Spoink is a gray, pig-like Pokémon. It has dark, circular eyes, a large gray nose, and small ears. It has stubby arms and possesses no hind legs. Motion is achieved by bouncing on its spring-like tail. The bouncing has a vital function, in that it keeps its heart beating. Even while it is sleeping, it continues to bounce. It wears a pearl produced by Clamperl on top of its head, which amplifies its psychic powers. Spoink will be weakened without a pearl, and always searches for bigger pearls. In the Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire episode Pearls are a Spoink's Best Friend, it was shown to easily mistake other round objects as its pearl. It lives in mountainous areas. It likes to eat mushrooms that grow underground.
In Generation III, Magic Coat was its signature move, but other Pokémon could still inherit it via breeding.
Evolution
Spoink evolves into Grumpig.
(For specifics on this Pokémon's Evolution in the games, refer to Game data→Evolution data.)
Main series
Major appearances
Spoink (recurring)
Spoink debuted in Pearls are a Spoink's Best Friend. Ash and his friends first encountered it without its pearl while having breakfast. After scanning his Pokédex, Ash learned that Spoink become tired without their pearls, so he and his friends agreed to help find its pearl. The group soon recovered the pearl, but Spoink lost it again after a confrontation with Team Rocket.
Spoink reappeared in Clamperl of Wisdom. Ash and his friends were sailing to Maisie Island when they spotted Spoink out at sea. A rogue wave knocked Spoink into the ocean, but the group was able to use a life preserver ring to save it. While it was bouncing around on deck, Spoink tripped and lost its pearl out at sea. Despite the efforts of Torkoal and the group's Water-type Pokémon, they were unable to recover the pearl.
The group later met Isaiah, a researcher who specializes in Clamperl. Team Rocket attempted to steal Isaiah's rare blue pearl, but Spoink ended up with the item. Spoink went on to befriend a wild Clamperl and exchanged the blue pearl for Clamperl's pink pearl. Ash, his friends, and Spoink went on to defeat Team Rocket after they stole Clamperl and the blue pearl. Spoink then started to meditate and was able to recover Isaiah's blue pearl in exchange for its pink pearl. However, the kind act left Spoink without a pearl. Realizing the situation, Clamperl gave Spoink the pink pearl as thanks.
Its known moves are Psychic, Confuse Ray, and Psybeam.
Other
Multiple Spoink appeared in An Oasis of Hope!, including one that helped Ash and his friends save its own friends from a bully Grumpig.
Minor appearances
In One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!, Ash used a Spoink provided by the Pokémon Summer Academy for the first leg of the Pokémon Triathlon.
In A Marathon Rivalry!, a Trainer's Spoink competed in the Pokéathlon held in Camellia Town.
Multiple Spoink appeared in Beyond the Rainbow!.
Two Spoink appeared in Cloudy Fate, Bright Future!. One was under the ownership of a Psychic, while the other was owned by a Trainer.
A Trainer's Spoink appeared in Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel.
A Spoink appeared in A Squad's Worth of Passion!. It got trapped by a fire before being rescued by the Squirtle Squad.
A Vendor's Spoink appeared in The Door That Never Opens.
A Spoink appeared in Mission: Find Oinkologne's Partner!.
Pokédex entries
Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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AG079
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Spoink
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Ash's Pokédex
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Spoink, the Bounce Pokémon. Spoink bounces about on its tail. The pearl upon its head helps to magnify its psychic powers. If the Spoink loses its pearl, it grows extremely tired.
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Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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XY061
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Spoink
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Serena's Pokédex
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Spoink, the Bounce Pokémon. Spoink moves around by bouncing on its tail. Its psychic powers are made stronger by the pearl on its head.
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Pokémon Generations
In The Cavern, a wild Spoink was fleeing from a storm that a Primal Kyogre was creating.
- Despite Pokédex entries saying that Spoink would die if it stopped bouncing, it is shown not bouncing on many occasions in the animated series.
- Pokédex entries state that Spoink's pearl comes from a Clamperl. Despite this, a Shiny Spoink's pearl is gray, while a Shiny Clamperl's pearl is gold.
- In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Spoink is programmed to learn Simple Beam through breeding, but no Pokémon in those games can learn Simple Beam, making the move unobtainable until Pokémon HOME was updated. It shares this trait with Psyduck.
Origin
Spoink appears to be based on a piglet. It may also be based on the Biblical phrase "...neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you" from Matthew 7:6. The pearls were supposed to represent wisdom given to an audience who would not appreciate the teachings. Spoink and Grumpig appear to instead use those pearls of wisdom to enhance their psychic powers what makes them similar to crystal balls used for divination. Having a spring instead of legs may be a reference to a jack-in-the-box and to the fact that tails of pigs are curled. Its affinity for underground mushrooms, as noted by its Emerald Pokédex entry, is characteristic of a truffle hog.
Name origin
Spoink may be a combination of spring and oink (grunting sound of a pig).
Baneboo may be a combination of 発条 bane (spring) and ブーブー būbū (onomatopoeia for oinking).