Let’s start with a confession: this piece was meant for Pokémon Day 2025. Normally I begin writing a “Character Chronicle” article for the multimedia juggernaut’s anniversary a month or so in advance, especially if it’s a meaty subject. Circumstances beyond my control rendered that impossible last year, regrettably. But I wanted to continue a pattern that had coincidentally developed the previous several Pokémon Days and cover a critter from Black & White. I also sought a subject that’s short and sweet, something Unova delivered:
Image: Nintendo / The Pokémon Company. A Vanillite chilling in the X & Y anime.
Every new Pokémon generation is an event! New Pokémon, places, characters, stories, ideas… you know the drill. But Black & White handled this ritual differently: only its original Pocket Monsters are available until the postgame. Yes, every generation is a soft reboot. Never has that been more overt than when exploring Pokémon’s take on the United States, the first time developer Game Freak ventured past interpretations of Japan, their home turf. To this day, I admire Black & White’s bravery, especially since subsequent titles have placed a greater focus on returning companions via mid-battle power-ups or regional variations. Black & White’s values even mesh nicely with my own, as I avoid relying on old favorites when exploring a new region. There’s one family tree in Unova I regret passing over during my time there, though…
Vanillite’s History
Game Freak began designing Pokémon Black & White’s new critters “around the Spring of 2008.” The creation of Vanillite and its evolutions, Vanillish and Vanilluxe, are attributed to James Turner, the first western artist to design a Pokémon. According to franchise character designer Ken Sugimori, the team “received orders to create a new Ice-type Pokemon” and ultimately agreed on making it “another multiplication evolution” (think Magneton). Food-themed Pokémon are difficult to design, but Turner’s pitch—“an ice cream cup, which evolves into a cone, then into a cone with two scoops”—proved enticing.
Image: James Turner. Real world cities flaunt signature foods. As TheNationalDex pointed out, how better to honor Manhattan—a key inspiration behind Unova and its capital, Castelia City—than through a sweet-looking Pokémon and a treat commemorating it?
Unlike higher-profile Pokémon, Vanillite and its evolved forms were not triumphantly unveiled prior to the release of their debut games. Instead, Pokémon Trainers stumbled upon Vanillite when exploring Route 6, the Cold Storage facility, or the Dragonspiral Tower during winter. Upon reaching Level 35, it evolves into Vanillish (which also lurk Dragonspiral Tower), and then it transforms into Vanilluxe after hitting Level 47. Many Trainers across Unova use Vanillite, too.
More recently, the Vanillite clan has been catchable in Pokémon Black 2 & White 2, X & Y, Sun & Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, and Sword & Shield; wild specimens may hold a Never-Melt Ice in the latter three. Moreover, you can trade the cold cone into Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. Handy apps Pokémon Bank and Home let you store any you catch. And while Vanillite skipped a few mainline games after Sword & Shield, it re-emerged last year in Pokémon Legends: Z-A—a prominent character, Lida, even raises one—and there’s little doubt the species will continue to sporadically appear.
Image: Nintendo / The Pokémon Company. Chika Fujimura and Emily Jenness voice the Fresh Snow Pokémon in Japanese and English, respectively. Both perfectly embody the innocent aura it exudes.
Nevertheless, Vanillite graces spin-offs PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond, Pokémon Rumble Blast, Rumble U, Battle Trozei, Rumble World, Rumble Rush, Shuffle, and GO. Various manga publications make space for it. Ditto for the anime; hero Ash Ketchum’s arch-rival during the Black & White years, Trip, even owned a Vanillite. And a wealth of merchandise—trading cards, figures, plushies, clothes, and more—is modeled after the mini iceberg. X & Y sidekick Tierno proudly wears a t-shirt depicting one; Vanillite is, presumably, popular in-universe!
So, what’re my thoughts on Vanillite?
This series is a nice outlet to express my unconventional opinions. Kiddy Kong is a great complement to Dixie! Sayaka Maizono enriches Danganronpa! The complexified Sylveon lets the simplistic Eeveelutions of yore down! Professor Chops and the Sand Bird aren’t bad! I could go on, or tease opinions that’ll power future “Character Chronicle” entries, but you get the idea. So let’s dive into a potentially controversial take: Pokémon that are based on objects are not only harmless, but important and additive. Yes, I typically prefer Pokémon based on animals, but this universe is a huge, diverse place. Atypical beasts are another valuable creative outlet for Game Freak, one that isn’t some artistic betrayal when googly-eyed sludge, rocks, magnets, bombs, and toxic gas-spewing balls have been floating around since Day 1.
Image: FCPlaythroughs. Aside from the “new Lucario” and its baby form, the anime avoided showcasing Unova’s beasts before Black & White hit, a major break from protocol. Which was cool and kept them fresh!
Now, the Pokémon fanbase is massive and anything but a monolith. Over the years, however, I’ve seen more than a few people bash the Vanilluxe and Garbodor families, both hailing from Black & White. Time for the real hot take of the day: they’re lovely, and I’m going to ardently defend the former. First, though, I should stress that this isn’t necessary a call for the Vanillite clan’s critics to come around on them. As the world’s foremost Tropius shill, I often say that every Pokémon is someone’s favorite… but the inverse is also true; nobody will care for every single ‘mon. Certainly not when there’s over a thousand! We all have our own tastes and perspectives, and while I like Vanillite, I respect that it doesn’t appeal to everyone. That’s fine!
Frankly, the reasons why it doesn’t rank among the series’ stars are probably why it clicks with me. For as much as I adore cool, tough fighters like Charizard or Mewtwo, I also appreciate cute, goofy sidekicks. The Vanillite crew unabashedly nail those notes, especially the latter thanks to their large eyes. They imbue the sentient icicles with an excitable quality, something their dopey facial expressions and small stature nicely augment. And they’re all smiles; they look almost as happy as I was as a kid when I laid eyes on an ice cream cone! White and cyan are also a fantastic color combination, implying purity and positivity. However, their diamond-shaped protrusions add texture, an edge—a reminder that these Ice types aren’t to be completely taken lightly. Readability is also important, especially in an internationally beloved franchise aimed at children, and a quick glance at the three swiftly communicates their typing. Oh, and I adore the aesthetic of snow; it’s calming and evokes memories of the wonder I felt watching it fall as a tyke.
Image: FCPlaythroughs. You can tell at a glance that Vanillite is a Turner original. Mainly, that’s due to its oval eyes; HarmoKnight frontman Tempo and some of his other Pokémon share similar peepers.
Naturally, Turner’s sentient icicles look cohesive together; they even share a swirl atop their heads. There’s a nice progression, too: the petite Vanillite resembles a flat cone, the medium-sized Vanillish gains a normal cone shape, and the large Vanilluxe has more going on. It gains an extra head—another “scoop,” in other words—and takes after the 99 flake cone, an English treat with which the Tembo creator would be familiar. Swapping out the dark blues of Vanillite and Vanillish’s irises and mouth for a subdued purple also gives Vanilluxe a more exotic, frigid flavor. This isn’t necessarily the sort of metamorphosis one might expect of an ice cream-themed Pokémon; occasionally, I’ve seen some wish that the base form was composed of one scoop, the first evolution two, and the final stage either resemble a three-scoop cone or a sundae. Yes, that would’ve also been fine. What we got still works; it’s a little less conventional, but it’s hardly “lazy.” It even brings in a dash of European culture, a valuable and appreciated gesture—especially since a Pokémon region based on the continent hadn’t been devised by this point.
Manmade Pokémon date back to Red & Blue. While Vanillite and company are organic, you understandably might not assume so at first blush. But this actually implies a fun bit of worldbuilding; presumably, they inspired ice cream cones within Pokémon’s fiction. More thought went into them than that, too: because Vanillite’s a living icicle, the snow it decorates itself with can melt, a cursed visual seen in its character sheet and a tweet by Turner. Vanillite’s usual abilities even give it a boost in the snow. Oh, and Vanilluxe’s dual heads are a tribute to Weezing (as well as Ghostbusters’ Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man); lore suggests both are formed when two of their previous forms merge together. Where Weezing spews smoke out through its pores, however, its Unovian descendant does so through a straw-like appurtenance. Iterating on proven ideas is a core Pokémon tenet; this is simply a more subtle, more satisfying means of doing so than, say, tossing out yet another Pikachu knockoff.
Image: Nintendo / The Pokémon Company. Shifting away from Shiny Vanillish and Vanilluxe’s darker hues, shiny Vanillite are pink. Kinda channels strawberry ice cream, a childhood favorite!
Since this article’s named after Vanillite, let’s explore why I prefer it to its kin. I like to support an underdog, and this thing looks like it could barely survive ten seconds in the sun, let alone a harsh Flamethrower. Meanwhile, its brethren look… reasonably sturdy. The small nubs it calls arms are cute, a detail its bigger forms lose, and I like that it lacks fingers. Nostalgic favorite Raichu lost its fingers upon evolving; I choose to believe it evolved beyond the need for them, and I employ a similar logic to Vanillite. Most importantly, it strikes the best balance in the cute-goofy ratio. Vanillish and Vanilluxe have mouths that look as if they’re drooling, which suits their sugary aesthetic swimmingly. But they’re a smidge too silly for my taste.
Not every subject is meaty, and that’s okay! Breezier topics are just as valid an avenue for discussion, something proven by Turner’s charming glaciers. And while Vanillite is “just” another Pokémon, one roaming a progressively crowded sea of them, it has a proud place among their ranks. Sure, it isn’t the most popular Pokémon. That’s cool; it nevertheless boasts a unique appeal, one I relish! Plus, the vitriol I’ve seen over the cone has simmered down in recent times, if my social media lurking is any indication. Hopefully more people are warming up to it.
Congratulations, Vanillite! Warm temperature or not, you’re treasured in this household!
Image: James Turner. Vanillite’s a fairly common subject in Turner’s Twitter art. He’s proud of his frosty friend, and rightfully so!
Thanks to NantenJex for helping with edits.
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