Blinky, Pinky, Inky, Clyde: Get to Know the Iconic Ms. Pac-Man Ghosts by Name (2023)

This site is supported by our readers. We may earn a commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through links.

You’d never guess that those colorful ghosts chasing Pac-Man around the maze actually have names! Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde aren’t just random ghosts out to get Pac-Man – they’re characters with unique personalities that have evolved over 40 years of Pac-Man games.

Did you know Blinky is the red ghost who aggressively chases Pac-Man? He’s the leader of the ghost gang, always hot on Pac-Man’s heels. Pinky and Inky have their own quirks too, with Pinky tending to ambush Pac-Man and Inky being rather unpredictable.

Clyde is the laidback orange ghost who switches between chasing Pac-Man and doing his own thing.

These ghosts aren’t just memorable characters from a classic arcade game. Over the decades, Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde have appeared in TV shows, movies, and even Fortnite! Their colorful looks and distinct personalities have cemented them as video game icons.

Next time you play Ms. Pac-Man, see if you can identify each ghost by their behavior as they chase you around the maze.

The Original Ghost Gang

You’ve likely heard of the iconic ghost gang that has been chasing Pac-Man through mazes for over 40 years. Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde are the original four that debuted in arcades in 1980, each with their own distinct looks and behaviors.

From Blinky’s tenacious pursuit to Inky’s ambush tactics, this quartet has provided players with a delightful challenge and charm across countless games in the decades since their pixelated debuts.

Blinky

You’re being chased by Blinky, the red ghost who’s always on Pac-Man’s tail. Blinky lives for the chase, forever on your heels as you gobble pellets. He leads the classic ghosts like Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. Together, they’re a force, though Blinky’s the relentless driving spirit.

He’ll follow you anywhere like a hungry Kirby, even turning giant as a Smash assist trophy.

Pinky

Pinky’s erratic movements paint a chaotic scene as she darts about the maze. With aggressive ambushing, Pinky zigzags after Pac-Man, evading power pellets with her cunning speed. Though her antics appear random, her pattern recognition capabilities enable effective flanking maneuvers.

She complements Blinky’s tenacity, Inky’s intellect, and Clyde’s loyalty as original members of the ghost gang alongside Sue. Together, they shape the challenge and charm at the core of this arcade classic.

Inky

Clyde is the bashful orange ghost who is your ally. Inky is the bashful blue ghost, your cerebral foe. Bashfully scheming, Inky strategically corners you. But you cunningly evade with power pellets, temporarily turning the tables.

Momentarily vulnerable, Inky scurries away, biding time until resuming the chase. Though antagonistic, respect Inky’s calculating nature, integral to gameplay. Without Inky’s thoughtful ambushes, mazes would lack dynamic challenge.

Embrace the dance between hunter and hunted. Let Inky’s cleverness push you to improve.

Clyde

He ambles after you, doing his own clumsy thing until you get too close.

1. Clyde is the last of the four original ghosts.
2. Nicknamed Pokey for his plodding movement.
3. Turns red when vulnerable, pink in Pac-Mania.
4. Often patrols the bottom-left and returns home first.

The bumbling Clyde might seem slow and dim-witted, but underestimate him at your peril. He’s craftier than he looks, often luring Pac-Man into traps sprung by his ghostly cohorts.

Unique Personalities and Behaviors

You’re always on the move, quickly changing direction to surround Pac-Man. Blinky relentlessly pursues Pac-Man with laser focus, while Pinky tries to ambush him by predicting his movements. Inky is the dimwitted one, often falling behind the others until he gets a burst of inspiration to cut off Pac-Man’s escape.

Clyde lazily wanders around until Pac-Man gets too close, then he suddenly springs into action.

Each ghost has their own style, but they all work together as an effective team to corner their prey. With their unique personalities and behaviors, these ghosts are more than just enemies – they’re characters with as much fame and recognition as Pac-Man himself.

Ms. Pac-Man Ghosts in Other Media

You’ve likely seen the colorful ghosts from Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man in various games and media over the years. Remember the ghost cameos in Wreck-It Ralph, Super Smash Bros., Just Dance, Fortnite, and Fall Guys? Let’s explore how these classic arcade icons have popped up across different franchises.

Wreck-It Ralph

In Wreck-It Ralph, you encounter Sue as a part of the Bad-Anon support group for video game villains. Out of the 15 members in the scene, she makes up 6.7% as the lone female ghost representative. Her appearance alongside gaming icons shows how enduring Ms. Pac-Man’s ghosts are.

Though Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde are absent, Sue’s cameo proves the classic quartet lives on in gaming culture, even crossing over into major Disney films. Sue may play second fiddle to Pac-Man’s main ghosts, but cameos like this demonstrate her importance.

Super Smash Bros

You’ll be overjoyed to see Sue join the other iconic ghosts when playing as Pac-Man in Super Smash Bros! It’s a blast from the past as Sue chases down Pac-Man alongside her fellow phantoms. She brings her aggressive spirit from the arcade days to the fray. It’s a treat for retro gamers to see the classic quartet reunited with the addition of Ms.

Pac-Man’s top ghost. Relive those endless nights at the arcade with Sue and the crew in this crossover celebration.

Just Dance

Gotta groove with Sue while shuffling in sync onstage. Although the original ghost gang’s dancing chops are on display in Just Dance, Ms. Pac-Man’s spirited shadow, Sue, steals the show. Her smooth moves and funky rhythms wow the crowd.

Sue’s sassy style electrifies each song as she glides and spins. The party’s pumped when this purple phenom joins the dance floor. Sue proves she’s got game beside Pac classics like Blinky and Inky, even without her maze.

Fortnite

You’ve gotta keep your eyes peeled for those tricky Ms. Pac-Man ghosts showing up in Fortnite! Blinky, Inky, Pinky, Clyde, and Sue have been spotted haunting the island. Their ghostly forms and unique personalities from the arcade classic are now part of the battle royale.

Dodge their chasing and ambushes as you collect power pellets to turn the tables.

Fall Guys

You’d tremble with excitement if you spotted Sue’s frantic form chasing after Fall Guys beans in those wacky obstacle courses.

Seeing the ghostly gal dodging fruit cannons and hopping over rotating bars would make for a hilarious crossover.

Sue’s tenacious spirit fits well in the zany world of Fall Guys. Her drive to catch those bumbling beans complements the gameplay’s frantic energy.

While the original ghosts tend to hog the spotlight, giving Sue’s a chance to shine in the wacky new setting would be a treat for longtime Pac-fans.

Sue’s appearance would jazz up the obstacle courses and bring a touch of arcade charm to the battle royale-inspired title.

Sue Ghost: the Female Counterpart

Previously, we discussed the Ms. Pac-Man ghosts’ roles in other media, from cartoons to costumes.

As Clyde’s counterpart, Sue debuted as the lone female ghost in 1982’s seminal Ms. Pac-Man. Though her original sprite was orange, later games depicted Sue with purple hues and feminine touches like eyeshadow.

Unlike the fellas, she lacked a set personality, with behavior ranging from bashful to brutal depending on the title.

Sue’s legacy never matched her male predecessors – after Ms. Pac-Man, significant appearances were scarce. But she left her mark in competitive gaming as the 2P ghost in Pac-Attack. And in 2016’s Pac-Man 256, Sue finally returned to prominence alongside Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde.

Though largely forgotten, Sue remains an integral part of the franchise’s history. She was the first lady of Pac – and that alone secures her place among the great ghosts of video games.

Origins and Lore of the Ghosts

You’ve played Pac-Man countless times, chomping dots while avoiding colorful ghosts named Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. But did you know these iconic arcade characters started out as nameless generic monsters? The original Japanese designs were simple blobs meant to impede Pac-Man’s dot-eating, interpreted as ghosts when brought to the West.

Their distinct behaviors – Shadow’s pursuit, Speedy’s quick ambushes, Bashful’s reluctance, and Pokey’s slow randomness – were inspired by the comedic archetypes of The Three Stooges. Understanding this evolution helps appreciate how these pixelated pursuers became as recognizable as gaming’s hungry yellow hero.

Evolution From Generic Monsters to Ghosts

My friend, once faceless monsters did roam until spirits’ guises gave them soul, letting imaginations soar. Those nameless hobgoblins became Blinky, Inky, Pinky, Clyde, and Sue – phantasms with personalities we knew.

Their ghostly forms let players connect, imbuing meaning to each foe, though still just pixels on a screen.

Three Stooges-inspired Behaviors

Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde were originally modeled after the comedic personas of Moe, Larry, Curly, and Shemp from The Three Stooges.

• Blinky as the bossy, short-tempered Moe
• Pinky as the dimwitted, clumsy Larry
• Inky as the mischievous, troublemaking Curly
• Clyde as the dopey, slow-moving Shemp

Their personalities brought humor and charm to the ghost gang’s pursuit of Pac-Man through the mazes, endearing them to generations of arcade gamers.

Arcade Games Featuring Ms. Pac-Man Ghosts

You’ve likely seen the colorful ghosts chasing after Ms. Pac-Man in arcades over the years. Originally starting with the orange ghost, Sue, in 1982’s Ms. Pac-Man, later games like Pac-Mania and Pac-Man 256 would add more ghostly foes for Ms.

Pac-Man to evade. We’ll discuss these ghostly gal pals’ evolution across the arcade games they appeared in, as well as highlights from their animated series and other cameos.

Animated Series

Y’all’d’ve seen Sue make sporadic cameos across the animated series. As the sole female ghost, she appeared as a rare variant to shake things up. Her purple form contrasted the boys’ colors, winking and blowing kisses when she nabbed Pac-Man unexpectedly.

She never got fully integrated into the gang, just popping in for special episodes or multiplayer modes. Sue spiced up the formula but didn’t become a staple like her male counterparts did over the years.

Her origins remained mysterious compared to the established personalities of Blinky and friends.

Other Appearances

You would have seen Sue chasing Pac-Man too if you had played the classic arcade games. As Pac-Man’s femme fatale foe, Sue was the lone female counterpart to Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde. Debuting in 1982’s seminal Ms. Pac-Man, she pursued that iconic yellow glutton through mazes with tenacity.

Though absent from later titles, Sue left her mark as the first female ghost, paving the way for new characters.

Characteristics and Gallery of Ms. Pac-Man Ghosts

You’ve covered the original Pac-Man ghosts well, so let’s turn our attention to the phantasmal foes of Ms.

The most iconic apparitions haunting Ms. Pac-Man’s mazes are Sue, Funky, Spunky, and Tim. Sue is the orange ghost who relentlessly chases Ms. Pac through the maze, exhibiting an aggressive nature unlike the more timid Clyde.

Funky’s cyan form brings speedy chaos as he races to catch Ms. Pac off-guard. Spunky, dressed in red, adds tricky moves to fake out players.

These specters have plagued Ms. Pac-Man across arcade cabinets, appearing in the game’s many sequels and remakes. Their designs shifted over the years, but their persistence in pursuing Ms. Pac remained constant.

For many, these ghosts are as integral to the series as Blinky and his crew are to the original Pac-Man.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)