Candypop Buds are large flowers with colored petals that serve as a way to exchange between different colored Pikmin types. They are found in all four mainline Pikmin games. When Pikmin are tossed into these gigantic blossoms, they spit out new Pikmin seeds that color of their petals, much like with Onions of the corresponding color. In Pikmin, Candypop Buds will wither after 50 Pikmin are thrown in, but this number was reduced to 5 in subsequent games. In Pikmin 2, it was to keep the number of Purple Pikmin and White Pikmin, which can only be grown by using Candypop Buds, from growing too quickly. Using Pikmin of the same color as the flower will only count against this limit in Pikmin, and they will be reverted to leaf Pikmin and planted in the ground.
In Pikmin 3 and Pikmin 4, the Candypop Buds are given a different appearance, with bulbs at the tips of their flowers as well as a large bucket-like cup in the middle of them, most likely as a "target" for captains to aim Pikmin. In Pikmin 3, if a captain is instead thrown into the Bud, they will bounce off harmlessly. Unlike previous games, Candypop Buds will remain closed when alone, and only open when approached by a captain, and their roots remain after wilting. The Candypop Buds in these games do not have separate names or notes, only being referenced as the familial name, and thus the new species introduced have not been given their own names. In Pikmin 3, They are more common in Mission Mode, with the Violet and Ivory Candypop Buds originating in Pikmin 2 returning exclusively in the Mission Mode and Bingo Battle and never in the Story Mode. Pikmin 4 shows all types of Candypop Buds in the Story Mode, and surprisingly never in the Dandori Battle mode.
Types
- Crimson Candypop Buds: Throwing a Pikmin into one of these turns it into a Red Pikmin.
- Golden Candypop Buds: Throwing a Pikmin into one of these turns it into a Yellow Pikmin.
- Ice Candypop Buds: Throwing a Pikmin into one of these turns it into an Ice Pikmin.
- Ivory Candypop Buds: Throwing a Pikmin into one of these turns it into a White Pikmin.
- Lapis Lazuli Candypop Buds: Throwing a Pikmin into one of these turns it into a Blue Pikmin.
- Queen Candypop Buds: Functioning differently from other Candypop Buds, throwing one Pikmin in a Queen Candypop Bud can result in up to nine Pikmin coming out.
- Rock Candypop Buds: Throwing a Pikmin into one of these turns it into a Rock Pikmin.
- Violet Candypop Buds: Throwing a Pikmin into one of these turns it into a Purple Pikmin.
- Winged Candypop Buds: Throwing a Pikmin into one of these turns it into a Winged Pikmin.
Unused variations
In Pikmin 3, various unused Candypop Bud variants exist. One has a white colouration with long black spikes on the tips which instantly kills any Pikmin that are thrown into it. Another variation appears the same as the Crimson Candypop Bud but spits out Pikpik Carrot Pikmin instead of normal Pikmin. Neither of these variants appear finished and were likely planned for the game before being scrapped.
Trivia
- The Creature Montage notes, alongside the aesthetic and audible characteristics shared between the Pikmin, Onions, and Candypop Buds, suggest that Candypop Buds are related to the Pikmin biologically. Olimar's Notes, however, state that this relationship still requires further exploration. In Pikmin 4, it is confirmed that the Onions are part of the Candypop family.
- Certain caves in Pikmin 2, such as Glutton's Kitchen and Bulblax Kingdom, contain falling Candypop Buds; if the camera is zoomed in, the roots of the Candypop Bud may be visible. This is the only way to the see the roots of the Candypop Bud without glitches or hacks before Pikmin 3.
- In Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin holding Bomb Rocks cannot be thrown into Candypop Buds, while in Pikmin 3, if a Pikmin holding a Bomb Rock is thrown in, the flower will take in the Bomb Rock and die, killing the Pikmin too.
- As Candypop Buds in German are called "Königinblume" (Queen flower), the Queen Candypop Bud is called "Kaiserinblume" (Empress flower).
- In Pikmin 3, Candypop Buds have the same leaf texture as the Pikmin.
- In Pikmin 4, if you ram into the Candypop bud while the seeds are still in the air, they will behave strangely, as seen here.
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