As a Taito crossover game, Pop n' Pop is full of love for Taito's old games.
A lot of stuff in the game- not just characters, but also animations and bosses- are taken straight from the source games.
So, we've catalogued them here. We'll start with Chack'n Pop (as it was released first) and work chronologically from there.
Also, all this is based on the Playstation home port, not the arcade, PC or Game Boy Color versions.
Enjoy?
Chack'n Pop (1983)
Playable Characters
 Chack'n (Player 1) |
 Miss Chack'n (Player 2) |
To unlock them, beat Story Mode- difficulty, route and use of continues don't matter, just get to the end.
Familiars
 Chack'n |
 Miss Chack'n |
Chack'n and Miss Chack'n's familiars are Mightas/Maitas, who served as the timer in Chack'n Pop.
He seems to be based on his Puzzle Bobble 2/4 appearance here, with his huge eyes.
Character-Specific References
  |
 |
Many of Chack'n/Miss Chack'n's animations- including their intro, combo and loss animations- involve them dropping red bombs.
This is a reference to Chack'n's only means of attack in Chack'n Pop, dropping explosive bombs to his left/right.
In particular, the loss animation in Pop n' Pop is a joke about how Chack'n's bombs can kill him!
When Chack'n/Miss Chack'n score a Level 3 combo, a heart appears above them, and they jump up to eat it.
This is a reference to the Chack'n Heart, a special item in Chack'n Pop (and some Bubble Bobble games) that make the player invincible.
Playable Characters
 Tremi (Player 1) |
 Rodomi (Player 2) |
Rodomi is a character created specifically for Pop n' Pop- she's supposed to be the pet dragon from The Fairyland Story under a curse.
Familiars
 Tremi |
 Rodomi |
No game-specific references here- it doesn't look like the pet dragon from TFLS at any rate.
Character-Specific References
When Tremi/Rodomi first appear on-screen, they ride in via broomstick.
This is a reference to the stage entrance animation in TFLS.
When Tremi/Rodomi make a combo, depending on its strength, one of three different kinds of cake will appear above her head.
This is a reference to the cake-making spells in TFLS.
When Tremi/Rodomi activate their special Star balloon, the moon will come out and all their balloons are paired with Rainbow Balloons.
This is a reference to the Magic Ring in TFLS, where the moon would come out and all enemies would turn into cakes.
When Tremi/Rodomi is hit with an enemy combo, Dracolisk from TFLS will appear and either flick them with his nails/tail, or fry 'em!
Bosses
Dracolisk, the final boss from TFLS, is the boss of Round P-4 and Q-4 in Story Mode.
Oddly, this Dracolisk looks nothing like the one who attacks Ptolemy when she's countered.
He has his fire-spitting abilities from TFLS, too.
Story Scene References
A redesigned version of the pet dragon from TFLS appears at the start of Story Mode when playing as Tremi/Rodomi.
The shadow of Dracolisk (spelt Dracoist here) is also seen in the first Story Mode cut-scene.
Finally, the pet dragon reappears at the end of Story Mode, having been returned to normal.
including Rainbow Islands (1987), Puzzle Bobble 2 (1995) and Bubble Memories (1996)
Playable Characters
 Bub (Player 1) |
 Bob (Player 2) |
They're based mostly on their Puzzle Bobble 4 appearance for this game...
... So we'll be cheating and excluding any animations that refer to their PB4 appearance- the sprites in the two games are very similar!
 Bibby (Player 1) |
 Buddy (Player 2) |
Buddy- better known as Bobby- is supposed to be the Player 2 character of Rainbow Islands, but has a totally new colour palette.
 Dreg (Player 1) |
 Dreg (Player 2) |
He's based mostly on his Puzzle Bobble 4 appearance, including his alternate red costume from that game.
There are two methods to unlock Dreg:
#1: Beat all the Checkmate Mode stages
#2: After unlocking Chack'n and Hipopo, press Up, Down, Left, Right, Triangle, X, Start on the title screen.
Familiars
 Bub |
 Bob |
 Bibby |
 Buddy |
The familiars for Bub, Bob, Bibby and Buddy are Monstas, originally from Chack'n Pop but later in Bubble Bobble.
 Dreg (P1) |
 Dreg (P1) |
Dreg's familiar is a Skel-Monsta from Bubble Bobble.
Character-Specific References
When Dreg first appears on-screen, a robot teleports on-screen, and he hops out of it.
This is the Mechanical Prototype Bubblen, the penultimate boss of Puzzle Bobble 2's Vs. COM Mode. Dreg's operating it from inside.
Bosses
Zen-Chan, a fodder enemy from Bubble Bobble, appears as the boss of Round A-4.
His colour palette mostly seems to be based on his appearance in Bubble Memories (minus the red feet).
Gligan, a Vs. Com boss from Puzzle Bobble 2 appears as the boss of Rounds G-4, H-4, I-4 and J-4.
Although Gligan was also in Bubble Memories, his appearance in Pop n' Pop is based on his PB2 form, wearing a city instead of spikes.
Super Dark Great Dragon, the final boss of Bubble Memories (and Rainbow Islands, kinda) appears as the boss of Round ?-4 in Story Mode.
He has his spread-fire laser and mouth blast attacks from Bubble Memories, so be careful.
He's referred to in-game as just Evil King, but his full title really needs to be typed out in-full, so...
True to form, defeat him and his head pops off, and he turns into...
Super Dark Great Skel Monsta, the true final boss of Bubble Memories, appears as the boss of Round ?-5 in Story Mode.
He keeps his bullet pellet and gigantic laser attacks from Bubble Memories... But they're a bit less intimidating this time.
He's also the toughest boss in the game, as his stomps bring all clouds down a row!
Map References
The Rainbow Tower from Bubble Memories- or something that looks very much like it- appears in the bottom-left of the Story Mode map.
Story Scene References
Monstas appear again in the opening and ending scenes of both Bub/Bob and Bibby/Buddy's Story Modes.
A stretch, but Dreg's ending- the fire background mostly- seems like a reprise of the intro to Bubble Symphony.
Playable Characters
 Sayo (Player 1) |
 Miki (Player 2) |
Miki- known in the US as Becky- is the Player 2 character of the Famicom Disc System exclusive Kiki Kaikai - Dotou Hen.
(Miki's green trousers are a reference to her Dotou Hen appearance- the arcade Pop n' Pop has her in an orange top with red trousers)
Familiars
 Sayo |
 Miki |
Sayo and Miki's familiars are Puka-Pukas, fodder ghosts that appear in every Kiki Kaikai/Pocky & Rocky game.
Character-Specific References
  |
 |
When Sayo/Miki make a combo, depending on its strength, either Budai (one of the 7 Lucky Gods) or a ghostly boat will appear.
This is a reference to his appearance in Kiki Kaikai- the boat is a Takarabune, or Treasure Ship, that the 7 Lucky Gods reside in.
When Sayo/Miki are hit with an enemy combo, enemies from Japanese folklore that appeared in Kiki Kaikai will attack them:
At Level 1, an enemy based on a Rokurokubi (long-necked woman, appears as a standard enemy in Kiki Kaikai and Pocky & Rocky) licks them.
At Level 2, an enemy based on a Azukiarai(we think, at least- appears as the first boss in Kiki Kaikai and Pocky & Rocky) scatters beans on them.
At Level 3, an enemy based on Raijin (Japanese God of Lightning, second boss in Kiki Kaikai) shocks them.
Bosses
Manuke, the final boss of Kiki Kaikai- known in the US as Rocky in his tanuki form- is the boss of Rounds D-4, E-4 and F-4 in Story Mode.
In the original game, he's a doppelganger of Sayo with a tail until hurt, where he reverts to his tanuki form.
This is reflected in his Pop n' Pop for- when stunned and ultimately defeated, he changes to his tanuki form.
He also attacks the player with o-fuda cards in a spread-fire pattern.
Story Scene References
Another Puka-Puka appears at the beginning of Story Mode when playing as Sayo/Miki.
The New Zealand Story (1988)
Playable Characters
 Tiki (Player 1) |
 PyuPyu (Player 2) |
Familiars
 Tiki |
 PyuPyu |
Tiki and PyuPyu's familiars are little kiwis, who seem to be in a pose similar to freed kiwi pals from TNZS.
Character-Specific References
When Tiki or PyuPyu use a special balloon, they aim an arrow and pretend to fire a bow from it.
This is a nod to Tiki's main weapon in TNZS, a bow and arrow.
Bosses
  |
 |
Buu (a name we had to go to Twitter to find out), a fodder enemy from TNZS, appears as the boss of Rounds B-4 and C-4.
He enters the level by riding on one of the teddy-bear-head vehicles from TNZS, and fires a bow as he always does.
Azarashi (called Wally Walrus in some home ports), a leopard seal and the final boss of TNZS, appears as the boss of Rounds K-4, L-4, M-4, N-4 and O-4 in Story Mode.
He no longer has that silly balloon, but he's armed with two massive cannons! Watch out!
Story Scene References
In their intro, Tiki and PyuPyu flow to Pop'n World in an air balloon.
This might be a nod to the air-balloon Tiki can ride in TNZS.
Playable Characters
 Bobby (Player 1) |
 Jim (Player 2) |
Jim is supposed to be the Player 2 character of Don Doko Don, but this version has a completely new colour palette for him.
Familiars
 Bobby |
 Jim |
Bobby and Jim's familiars are generic mushroom characters, presumably based on the mushroom enemies in the first few rounds of Don Doko Don.
Character-Specific References
When Bobby/Jim first appear on-screen, they come through a door that magically appears, then disappears.
This is a reference to how they enter each stage in Don Doko Don.
Bosses
Cow King, the true final boss of Don Doko Don, appears as the boss of Rounds T-4 and U-4 in Story Mode.
Upon defeat, he turns back into the King, just like in the original game.
Playable Characters
 Hipopo (Player 1) |
 Tamasn (Player 2) |
To unlock them, beat Vs. Com Mode- difficulty, match number and use of continues don't matter, just get to the end.
Familiars
 Hipopo |
 Tamasn |
Hipopo and Tamasn's familiars are snails, fodder enemies from early levels in LK/MD.
Character-Specific References
When Hipopo/Tamasn first appear on-screen, they hitch a ride from a weird looking bird.
This bird ferries Hipopo from stage to stage in LK/MD, appearing in the first stage, the between-stage maps, and the ending.
When Hipopo/Tamasn land a Level 3 combo, they start to ride a life-ring on a pillar of water.
This is a reference to the life-ring Hipopo rides on when swimming on the surface of water in LK/MD.
When Hipopo/Tamasn win, they jump up and down with very hard-to-see fireworks exploding around them.
This might be a nod to the fireworks that explode when Hipopo beats a boss in LK/MD.
When Hipopo/Tamasn are hit with an enemy combo, on all three levels a bomb with giant lips attacks them, including jumping on top of them..
This is a recurring enemy in LK/MD- as well as appearing in-game and exploding, this enemy bounces on top of Hipopo on the Continue screen.
Additionally, in Pop n' Pop they appear via a fire portal, the same one new enemies spawn from in LK/MD.
Bosses
Fire Devil, the final boss of LK/MD, appears as the boss of Rounds R-4 and S-4 in Story Mode.
Before starting the fight, he appears in his flame form, his second form during LK/MD's final battle.
He also fires a series of fireballs taken from LK/MD
Story Scene References
The googly-eyed bird from LK/MD appears at the start of Hipopo/Tamasn's Story Mode.