Bidoof

is a species of Pokémon that was featured in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Bidoof first appeared in the video games and in subsequent releases, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.
Concept and characteristics
Bidoof are small brown rodent-like creatures with large front teeth which they use for gnawing on wood. Bidoof need to constantly gnaw on hard substances to keep their teeth ground down, since they grow constantly. Without something to gnaw on, they become violent because of the pain and inconvenience the unwieldy growing teeth cause. A comparison revealed that Bidoof's front teeth grow at the same rate as a Rattata's. They have tufts of fur on their tails and a ring of them on their faces. They also have slightly webbed paws. Males have five lumps on their tails, unlike females, who have three. Bidoof build their nests along the side of bodies of water. Bidoof feed mainly on berries, and occasionally they can eat tree bark.
Appearances
In the video games
Bidoof first appears in as an early Pokémon encountered by players. It later appears in as well as . It eventually evolves into Bibarel. In the main games, Bidoof is often considered an "HM slave", a term which refers to a Pokémon that is only good for its ability to use most "Hidden Machines", items which teach Pokémon new abilities. It also appeared in Pokémon Platinum, Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, Pokémon X and Y and Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
Outside of the main series, it also appears in some of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles, some of the Pokémon Ranger titles, Pokémon Rumble, and PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure. In , Bidoof is a major supporting character; in the remake Explorers of Sky, a series of side missions called "Bidoof's Wish" is available to players. It also appeared in Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, Pokémon Rumble, Pokémon Rumble Blast, PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond, Pokémon Conquest , Pokémon Battle Trozei, Pokémon Shuffle, Pokémon Rumble World, Pokémon Picross and Pokémon Rumble Rush.
In other media
Bidoof have appeared a few times in the Pokémon anime, first randomly appearing in the wild and then having a whole episode where a Steelix is destroying a Bidoof village. Since then they have had many more appearances such as one being under care of Reggie, Paul's older brother. In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Platinum was attacked by a group of Bidoof in her own house.
Reception
Bidoof has received generally negative reception since it appeared in Diamond and Pearl, GamesRadar editor Paul Ryan called Bidoof an "inbred offspring of a teddy bear and a beaver" and a Pokémon that "relies on cuteness and the pity of others to avoid being eaten by other Pokémon." Norm Scott of the humor comic Hsu and Chan mocked Bidoof and wrote that "nobody ever chooses you, Bidoof." IGN editor Lucas M. Thomas described it as a "dimwitted, buck-toothed rodent", a "resident pest of Sinnoh". He added that while it did not have "cool factor", he was a "loyal and trustworthy companion" in the early game. The Escapists Keane Ng called Bidoof "everyone's favorite bucktoothed, ubiquitous and completely useless and trash-tier Pokémon". Australia's Official Nintendo Magazine listed three reasons that they "hate" (and another three they love), putting Bidoof on the hate list, saying "the beaver is conspicuous of his absence". Game Informer described Bidoof at Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl as an example of "cultural revolution." Paste included Bidoof as their 69th best Pokémon, stating that "While many trainers threw away their first Bidoof, others grew attached and started a small following praising this clear underdog proving that it isn’t always about having the strongest Pokémon if you’re still having."
On a less positive note, Despite Bidoof's popularity at the New Pokémon Snap, Vices Gita Jackson remarked that it remains unpopular, while Jerrad Wyche of TheGamer called Bidoof as the worst normal-type Pokémon at Pokémon Diamond & Pearl. Dale Bashir of IGN criticized and said that Bidoof is the worst feature as an HM Slaves.
Bidoof being seen as a god is a popular Internet meme, which has been adopted by Pokémon Go. The Pokémon Company posted an official trailer called "Bidoof Day" as a parody on April Fools' Day in 2020, while Bidoof took over the company's social media in 2021. A specialized Bidoof based card was also made by Pokémon Trading Card Game for the event.

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See Also

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