The Top 7... Lovable blobs

What is it?
A black ball of tar with glowing yellow eyes and fangs that's capable of crawling up walls, sticking to the ceiling and dropping onto the back of your neck when you least expect it.

Where did it come from?
His self-titled PC game, Gish (2004).

Why do we love it?
If the rest of the blobs on this list are sweet, dependable and cute, Gish is the bad boy who hangs out smoking behind the school gym and grunts whenever you ask him a question. But that rough exterior hides a warrior's heart, as well as that certain dark appeal that comes from being able to delve into dingy places and squash monsters that would terrify his more cheery counterparts. Most people aren't too keen on him at first, but the more time you spend in his syrupy, fangy presence, the more he'll grow on you. At any rate, he must have an amazing personality, because that cute human(oid) girlfriend of his sure as hell isn't hanging out with him for his looks.

5. de Blob

What is it?
A gigantic fat bastard who's come to free an alien world from colorless oppression by making as big a mess as possible.

Where did it come from?
Outer space and his self-titled, soon to be released game for Wii and DS (2008).

Why do we love it?
Upon arriving on an alien world and discovering that they've got a considerable size advantage, most blobs react by lazily oozing over and slowly digesting everything in sight. Not de Blob; driven by a funk soundtrack and a revolutionary soul, he puts his life to bring a little color back to a world in the grip of gray-obsessed fascism. Slowly devouring the planet can wait; for now, he has to roll through some paint and then hurl himself at some buildings, splattering them with color and returning them to their former grandeur. What a guy.

Aside from his selfless, one-blob war against oppression, de Blob's big grin and tiny bat ears win us over instantly. The city of Utrecht, Holland, agrees, having adopted de Blob as its official mascot. If it weren't for the paint stains and high probability of accidental death, we'd totally want to give him a hug.

4. Puyo

What is it?
A cowering lump of jelly with huge, staring eyes, a nervous disposition and a tendency to clump together with its fellows for protection.

Where did it come from?
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Genesis/Game Gear/Sega Master System, 1993), Kirby's Avalanche/Kirby's Ghost Trap (SNES, 1995) and Puyo Pop/Puyo Puyo (dozens of games on almost as many systems, starting in 1991).

Why do we love it?
The Puyos are essentially just Tetris blocks with eyes, and that's part of their appeal. They're clearly unhappy about their fate - which, for the record, is to be dropped into a rectangular frame, squeezed together with like-colored Puyos and made to explode as soon as four of them touch - and they'll stare at you with pleading eyes, silently begging you for mercy. But in spite of their whininess and the fun of blowing them apart, you can't play a Puyo game for long and not develop a soft spot for these craven weaklings.

Like the ghosts in Pac-Man, those staring eyes project a lot of personality, and getting to watch them clump together and stare at each other is a big part of what makes these games fun. If nothing else, the fact that they can look and act cute while helplessly waiting for the reaper's scythe to fall is one hell of an achievement.