Topi

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The Topi is a major antagonist of the NES platform video game series, Ice Climber. In the international releases, Topis are small bipedal creatures that resemble small yetis and their whole body is covered in white fur. Topis have small legs and small arms that offer them the ability of mobility, with their mouths somewhat resembling beaks. In Japan, Topis are instead representative as blue/indigo and anthropomorphic seals: the change in appearance is assumed to be due to the controversial situations surrounding seal clubbing in the Western world. However, this yeti-like appearance has been carried over to Japan with VS. Ice Climber, the game's arcade expansion, and its japan-exclusive Family Computer Disk System port.

Appearances

Ice Climber

Its job was to repair the cracked ice floors by shuttling ice to the holes. Popo and/or Nana would constantly break the floors of the ice, which retained the Topis in serious business in solving the gaps. To defeat them, the Ice Climber(s) would either whack them to prevent them from assaulting the Ice Climbers or make them fall to the one floor underneath by cracking the floor they are standing on.

Most noticeable on comparing the American and Japanese localizations of Ice Climber, Topi had its own shape and form in the American localization, but in the Japanese localizations, Topis were revealed to be illustrated as cute blue seals instead of the American and PAL, miniature yeti-like creature that Topis still retain such appearance. Surprisingly in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Japanese localizations once again featured the seals rather than the yeti.

Super Smash Bros. series

After their disappearance in Nintendo's games since 1985, Nintendo gave them another appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee as an obstacle in the Icicle Mountain during Adventure Mode. Nevertheless, Topi made its appearance on one of the several 290 trophies in addition of the Ice Climbers and the Polar Bear. The following is Topi's trophy description in Melee:

"Topis debuted in the game Ice Climber, shuttling ice with which to repair in the floor. They were kept really busy, as Nana and Popo constantly cracked floors with single strikes of their ice hammers. Despite the monotony of their chilly work, these creatures never slacked off for an instant."

Gallery

Popo going up against two Topi.

The Japanese trophy for the Topi seal.

Ditto, in Japanese.

Topi's artwork from the European box.

Topi's artwork from the Japanese box.

The Seal in the Japanese localization of Super Smash Bros. Melee.

The official box artwork of Ice Climber for Famicom, featuring Nana, the Polar Bear, the Condor and the Topi.

The official box artwork of Ice Climber for Famicom, featuring Nana, the Polar Bear, the Condor and the Seal, replacing the original Topi in the Japanese localization.

Comparisons between Famicom's official box artwork of Ice Climber showing differences between the Topi's design.

"The seal-like Topi from Ice Climber are replaced by yeti-like enemies in the international versions. This is due to the connection of seal clubbing."

Topis replaced with seals in the Japanese localization of Ice Climber.

Sprites of two different designs of the Topi stalagmite a block of ice.

Trivia

• The stalagmites of ice Topis pushed in-game of Ice Climber are depicted for the Ice Climbers' Ice Shot for the Super Smash Bros. series.
• The reason for changing the characteristic sprite of the Topi on the American localization was never formally stated, but heavily implied for concern for Nintendo to retain a family-friendly image. During the time of the game's release, North America (in particular, Canada) had come under heavy criticism from animal rights activists for the practice of clubbing harp seals, which is more known for the infamous seal clubbing.
• The character's name, "Topi," is also ironically the name of a city in Pakistan.