Callie and Marie

Callie and Marie were created for and first appeared in Splatoon for the Wii U in 2015. They were part of a pop duo known as the Squid Sisters, where they were the hosts of Inkopolis News. Their role was to provide updates and map rotations to the player whenever they booted up the game, Callie in particular was meant to invoke the image of a "Western" singer when she sang, while Marie was meant to sound like a "Folk" musician, who "put her fists into the song". Several elements of their design were intended to reference their "squid" nature, such as the splay of their fingers, and their pupils which resemble those of a squid. == Appearances ==

Splatoon Splatoon was the first game in the Splatoon series, and the first to feature Callie and Marie as characters. Callie and Marie appear as the hosts of the game, and news reporters of Inkopolis. and are the granddaughters of Cap’n Craig Cuttlefish, a veteran of a major conflict known as the Great Turf War. The two rose to fame after winning a local singing contest in Calamari County, and went on to become the news hosts of Inkopolis. Callie's personality is shown to be energetic and cheerful, while Marie's is more laid back and relaxed. Callie turned out to be an antagonist under the influence of the villain D.J. Octavio, and she was saved from his influence. Callie and Marie return in Splatoon 3 in the campaign, guiding the player through Alterna. On February 28, 2023, the first wave of downloadable content for Splatoon 3 released, allowing players to return to the original Inkopolis, and with it, Callie and Marie return as its idols; however, they no longer pick a side during the Splatfest, nor do they broadcast their news station. They continue to perform for each Splatfest. Other appearances The Squid Sisters appear as an assist trophy and Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where they sing one of two songs and zoom in the camera, shrinking the stage boundaries and making it easier to knock out fighters. Later in the game's life, purchasable Mii costumes based on the duo were introduced in 2020. In-game costumes for the duo were added to Super Mario Maker on July 8, 2016, alongside an in-game event. Characters based on the duo were added to Animal Crossing: New Leaf on November 2, 2016. In celebration of sales for Splatoon reaching one million units in less than a year, a live holographic concert of the Squid Sisters was announced by Nintendo in December 2015. The concert took place on January 30, 2016 in Chiba, Japan. More concerts were held worldwide, such as in Paris, France on July 12, 2016, and they continued into 2022, eventually featuring Off the Hook and Deep Cut, the idols of Splatoon 2 and 3 respectively. The concerts would eventually feature guest star K.K. Slider from the Animal Crossing series as a DJ. == Promotion and reception ==

Official plushies of Callie and Marie created by San-Ei were revealed at the Tokyo Game Show in September 2015 alongside two other Inkling plushies. The plushies were officially released in December of that year. In April 2016, Amiibo figures of Callie and Marie were announced to come in a two pack. The amiibo were released on July 8, 2016. The amiibo were rereleased for the launch of Splatoon 3 in 2022. During the final Splatfest, Nintendo released printable alternate cover art for Splatoon as a celebration and way for players to further show their support to their side. Callie and Marie have been subject to a large amount of praise from fans and critics, and the two have been considered the primary mascots of the Splatoon games. Initial reception of the characters in the original Splatoon from critics was mixed, however. In the games reviews, Jose Otero of IGN said that the game could "do without the Squid Sisters", criticizing their cutscenes that couldn't be skipped, while on the contrary, Ryan Bates of GameRevolution wrote that the Squid Sisters gave the player the proper introduction to the game. The Squid Sisters were incredibly popular amongst fans, and the final Splatfest was noted to cause an uproar amongst fans for forcing them to choose one over the other, with Polygon describing it as "almost cruel". The Squid Sister Stories prologue was praised by fans and its events were compared to real-world loss. Nadia Oxford of USGamer described the events of the series to be "tragically effective", and a "real heart-punch for anyone who's been part of a dissolving friendship or relationship". The influence the events had on Splatoon 2 were praised by Connor Sheridan of GamesRadar+, describing it as a "fresh idea" and a "pleasant surprise", while also saying "I don't know if my heart could stand a war between the Squid Sisters". Fan speculation of the Squid Sisters Stories was abundant, with the creation of fanart and different theories, going as far as speculation on whether or not Callie had died. The stories and usage of the Squid Sisters in the lead up for Splatoon 2 were considered very effective viral marketing. with Shacknews saying that the Squid Sisters were superior and were "totally killing it". Other publications, such as Kotaku, wrote that the Squid Sisters made great virtual idols, and they are recognized as pop icons by Polygon. The Squid Sisters were used in a study on music artist projections and holograms from PUCRS. == References ==