 Bashful Babaas
by neuroticat42
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The task of helping your Neopet choose the perfect petpet is never an easy one and a variety of factors must be taken into account before settling on your Neopet's perfect companion. The number of choices and things like color coordination and personalities may leave you and your Neopet feeling more than a bit sheepish. Some petpets suffer from (or more correctly cause Neopets to suffer from) behavioral issues. One petpet notorious for having a difficult personality is also one of the oldest petpet types - it is of course the babaa. These aren't the most rambunctious petpets but they can cause a lot of trouble for a young Neopet! The babaa is "easily scared and will hide under your Neopet's bed when surprised." An impatient Neopet may accidentally terrify a babaa and make matters worse by chasing the petpet under the bed. While a babaa petpet may frustrate your Neopet at first, it will also teach your Neopet compassion and patience. After a Babaa has bonded with your Neopet, it is a very loyal companion. Pea Chias have been known to ride their Babaa companions as mounts. The Gnorbu and the Babaa are both wooled creatures so there is sometimes friendly teasing toward the Gnorbu on Gnorbu Shearing Day. While some Babaas do point and laugh, they really have great compassion for their fellow woolly friend and when it's time for the Babaa to be shorn the Gnorbu also tends to giggle a bit.
The Babaa comes in 30 paint brush colors, 4 petpet laboratory colors and the special Negg Festival color of Spring. This gives you a total of 35 color choices to match your pet. I imagine some colors such as Mutant are much less likely to run and hide when startled. The most recent color released was Woodland on the 13th day of the Month of Hiding - just about one year ago. The Grey Babaa is a particularly lovely companion as it in the old style of Grey Neopets while the Spring Babaa has a lovely feminine bow and the Maraquan Babaa would compliment any water-loving Neopet perfectly. The Halloween Babaa is also a very special babaa as it is the only one to face left rather than right. Perhaps there's better candy in that direction? The Invisible Babaa is also a unique color to note. This Babaa has a tendency to scare Neopets rather than be scared and is the perfect companion for a Neopet with a dramatic flair that likes to act out the tale of "Little Bo Paa" (you know the story of the Gnorbu who lost her babaa.")
To date, the Petpet Protection League has seen fit only to bestow only two babaa colors with their award. These are the Mutant Babaa and the Tyrannian Babaa in Year 5 and Year 12 respectively. The most common names for the Mutant Babaa were Moo and Kezler. The Tyrannian Babaa was much more popular of a petpet and the most common names included Rambo, Aries, Rampage and Trevor.
To prepare your Neopet for his or her new babaa friend you may pick up a copy of Babaa Care and My First Babaa at your local book shop. After your Neopet brings home his or her Babaa you might consider giving him or her Babaa Tales, The Luckiest Babaa, Babaa's Babaa, The Sorg and I, Jumping Fences and Counting Babaas so your Neopet can read Babaa-inspired stories to his or her new friend. Previous to giving your Neopet a Babaa you may also consider having them spend some time with a Pink Babaa Plushie or a Babaa Stowaway Plushie. To discourage anxiety you should not give your Neopet a Nightmare Babaa Plushie unless your Neopet has a more sinister personality and is looking forward to a Mutant Babaa or another Babaa color with a malevolent flair (I'm looking at you, Plushie Babaa!) It might also be a good idea to introduce your Neopet to his or her new friend while Neoschool is out and there is no possibility for nightmares about upcoming math tests. It may be convenient for any particularly worried White Aishas (or any other Neopet for that matter) to blame the loss of math homework on a Mutant Babaa;s late-night snack. If your Neopet prefers Usukis to plushies, you could invest in a Babaa Usuki Set. The set comes with a brush, towel and container of shampoo so your Neopet can practice grooming his or her Babaa before the big day.
In time, your Neopet may come to love his or her petpet SO much that you must design a customization with the Babaa in mind. One Neopoint background, Maths Nightmare Background, features a sleepy night-time scene with a pen of babaas in the distance. Notice that those Babaas are awake and ready for trouble! The Gnorbu has a species wearable called the Goodnight Babaa Plushie and it is plushitively adorable. The Neopia Central Petpet Garland also features a Babaa on one of the pennants. Other NeoCash wearables that feature a Babaa include the Babaa Hat, Babaa Pyjama Slippers, Jumping Babaa Garland, Little Babaa Shepherdess Foreground, Extreme Herder II Background, Extreme Herder Petpet String Lights, Mini Petpet Plushies, Petpet Plushie Garland, Patchwork Totem Poles, Wind-Up Mutant Petpets, Announcing Time Background and Valentine Sewing Shop Background.
The Babaa is strictly forbidden from visiting Neoschool (they have a tendency to make Neopets laugh and play). If your Neopet gets so attached to his or her Babaa that a reminder simply must be present during the school hours there are a few Babaa-themed school supplies. The Baabackpack is a stylish addition to any school outfit and can be filled with a Babaa Pencil Case containing Babaa Paperclips, a Babaa Ruler and a Babaa Eraser. A Babaa Pencil Sharpener can help you stay sharp and while a Babaacus might be difficult to use but the cute shape is even more distracting. A Babaa Keyring can also be attached to either the Baabackpack or Babaa Pencil Case. If you do choose to send your Neopet to Neoschool with any school supply that is exceptionally fun to play with do not expect good report cards, however. If Babaa-themed school supplies become a problem you could always invest in a Babaa Lunchbox which is tucked away during lessons but available during lunch and recess.
In conclusion, the Babaa is a magnificent petpet. With so many colors to choose from there's certainly a Babaa just right for your Neopet. The bond a Neopet shares with a Babaa teaches compassion, loyalty and patience. The Babaa is shy, yet playful and a wonderful lifelong companion. The next time you contemplate a petpet choice I implore you, consider the Babaa.
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