Papetoon

[DZComposer]

So, I got bored at work and I started to wonder where this word came from. We know it is the planet that Fox and Co. live on during Star Fox SNES and Star Fox 64.

But it is an odd name compared to other planets in the system, which are mostly named after Roman and Greek gods, names, and words.

So, I pulled up on YouTube the Japanes SF64 intro, which specifically mentions the planet, so that I could find how it is spelled. It is spelled thusly: パペトゥーン (PA PE TUU N). Something immediately caught my eye: パペト (PA PE TO). Papeto means "Puppet." It is Katakana, meaning it represents a loanword. Adding "ゥーン" turns Papeto into Papetuun, or "Puppetoon."

What is Puppetoon?

It's a series of 1930s and 1940s stop-motion puppet cartoons made by George Pal, who not only had an affinity for puppets but also science fiction!

Here is one of the most famous Puppetoons, about the Nazi invasion of Holland (but without the Nazis):

So, why puppets?

The answer lies in the Iwata Asks for SF64 3D:

Iwata:

For the packaging of the Super Famicom version, you made puppets and photographed them. Why did you decide on that kind of design?

Miyamoto:

I always loved English puppet drama, like the Thunderbirds.13 13. Thunderbirds: A television special effects series featuring puppets. It was produced in England in 1965 and broadcast the same year in Japan on NHK.

Iwata:

I loved that, too! (laughs)

Miyamoto:

Back when we released it, I imagined Star Fox selling a lot and the company that produced Thunderbirds coming all the way from England for negotiations to adapt it into a puppet drama.

Iwata:

Uh-huh. (laughs)

Miyamoto:

And then I would say, "To be honest, I've always loved Thunderbirds." Licensing it out by saying so was a dream of mine. And that's all it ever was! (laughs)

Everyone:

(laughs)

Iwata:

So that was your ambition! (laughs)

Miyamoto:

Yeah. (laughs)

So, there you have it. Papetoon is a direct reference to Miyamoto's puppet show vision for Star Fox!

[Scourge]

I would watch the hell out of a puppet-show Starfox...

[Snys93]

It still can happen if Miyomoto puts his mind to it (or anything for that matter)

 

I can envision it, though I always thought the Thunderbirds puppets were nothing more than creepy nightmare fuel.

But thats just me.

 

 

By the way, they're aren't crying. The liquid dripping from their eyes is lubricant so the puppeteer can move them easily.

 

 

So I think this is caught in a limbo here between awesome and awful. Thoughts?

[psy_commando]

You know, I always thought it was a reference to Star War's Tatooine..

But with the limited syllables you have in Katakana its easy to get many translations out of a single word XD

Also, Katakana is also often used on things that are made up, like pokemon names, so its not always a loan word. But in this case its plausible.

[CrypticQuery]

I find it intriguing that seemingly every single Miyamoto-created franchise always has a deeper meaning to all of its aspects.  Everything ties into some sort of memory, dream, wish, etc.  Whereas Nintendo of America got saddled with things like this instead;

 

 

----

 

Thanks for shedding light on this DZ.  It was an insightful read for sure!

[Hope(N Forever)]

This reminds of a CollegeHumor parody of Star Fox, which is actually a spoof of the stop-motion animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox (which itself is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Roald Dahl). How ironic that CollegeHumor used a similar stop-motion puppet animation theme that is actually very fitting for a Star Fox adaptation, that Miyamoto did really always desire. If you haven't seen it already, you can watch the parody right below.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OGAs8FGzx4

 

By the way, don't you just hate when certain "fans" feel they can casually and erroneously call Fox McCloud himself as "Star Fox"? It personally really urks me!

 

 

[Jeroscope]

That always ticked me off too. Fox McCloud isnt Star Fox. Why ignore the most ballr las name ever? If my girlfriend's last name was McCloud, Id give my last name up in marriage.

[Snys93]

That always ticked me off too. Fox McCloud isnt Star Fox. Why ignore the most ballr las name ever? If my girlfriend's last name was McCloud, Id give my last name up in marriage.

 

Would have worked if she was a Betazoid

[DZComposer]

That always ticked me off too. Fox McCloud isnt Star Fox. Why ignore the most ballr las name ever? If my girlfriend's last name was McCloud, Id give my last name up in marriage.

McCloud is an uncommon modern respelling of MacLeod.

[Scourge]

McCloud is an uncommon modern respelling of MacLeod.

 

 

Dosent change the fact that its a kickass name