Wooloo

Wooloo
Pokémon character
Wooloo artwork by Ken Sugimori
First game	Pokémon Sword and Shield (2019)
Voiced by	EN: Erica Mendez[1] JA: Rikako Aikawa[2]
In-universe information
Species	Pokémon
Type	Normal

Wooloo (Japanese: ウールー, Hepburn: Ūrū) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise. First introduced in the video games Pokémon Sword and Shield, they were inspired by the large amount of sheep native to Britain, the location on which Sword and Shield's Galar region is based. Since their initial appearance they have appeared in both Pokémon GO and the Pokémon Trading Card Game, as well as various merchandise related to the franchise. In addition, they appear in manga and anime adaptations of the Pokémon franchise, with their appearances in the latter being voiced by Rikako Aikawa in Japanese, and Erica Mendez in English.

Classified as a Normal-type Pokémon, Wooloo appears as a short, round sheep with white wool that is used heavily in the Galar region. Their woolly body also protects them from bodily harm, causing them to bounce instead. Naturally anxious, instead of walking or running they tend to roll forwards and backwards. Once they have acquired enough experience, they can evolve into a stronger form, Dubwool.

Upon reveal, Wooloo became extremely popular, with a multitude of Internet memes and fan art following suit, and has been described as the unofficial mascot of Sword and Shield due to their heavy presence in the titles and popularity, furthered by its appearance in the related anime. This reaction not only surprised the games' director, Shigeru Ohmori, but caused Tumblr to change its year end examination of discussed subjects to now account for Pokémon. Further media discussions have examined its design in light of this, and also in regards to the franchise's long development as a whole.