The Jynx Controversy

Started by Meduza December 18th, 2010 2:17 AM
  • 11178 views
  • 32 replies
Female
Seen July 7th, 2014
Posted June 2nd, 2014
392 posts
12.5 Years
With it being Christmas time and everything, I thought it would be nice to start a discussion about one of the most widely known controversies in the Pokemon franchise.

Jynx.

But first, let's get some information on this Pokemon.

Jynx, the Human Shape Pokemon, is an Ice/Psychic type and originates from the Kanto region.

Jynx wasn't a very common game back in the color games as you could only get it through trading a Poliwhirl to an old man in Cerulean City.


Official Artwork:
Red/Blue Sprite:

Yellow Sprite:

Red/Green Sprite:


The controversy didnt start until 4Kids aired the episode Holiday Hi-Jynx on T.V. After that, a woman named Carole Boston Weatherford wrote an article for a magazine, calling Jynx a "dead ringer for an obese drag queen". She also called Jynx a negative racial stereotype of African-Americans.

Shortly after that, Jynx's image was changed for ever.

In the metal games, Jynx's sprites had a complete recolor.

Original Gold Sprite:
Recolored Gold Sprite:

Original Silver Sprite:

Recolored Silver Sprite:

Original Crystal Sprite:

Recolored Crystal Sprite:


Later on, in the Johto series of the Pokemon anime, one the of the episodes, The Ice Cave, was never dubbed due to it being based around Jynx and it's original design.

But starting in the Hoenn games, Jynx was brought into a new light. It's hands and face were recolored purple and it's sleeves were changed from red to white.

They did the same thing with it's appearence in the episode Three Jynx and a Baby. But in every other episode it had an appearence in after Holiday Hi-Jynx, it was cut out.

New Official Artwork:


It's been a while since this has happened, but Jynx still suffers some tragedies.

First, it has yet to make an appearence in any more episodes after Three Jynx and a Baby.

Plus, while it's "considered" counterparts, Electabuzz and Magmar, got evolutions in Gen.IV, Jynx failed to get one. The reason why it's speculated Jynx might of got an evolution was because not only are Jynx, Electabuzz and Magmar together in the Kanto Pokedex, it's pre-evolutions, Smoochum, Elekid and Magby, are in the same order in the Johto Pokedex.


I honestly think they may have gone a little far with what they did to Jynx. I doubt Jynx was made deliberately to be racist in any shape or manner.

I can understand the recolor, but it not being in any more episodes or having an evolution seems more than just a coincedence. I think Nintendo has decided not to put anymore of the spotlight on Jynx than it already has.

What's your opinion on this?


Pokémon of the Day

Rotom
February 25, 2011
Age 32
Female
Destiny Islands; waiting for you
Seen May 29th, 2012
Posted August 31st, 2011
2,242 posts
18.6 Years
Nintendo doesn't want anymore bad feedback. They change its color so it didn't resemble african-americans and I believe they haven't put it back in th show because they don't want anybody else to say something else about Jynx's character.

Jynx, Electabuzz and Magmar were the original legendary trio but for some reason or another the creators of Pokemon decided to change it to the legendary birds, Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno. This is way Jynx, Electabuzz and Magmar all got babies at the same time and should have gotten evos at the same time. I guess the creators didn't want to remind the world of Jynx by giving it an evo. Possibly having people tear Jynx's evo to shreads.
:cer_love:PC Family::pink_love:
PairsDad UncleBig Sister Little Sisters
NephewBig Brother Panhead little sister
Chaos bringing little brotherFun little brother

"For Neptune." </3
Male
Seen August 5th, 2011
Posted August 5th, 2011
60 posts
12.4 Years
I get really tired of everyone getting offended by everything! A great example being this...

The popular anime Dragonball Z featured a character named Mr. Popo shown below.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UNTVuUwIDfI/S8JNKFgQ4XI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/7K5ypSmcckg/s1600/dbr.jpg
This series played on Cartoon Network for years over and over and nobody said a word.

The series got a revamp and was brought back to life recently in a show called Dragonball Z Kai. Well one person threw a fit and guess what happened to the happiest character in history of anime? Click the link below.
http://img824.imageshack.us/i/1pm.png/sr=1


See what I mean? People just get upset about stupid trivial things that no one notices (because they're not important). I watched this series as a child and never once related Mr. Popo's solid black skin color to anything racist. Yet the people that claim they're not racists are the ones that always connect the two.

Anywho that's my speil on the whole subject.
I'm probably the most indecisive person you'll ever meet.
So much in fact, that I was going to change this font to a cool color, but I couldn't decide which on.

Elite Overlord LeSabre™

On that 'Non stop road'

Age 97
Shimoda City
Seen 1 Week Ago
Posted January 25th, 2022
9,705 posts
15.5 Years
I never understood why so much controversy surrounded Jynx in the first place... the "black woman" stereotype never came to my mind concerning Jynx. I have to agree it's just a case of people trying to find anything they can to complain about.

Elite Overlord LeSabre™
PC Vital Stats
* Pair
* PC Family
* Bishies
* VG Claims
* Friend Codes
Links
* Blog
* Web Site
* Fan Fictions:
* Leaf Green LP

chaos11011

[untitled]

Age 26
Male
MA
Seen May 4th, 2021
Posted January 23rd, 2019
1,398 posts
15.1 Years
Didn't Jynx appear in an Episode in Hoenn? I vaguely remember that there was a Co-Ordinator and her Jynx and they where jelous of May.

Also the people that thick Jynx is a Racist to "Black People" are racists themselves. Which pisses me of because Jynx is a favorite of mine (#14ish?) ANd I hate how people treat her this way. But what are we going to do, the world is full of people like this.

Sydian

fake your death.

Age 30
they/them
Georgia
Seen May 22nd, 2022
Posted November 29th, 2021
33,354 posts
15.2 Years
About the racial stereotype issue, in my opinion, you have to be a racist yourself to be able to point fingers at something like this and call it racist. It's not even an obvious thing. I used to think Jynx was like a drama queen or something, never a black woman. But seriously, if you look at Jynx and think "omg it's like a black woman!" you have to be pretty racist to think that. But that's just me.
BURY ME SIX FEET DEEP COVER ME IN CONCRETE
twitter | twitch | youtube

BenjiTheKid

Cooltrainer Benji

Non-binary
Spring Lake, NC
Seen August 24th, 2014
Posted May 19th, 2011
496 posts
14.3 Years
I, also, think the whole Jynx thing was blown way out of proportion. I never even thought of the Pokemon that way and never will. I was just reading about this the other day, even. And as I read about the controversy surrounding her, I could do nothing but roll my eyes. Some people look for something bad in everything. Pokemon was definitely never an exception. If anything, it got the worst of it.

'When you find an Escape Rope in a cave... you just know you're going to be in there for a while.'

LeafGreen|SoulSilver|Emerald|Platinum|Black

DoctorFred

I am not amused. ಠ_ಠ

Age 27
Male
Why do you care? Are you a stalker?
Seen July 6th, 2012
Posted June 26th, 2012
280 posts
13.1 Years
I seriously doubt that Nintendo was thinking "Let's create a pokemon with black colored skin to tick off African-Americans" but if they did, that would be pretty messed up. As stated before, I think people just have to find a way to criticize everything.

^^^Yeah, Jynx appeared in an episode called Mean With Envy, belonging to a girl called Erica. I think it also appeared in a couple of other episodes too...
White FC - 3654 2923 4630
Age 30
Female
Sunny Southern California
Seen May 26th, 2015
Posted January 14th, 2011
325 posts
17.9 Years
Uggggh, I've always hated all this stupid "controversy" around Jynx (and Mr. Popo, for that matter). It's a children's show and since when are children going to see Jynx and connect them to black people or whatever? As a kid, all it did was creep me out a bit because I saw it more as its face being shadowed or even just having floating features.

I feel like white Americans have taken all these unnecessary, extreme "that's racist" measures in some weird attempt to make up for the past. I really think that it'd just be better to not even think about it, because just the fact you point out things even remotely "racist" seems a bit racist. That's still kinda showing that you think of other races differently. I doubt any black person even really noticed that Jynx/Mr. Popo had black skin.

It's just ridiculous.
Pokemon: Pink Jelly // Deviantart // YouTube // Sprites

[Tools for lazy hackers] Flight Spot Editor // pkEditor - A Script Generator
(Warning: May be loud...) // Consolation Prizes by Phoenix
Age 32
Female
Valhalla
Seen December 29th, 2010
Posted December 19th, 2010
115 posts
12.5 Years
Ugh, why must people be so "politically correct"? I thought Jynx was just some shapeless blob-type thing with a dress and hair.
Heart Gold FC:
0432-4870-5745.
~ Contact me on AIM/MSN/Yahoo if you want to battle. I'm usually available between 12pm to 1am.
Male
Seen December 26th, 2010
Posted December 22nd, 2010
3 posts
12.5 Years
I just read this, and i could do nothing but shake my head. I'm black, and i never saw that about about Jynx at all. In fact, i never really cared about Jynx as a Pokemon in the first place. I mean, you have to really work hard to get a person to look at a Jynx and say "Oh, snap, that looks like a fat black lady! Use Blizzard!". It's another case of having something that is to be thought of as big, or important. Honestly, people stop analyzing the freaking Pokemon and just enjoy it as it was meant to be: another Pokemon to put in your PC. Matter of fact, i'm going to catch a Jynx right now.

King Gumball

Haven't been here for ages...

Male
Sydney
Seen April 8th, 2013
Posted April 8th, 2013
2,178 posts
12.8 Years
I remember watching Hilodai Hi Jynx. And Jynx was on that raft with Ash and that and she kept trying to hug and kiss everyone, and she was working for santa.

Poor Jynx... Wasn't she based on a Japanese Kimono Girl or something in the first place, not an American Indian?

And I thought Jynx was in another episode. Wasn't she in one when May was entering a pokemon contest and she met the brother and sister who owned a Mightyena and a Jynx. And she battled the sister with the Jynx in the final round and lost or something like that? I remember because it was funny watching the Jynx go jogging with them riding a bike, and watching her angry face when she used Hyper Beam.
Please Click:




Age 33
Male
Long Island, ny
Seen October 22nd, 2013
Posted November 15th, 2012
91 posts
13.6 Years
When I first started reading this thread I honestly thought it was a joke. I mean c'mon, a racist pokemon? Who in their right mind would even consider such a thing? Now a days I just shake my head and sigh at all this idiotic 'political correctness' that has to exist in cartoons.

PlatinumDude

Nyeh?

Age 29
Male
Canada
Seen July 31st, 2020
Posted May 30th, 2020
12,958 posts
12.7 Years
I heard about this controversy. I think that why the controversy started was because some people were offended by Jynx's face (representing black stereotypes). To get out of trouble, Nintendo recolored Jynx's face purple. I personally like the new Jynx (purple face) better than the old one.

Male
Seen August 5th, 2011
Posted August 5th, 2011
60 posts
12.4 Years
I will say one thing about Jynx. I recently got into Pokemon and never diud as a kid and I saw Jynx for the first time a few days before this thread. Even with a 17 year old mind I saw Jynx and didn't think "black chick". I thought, "Scary as hell drag queen" but not "black chick"
I'm probably the most indecisive person you'll ever meet.
So much in fact, that I was going to change this font to a cool color, but I couldn't decide which on.
Female
Earth
Seen May 28th, 2016
Posted April 11th, 2016
892 posts
14.6 Years
I wonder if the same person who thought Jynx is racist also think the ganguro fashion trend is racist.

P.S. I doubt that's the reason why Jynx didn't get an evolution. Porygon got evolutions and it has a bad rep as well.
"Now that I have said it, it must be canon." -Little Kuriboh
"Though love may lose, kindness wins." - Science Fiction Novelist
"Destory all expectations." - Mortal Kombat DVD box
"I reject your reality and substitute my own." - The Dungeon Master/Ragewar

King Gumball

Haven't been here for ages...

Male
Sydney
Seen April 8th, 2013
Posted April 8th, 2013
2,178 posts
12.8 Years
I wonder if the same person who thought Jynx is racist also think the ganguro fashion trend is racist.

P.S. I doubt that's the reason why Jynx didn't get an evolution. Porygon got evolutions and it has a bad rep as well.
But Jynx had a bad rep for a different reason, people thought that she was a stereotypical black woman.

Anyway I too dont think that that was the reason why she didn't get an evolution. She has that final evolution look to her, Electrobuzz and Magmar didn't. I can't imagine what they would make her evolution look like if she was given one.
Please Click:




Female
Seen July 7th, 2014
Posted June 2nd, 2014
392 posts
12.5 Years
I heard about this controversy. I think that why the controversy started was because some people were offended by Jynx's face (representing black stereotypes). To get out of trouble, Nintendo recolored Jynx's face purple. I personally like the new Jynx (purple face) better than the old one.
I agree. Jynx does look more like a Psychic type now with purple skin, so you can say the recolor wasn't completely bad.


Pokémon of the Day

Rotom
February 25, 2011

Kirbychu

Still looking for Mirage Island
Seen August 20th, 2021
Posted July 28th, 2020
2,347 posts
13.9 Years
I'm going to have to disagree with you guys. Jynx strongly resembles old black stereotypes. I'm not saying that's what she was based on, but there's a strong resemblance no doubt. Just because people thought Jynx was a black stereotype doesn't make them racist; that's ridiculous. Jynx did looked a lot like a racial stereotype. It's really not surprising that someone noticed this.

This is black face, it was very popular back in the 19th century. White actors would paint their faces to resemble black people and do many stereotypical things. They'd pretend to be poor, uneducated, goofy black people.

Spoiler:



Let's be reasonable, you can't deny resemblance. Still, It's probably just some crazy coincidence that Jynx resembles blackface.