About
Wooloo is a Normal-type Pokémon set to debut in the eight generation of Pokémon games, Pokémon Sword and Shield. After it was revealed in the June 5th, 2019 Nintendo Direct for the games, it quickly became a favorite among Pokémon fans, who appreciated its cute design.
Origin
Wooloo appeared in the June 5th, 2019 Nintendo Direct focused on Pokémon Sword and Shield (shown below). According to its Pokédex entry on the Pokémon website, it is “an extremely fluffy Pokémon” that “craves stability.”
Spread
Following the Direct, the character quickly became popular with fans of the series. Fan art was made immediately after the Direct streamed. Twitter user LucDrawsThings posted art of the character, gaining over 90 retweets and 240 likes (shown below, left). User @pankendev posted art that gained over 340 retweets and 1,100 likes (shown below, right).
Other users created memes with the character. Twitter user @CuzCuzND tweeted a Drake and Josh meme with the character, gaining over 80 retweets and 340 likes (shown below, left). User @VoidSlice posted art making an uwu pun on Wooloo’s name, gaining over 3,800 retweets and 7,800 likes (shown below, right).
The Pokémon became a favorite of media outlets as well. Junkee called it “everyone’s new favorite Pokémon.” Polygon called it “the perfect new Pokémon.” Dexerto also covered the wave of praise for Wooloo.
PETA Tweet
After the direct, PETA tweeted a picture of Wooloo holding a sign that says “I am not your Wooloo sweater!”, along with the caption “Love the new #Pokemon, Wooloo! They have a special message for all of their future trainers ? #PokemonSwordShield.”
The tweet was quickly condemned by fans, who parodied PETA’s image by turning it into an exploitable. Examples include a post by Twitter user @Beethoven2__, which quoted Silence, Brand that gained over 590 retweets and 8,200 likes (shown below, left). User @Polar1s2 also posted an exploitable edit, gaining over 400 retweets and 7,000 likes (shown below, right). Reactions were covered by Comicbook.com.
Various Examples
