Jeffe

Jeffe
Jeffe
"If you eat too much candy and pull a face while the wind changes, you'll turn into a Piñata. Just look at me! I don't want to see a piece of candy ever again, never mind a Piñata full of sweets!"
Role	Mini-Game Participant
Relationships	Langston Lickatoad (Enemies)

Jeffe is a bizarre humanoid piñata who is exclusive to the mini-games added in Trouble in Paradise. He is the former head of Piñata Central, and remains bitter about losing his position to this day.

Biography

Appearance

Jeffe has an unusual appearance, apparently being the only humanoid piñata. He is short and round, almost potato shaped. He has yellow paper, with darker yellow stripes across his body. He wears a dark green coverall, with a name tag reading "JEFFE" crudely stitched on. He wears a multicolored neckerchief, and a small purple sombrero.

Personality

Jeffe is deeply bitter about his transformation and resulting loss of his job. He therefore offers himself as a cautionary tale for children who eat too many sweets. He often takes out his resentment on other piñatas, worrying the ones he picks may try to replace him like Langston, and only selecting the most miserable of piñatas to win. This seems to mostly be due to his fear of candy, although he does not seem all that fond of piñatas in general.

Background

According to his dialogue on The P Factor, Jeffe used to be the boss of Piñata Central. However, he ate too much candy and was transformed into a hybrid half-human, half-piñata monstrosity, an apparently irreversible change. This caused him to lose his job, and he was replaced by Langston.

Mini-Games

Jeffe in The P Factor

Jeffe can only be found participating in the mini-games added in Trouble in Paradise. As an opponent, Jeffe will choose a random piñata.

As a judge in The P Factor, Jeffe will prefer piñatas with a low candiosity. This can be achieved by making piñatas unhappy, such as by feeding them food they dislike, forcing them onto terrain they dislike, or hitting them with the shovel. Jeffe has opposite preferences to Langston, who prefers piñatas with a high candiosity.

Behind the Scenes

Jeffe concept art for the first Viva Piñata

Jeffe's in-game lore is meant to reference his actual role in the development of the original Viva Piñata. Jeffe's design was intended to be used as the character that would issue Piñata Central challenges, but once the developers found out that Piñata Central would appear in the animated series with a Lickatoad as its boss, they decided to have that character (Langston Lickatoad) issue challenges instead. This would leave Jeffe cut from the game; however, he still appears as the face of Piñata Island's currency. Jeffe would then be reused in Trouble in Paradise as one of the mini-game exclusive characters, as was the case with several other characters cut from the original game.

In Jeffe's VP1 art, his color scheme is is significantly different, with a red hat and scarf rather than the multicolored purple designs seen on The P Factor. His eyes also have a completely different design, being beady and green rather than the large shiny pupils seen in TIP. In early concepts, his nametag reads "BOSS", indicating that his role had been decided at this point, but not his name. His appearance on chocolate coins seems to be based on this design, indicating that his P Factor design was a later revision.

Quotes

Mini-Game Menu

• "I used to run Piñata Central, you know? Until that rascal Langston..."

P Factor

Introduction

• "If you eat too much candy and pull a face while the wind changes, you'll turn into a Piñata. Just look at me! I don't want to see a piece of candy ever again, never mind a Piñata full of sweets!"

Thinking

• "After I had been ejected from Piñata Central by Langston, I thought my Piñata critiquing days were over. But I return! One step at a time Jeffe..."
• "Judge these piñatas? I didn't judge that rascal Langston correctly, so what makes you think the one I choose won't trick me out of this job too?"

Neutral Vote

• "Watch that waistline, little Piñata. Any more candy and that rogue Langston will fire you to kingdom come in his incredible Cannoñata!"
• "This Piñata is shaping up quite nicely for a win, but make sure it doesn’t become corpulent with candy!”

Bad Vote

• “Just look at this glutton! Look!!”
• “Ha! Your greed got the better of you, roly-poly Piñata! You will get no empathy from me.”

Good Vote

• "This Piñata may be starved of candy, but let it now gorge on the adulation and praise of a deserved winner!"
• "Ah! A Piñata that could be my own kin. Not only does it display the trademark delirious glass-eyed glare, but also a dislike for candy! Splendid.”

Trivia

• Jeffe's name is derived from jefe, Spanish for "boss", alluding to his previous job.
• Jeffe's face is emblazoned on all of Piñata Island's chocolate coins. Despite him apparently losing his job due to becoming a piñata, Jeffe's current appearance is the model for the coins, instead of his previous human look. This is due to him having always been designed as a strange humanoid piñata, with his backstory being added later.

Gallery

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  Jeffe's icon
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  Early concept for a sombrero character (possibly Jeffe)
• 
  Concept evolution for Jeffe
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  Jeffe on a bronze coin
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  Jeffe on a silver coin
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  Jeffe on a gold coin
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  Jeffe on a big gold coin