Mareep is an ovinePokémon with fluffy cream-colored wool covering its entire body, as well as a curly tuft of wool in the middle of its head. Its head is blue, and it has black eyes. Its four feet are blue and have two digits on each foot, and it appears to be on tiptoe at all times. Its conical ears and tail have a yellow-and-black striped pattern. Mareep has an orange sphere at the end of its tail, which acts like a small light bulb. This sphere glows brighter the more electricity and heat it has.
Mareep's wool grows continuously and stores electricity, rubbing together and building a static charge. Its volume increases when it builds up with electricity. Touching the wool when it is charged will result in a static shock. During the summer, the fleece is shed, but it grows back in a week. Air is also stored in its fur, which allows it to stay cool during summer and warm during winter. It tends to avoid battles in the wild and has a mild disposition. Mareep is most often found in grassy fields, though it can also be found in farms where its wool is used to make high-quality clothing. Clothing made from Mareep's wool builds up static electricity easily, and as such, a special process has to be used on it. As mentioned in Pokémon Sleep, Mareep is known to roll over in its sleep.[1]
If static electricity builds in its body, its fleece doubles in volume. Touching it will shock you. (Pokémon Red, Silver, or Crystal inserted) Its fleece grows continually. In the summer, the fleece is fully shed, but it grows back in a week. (Pokémon Blue, Gold, or Yellow inserted)
Mareep's fluffy coat of wool rubs together and builds a static charge. The more static electricity is charged, the more brightly the lightbulb at the tip of its tail grows.
Mareep's fluffy coat of wool rubs together and builds a static charge. The more static electricity is charged, the more brightly the lightbulb at the tip of its tail glows.
When Mareep rolls over in its sleep, its fluffy coat of wool rubs together and builds a static charge. This apparently turns into an electric current that flows into Mareep's tail, sometimes causing it to heat rapidly and start glowing at the tip.
Multiple Mareep debuted in Mild 'n Wooly, where they were being shepherded by Mary and her mother. Mary had her own special Mareep, which was nicknamed "Fluffy".
Mareep is based on a sheep.[2] Its yellowish wool might be inspired by the Golden Fleece in Greek and Roman mythology. It is also likely that its Electric type is a reference to how wool is able to build up static charges. Mareep and its evolved forms may also have been based on the title of the sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.
Name origin
Mareep may be a combination of Mary (from the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb") and sheep. Mareep is also an anagram of ampere, a unit of electric current.
Merriep may be a combination of merry, メー mē (the sound made by sheep), or Mary and sheep.