors are a little muted, as if Pichu's coat becomes more vivid as it gets older. And while it only really affects gameplay in Smash, I do like how it's not gotten used to its Electric powers, so it has a tendency to hurt itself with its own thunder shocks. Aww!

Personal Score: 7/10

Wet's Tawk 'Bowt Pokewmawn

173: Cleffa

This is where the babies begin to show their worse off side. I can understand wanting to create baby stages for Pokemon like Magmar or Electabuzz, since it doesn't make a ton of sense for creatures to hatch right out of an egg being four feet tall and already well developed. If nothing else, for logic's sake. Cleffa, while cute, feels in most ways totally unnecessary. If anything, Clefable could have used an evolution, but now it's screwed out of getting one thanks to having a baby stage.

Cleffa's design isn't even all that impressive to me. Yeah, it's cute, but it's otherwise not a shocker in any way, and doesn't even have any fun twist to it like Pichu does. Maybe it'd be easier to buy if it always existed as part of the Clefairy family, but as is, eh. It doesn't really add anything to the line.

Espurr wore it better.

174: Igglybuff

Igglybuff is a LITTLE more unique than Cleffa, I'll give it that. But I'm still puzzled as to why it's a thing that exists anyway. It does at least have the added flavor that its method of movement is bouncing around haphazardly like a balloon is cute, but eh. I still can't help but feel like Wigglytuff should've gotten an evolution instead. In fact, to me, Igglybuff looks so... oddly divorced from Jigglypuff and Wigglytuff? Like, it has similarities for sure. But the combination of red eyes, odd swirly mark on its head, and a different hairdo just make it look like a Pokemon look-alike's knockoff version of Jigglypuff rather than something meant to be related to Jigglypuff.