Cuteness. What do you think of when you hear that word? When people hear that word, images of a childish nature tend to pop-up in their minds. In the world of gaming, cuteness has to be backed up with something unique in order to be accepted by the populace. In today's market, one flooded with guns and violence, cuteness isn't such a great marketing strategy anymore; however, it has played an important part in helping the video game industry grow in the past. With so many cute characters to choose from, this list could only contain the best of the best. Please remember that due to my usual biased and controversial style of top lists, you're probably not going to agree with all the choices, so please don't get mad if your favourite isn't where you want it to be. So, without further ado, let us get started:

12. Toon Link


As much people were opposed to Wind Waker's art style, it's pretty tough not including the protagonist in the game-yes, a child Link isn't original...but Toon Link is. His appearance enabled for him to have a distinct personality, one that stands out in a franchise with so many games. He's clever, expressive and adorable as all hell! If I could, I'd adopt him as my own, as he's also incredibly badass. Plus, he rams a sword into Ganondorf's head! That's enough to earn him a spot on the cool list too! Unfortunately, his age prevents him from getting higher, as you can already tell he's starting to go through puberty when you play with him; also, the DS sequels don't look contain the same charm in his stylized appearance, so it's more of a one-time thing...

11. Chocobo


Chocobo are awesome! While I've never really been a fan of the Final Fantasy games, the ability to travel on giant, ostrich-like birds is pretty cool. Unfortunately, chocobos as they appear in the 3D games of the main series don't look cute at all; fortunately, those in the spin-offs do, so it balances itself in the end. These chocobos remind me little birds, perhaps pigeons or canaries. They're also full of personality, something that adds to their cuteness. That being said, these guys make #11 because not all of them are cute...

10. Toad


Toads are unusual creatures-they're not quite human, yet they're not quite fungi either. Either way, they're still cute! They have the uncanny ability always looking like children, and even Toadsworth is adorable despite him being an old man. As well, they often help Mario in Super Mario 64 by giving him hints and secret stars during his quest to free Princess Peach. The one thing that hurts their spot: their voices. Seriously, they sound like they're all heavy smokers! It just doesn't sound...natural. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but their voices are incredibly annoying to listen to.

9. Nightopian


Who here knows what Nightopians are? .........................................No one? They're from the NiGHTS games. First making an appearance in 1996, Nightopians look like the bastard offspring of clowns and fairies. The end result is something so cute-it's disturbing! In the 2007 sequel, Nightopians can be collected and raised in a sandbox environment similar to Chao Garden. These guys would be higher if the sequel wasn't terrible, but they deserve the #9 spot at best.

8. Pikmin


You're probably gonna disagree with this spot, but I thought that the Pikmin could've been fleshed out a bit more. Yes, they make great warriors and, yes, they're incredibly obedient, but their individual limitations can be annoying when exposed. Also, their disturbing death screams make you feel guilty that you've sent them out to fight your battle. Regardless, though, their fleshed-out personalities make them both cool and quite, and they make the ending of the first game really sad:


*Sniff* I'll miss you...things!

It's sad because, despite you growing attached to them, you realize that half of them will die before you get to see them again. And so, in a very controversial move, Pikmin make it to #8.

7. Wiki


It's hard to deny that Capcom gave us something really special with this game. Not only is it cell-shaded, but it's both simple and challenging. And while players mostly controlled Zack, Wiki was the one that really stole the show. His ability to conveniently turn into a bell that transformed anything moving at will added for some clever puzzles and challenges. His in-depth personality and cutesy voice also made this child-like squirrel become instantly likable, and he even made this scene more tear-jerking:


WIIIIIIIIIIIKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?

Unfortunately, Wiki can get to be annoying at times. Despite his useful abilities, he often gets Zack into a lot of trouble and does nothing to help him. I can't even BEGIN to count the number of times where he sits back and watches Zack die. What a jerk! Also, the level where you have to save him can be annoying, as he can only survive for so long, thus making the level harder than it has to be. Other than that, he's cool and cute as hell!

6. Baby Yoshi


As Stuttering Craig once said, of all the Mario characters Yoshi has had the suckiest life. I couldn't agree with this statement more! Not only has he been forced to carry an annoying baby on his back, but he was forced to carry two, fully-grown men on his back that kept abusing him and constantly dropped him off a cliff when they didn't need him; what's worse is that, when he was a baby, his main source of happiness was stolen from him by Bowser. Not pretty! Regardless of all of this, though, Yoshi will always be remembered as being adorable as a baby. You can't take one look at him and tell me I'm lying, can you? The way he hums and his picky eating habits are so cute. He's so cute, the ending to Yoshi's Story can make a fully-grown man cry:


It's so sad, I've used it three times already! HAT TRICK!!!!

Characters like Yoshi don't happen every day, so it's nice to know that Nintendo has still kept him around after all these years. Rock on, little guy: you deserve it! Unfortunately, the rest of this list has cuter characters, hence the reason he's at #6...

5. Luma


Wow...the first time I saw these guys in 2007, I instantly wanted to squeeze them to death. Lumas aren't only cute, they're incredibly cute! It's almost sickening how cute they are, but that's all the more reason why they're so awesome! They also serve a purpose, as fattening them up with star shards allows them to transform into comets, planets and items. Perhaps the coolest one of all of them is the Luma Mario uses, as he enables Mario to collect star shards and fly over to other planets. Also, like the last few characters on this list, the ending is his saddest part:


Bravo, Nintendo: bravo!

Everything about these guys are cute: their appearances, their voices, the way they move, their response to your movements and their curiousity levels (which often get them into trouble.) If there's any character that deserves the #5 spot, it's the Luma. It's a shame he's not at #1...

4. Kirby


Kirby has to be the coolest puff-ball ever! Not only is he my favourite Smash Bros character, he's also the cuddliest one out there. The guy has the ability to eat people and absorb their powers, thus making him very flexible. He's also an awesome fighter. Check this out:


Awesome! Seemingly-unrelated sound-effects mashed together for-the-win!

Another great feature is that, due to his childish behaviour, Nintendo isn't afraid to admit that his target audience is kids, thus preventing his games from becoming stale. I know you're gonna be mad when I say this, but I think that the top 3 are cuter than him...

3. Pikachu


WHAT?!? PIKACHU CUTER THAN KIRBY?!? Allow me to explain: while Kirby looks cuter, Pikachu's cool personality makes him cuter overall. He's yellow, vibrant, very independent and full of emotional depth. He enjoys company, and he always tries to help out those in need. In this regard, you can say that he's a team player, thus making him incredibly cool-in fact, he's so cool he even starred in his own version of the main series:


This game is TRULY awesome!

However, I think the cuteness factor was officially solidified by the anime show:


Aww! So adorable!

In the end, while you won't agree with me, I personally think that Pikachu is a more-rounded character than Kirby, which is why I put him higher up on this list. Sorry everyone...

2. Sackboy


Wow! This is the first Sony character on the list; however, he's cute enough to be on this list. Little Big Planet is currently the only the game in the PS3's library that makes me wish I owned one, although I'm not going to get it because I'm not willing to shell-out $400 for a new system when I'm currently enjoying my Wii. Unfortunately for me, the little sack is making me wish I owned the game each time I see him up to one of his antics. One of the best parts about this guy is, aside from being completely customizable, he also has personality: he can smile, cry, get angry and make a Richard-Nixon-leaving-the-Whitehouse face. I think that this video sums it up best:


Adorable, isn't it? Intellectual property courtesy of MonkeyDemon and Youtube.

Sackboy's bubbling personality and customizable body give him the #2 spot. However, what could possibly be #1?

1. Chao


Sonic Adventure 2/Battle was an underrated classic on the Dreamcast and Gamecube. Despite its mixed reception from the fanbase, it was a very fleshed-out game on all fronts. Perhaps the greatest-and coolest-part about this game is Chao Garden. Just like the Nightopians, the Chao live in an isolated world that your characters can access. The main garden has three starting eggs for you to work with, while the two, unlockable gardens each have one. You can also buy Chao eggs. Each of the Chao must be cared for and given attention in a similar manner to that of human babies. They each have three stages, each of which can very depending on who/how their raised. To give a better example of their cuteness, take a look at this video:


Aww! So cute!

I know this sounds corny, but you can't help but fall in love with these guys. They say that love is the act of giving before receiving, and if this is the case then, stupid as it may seem, these guys are a true example of that. In a way, they teach you a basic form of responsibility that you'll need if you decide to become a parent. To add to this, you can send them to competitions, and the music in each garden is well-suited to their themes. I hate to say this, but if you don't consider these guys cute then I doubt you have a soul! (Just kidding...or am I?) Personally, I think these guys deserve the top-spot fair and square, as interacting with them was the first time I began to appreciate what my parents have done for me (LAME! Ya, I know!)

Thus concludes my cuteness list. It's a shame that developers these days don't try for more cutesy games, as it'd help mix things up in a market filled with adult-targeted games. Also, keep in mind that this wasn't an easy list for me to make, so I'm sure that yours will be different than mine.

As always, this is Whitly saying, "read, comment and good night!"