Candypop Buds (ポンガシグサ?, lit.: "Puffed Grain Weed") are large flowers with fleshy petals and are found in all three main Pikmin games. When Pikmin are tossed into these gigantic blossoms, they spit out new Pikmin seeds which match the color of the flower's petals. These new Pikmin are born in the leaf stage. The Candypop Buds expel the seeds after five Pikmin are thrown in, or a few seconds after the first throw; the exception being the Queen Candypop Bud, which does so after the first Pikmin is thrown.
In Pikmin, Candypops can transition up to 10 Pikmin in one load, and will wither after 50 Pikmin are thrown in. Both of these numbers were reduced to 5 in the second and third games. In Pikmin 2, using Pikmin of the same type as the flower does not count against this limit, although they will still be reverted to leaf Pikmin and planted in the ground. In Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin holding bomb-rocks will not be taken in by Candypop Buds, merely sliding off the top; the same will happen to thrown leaders in Pikmin 3. However, in Pikmin 3, if a Pikmin holding a bomb rock is thrown in a Candypop Bud, it will extend upwards before wilting away, killing the Pikmin with it without leaving a soul behind.
In Pikmin 2, Candypop Buds are never found above ground and only appear in caves, where they will respawn when the cave is reentered. In some caves, Violet Candypop Buds and Ivory Candypop Buds will only appear if the player has less than a certain number of Pikmin. To unlock a Candypop Bud's entry in the Piklopedia, the player must throw at least one Pikmin inside and wait for a seed to be spat out.
In Pikmin 3 they have a different appearance, consisting of a large bucket-like cup in the middle of the flower, most likely as a "target" for leaders to aim Pikmin at. They also behave slightly differently, as they are always closed, opening only when a leader is nearby, and when they wither, their roots remain in place. Also, if two players throw Pikmin in a Candypop Bud at the same moment in Bingo Battle, the Candypop Bud will spit out seeds for both teams, depending on the number of Pikmin that were thrown in by each of them.
Notes
Olimar's voyage log
Reel notes
Members
Crimson Candypop Bud
- Main article: Crimson Candypop Bud.
When Pikmin are tossed into a Crimson Candypop Bud, an equal number of Red Pikmin seeds are spat out. These plants are generally not needed with good planning, but they are more useful if one is far from the Onions and has a small number of Red Pikmin on hand.
Golden Candypop Bud
- Main article: Golden Candypop Bud.
Golden Candypop Buds release Yellow Pikmin seeds when Pikmin are thrown in. While large numbers of Yellow Pikmin are not often needed, use of the Golden Candypop Bud is required to obtain the Chronos Reactor in Pikmin. This particular Candypop Bud is very rare in Pikmin 2, making only one appearance inside the Glutton's Kitchen on sublevel 3. In Pikmin 3, Golden Candypop Buds often appear near electrodes.
Gray Candypop Bud
- Main article: Gray Candypop Bud.
Official family unknown
Gray Candypop Buds spit out Rock Pikmin seeds when Pikmin are thrown in. Gray Candypop Buds are uncommon in Story Mode, but a cluster of four appears in the southernmost region of the Tropical Wilds, in an arena with a Calcified Crushblat. Since only Blue Pikmin and Winged Pikmin can reach the arena, and Rock Pikmin are the best type to defeat the enemy, these candypop buds are useful.
Ivory Candypop Bud
- Main article: Ivory Candypop Bud.
Ivory Candypop Buds produce White Pikmin seeds when Pikmin are thrown in. This Candypop Bud is the only method of obtaining White Pikmin in Story Mode. Many Ivory Candypop Buds are found in the White Flower Garden on sublevel 3 when the player has 19 or fewer White Pikmin, and on sublevels 3 and 4 of the Subterranean Complex.
Lapis Lazuli Candypop Bud
- Main article: Lapis Lazuli Candypop Bud.
Lapis Lazuli Candypop Buds produce Blue Pikmin seeds. They're particularly useful if the player needs more Blue Pikmin to carry an object through water.
Pink Candypop Bud
- Main article: Pink Candypop Bud.
Official family unknown
Pink Candypop Buds release Winged Pikmin seeds when Pikmin are tossed in. They can only be found in the Formidable Oak in Story Mode, but are found more frequently in Mission Mode.
Queen Candypop Bud
- Main article: Queen Candypop Bud.
Queen Candypop Buds are unique in the Candypop family. Their petals are white with colored spots which cycle between red, yellow, and blue. When a Pikmin of any type is tossed in, nine seeds which match the color of the spots are ejected, giving players an eight-Pikmin gain. After the seeds are ejected, the Queen Candypop Bud wilts. These flowers are generally found in rest sublevels of caves, to let the player increase their Pikmin population.
Violet Candypop Bud
- Main article: Violet Candypop Bud.
Violet Candypop Buds spit out Purple Pikmin seeds when Pikmin are tossed in. This Candypop Bud is the only way to obtain Purple Pikmin. Many Violet Candypop Buds and Queen Candypop Buds can be found on sublevel 8 of the Subterranean Complex, making it the ideal location for growing more Purple Pikmin.
Maximum Pikmin requirement
Some Violet Candypop Buds and Ivory Candypop Buds will only appear if the player has less than 20 of the equivalent Pikmin type. If the player has 20 or more of that Pikmin type, the Candypop Bud will not spawn, and no other object will take its place. This can be seen, for instance, in the second sublevel of the Citadel of Spiders: the Violet Candypop Bud always appears in dead ends, and if the player is over the maximum Pikmin requirements, there will be an empty dead end in the sublevel.
Interestingly, only the Pikmin inside the cave and the Pikmin inside the Hocotate ship count toward this limit. This means that Pikmin sprouts in an overworld area, including the area the cave is in, will not count. The game will only check for the requirement at the start of the sublevel.
The following sublevels have Candypop Buds that do not appear if the player has 20 or more of the equivalent Pikmin type:
- Violet Candypop Bud:
- Emergence Cave, sublevel 2
- Frontier Cavern, sublevel 1
- Hole of Beasts, sublevel 2
- Citadel of Spiders, sublevel 2
- Glutton's Kitchen, sublevel 2
- Shower Room, sublevel 2
- Ivory Candypop Bud:
- White Flower Garden, sublevel 3
- Bulblax Kingdom, sublevel 1
- Snagret Hole, sublevel 2
- Shower Room, sublevel 1
Since the only Candypop Buds affected by this are in early sublevels, this limit likely exists to stop players from easily obtaining a large number of Purple Pikmin or White Pikmin by repeatedly entering and leaving the same cave.
Pikmin discovery requirement
In general, Candypop Buds of a specific type will not spawn unless the corresponding Pikmin type has been discovered. In Pikmin, it is possible to go to The Forest Navel and The Distant Spring without discovering Yellow Pikmin or Blue Pikmin, and this causes the Golden Candypop Buds or the Lapis Lazuli Candypop Buds, respectively, to not spawn. Similarly, in Pikmin 3, Candypop Buds will not spawn if their respective type of Pikmin has not been discovered.[1]
However, there are some exceptions in Pikmin 2. Purple Pikmin and White Pikmin are discovered after throwing Pikmin inside of a Violet Candypop Bud and an Ivory Candypop Bud, respectively. Therefore, the game must spawn Violet Candypop Buds in Emergence Cave sublevel 2 before Purple Pikmin are discovered and Ivory Candypop Buds in White Flower Garden sublevel 3 before White Pikmin are discovered. For some reason, if the player skips discovering Purple Pikmin in Emergence Cave by utilizing glitches, then other Violet Candypop Buds will still spawn.[2] If it were possible to never encounter Red Pikmin, Crimson Candypop Buds would also still appear. On the other hand, until White Pikmin are discovered, the only Ivory Candypop Buds to spawn are the White Flower Garden sublevel 3 ones.
Relations to the Pikmin family
Olimar notes in the enemy reel that Candypop Buds could be the next step in Pikmin evolution,[3] and in his Piklopedia notes that Candypops could be the same species.[4] This theory is further cemented by the fact that Candypop Buds occasionally emit the same sparkles that come from the top of Onions, use similar sounds to the Pikmin,[5] and the buds in Pikmin 3 use the same texture for leaves as the Pikmin do.
Technical information
| Pikmin technical information (?) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal name | pom
| ||
| HP | N/A | ||
| Pikmin 2 technical information (?) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal name | pom
| ||
| Global properties (List) | |||
| ID | Japanese comment | Property | Value |
| s000 | friction(not used) | Friction | 0.5 |
| s001 | wallReflection | Unknown (wall bounce speed multiplier?) | 0.5 |
| s002 | faceDirAdjust | Unknown | 0.25 |
| s003 | accel | Acceleration | 0.1 |
| s004 | bounceFactor | Unknown (bounce when it hits the ground?) | 0.3 |
| fp00 | ライフ | HP | 99999 |
| fp01 | マップとの当り | Unknown (related to slopes) | 30 |
| fp02 | ダメージスケールXZ | Horizontal damage scale | 0.1 |
| fp03 | ダメージスケールY | Vertical damage scale | 0.1 |
| fp04 | ダメージフレーム | Damage scale duration | 0.35 |
| fp05 | 質量 | Unknown (weight?) | 0 |
| fp06 | 速度 | Move speed | 0 |
| fp08 | 回転速度率 | Rotation acceleration | 0 |
| fp09 | テリトリー | Territory radius | 1 |
| fp10 | ホーム範囲 | "Home" radius | 1 |
| fp11 | プライベート距離 | "Private" radius | 75 |
| fp12 | 視界距離 | Sight radius | 0 |
| fp13 | 視界角度 | FOV | 0 |
| fp14 | 探索距離 | Unknown (exploration radius?) | 0 |
| fp15 | 探索角度 | Unknown (exploration angle?) | 0 |
| fp16 | 振り払い率 | Successful shake rate | 0 |
| fp17 | 振り払い力 | Shake knockback | 0 |
| fp18 | 振り払いダメージ | Shake damage | 0 |
| fp19 | 振り払い範囲 | Shake range | 0 |
| fp20 | 攻撃可能範囲 | Unknown (shock attack max range?) | 0 |
| fp21 | 攻撃可能角度 | Unknown (shock attack max angle?) | 0 |
| fp22 | 攻撃ヒット範囲 | Unknown (attack hit range?) | 0 |
| fp23 | 攻撃ヒット角度 | Unknown (attack hit angle?) | 0 |
| fp24 | 攻撃力 | Attack damage | 0 |
| fp25 | 視界高 | Unknown (height visibility?) | 0 |
| fp26 | 探索高 | Unknown (exploration height?) | 0 |
| fp27 | ライフの高さ | HP wheel height | 0 |
| fp28 | 回転最大速度 | Rotation speed | 0 |
| fp29 | 警戒時間 | Unknown (warning time?) | 0 |
| fp30 | 警戒ライフ | Unknown | 0 |
| fp31 | ライフ回復率 | Regeneration rate | 0 |
| fp32 | LOD半径 | Off-camera radius | 60 |
| fp33 | マップとのあたりポリゴンの選定 | Collision processing radius | 55 |
| fp34 | ピクミンとのあたり | Pikmin damage radius | 15 |
| fp35 | 石化時間 | Petrification duration | 1 |
| fp36 | ヒップドロップダメージ | Purple Pikmin drop damage | N/A |
| fp37 | 地震気絶確立 | Purple Pikmin stun chance | N/A |
| fp38 | 地震気絶時間 | Purple Pikmin stun time | N/A |
| ip01 | 振り払い打撃Ａ | Shake mode 1 – hit count | 0 |
| ip02 | 振り払い張付１ | Shake mode 1 – Pikmin requirement | 0 |
| ip03 | 振り払い打撃Ｂ | Shake mode 2 – hit count | 0 |
| ip04 | 振り払い張付２ | Shake mode 2 – Pikmin requirement | 0 |
| ip05 | 振り払い打撃Ｃ | Shake mode 3 – hit count | 0 |
| ip06 | 振り払い張付３ | Shake mode 3 – Pikmin requirement | 0 |
| ip07 | 振り払い打撃Ｄ | Shake mode 4 – hit count | 0 |
| Specific properties | |||
| ID | Japanese comment | Property | Value |
| ip01 | 吸い込みピキ数(pom) | Number of Pikmin a non-Queen can convert | 5 |
| ip02 | 吐き出し回数(pom) | Number of times a non-Queen spits Pikmin | 1 |
| ip11 | 吸い込みピキ数(pop) | Number of Pikmin a Queen Candypop Bud can convert | 1 |
| ip12 | 吐き出し回数(pop) | Number of times a Queen spits Pikmin | 1 |
| ip13 | 吐き出し倍数(pop) | Number of Pikmin a Queen spits | 9 |
| fp01 | 開花時間 | Unknown (flowering time?) | 1 |
| fp02 | 色換え時間 | Color change interval, for Queens | 2.6 |
| fp03 | 白黒出現率 | Unknown (Purple and White incidence?) | 0 |
Naming
The name of the plants' family is derived from "candy", given their intense colors, and "pop", referring to the way they spit out Pikmin seeds. Members of this family use the word Flora as the genus in their scientific name, which is simply the English word "flora".
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 French |
Fleur Cracheuse | Spitter Flower |
 German |
Königinblumen | Queen Flower |
 Italian |
Cromanvillea | From "bougainvillea", a genus of flowers that resemble Candypops, and the greek root "chromo" which means "color" |
 Korean |
뻥튀기초 |
Gallery
The data file on Candypop Buds.
A misplaced Candypop Bud in teki5, showing the root.
- Ivory Candypop Bud and Pikmin.jpeg
In Pikmin 3, Candypop Buds are closed, even when Pikmin are near it...
...but open up if a leader approaches.
A Gray Candypop Bud after ingesting a bomb rock.
- Wilting away.jpeg
A Candypop Bud wilting.
- Wilting stage 2.jpeg
Another picture of a wilting Candypop Bud.
After the Candypop Bud wilts, the leaves below it become smaller.
Trivia
- In sublevel 5 of Glutton's Kitchen, a Queen Candypop Bud may fall from the ceiling. It is possible to notice that it has a green root. There are also several Candypop Buds in sublevel 6 of Bulblax Kingdom. Here, if the camera is zoomed in, and if the Candypop Bud is distant enough, the root might be visible.
- In Pikmin, Candypop Buds are technically bosses. As such, approaching them will change the area's music to the battle variant.
- There is an unused Candypop Bud-like object named "NamaPongashi" in Pikmin 3's files. Pikmin that are thrown in die, but new seeds do not come out.
See also
References
- ^ YouTube video showing that Lapis Lazuli Candypop Buds do not spawn in Tropical Wilds before Blue Pikmin are discovered
- ^ YouTube video about how to skip discovering Purple Pikmin in Emergence Cave, and the consequences (at 07:20)
- ^ “Could this be the next stage in Pikmin evolution? Like the Pikmin themselves, it has many mysteries.” – Captain Olimar in the enemy reel entry for the Candypop Buds.
- ^ “This specimen constantly changes colors. When Pikmin are thrown into it, it shoots out seeds that match the flower's coloration the moment the Pikmin landed inside of it. The number of seeds shot out is always greater than the number of Pikmin thrown in. It can be said that this is a completely baffling plant, and many mysteries remain over precisely what sort of relationship it has with the Pikmin. It would appear that the Pikmin gain all of the benefit from the relationship... Perhaps it is simply a different variety of Pikmin to begin with?” – Captain Olimar in Olimar's notes for the Queen Candypop Bud
- ^ YouTube video about sound effect trivia in the series (at 01:04)
| Pikmin | |
|---|---|
| Types | Red Pikmin • Yellow Pikmin • Blue Pikmin • Purple Pikmin • White Pikmin Rock Pikmin • Winged Pikmin • Ice Pikmin • Bulbmin • Glow Pikmin |
| Biology | Candypop Bud • Idle • Maturity • Onion • Flarlic • Pellet Pikmin extinction • Trip • Sprout • Seedling • Soul • Squad |
| Abilities | Carry • Dig • Dodge • Fight • Hide |
| Controls | Charge • Dismiss • Swarm • Pluck • Throw • Whistle |
| Other | Decor Pikmin • Leafling • Mushroom Pikmin • Pikpik carrot |