Prerelease:Kirby's Dream Land
This page details prerelease information and/or media for Kirby's Dream Land.
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Contents
Development Timeline
1990
- Circa May - Masahiro Sakurai, then 19 years old, writes the initial proposal.[1]
1991
- November 20 - An early version of the game's box art is designed.
1992
- April 27 - Hoshi no Kirby is released in Japan.
- August 1 - Kirby's Dream Land is released in the US.
- August 3 - Kirby's Dream Land is released in Europe.
Kirby
Originally, the protagonist was named Popopo. After talking with Nintendo of America, it was decided that this name needed to change to appeal to American children. Many names were suggested by NoA, but "Gasper" was a notable one for Sakurai. The name "Gaspar" (note the spelling change) was used as the name for a ghost enemy for this game. The developers wanted the name to sound like an American performer/idol, so they chose the name "Kirby". Interestingly, both the name of Kirby's arch enemy Dedede and the Japanese name of their homeland, Pupupu Land, are clearly plays on the original Popopo name, though they would survive into the final game.
Shigeru Miyamoto was aware of the similarity to one of their lawyers' names, John Kirby, as soon as he saw the list, but has said that "Kirby" was not chosen by HAL because of John Kirby. Despite this, it is possible that NoA included the name on their list with the intent of honoring the lawyer, since he continued to receive gratitude from the company for years after the Donkey Kong lawsuit, even receiving a special pre-release copy of Kirby's Dream Land as a gift from NoA in 1992.
Title
The original title for the game was "はるかぜポポポ" (Harukaze Popopo), which roughly translates to "Popopo of the Spring Breeze". This was later changed to "ティンクル☆ポポ" (Twinkle☆Popo). The game's finalized name evidently came late in development, given that numerous adverts with the latter name were produced and released.
The term "spring breeze" was later used in the Japanese manual, describing Kirby as "a youth who came with the spring breeze." According to Sakurai, this line in the manual was the direct inspiration for the name of the "enhanced remake" of this game in Kirby Super Star.
The name Popopo was later repurposed for the Popopo Islands, the main setting of Kirby Mass Attack. The "Twinkle☆Popo" name was later referenced in Kirby Star Allies with the songs "Twinkle☆Stars" and "Twinkle☆Traveler", and in the Japanese name of the Star Allies Sparkler (Twinkle Star Allies).
Areas
Sakurai mentioned that he created pixel art for the game first and concept art later,[1] so it is most likely that these were drawn after he made some of the in-game art and not the other way around.
It is interesting to note that in these pieces Popopo/Kirby is depicted in various different colors, being bronze, pink, and red.
Green Greens
Concept art of Green Greens. The most notable difference is the appearance of Whispy Woods. He appears to have a cuff with a ball and chain attached to one of his branches, which didn't make it into his final design. His branches altogether were also dropped, though they would later return starting with Kirby's Avalanche.
Silk Falls
Concept art of an unused area called "Silk Falls". The location consists of a high waterfall, as well as a scrapped character that appears to be a large pink eel with boxing gloves and a green collar.
Elder Woods
Concept art of an unused area and character, titled "Elder Woods". This area is shown at sunset or sunrise, with unique looking trees and a large tree-looking character similar to Whispy Woods, though elderly and possessing a white moustache and no leaves. This character was also cut, and the role he would've played in the game is unknown.
The concept of an elder tree character would be used later on with Acore in the Kirby anime, the enemy Wicky Woods in Kirby Mass Attack, and the boss Yggy Woods in Kirby Star Allies.
Air Fortress
Concept art of an unused area called "Air Fortress". On the ground, Shotzos can be seen with wheels riding towards Kirby. In the final game, Shotzos don't have wheels and are completely stationary. In the sky, an unused enemy in multiples are seen flying at Kirby. These enemies bear a striking resemblance to Waddle Doos, with their red and orange color scheme (orange shoes instead of green ones would be used on Waddle Doos starting with Kirby's Avalanche), as well as their big, singular black eye.
The flying fortress seems to have been cut from the final game, although the concept would later be revisited in the anime Kirby: Right Back at Ya! with Nightmare's Fortress, and in the games with Jambastion in Kirby Star Allies. In Kirby's 20th Anniversary Celebration Book, Kirby's bravery in this art is pointed out.
Float Islands
Concept art of Float Islands. Here, an early design for Kaboola can be seen. She was a white blimp instead of a yellow one, and her design on the side is slightly different, layered on top of a pink horizontal stripe. The Shotzo attached to her bottom is missing in favor of a red gondola. An unused steamboat also appears.
Bubbly Clowds
Concept art of Bubbly Clouds, here being spelled "Bubbly Clowds". Two unused characters can be seen in this artwork. In Kirby's 20th Anniversary Celebration Book, they are described as a pair of living airships with the note "with such gentle eyes, they must be friendly!"
Heat Palace
Concept art of an unused area called "Heat Palace". A fiery area like this would remain unusual for the series for a while.
Early Packaging and Adverts
A common element of these screenshots is that the HUD has "Score" fully spelled out, the player's health bar was labeled "PoPoPo", and although hard to see, the enemy's health bar was labeled "Enemy" before being changed to an evil face. These shortenings likely came due to additional tiles being required to spell out "Kirby", whereas just one was required for Popopo's name
Other than that, these screenshots seem to match the final game, hinting at the name change being a late decision.
Packaging
Concept art for the box, which includes the game's name in English. The stamp on the full image is dated "3.11.20", referring to the Heisei calendar, which converts to November 20, 1991 - about five months before the game's release.
The full box, along with some notations
Box art (front)
Box art (back)
Adverts
Promotional flyer
Introduction to PoPoPo from a Nintendo magazine. Notably, PoPoPo says he comes from PuPuPu Land, whose citizens call themselves "Twinkle PoPo".
A full-page feature about the game
Info about the planned release
