Wolpole

Wolpole
File:1wogpole.jpg
Appears in	Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3
Scientific name	Amphicaris frodendum
Family	Amphituber
Areas	The Forest of Hope, The Distant Spring, Awakening Wood, Perplexing Pool
Caves	Shower Room, Hole of Heroes, Dream Den
Challenge Mode stages	None
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	None
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	None
Side Story days	None
2-Player Battle stages	None
Bingo Battle stages	None
Attacks	None

Wogpoles are enemies in the Pikmin games. They resemble tadpoles in appearance, and are in fact the larval form of the frog-like Yellow Wollywogs. In Pikmin, they only appear in the The Forest of Hope and The Distant Spring areas. They are typically a hard-to-get, low-reward enemy in that they are fast swimmers which produce only one Pikmin seed when carried to the Onion. In Pikmin 2, Wogpoles are found in the Awakening Wood (being chased by wild Blue Pikmin) and the Perplexing Pool, as well as the sublevels of certain caves where they have the treasure value of merely one poko. While being chased, Wogpoles may sometimes accidentally beach themselves, flopping about helplessly until they land safely back in the water. They may also drop from the ceiling, usually on a dry spot in an otherwise wet level. As a side note, the Wogpoles in Pikmin seem to be closer to maturation than those in Pikmin 2, as the legs near their tails are present.

Their name is changed to Wolpole in New Play Control! Pikmin 2 and remains that way in Pikmin 3. In most aspects the Wolpol in Pikmin 3 is the same creature as the Wogpole, as it continues to swiftly flee if chased in water and offers no further resistance than the occasional shake. The AI has been made less intelligent, as it no longer flees from the captain in rather random directions, but instead from the direction the captain is coming from, making its movements easily predicable and controllable. Its skin seems slightly brighter and greener than the Pikmin 1 and 2 versions, and it seems larger with eyes that bulge out of its body even more, possibly indicating a later stage of development.

Notes

Reel notes

“This creature appears to be a newborn yellow wollywog in tadpole form.”

Olimar's notes

“The wollywog spawns in early spring, laying its eggs on low-hanging tree branches and shrubs growing in or near lakes and ponds. Such unorthodox amphibious behavior is a defense mechanism, protecting the eggs from predation by blue Pikmin and water dumples. The wollywog's wild hopping near the shoreline in early spring is thought to be a method of driving predators away from the wogpole eggs.”

Louie's notes

“Wogpoles can be eaten raw, but they're much more flavorful when steamed or grilled. Also heavenly in risotto! Feel free to experiment with this lush ingredient.”

Strategy

Although they constantly swim away from captains, Wogpoles will occasionally stop for a few seconds when only chased by Pikmin, giving the Pikmin a chance to attack. Wogpoles themselves can't attack, but they can cause flower Pikmin to lose their petals when they shake the predators off. Since they only yield one Pikmin seed when retrieved, they're almost always more trouble than they're worth.

The new AI in Pikmin 3 allows the player to rather easily force the Wolpole along the pond walls until it flops onto land, allowing even non-blue Pikmin to kill it and take it with them. If the Wolpole is not killed in time, it will eventually flop its way back into water and swim to its spawning location, regardless if it is being chased or not, making it even easier to defeat that the original Wogpole with blue Pikmin.

Gallery

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  A group of Wogpoles.

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  A Wogpole in water.