Name: Funky

Debut: Pac-Mania

Happy Funky Friday! Did you know that this year is the fourth anniversary of the Pac-Man franchise? Wouldn’t it be great if it landed on a Friday? And not just a Friday, but a Funky Friday? And wouldn’t it be great if I was posting about a Pac-Man character named Funky on a Funky Friday that was also the 40th anniversary of Pac-Man?

Good news! The day of the 40th anniversary was May 22nd, which was indeed a Funky Friday! And why didn’t I make this post then? Because I didn’t realize until it was too late! So I’ll tell you about Funky now!

Now, everyone and their dog and their dog’s mom knows the good ol’ Ghost gang of Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, and yes, they are criminally delightful (especially Clyde, just look at him!), but they’re far from the only ghosts in the Pac-Man World! For example, do you know Sue? Tim? Yum-Yum?

It wasn’t until Pac-Mania where any ghosts outside of the main four REALLY got their chance to shine. Not only is Sue here alongside Clyde, but there are two all-new ghosts with never-before-seen abilities, the Commons! I don’t know why they’re called that.

It’s Funky and Spunky! Despite the post beginning with Funky for obvious reasons, I appreciate both equally. What makes them unique? They can jump! You may be thinking, “that’s weird, but I don’t really care, they’ll just jump over Pac-Man, right?” But here’s the thing! Pac-Man can jump in this game, too! It’s one thing to lose a life by colliding with a ghost, but to jump over an approaching ghost and have it jump and hit you in midair... you’d do well to get familiar with Funky and Spunky, so let’s do that now!

See this green ghost here? This may be Funky. It also may not be. They never told us. This ghost appears in Pac-Man Vs, and is only ever referred to as “Green” by Mario. That’s right! Mario! The funny little jumping man we love so much! He’s the announcer in the GameCube version!

In Pac-Mania, Funky spends a lot of time around Sue, but NEVER stops pursuing Pac-Man, jumping whenever he does! However, he can’t jump QUITE as high, so with good timing, Pac can evade him. Many, many years later, he’s appeared in Pac-Man 256, traveling in groups of four. He doesn’t need Sue anymore, he’s his own best company!

Funky’s cousin, Spunky, is less aggressive, but can jump even higher! Still, she can be avoided with even BETTER timing. I’m sure someone good at Pac-Man can avoid both jumping ghosts. I am not good at it. I just like the silly characters.

After Mania, though, Spunky got sleepy. She appears in 256 as well as in The Sandbox Evolution, in both games sleeping until approached, at which point she’ll become aggressive! She was trying to sleep! Be quiet!

There's Something Fishy About Those Ghosts by SupaStarFox

Pac-Mania

One might say that the late 90s and early 2000s were the time when remakes of classic arcade games seemed to be coming out non-stop. In truth, such remakes have been part of the industry from the start, even during the heyday of arcades. Namco was no stranger to remaking their most well known titles themselves, with games like Galaga ‘88. Pac-Mania would be their next attempt at bringing their classic maze game to a new arcade era, with all the features expected of it. In a year where more complex games like Double Dragon were seeing release, it’s a bit of an anomaly in its simplicity, but it still holds up.