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Spoink is a gray, pig-like Pokémon. It has dark, circular eyes, a large gray nose, and small ears. It has stubby arms and possesses no hind legs. Motion is achieved by bouncing on its spring-like tail. The bouncing has a vital function, in that it keeps its heart beating. Even while it is sleeping, it continues to bounce. It wears a pearl produced by Clamperl on top of its head, which amplifies its psychic powers. Spoink will be weakened without a pearl, and always searches for bigger pearls. In the anime it was shown to easily mistake other round objects as its pearl. It lives in mountainous areas. It likes to eat mushrooms that grow underground.
Spoink debuted in Pearls are a Spoink's Best Friend. The Bounce Pokémon had lost its pearl and Ash and his friends helped find it. Spoink happened to be a kleptomaniac for anything round (especially round Pokémon) whenever it didn't have its pearl. The same Spoink appeared again in Clamperl of Wisdom, where it lost its pearl once again. Ash and his friends went searching for another pearl, but Team Rocket stole the only Clamperl that had one. Torkoal became close friends with Spoink.
Spoink, the Bounce Pokémon. Spoink bounces around on its tail. The pearl upon its head helps to magnify its psychic powers. If a Spoink loses its pearl, it grows extremely tired.
Spoink bounces around on its tail. The shock of its bouncing makes its heart pump. As a result, this Pokémon cannot afford to stop bouncing - if it stops, its heart will stop.
Spoink keeps a pearl on top of its head. The pearl functions to amplify this Pokémon's psychokinetic powers. It is therefore on a constant search for a bigger pearl.
Spoink bounces around on its tail. The shock of its bouncing makes its heart pump. As a result, this Pokémon cannot afford to stop bouncing—if it stops, its heart will stop.
Spoink keeps a pearl on top of its head. The pearl functions to amplify this Pokémon’s psychokinetic powers. It is therefore on a constant search for a bigger pearl.
Game locations
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation III.
Despite Pokédex entries saying that it would die if it stopped bouncing, it has been seen not bouncing many times in the anime.
Despite Pokédex entries saying that its pearl comes from a Clamperl, a Shiny Spoink's pearl is gray, but a Shiny Clamperl's pearl is gold.
Origin
The inspiration for Spoink may be the Biblical phrase "...neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you" from Matthew 7:6. The pearls were supposed to represent wisdom given to an audience who would not appreciate the teachings. Spoink and Grumpig appear to instead use those pearls of wisdom to enhance their psychic powers. Spoink might also be a literal interpretation of a spring pig (in pig farming, spring is the ideal season for birth). Having a spring instead of legs may be a reference to a jack-in-the-box. Its affinity for underground mushrooms, as noted by its Emerald Pokédex entry, is characteristic of a truffle hog.
Name origin
Spoink may be a combination of spring and oink (the sound a pig makes).
Baneboo may be a combination of 発条 bane (spring) and ブーブー būbū (the sound of grumbling or oinking). Boo may also be a shortening of 豚 buta (pig).
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.