Last time you saw me, I was inspired by my recent and enthusiastic foray back into my nostalgic childhood playground of Neopets to review every one of the 55 pet species available on the website. Of course, that’s a tall order for just one post, so I decided to split it into two.
Therefore, if you haven’t read last week’s post, it might be useful for you to do so! If you’re caught up, though, strap in. We’ve still got quite a few of these lil’ guys to get through.
Kyrii
One thing I’ve yet to mention is a few Neopets have unique interactions with certain types of items in-game. The Kyrii is one of these species. The entire population is said to have an allergy to apples, and will thus get sick if fed any item with the word “apple” in the name.
Unfortunately, this is one of the more interesting things about the Kyrii, in my opinion. I just can’t put my finger on why, exactly, but I’ve never really liked them. Their fox-like design seems like it would be cute and appealing, but I think it has something to do with their facial expression. There’s something almost… bro-y about them? Like, I’d imagine them shotgunning lite beers underneath my window at an ungodly hour or something.
This has sort of always been the case for them, even with their classic pre-customization design. I do think some of their colors pre-customization are a lot more cute than their current designs, though. The Maraquan, for example, translates the smug smile into something a lot more curious and cute. And I totally love both the Royalgirl and Royalboy UC Kyriis – so much personality in their poses and some really strong color schemes for them both.
It’s sort of unfortunate that I respond so badly to the faces of these pets, because honestly I can totally see the appeal. And there is a famous Kyrii I hold close to my heart – Jacques – the best friend of pirate captain Garin from the Curse of Maraqua plot, a favorite of mine when I was a kid.
Lenny
Lennies are a species I don’t see many people saying nice things about, and honestly, I don’t think that’s fair at all. Like the Gnorbu, this is a species with an inherent sort of humor to it. It’s tall, skinny body, three thin little feathers on its tail, and silly little parted “hairdo” on its head, it has a kind of nerdy look to it. You imagine a Lenny being the type of student in class to correct the teacher.
Still, I definitely prefer their pre-customization look. The way they hold their wings in the current design, again, meant to make them able to hold an item, just looks odd to me. I like their original friendly wave and huge smile pose.
The most popular Lenny color is the Faerie Lenny, for reasons that are exceedingly obvious to me. Its gorgeous, graceful, peacock-inspired design is totally unique and unlike any other Faerie color. And, it’s especially gorgeous in the once-again available nostalgic design.
But I think the Lenny has plenty of other cute colors. I think their spindly look is totally fitting for the witchy look of their Halloween coloration, and I quite like the touch of their rainbow coloration referencing a Macaw and their Pink coloration referencing a flamingo. The Mutant is also totally vulture-like, which I love.
Lupe
It would be hard to imagine a pet website trying to cater to a broad population without making some sort of wolf pet available. Relatable in the way they resemble dogs but with a wild streak that gives them a cool, mysterious edge.
The Lupe, therefore, captures a lot of that understandable yet mysterious vibe of its inspiration. Neopian lore upholds the species’ loyalty, but notes that a wild ancestry causes even modern Lupes to have a predatory instinct, particularly toward Chias. This is why a lot of Lupe snacks in the modern day are Chia-shaped, though polite society demands they not actually hunt their fellow Neopians. This is a detail I find kind of hilarious and so very Neopets.
Lupes are great, solid pets with a ton of fun colors. I also think they fared quite well in their conversion to modern designs, with a much cuter and friendlier face in my humble opinion. Still, there’s something beautiful and classic about the unconverted Royalgirl Lupe. The Halloween Lupe, too, lost a bit of his uniqueness in the conversion, though both colors still look pretty appealing to me in the modern day.
Though I don’t love the Lupe as much as the other canine Neopet, the Gelert, that is absolutely not the Lupe’s fault. (It’s hard to live up to perfection, after all). I have every intention to add a Lupe to my collection of pets one of these days.
Lutari
Though there are definitely rarer and harder to get pets than the Lutari, I’ve always felt like the Lutari is the most elusive pet in Neopia. Though it can be created on its pet day, same as every other limited pet except the Draik and the Krawk, I think its unique species trait is what earns it this vibe in my heart. Lutaris cannot be abandoned in the Neopian pound. Anytime a user attempts to pound their Lutari will instead see the pet run away.
Though this trait may have been given to the species in order to preserve its exclusivity to those using the outdated mobile version of the website, which was originally the only place to get them, nowadays it characterizes the Lutari as a species with a wild and untamed heart and a certain rarity. I very rarely see them around the site, so it’s kind of hard to fully judge their popularity.
By my metric, though, Lutaris are really cool pets. I love otters, and the Lutari totally captures what is so fun and cute about them. I also really enjoy many of their colors, including the very recently-released Medusa-inspired Halloween Lutari and the silly yet adorable Axolotl-inspired Maraquan Lutari. The Desert Lutari also has total protagonist energy.
Meerca
I’ve had plenty to say about the various orbs of Neopia. Some I have vehemently defended. Others, I have turned away from in horror. The Meerca is the final Neopet in the orb family, and you might wonder what my opinions are of it.
And well… I like them. But the reason why is maybe a little weird.
Back in the day, Neopets was a fairly huge brand. Owned by Viacom, it got a ton of ads and merchandise alongside the other major kids brands of the 2010s, including the most coveted position of all – the McDonalds toy. I have vivid memories of excitedly cracking open a Happy Meal to reveal various Neopets plush toys, most of which are gone now, unfortunately.
But I totally remember one of the toys being a green Meerca. I remember being totally obsessed with the Meerca’s fabric tail, and I can still remember the feeling of the fabric beneath my fingers as I rolled and unrolled it. It’s a sensory memory that has stuck with me all these years and, in sort of an odd way, has always endeared the Meerca to me.
Sure, it doesn’t have enough of a body to really have a lot of expression, but I think its tiny little arms and legs and long, long tail have enough personality to communicate quite a lot more than the JubJub or… shudders… Kiko ever could.
Plus, the Candy Meerca is a fruit by the foot! What’s not to love.
Moehog
You can just look at the Moehog and tell that it’s unpopular. It’s a squat little pig Neopet with tusks. Compared to the cuteness, grace, and coolness factor of so many other species, how could it ever compete?
And you know what? I won’t stand for it.
I love pigs. I think they’re way underrated as an animal – smart, friendly, and a vital food source for many. The Moehog totally captures that grounded, honest appeal. Maybe you don’t like pigs, but I do.
I also think their design has gotten a lot more appealing in the modern conversion. Gone is the weird, grimace-like smile they once had, now they wear a legitimately very cute little smile.
Sure, they may not have an abundance of amazing colors. But I would be remiss not to mention the absolute horrifying beauty of the Mutant Moehog. Many Neopet Mutants are pretty horrific, but the Mutant Moehog takes that so much further than just about anyone else. It’s a sight to behold, and I know that sounds like a bad thing, but I totally mean it in a good way. I swear.
Honestly, I wish the Moehog had a bit more love for it. I refuse to fall victim to the obvious pig = bad thing. The Moehog deserves better.
Mynci
My feeling about the Mynci is pretty similar to another Neopet I reviewed in my last post, the Bruce. It’s a bit cursed by the fact that it is such a faithful recreation of the animal it’s based on. The Mynci is basically just a Monkey with a cartoon style. It’s absolutely nothing you haven’t seen before a million times in a lot of different places.
In some way, I wish their design was a bit less simplified. While I’m sure this wasn’t the intended read, their smooth, furless linework suggests that they’re some kind of horrifying skin-monkey (which, as I reflect, is essentially just a human. But I don’t want a human Neopet.)
Adding insult to injury, they’ve become way less cute since their conversion into the customizable design. It’s something in the face, I think. Again, like the Bruce, current Myncis just have a kind of indecipherable emotion on their face that just doesn’t look like a personality. It’s just vacant. There’s nothing going on behind those eyes. By contrast, the old design at least had a much cuter face.
None of their colors really interest me much, either. I think I respond best when the colors bestow the Mynci with a little hairdo, like in their Faerie and Disco colorations. But are these colors I like? No.
Nimmo
Much has been said, in this post and in other posts, about the changes that have occurred to many Neopets species when the site made customization available. If you listen to most Neopians who existed for the change, you’ll understand the change to be almost unilaterally terrible.
But as you’ve probably come to notice from my opinions, this isn’t always the case. I actually think the conversion was an improvement for a not-insignificant number of Neopets. Plus, the ability to customize your Neopet, even one with a slightly less dynamic pose, does offer its own kind of unique personality and dynamism, even if the design itself isn’t as good.
The Nimmo, though? I totally get why Nimmo fans would be upset with this change.
The original Nimmo was a silly, skinny frog. The design saw the Nimmo crouched in a pose that simultaneously evoked the crouch of a frog but also a sort of meditative pose. It’s silly and cute, particularly with the Nimmo’s eyes closed in a little smile and its long froggy tongue hanging out. Adorable, silly, fun.
The new Nimmo might seem at a glance to be similar. It too crouches in a dual frog/meditation pose. But it’s the face that really unnerves me. Gone is the fun expression, showing that the pose is meant as a lighthearted bit of personality. Now, the Nimmo stares unnervingly out the screen at you, its legs splayed apart.
It’s… um… let’s just say, I don’t really like the vibe.
To all Nimmo owners – I’m so sorry.
Ogrin
I always think this Neopet’s name is spelled “Origin.” Now, why is that?
Ogrins are just silly little guys. I think they’re meant to look like okapis, and if you know that they’re a fairly faithful adaptation. But unlike a penguin or a monkey, the lack of general familiarity with the species they’re based on gives them an air of fantasy and alienness that works really well for a Neopet.
The problem is, like with many other species, that while they have a pretty cute and interesting base design, I just do not much like many of the colors that are available to them. I sympathize a bit – a lot of other Neopets have design inspirations that really suggest directions to take with the different colors. But Okapis? What do people know about Okapis? What unique design directions can you take them? So, most Ogrin colors just kind of look standard to me.
I think their Royal variations are fun, and the Baby is very cute, but none of the other colors are really all that memorable.
I really would love to like these Neopets a whole lot more, but I just can’t find it in myself to invest in a species with such an uninspired collection of colors.
Peophin
So, I was a horse girl as a kid. And I loved mermaids. So, a mermaid horse? Oh, I’m so there.
There’s a ton of examples of aquatic horses across mythology. In particular, I think of Greek Mythology, which surmised that horses were created out of seafoam. Though this has absolutely no rooting in the real world (I don’t think horses are generally all that happy about swimming), it’s such a fun idea for a fantasy world like Neopia. How could a young horse girl not fantasize about exploring the depths of the ocean on back of their majestic water pony?
There’s also just something about the current design that speaks to the horse girl locked away in my heart even today. While I think there’s appeal in the Peophin’s original design, it just doesn’t hold a candle to the energy and dynamism of the current Peophin’s pose and expression. The way they hold their front hooves up and curve their aquatic tail behind them suggests energy and curiosity that their backward-looking smile just adds to. Just looking at a Peophin makes me smile.
So, of course, the second Neopet I ever made was my beloved Aqua, whom I eventually painted Tyrannian. Tyrannian is just one of the many great colors available to this species, including Chocolate, Christmas, Darigan, Desert, Royalgirl and Royalboy, and Toy.
Peophins are honestly underrated. Sure, they’re not inventing something brand-new here, but I admire a design well done even if it’s not totally original.
Poogle
Another limited edition pet, I feel conflicted on the Poogle. While its design is pretty alien, with a similar head shape to the Kacheek but on a quadruped body, its role on the website and name based on “poodle” suggests that it’s supposed to be a kind of dog. And… I don’t know, guys, I just don’t see it?
I really think the Poogle is a pet that has really benefited from the fact that it’s limited. I think if it wasn’t, it would be just another mid, bland pet in the vein of the Acara. Still, I think there’s something cute about its facial expression, even if I don’t really like how stiff and personality-less its pose is. This has kind of always been the case, as the Poogle’s design probably changed the least of any other Neopet in the conversion to customization.
The big saving grace for the Poogle for me, funnily enough, is one color. A color that was very recently released, in fact. The Toy Poogle is meant to be an iDog and… as a child of the 2000s and 2010s, this design choice totally tickles me and totally makes me see the dog in the Poogle I wasn’t able to see before. Honestly, this one color is what pushed me away from some of my more negative perspectives on this pet and toward something more like admiration.
I still do wish there was a bit more personality in the design of this Neopet, but I can see why others like it.
Pteri
Of the bird Neopets, I think I like the design sensibilities of the Pteri the best. As its name cheekily hints, this Neopet is not just a bird, it’s meant to be a Pterodactyl, the extinct flying ancestor of modern birds. (I have to assume. I am not a paleontology expert.)
What I like about that, though, is despite this inspiration, it’s clear that the Pteri is a bird. But it’s in the little details – its more reptilian tail, the included talons on its feet, and the fierce gaze in its eye, that suggest something a little bigger, a little more ancient, a little meaner.
Like the Meerca, I think some of my affection for this pet comes from the fact I owned a McDonalds plushie of the Pteri that I treasured. But, while I do like this pet, it’s never been enough to convince me to own one myself, even if I do like a few of their colors. The Faerie Pteri is probably its strongest, though I also love the humor of the baby Pteri (it’s literally just an egg). Oh, and the Valentine Pteri has a little heart-shaped cowlick on its head – so cute.
Anyway, I respect the Pteri. It deserves much more love from Neopians, I think. With a solid design, it deserves a spot in the hearts of many.
Quiggle
Neopet’s second frog fares a lot better, in my opinion. Whereas the Nimmo stretched the frog out into a more humanoid body with a nonetheless froglike pose, the Quiggle maintains a froglike body but stands upright like a human. Feel free to feel differently, but I find the latter so much less strange and off-putting.
Plus, there’s a good history of lovely and endearing humor surrounding the Quiggle species. Neopets has a Barbie analogue, the Usuki, a popular fashion doll based on a Usul Neopet (more on them later). Then, in a play on the proud tradition of knock-offs of popular toys being made, Neopets introduced the Quiguki – just like the Usuki, but obviously far uglier and cheaper and less desirable. (It is, after all, literally a frog, a fairytale symbol of ugliness). I think that’s a really fun addition to the species lore, with it literally being a knock-off ugly version of a fashion doll. There’s such silliness in that.
Unfortunately, I do think the Quiggle lost some of its appeal in its conversion to modern design. The original Quiggle design featured the Quiggle jumping and cheering, with a big wide open mouth. By comparison, the modern Quiggle is really subdued-looking – it obviously lost a lot of its personality, which I think is a real shame.
Still, I find many Quiggle colors really fun and appealing. The Elderly Boy and Girl have such a fun outfit, and the Halloween Quiggle is a unique take on a spooky theme with an undertaker outfit.
Ruki
Looking at the Buzz is made even worse when you look at the other insectoid Neopet available – the far more appealing Ruki. Poor Buzz.
The Ruki is a fun take on a beetle, and that’s high praise coming from me, considering I am terrified of real-life beetles. But the Ruki just grabs a lot of insect-like traits but never traverses too far into the creepy or weird territory to make them off-putting. They look like a friendly little ant, with their cutely bent over antennae and almost centaur-like pose with four of their legs on the ground and two acting like “arms”.
Ruki have also remained pretty consistent, design-wise, thoughout their time on the website. One thing that has changed, though, is their transition into becoming a limited pet with the release of the Vandagyre in 2014. I’m unsure as to why this happened – perhaps the team felt like there needed to be a stable number of always-available pets, and therefore needed to move a regular pet into the limited pool when a new one was released? No idea.
Some of my favorite Ruki colors include the obvious-yet-appreciated ladybug vibes of the spotted Ruki, the pretty pastel coloration of the Faerie Ruki, and the cool-yet-menacing vibes of the Mutant Ruki. There’s a lot to love about these guys. I’m a fan, and I would definitely consider adopting one of my own.
Scorchio
Next to wolves, dragons seem like the next-most obvious design inspiration for a pet website. Neopets has several – the Draik, which I’ve already talked about, and the next three Neopets, which all just so happen to be next to each other alphabetically and provide three variations on a dragon character. They basically beg to all be compared to one another, so compare I shall.
The Draik is a pretty straightforward fantasy dragon – notably reptilian in its design. The Scorchio, by comparison, feels like a more childish fantasy dragon. This is a bit of a dramatic example, but their differences remind me of the differences between, say, a dragon from a Fantasy RPG and the dragons from the PBS series Dragon Tales. The Scorchio is far less reptilian, with a chunkier and friendlier body.
I think both approaches to the dragon are valid and appealing in their own right, but I think the Scorchio unfortunately suffers a bit in popularity because of how straightforwardly a normal dragon it is, but less cool than the Draik. I can’t think of many scenarios where someone who wants a fantasy dragon Neopet would opt for the Scorchio over the Draik, except for the reason that Scorchios are far easier to get.
Still, I only feel bad for these guys because I think there’s something so likeable about them. Their big childish features are totally adorable. So, it’s pretty unfortunate that I also have to say that I don’t love very many of their colors. I think the nostalgic Faerie Scorchio is really adorable, with a very curious and unique pose, but I otherwise don’t love a lot of the other colors, particularly the modern ones. And, well, as you’ll see, that means that the Scorchio, in my opinion, doesn’t fare very well when compared to their other dragon brethren. So let’s explore the next one, shall we?
Shoyru
Throughout these two posts, I’ve identified a few Neopet species that feel very quintessentially Neopet to me. Like mascots, these species sum up and represent the website’s design sensibilities in a classic yet unique way. These Neopets are generally identifiable in their design inspirations, but have a fresh and unique take that can’t be seen in many other places.
The Shoyru is totally one of these pets, and their massive popularity on the site shows how successful this combination of relatability and uniqueness can be. The Shoyru is obviously a dragon, but there’s something about its body and particularly its head shape that doesn’t feel like it’s been done before. The Shoyru arguably has really simple features, but those simple features make it cute and appealing and importantly versatile. The Shoyru can come off cool, cute, scary, gorgeous, or anything in between.
It’s also another pet that I’ve heard is really fun and easy to customize, though I have yet to own one myself (though I’d definitely be open to owning one).
The Shoyru also has a ton of really appealing colors, both pre- and post- modernization. I think my favorite is the Maraquan Shoyru, which is the cutest little sea turtle, and the Royalgirl and Royalboy Shoyrus which are interesting fantasy royals.
So, in comparison to the Scorchio, I think it’s pretty no-contest here. The Shoyru is much more versatile in design and iconic than its fellow dragon, to the point where I often wonder why the Neopets team felt the need to include both. And, while yes, it definitely also seems like a cuter dragon than the Draik, I think it carries the additional benefit of also having the capacity to look cool that the Scorchio, unfortunately, does not.
But what about that third S dragon, eh?
Skeith
Unpopular opinion. I love Skeiths.
No, they’re not cute. They’re not really cool, either. But they are absolutely and unapologetically their own thing. They’re the villain.
Dragons play lots of roles in our stories, but for a pet site like Neopets it makes a lot of sense that most of the Dragon Neopets focus on the traits of Dragons that make them cool and heroic or even cute and cuddly. But a ton of dragons, arguably most dragons, are villains. They’re monsters. They sit on huge hoards of treasure and breath fire at dashing heroes. They cause natural disasters. They’re terrifying gods, uninterested in the goings-on of mortals.
The Skeith might not be majestic. It might not even be all that scary. But it totally plays with this common role of the dragon as the antagonist. The Skeith is big and tough-looking. They’re fat (which the Neopedia goes out of its way to remark is just the way they’re built and is not a problem to be solved – hell yeah). They have a big smile of sharp teeth. They have all these traits that, in our (probably quite flawed) societal expectations, mark them as clear villains.
If you don’t like the Skeith, congratulations, its design has done its job. I know that seems odd for a website that is supposed to encourage people to adopt and care for pets, but I nonetheless love it as a character. Every Skeith that has ever existed has been totally its own unique little beastie with a distinctive personality, appealing traits be damned, and that is something I can’t help but love.
Unfortunately, I think modern Skeiths are way less appealing than their previous design, which was arguably kind of cute in its own way. Still, I like more Skeith colors than I realized, including the adorable Faerie Skeith and the fittingly beastly Mutant and Maraquan Skeiths.
Skeiths are probably the least popular of all the dragon Neopets, but I really respect the reason why that is. It’s not because they’re plain or boring – it’s because they’re so unapologetically exactly as they are that it puts many people off. But those who love the Skeith REALLY love the Skeith, and that’s something to be celebrated, I think.
Techo
With certain animals, making an appealing cartoon design of them walks a fine line. Cartoons of animals (and anything nonhuman, for that matter), often has to reach for humanoid traits in order to get an audience to relate to and find a nonhuman character appealing and relatable.
For some animals, that’s pretty easy. Dogs and cats, for example, spend enough time around humans that their behaviors are common and easily understood. Many social animals also have behaviors and features that are generally relatable to humans, as we are also social animals. Mammals, too, share traits with humans. But some animals don’t have these design shortcuts. I think reptiles are some of the most common animals I see with this problem.
Reptiles have features that are just inherently seen as scary and off-putting by many. They lack expressive faces, and many also lack expressive limbs. So, people creating a cartoon reptile face a choice – take the reptileness out of the reptile to make it appealing, or risk losing people with a non-relatable design?
That was a long-winded way for me to get to my point about the Techo… which is that I don’t think it’s a super successful example of this. The original Techo is, in my opinion, way too human-looking. It’s just a weird, naked little guy with a tail. I think the modern Techo is getting somewhere a little better, but I’ll be real – it’s mostly in the service of being super boring.
I just want something to hold onto with this guy. A fun facial expression? A pose? A unique species feature? There’s just nothing here. Even colors that could have lent it a bit more fun don’t even take the chance to do so. (The Woodland one is kind of neat, though. I like the leaf on its torso and tail.)
Ho hum.
Tonu
The poor Tonu. When I’ve talked about previous limited pets, I’ve noted that the exclusivity is often a secret sauce to elevating a good design to one that is extremely coveted. I’m objective enough to note that for how appealing bunnies tend to be, the Cybunny wouldn’t be half as prized and coveted if it were easier to make.
However, it’s important to note that exclusivity absolutely will not elevate a bad design to greatness. The Tonu is the perfect example of this.
The Tonu is a prehistoric-looking… creature? It has a mane like a lion, but horns and a body resembling a rhino. According to the Neopedia, they lay eggs. It’s an odd little thing, and definitely not what I would call cute or pretty or appealing in any obvious way.
To any Tonu lovers out there, I salute and respect you, but I just can’t see much appeal here.
I will say – I love the Candy Tonu. It’s cotton candy, and it has a cute color scheme. The Elderlygirl and boy also have something to them – going for an aging knight, something a lot more unique than the generic “old person” vibes of the other Elderly pets. I even like the flowy mane of the Faerie Tonu! I just unfortunately can’t picture the person who jumps through the hoops to get a Tonu just for these just okay colors on a pretty bafflingly-designed pet.
Tuskaninny
I’ve identified several Neopets along the way that feel a little doomed from the start with their inspirations. I mean, put up against Neopets based on dogs, wolves, cats, dragons, and other more relatable and commonly beloved creatures, Neopets based on pigs, okapis, and yes, walruses, don’t stand a huge chance in the “appealing to a mass audience” game.
Regardless, I think the Tuskaninny is a really cute pet, in a similar way I feel about the Flotsam. It has a sweet, classic cartoon face. I also really like the tiny little tuft of hair on the top of its head. If there is one small thing I don’t love about the design, it’s the lost potential of its name versus its design. This is a Tuskaninny, and yet, where are its tusks? Perhaps omitting the tusks was an attempt to keep focus on the cute face, but I think there absolutely could have been a cute design that included the obvious walrus-y trait of tusks.
This makes the Tuskaninny a little bland in some ways – not cute enough to really compete with other pets but not interesting enough to serve as a really fun fantasy representation of its animal inspiration.
Still, the Mutant Tuskaninny sees the return of these missing tusks, making it a design I like a lot more. I also think the Royalgirl Tuskaninny is really fun and cute. So, while I wish the Tuskaninny’s design was a bit more interesting, I still like it well enough.
Uni
As you know, I was a horse girl as a kid. So, you are likely not surprised to find out that the Uni was another Neopet I really loved and immediately made for myself as a child – see my beloved Emily. But, like the Peophin, I argue that even non-horsegirls can find a lot to enjoy with the Uni.
Sure, it’s not exactly the most original of designs. It’s a unicorn with cute little wings. But I think what really makes the Uni a great pet is the huge variety of fun colors available to it. Going down the list, I really love the Baby, Brown, Candy, Chocolate, Halloween, Island, Maraquan, Royalboy, Royalgirl, Spotted, Woodland, and Wraith. Amongst these colors are cute looks, pretty looks, and even scary looks, with the Halloween Uni in particular probably being one of the most well-designed and beloved species and pet colors on the website.
And also, while it does feel a bit obvious, I also enjoy that Unis are characterized as a bit vain by various Neopedia entries. While I feel like associating the obvious femininity in the Uni’s design with concern for appearance is certainly… well, not the best impulse, I definitely remember finding this characteristic inspiring as a kid creating a Uni. I definitely enjoyed leaning into the imagined personality of my own Uni, giving her a flaw that, under normal circumstances, I likely wouldn’t have thought to give to my beloved pet.
So, yes, the Uni isn’t a terribly unique design. But I love it, and it’s a definite favorite of mine.
Usul
The Usul is a fluffy, cute little squirrel Neopet that comes by default with a big fluffy bow around its tail and two little bands around each of its pointy, rabbit-like ears. Just from a glance you can see the appeal – it’s a cute, prim little Neopet, similar in personality to the Uni.
As mentioned before, it also has its own distinctive place in Neopian lore, standing in as the Barbie analogue Usuki. That association says a lot, too, marking the Usul as the sort of mainstream “perfect girl” type, carrying with it all the cultural baggage that accompanies such a concept.
It’s hard not to like the Usul, so like it I do. This appeal is reflected in just how many notable Neopian characters are Usuls – including my name twin, Gilly, and the probably a bit more beloved and iconic Garin of the Curse of Maraqua plot and Hannah of, well, just about everything plot. (An extra thing I think is funny about Hannah and Usuki, by the way, is that the official Hannah Usuki doll is called the “Usuki Pirate Wench”. Why does the creator of the Usuki hate Hannah so much?)
Usuls have some nice colors as well – I love the soft gradient of the Pastel, and the silly snail inspired design of the Maraquan. I like that the White Usul has red eyes and red accessories to match. And then of course there are the two Usuki themed colors exclusive (sort of) to the Usul, the Usuki girl and Usuki boy, which are also pretty cute.
Vandagyre
A thing to know about most modern Neopets users is that they are a majority adults who loved the game as children coming back for that good, good dose of nostalgia. That’s the case for me and just about everyone else I’ve interacted with on the website. So maybe that will go to explain why the Vandagyre is so unfairly maligned.
Just looking at its design might suggest that it would enjoy some popularity. It’s a cute little panda/owl hybrid, two beloved animals that were nonetheless not represented in the Neopets lineup up until 2014, when the Vandagyre was first “discovered.” But that’s the rub – the date of this pet’s release.
I think the Vandagyre has just never quite made it into the hearts of all of these returning users. Because they were released post-customization update, the Vandagyre never got any design other than the stiff, fist-out pose it arrived with, giving it a pretty steep disadvantage even over converted pets. After all, though these pets now had these stiff designs, they at least at one point had the nostalgic style and could be imagined with it. That personality was there, even if it didn’t always translate literally into the new design.
Regardless, it has some cool colors. I really like its Desert design, and the way its Spotted design leans further into the owl inspiration. The Toy one is obviously meant to be a Furby, which is too cute. I even like the pretty cloak it comes with in its Christmas design. There are certainly pets out there with worse and more boring colors.
Anyway, as much as I feel for the Vandagyre, I don’t have one myself and have no plans to get one in the near future, so I guess I’m one to talk. I just sort of feel bad that it’s never been able to fit in with the others.
Wocky
The Wocky has committed a major design crime, in my opinion. It’s boring. It’s basically just a fluffy cat, with its own distinctive design feature being the ruff around its neck (a feature a TON of far cuter, better, and more interesting Neopets also have, by the way).
What’s probably even worse, though, is its absolutely heinous transition into the customization era. The original Wocky design was pretty boring still, but it was at least cute in a sort of “this is just a regular cat” kind of way. However, in the new design, the hint of thin eyebrow somehow got translated to a much thicker line, and its cute, knowing little smile translated into what I can only describe as a leer.
Yes, this is another Neopet that reminds me of some uncomfortable college frat guy, though this one looks like he’s deciding how much misogyny he can get away with while talking to you.
This unfortunate facial choice really only works for the Darigan Wocky, which is pretty cute. I even like the fishy design of the Maraquan Wocky. But, phew, the base design is just too terrible. I’m sorry.
Xweetok
When I first started playing Neopets, you were only allowed to have four pets. So, once I created my Gelert, my Peophin, my Uni, and my Kougra, I was locked out from getting any other pets. However, I quickly came to find out about and deeply covet the Xweetok.
Now that the number of spaces you can have for a pet has expanded (and, also before that, when I learned about making side accounts), I finally got to adopt my own, Icyoka. Xweetoks are just adorable. They have a design reminiscent of both a fox and a squirrel, making it into a fantasy creature that totally looks like it could exist in the real world. And the mixture of these two whimsical forest animals makes this fantasy animal into the ultimate woodland creature, the platonic ideal of stomping though an enchanted wood and meeting a fairy’s pet (or, should I say, a faerie’s pet?)
Plus, Xweetoks have gotten limited yet fun characters. I have to shoutout Xandra, the surprise twist villain in the Faeries’ Ruin plot. Her speckled coloration and understandable yet over-the-top motives totally won me over, even while she was betraying my other favorite character, Hanso.
Lots of cute colors, too. The Baby one is cute, as is the Darigan. I love the rat design of the Mutant and the cute purple curls on the Royal girl. But of course, as you might be able to tell, my favorite Xweetok is the Faerie, and specifically the original nostalgic design, as you can now see on Icyoka.
Yurble
You know, I never paid Yurbles much mind. But recently, I came across Vortexverse in the pound, and liked his name and the fact that he was painted Woodland enough to adopt him. Since then, I’ve kind of come to appreciate the Yurble.
This is another Neopet that definitely pulls off the fantasy creature vibe. I’ve always thought of them as hedgehogs, but on closer look, their spiky hair is just that, hair, not spines like a hedgehog. And their curly, almost horn-like ears are totally alien, combined with their bear-like body. The Yurble is a super successful fantasy creature totally unique to Neopets, I think, and that’s commendable.
I plan on making Vortexverse into a Maraquan Yurble, because I think the manatee inspiration is really cool. However, there’s a lot of other cute Yurbles out there – I like how the Halloween Yurble references famous Yurble the Tax Beast, and the Origami Yurble has some cool fan fold effects to make up their mane. I also love the Norse design of the Royals.
You know, it’s a shame that Yurbles aren’t more appreciated – they’re definitely a solid and cute Neopet.
Zafara
The final species! Phew, can you believe it?
Zafaras are actually kind of similar to Yurbles in the way they’re totally their own thing. Some say it’s supposed to be a Kangaroo, but besides the long tail, I don’t think there’s any features about the Zafara that really make me think it’s more kangaroo than, say, a Blumaroo. Instead, it comes off to me as a successful amalgamation of a kangaroo, a bunny, and maybe even a little bit of cat thrown in for good measure.
Whatever it is, though, I get the sense that Zafaras are really popular, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re another pet species that is pretty fun to customize, with a design that is animalistic enough not to be too uncanny valley but human enough to show off any clothes they wear.
To me, this is a total turnaround from the way they were before customization – I just don’t remember them being all that popular. Maybe this is the Neopet who has benefited the most from the change! It’s all based on my memory, but it seems like they’ve experienced a boom in popularity.
The Christmas Zafara is really cute with its angel wings and halo, but most of the other colors fall a little into the bland territory for me, personally. Still, I like its base design and with a good customization, the Zafara can be totally your own.
And that’s it! All 55 Neopets species, reviewed. See how they stacked up against each other in my tier ranking below:
Absoludicrous 