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Pac-Man's Real Name: Inspired by a pizza with a slice missing
creator confirmed
Pac-Man (パックマン) 本名: Inspired by a pizza with a slice missing (ピザ)
Answer: Pac-Man's creator, Toru Iwatani, has said the character's shape was inspired by a pizza with one slice removed. The name comes from the Japanese "paku-paku," the sound of eating.
Toru Iwatani designed Pac-Man (Namco, 1980). He has told the story in many interviews: while eating pizza, he took a slice and saw the shape that became Pac-Man. He has also said the round form was a simplified version of the kanji 口 (kuchi, "mouth").
The Japanese title was Puck-Man (パックマン), from paku-paku (パクパク), an onomatopoeia for chomping. For the US release it was changed to Pac-Man, reportedly to avoid vandals changing the "P" on arcade cabinets.
Iwatani wanted a game that would appeal to women and couples as well as boys, which is why he chose eating over shooting. Guinness World Records lists Pac-Man as the most successful coin-operated arcade game.
FAQ
What inspired Pac-Man's shape? A pizza with a slice missing, according to creator Toru Iwatani.
What does Pac-Man's name mean? It comes from paku-paku, Japanese for the sound of chomping.