GameRevolution veterans will know that Kirby is happy in Japan but angry in America. Just squint those adorable eyebrows and you've got the perfect surly puffball, at least for the US market.
Shinya Kumazaki, director for the latest Kirby: Triple Deluxe, explains the disparity between Kirby box art across the Pacific Ocean in several quotes from Gamespot:
For the Japanese versions we are, at [Kirby series developer] HAL, involved in everything throughout development, including the package design. The most powerful image of Kirby is that cute image, we think that's the one that appeals to the widest audience.
While it does start cute, we know there is a serious side to Kirby as well, and throughout the gameplay we see more and more of that, and the games themselves have quite a bit of depth. That being said, we recognize that Kirby's cuteness is his biggest draw in [the Japanese] market.
[As for the US,] what we have heard is that strong, tough Kirby that's really battling hard is a more appealing sign of Kirby, so that's what we feature in the US.
So while we can blame marketing for perpetuating some deeply-embedded need for anger ever since our childhood, perhaps we can just blame what we actually want in the US compared to the rest of the world. Gah, Kirby SMASH!!! BLARGH!
Kirby: Triple Deluxe will release in several days, May 2 in North America, and you can read Daniel's review for the title… right now.
