Early builds of Pokémon Gold and Silver indicate that Celebi was originally designed after Kokopelli, a trickster figure, mythical flautist, and fertility deity worshiped by certain indigenous tribes in the American southwest (most prominently the Hopi and Anasazi). This is most apparent in a leaked build from May 6, 1998, in which Celebi's sprite is nearly identical to modern depictions of Kokopelli, with the only major deviation being the addition of eyes. A later design is present in the data for the Spaceworld 1999 demo, bearing a closer resemblance to Celebi's finalized sprite but retaining the Kokopelli motif.