are a sentient fictional species created for the Final Fantasy franchise by Square Enix (originally Square). A white-furred creature usually sporting wings and a pom-pom-tipped antenna, they were first introduced in Final Fantasy III (1990), and have since featured in various capacities in multiple mainline and spin-off Final Fantasy titles. Some Moogle characters recur in major roles, such as Mog who appears in a playable or supporting role across several mainline and spin-off games, and the moogle Montblanc from the Ivalice setting.
Moogles were created by artist and designer Koichi Ishii, based on drawings he created during his school days and inspired by an all-white koala; the name is a compound of the Japanese names for "bat" and "mole". Ishii handled the original design for Final Fantasy III, with later recurring elements created by Yoshitaka Amano in Final Fantasy VI (1994). The moogle has undergone multiple redesigns from artists including Toshiyuki Itahana and Ryoma Ito. Moogles have become a series mascot popular with series fans and journalists, and feature prominently in merchandise. Some of the Moogle's appearances have seen varied responses.
Creation and development
The original Moogle design was created by Koichi Ishii, an artist and game designer who worked on the original Final Fantasy (1987) and Final Fantasy II (1988); he had earlier created the recurring Chocobo character. Square Enix partnered with a Japanese bridal company to introduce a real-life Final Fantasy wedding service that includes a giant virtual Moogle. A giant Moogle bed was created as a contest reward for the Japanese convenience store Lawson.
Reception
Official Australian PlayStation Magazine stated that "nothing sums up the dichotomy of cutesiness for adult players quite like a Moogle", calling them "cool little critters who wouldn't be out of place sitting atop your computer screen at work", and also "so sickeningly cute that thoughts turn to the business end of a hammer drill". Mike Fahey of Kotaku called Moogles his "favorite video game characters ever", though he criticized their design in Final Fantasy XIII-2 as "gross". Jason Schreier of the same publication called Good King Moogle Mog "one of Final Fantasy XIVs most memorable bosses".
Julia Lee of Polygon praised the Moogles of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, calling them "adorable cat-like creatures", but criticized them for having English voice acting, saying it "ruin[ed] their tiny adorable appearance", and calling Mog, the player's Moogle helper, "annoying". Robert Ramsey of Push Square criticized the Moogle voice acting in Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Type-0, saying "we're desperate for a return to Moogles that don't sound like they're helium enthusiasts".
In markets outside of Japan, a playable Moogle named Mog is used as a mascot for Final Fantasy VI, appearing on the game's box art and print advertisements casually holding a dagger, as well as in claymation television commercials speaking with a gruff voice to showcase the individual monsters. In his book examining Final Fantasy VI and its themes, Sebastian Deken was highly critical of how Mog was used in this manner, especially coupled with the slogans implying the game was highly difficult, an aspect also unique to Western advertising. He felt that the advertisement campaign was overall at odds with how Amano had portrayed the character in his artwork as cute and joyful, undermining both the character and the game's public perception in Western markets. He summarized the campaign as using "an adorable little cuddle-bear in a direct appeal to macho (or macho-aspiring) gamers" and "kawaii repackaged for the JV football team."
See also
- Chocobo
- Cactuar