Nintendo’s Kirby Named After Lawyer Who Won Copyright Case, Not His Appearance
Tokyo, Japan – The beloved nintendo character Kirby owes its name to John Kirby, the lawyer who successfully defended Nintendo in a 1990s copyright lawsuit against Global Studios, not to any physical resemblance, as a popular myth suggests.
The legal battle stemmed from Universal’s claim that kirby infringed on the copyright of king Kong. Universal argued that “King Kong” had become a generic term for gorillas, used across various brands, and that Nintendo’s character evoked that association. Universal sought to protect the rights to the original 1933 King Kong film,arguing its copyright was still valid. The court ultimately ruled in favor of Nintendo.
Following the victory, Nintendo named its new character “Kirby” in honor of the attorney. Despite a widespread belief that Kirby’s round, pink design was inspired by John Kirby’s bald head, Nintendo has repeatedly clarified that the name is a direct tribute to the lawyer.
Originally, the character was internally referred to as “Kiss.” The initial game concept centered around a character named “Old Kiss Kirby” embarking on an adventure to reclaim stolen food and treasures from the grate King of Dead, who had invaded the land of ‘Pupu Land.’
Kirby debuted to meaningful popularity, celebrating its 30th anniversary with continued strong sales of merchandise and dedicated fan communities, including a extensive Kirby Wiki maintained by Japanese fans. Developers of recent Kirby games have even stated their fondness for the character influenced their decision to avoid increasing the game’s difficulty.
The story of Kirby’s origins highlights the unexpected connections between legal battles and creative character development.
Reporter Jeon Jin -young jintonic@asiae.co.kr
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