Wooloo and Dubwool Design Origins

Trainers! The shinies of Wooloo and Dubwool have made their Pokémon GO debut during the GO All Out event and you must be undoubtedly excited to get this, umm, sheep 😛 

But, what if I told you that Wooloo and Dubwool are more than just sheep 😯 

Like many Pokémon, these two species also have a good number of design inspirations that’ll make you appreciate them more. Why do they roll? Why are they in the Galar region? What’s with Wooloo’s braids and the patches on Dubwool’s body? So much to uncover!

Without further ado, let’s check out the lore and design details on Wooloo and its evolution Dubwool.

For starters, due to the typically cold and wet weather in the UK, cotton doesn’t grow really well so their main option for clothing all the way until industrialization was wool.

Moreover, the yarn made from wool will keep you warm even when wet. As such, sheep became very popular in general.

But you know what else is extremely popular in the UK?

Yes, football. Hence, Dubwool’s wool resembles a football.

Football/Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and the first official games were organized in England complete with the rules and regulations we know today, even though the origins of the game date back to the Mesoamerican era some 3000 years back.

In a nutshell, we owe a lot to the UK for modern football, including the very basic rule of not touching the ball with your hands (unless you’re the goalkeeper). So, it is easy to see why Gyms in that Galar region look exactly like football stadiums.

Also, did you know that medieval soccer balls were often made from sheep’s stomach/bladder? 😯 

But, is Dubwool’s aesthetic just limited to a football and not have anything to do with the real deal – sheep 😐 Well, absolutely not!

Meet the Jacob sheep!

Wooloo, on the other hand, is heavily based on the Valet Blacknose Sheep:

Originally from Switzerland, this is a dual-purpose breed meaning that it’s raised both for wool and for meat. Records of This species go all the way back to 1400 AD!

Wooloo’s ears stick out just like the Valet and its overall design is quite similar. Remember that the Valet is a Swiss breed? Well, so is this hairstyle:

Also, Wooloo’s braids resemble yarn hanks, a convenient way to store yarn, making it less likely to roll away.

Speaking of which, why does Wooloo roll? Is it all to do with a football or a ball of yarn rolling away? 

Or is it wool getting rolled before getting processed? Or a good ol’ rolling sheep toy from Europe?

Also, sheep tend to roll down hillsides… quite often in fact! 😳 Even Pokémon GO’s X post on Wooloo referenced the rolling!

So, a football + ball of yarn + sheep rolling down a hill… perfectly adorable! 😀 

And you can catch its shiny!

Also also also… you can check out other lore and design articles below:

 Morpeko | Cresselia | Mega Salamence | Dialga & Palkia Origin | Garchomp | Baxcalibur | Hydreigon | Zygarde| Druddigon | Naganadel | Drampa | Enamorus

All the best, trainers!