Hello!

The theme of this post is Squirrel Appreciation Day, an occasion to look back at game characters with a squirrel's endearing charm. With that in mind, I explored the squirrels found in MapleStory and revisited the journey of its signature mascot, Pink Bean.

<Squirrel Appreciation Day> and the Squirrels of MapleStory

<Squirrel Appreciation Day> falls on January 21 each year and is described as “a day to learn about squirrels and hope for harmonious coexistence, while leaving out nuts and water to help them through the winter food shortage.”

Of all the squirrels in Nexon games, the best-known surely have to be those from Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds. They made their first appearance a very long time ago, yet they remain a familiar presence, with references to them appearing in official event announcements as recently as the past few years.

These squirrels and acorns also appeared as representatives of the game in the <Squirrel Extermination Mission> event, part of Nexon's 30th-anniversary collaboration. Described as a Vampire Survivors-like, it was only a minigame, but earned plenty of praise for how much fun it was to play.

Squirrels have never played a particularly prominent role in MapleStory, but there are still a few squirrel-related details to look back on, as the list below shows.

• 판타스틱 아일랜드 NPCs: 다담지 and 다로미

• 다람다람쥐 Pet Set: 다람쥐 아론, 다람쥐 민트, 다람쥐 핑크

• [Golden Hands Awards] Acorn Defense Squad Pet Set: 도롱, 토리, 리링

• [Wisp's Wondrous Wonderberry] Wonder Black Set 1: 숲 속 다롱

• Mu Lung Monster: Chipmunk

• Fox Point Village Monsters: 빵빵 다람쥐 and 뿡뿡 다람쥐

• Yum Yum Island Monster: Squirrenon

Tracing the Journey of Pink Bean, a Signature Mascot

The five characters pictured above stand out as MapleStory's signature mascots today. Rock Spirit, Orange Mushroom, Pink Bean, Yeti, and Slime all make appearances in a variety of settings, and each is widely recognized.

Even among these signature mascots, Pink Bean takes center stage, as the image shows. First introduced as a boss monster, Pink Bean became one of the game's signature mascots through enduring popularity, which has since led to a wide range of appearances at events both in and outside the game and in collaborations with other games, especially at events for the wider public.

I'm fond of Pink Bean too, so I've gathered as many of the character's appearances over the years as I could.

• MapleStory Boss Debut: July 17, 2008

• First Defeat: July 16, 2010

• Hidden Soul Illustration: “Pink, Pink Gift Delivery!”

• Squishy Pink Bean Pet Release: 2015

• Pink Bean's First Release as an Event Class: 2015

The start of event classes and permanent titles such as <One with Pink Bean>

• Maple 15th Street Event: 2018

• Pink Bean's Surprise Christmas Livestream: 2020

• Pink Bean's Star Bubble Cover: 2021

• MapleStory 2 Pink Bean Song: 2017

• MapleStory M Pink Bean Song: 2020

• Pinkstagram Launch: 2020 — https://www.instagram.com/pink_pinkbean/

• CGV Collaboration: 2021

• CGV Collaboration: 2021

• Ambassador Charity Event: 2021

• It's Pink Bean's Lunar New Year Today Too! Event: 2022

• Find Pink Bean, One! Two! Three! Event: 2022

• THE VENTI Collaboration: 2022

• KartRider Collaboration: 2022

• DNF Mobile Collaboration: 2023

• Yongsan I'Park Mall Promotion: 2024

• Cosmic Star Pink Bean! Event: 2024

• TalesWeaver Collaboration: 2024

• KartRider: Drift Collaboration: 2024

• Cafe MapleStory: 2024

• Pink Bean's Nationwide Campus Tour: 2025

• KT Wiz Park Collaboration: 2025

• Christmas Performance Video: 2025

I hope we'll continue to see Pink Bean keeping busy in the years ahead. Thank you for reading.