957: Tinkatink

Fairy/Steel feels like a weird typing to have a lot of, but here's yet another one. Tinkatink is a little baby thing with a metal smithing thing going on. We know we've gone off about a certain other baby-like Pokemon and how its babyish-ness was struck a little too close to home to find any pleasant features about it, but Tinkatink is thankfully stylized enough to have a disconnect.

It has the usual callings of a baby-proportioned Pokemon. Small body and bulbous noggin, this time sporting a little up-do which feels like it's calling a little caveman to mind. Its legs are so short they border on not existing, but it makes up for it with big arms to hold a giant metal "rattle" in place of a would-be hammer, which is an adorable idea. We're just not too keen on the "armor" on the front, which feels like it can only be attached to the poor thing via a peg-hole like it's some kind of plastic figure.

And then I'll put him in a box. I'll put that box inside another box. I'll mail the box to myself. And when it arrives, I'll SMASH IT WITH A HAMMAH!

958: Tinkatuff

Tinkatuff doesn't do anything too outrageous with the concept, it's just the baby but a little older and "meaner" looking. Though it apparently preys on Steel type Pokemon, namely Pawniard and Bisharp, on order to break metal pieces off of them to build onto its hammer. And We like how said hammer is actually visibly Tinkatink's rattle, just with sheets of metal added onto it!

Personal Score: 7/10

Just had a thought-- THREE pigtails!

959: Tinkaton

Tinkaton is notably less ogre-ish than the other two, choosing instead to up the cute factor with a huge head of hair, including two pigtails. And its hammer is obviously now more "complete" looking, the thing apparently weighing 220 pounds but is waved effortlessly by lil Tinkaton here. And look! You can still see the "rattle" in the core of the hammer there!

"Tiny girl with an oversized weapon" is a tried and true trope, which we feel like finds limited success. Like, sometimes you'll end up with a decent enough classic like an Amy Rose or Poppy from League of Legends, but other times you end up with ones that feel a little too derivative. Tinkaton, thankfully, brings some pretty fun ideas of its own to this particular subgenre of character design!

For one thing, it's using the metalsmithing angle to throw in a bit of fantasy dwarf or gnome energy into the mix, which feels welcome among Fairy types. And we think it helps that Tinkaton is deceptively large. Its proportions suggest a tiny, chibi creature, but ingame it's only a little shorter than the player character.

And it even LOOKS like a metal smith too! With that little pudge of a tummy giving the vague suggestion of an apron, and especially those big arms looking like smithing gloves. And probably the best single detail in the whole design are its cartoonishly bulbous and bright pink thumbs, as if it's smashed them while doing smithing work!

Its Pokedex entry also makes it out to be a bit of a pest, with it being the reason why Corviknight cannot be the taxi Pokemon of the region like in Galar, because Tinkaton here specifically target Corviknight probably both for its Steel type and the fact that it's a big predator. The fandom interprets this Pokedex entry as Tinkaton regularly bodying Corviknight, but seeingly missed out on the part where it brings up Tinkaton has a "daring disposition." As in it's in over its head, picking fights with a much larger flying predator that a mostly grounded creature can't fight too well.

That's not to say we'd think Tinkaton is the losing party, so much as the two fight each other for a bit, Tinkaton because it wants Corviknight's armor and Corviknight because an oversized elf is getting on its nerves. They have an epic dual for a bit until the two hardy creatures get tuckered out before either of them is actually beaten and the Corviknight just leaves. But of course, with Tinkaton being the one that's picking the fight, it's free to spread the propaganda that Corviknight is a pushover! Corviknight is a wimpy little bird! Tinkatons BEAT Corviknight every time! Totally!

Either way, Tinkaton is good, it's no wonder it's shot up to be a fan favorite.