Gholdengo is a bipedal humanoid Pokémon whose body is composed of 1,000 Gimmighoul Coins stacked together, giving it a golden, cylindrical appearance. Its face has oval eyes and a mouth displaying a crooked smile. Its body has skinny arms with large hands and short, stumpy legs with no toes. It has three fingers on each hand and four tufts of dreadlock-like "hair", all made out of coins. It wears the strap from a Gimmighoul's chest as a belt, using it to fasten the chest to its side. The belt buckle has a stylized number 1,000 on it.
Gholdengo is a sociable Pokémon; it is quick to befriend anybody and prefers lively places such as cities. In battle, it overwhelms opponents by firing coins at them in quick succession. The coins that form its body are tightly packed, making it able to withstand damage. When attacked by enemies, it can let loose some of the coins on the areas of its body that are hit, in order to absorb the impact.[1]
Gholdengo is capable of creating a golden surfboard out of coins as a means of movement. As depicted in HZ120, Gholdengo's surfboard can fly, enabling it to move freely and carry up to two humans.
Despite its Japanese name and ability to create a surfboard out of coins, Gholdengo was incapable of learning the move Surf in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. It would later gain access to it via TM in Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
Gholdengo is heavily associated with the number 1,000.
The video Pokémon 1008 ENCOUNTERS was made to commemorate the number of Pokémon surpassing 1,000. It features a counter that increases as Pokémon appear, eventually turning gold when it reaches 1,000 with Gholdengo. In most English markets, it was titled “One Thousand Pokémon!”
Its belt buckle has a stylized depiction of the number 1,000 on it. As Gholdengo's belt is fashioned from Chest Form Gimmighoul's chest, this symbol is also present on Chest Form Gimmighoul, albeit oriented sideways.
Gholdengo's golden humanoid appearance, together with its position as the 1,000th Pokémon in the National Pokédex, may allude to award statuettes, which are often made with gold and given to honor achievements or milestones. Gholdengo also seems to take inspiration from surfers, given the golden surfboard it rides on as well as its dreadlock-like appendages and friendly nature, befitting of the archetypal "surfer dude". The recurring cylindrical shape on its body is similar to coin wrappers. Its surfboard is similar to koban and ōban.
Its belt, fashioned from a Chest Form Gimmighoul's chest, may be based on a coin dispenser belt, a device formerly used by bus drivers, train conductors, arcade employees, or other people who worked at jobs where exact change was necessary in case potential customers only had large bills on hand.
Gholdengo is also likely based on gold or tumbaga artifacts crafted by some pre-Columbian cultures of Central and South America, mainly from the modern-day Colombia. Some of the most notable examples are Quimbaya artifacts and tunjos. These artifacts were commonly utilized as offerings in religious or funerary rituals, which may have inspired Gholdengo's Ghost type.
Additionally, Gholdengo may draw inspiration from El Dorado, a legend described by Spanish conquistadors about a lost city of gold, originally a king whose body was covered in gold. The legend is believed to have stemmed from a ceremony done by the Muisca people, in which their ruler was initiated by having him covered in gold dust and floated into a lake on a raft to make offerings — the raft is likely referenced by Gholdengo's surfboard-like platform.
The association of a ghost with coins may draw inspiration from Charon's obol, where the deceased are buried with coins as a preparation for the afterlife. The coins were frequently placed in the mouth or on the eyes.
Name origin
Gholdengo may be a combination of ghoul or ghost, golden, and possibly go (as in Pokémon GO, the game its pre-Evolution Gimmighoul first debuted in; Gholdengo's model itself was in the game's files before it was officially revealed). It may also come from tengo (Spanish for "I have") or деньгиden'gi (Russian for money, itself from denga, a historical unit worth 1/200th of a Russian ruble).
Surfugo may be a combination of surf, 富豪fugō (wealthy person), gold, and possibly go (as in Pokémon GO).
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.
For other sprites and images, please see Gholdengo images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
