Goh's Grookey creating revitalizing waves by beating its stick
Grookey is a small, monkey-like Pokémon with a green body, a brown tail, brown, wedge-shaped ears, orange hands and feet, and an orange snout. Each of its hands has five fingers, while each of its feet has three toes. It has two large eyes with black irises and white pupils and sclerae. A lime green mask frames its eyes and, in a small bump above its snout, extends towards its forehead.
Grookey has two, leaf-shaped hair tufts that hold a stick on the top of its head. The stick used to be a branch from a forest where troops of Grookey lived, and it has a special power due to being exposed to the energy within Grookey's body. Besides using it when attacking, Grookey beats this stick rhythmically against the surfaces of all sorts of objects. This has been observed to cause grass to grow, and wilted flowers and leaves to seemingly regain their color.[1]In the anime, it can even restore weakened plant-like Pokémon such as Bellsprout. Due to its status as a starter Pokémon, a wild Grookey is hard to come by and it is generally seen under the care of Trainers.
Grookey's green fur can create energy from the sunlight, similar to how plants use their green leaves to photosynthesize. It is said to be full of boundless curiosity.[1]
Grookey loves music and high places, and you’ll often see it beating out a rhythm or dancing. When it uses its stick to strike up a beat, even the plants and flowers in the area seem happier and revitalized.
At a total of 46 episodes, Grookey took the longest time of all starter Pokémon to debut in the anime within the concurrent generation.
Origin
Grookey's appearance is based on a monkey,[2] perhaps specifically squirrel monkeys and macaques. Its behavior may reference the fact that macaques drum objects in a rhythmic manner to show social dominance. Its tool resembles both drumsticks and hair sticks, giving Grookey a resemblance to a caveman. Its ability to instill energy to plant life with its drumming may take inspiration on the belief that music stimulates plant growth.
Name origin
Grookey may be a combination of groove and monkey, and perhaps rookie.
Sarunori may be a combination of 猿 saru (monkey) and ノリ nori (excitement, rhythm).