Imagine for a second that you're on a beautiful tropical island getaway, just minding your own business, sipping a drink, and watching the ocean waves roll onto the beach. The next thing you know, storm clouds whip in, you're dodging lightning bolts, a shark nearly drops on your head, and a mysterious force suddenly flicks you airborne and into a smoldering volcano that you'd swear wasn't there just a minute ago. As crazy as that sounds to you or me, it's just another day in the life of this month's Character Spotlight stars, the Pygmies of Bolt Creative's hit Pocket God franchise.

If there was ever a poster child for resilience, it would be Ooga or one of his other Pygmy compatriots. Ever since Pocket God made its debut two years ago, this little tribe of pint-sized punching bags has taken everything that gamers with a god complex could toss at them. Back in the day, all these Pygmies had to worry about was being tossed in the ocean, or held up in the air and dangled around for a bit. Eventually the Pygmies' collective deities got a little bored with this, and looked for new ways to cause mischief and mayhem for their faithful followers. Before long, the Pygmies were being launched like paper footballs into a distant volcano, used as bait in fishing expeditions, swooped up by whirlwinds, and even attacked by vampire bats, zombies, and a giant T-rex.

The Pygmies aren't just content to stay stuck on their own little island, though. Not only have they succeeded in their own Pocket God game, but they've earned a few extra stamps on their passports by popping up in some other games as well. One of their first cameos came in an update to Lima Sky's popular (and addictive) platform hopper, Doodle Jump, which made the tribe unlockable as playable characters. In Thunder Games Works's tower defense game, Trenches, our favorite Pygmy playmates pop up as an invading force of zombies. The Pygmies also wreak a little havoc over in Super Squawk Software's tower defense game, The Creeps!. Hey, you can't really blame 'em for trying to take a break vacation from the turmoil of their daily lives.

Despite all their trials and tribulations, the Pygmies of the Oogka Chaka tribe not only persevere, but they seem to prosper as well. Last year, the Pygmies (via their agents over at Bolt Creative) signed up with the folks at Ape Entertainment to bring their distinct brand of hijinks to fans in a print form with the release of a Pocket God comic book series. Ooga and his tribe went on a quest to restore power to the gods' Gem of Life after an errant meteor damages it and leaves them realizing that their next "death" could actually stick. The book's humor and style apparently struck a chord with fans of the game, as the series proved popular enough to convince the Oogka Chaka tribe to return for more comics beyond what was initially supposed to be just a four issue miniseries.

For a small tribe of nigh indestructible islanders stuck on a plot of dirt no bigger than most people's garage, the Pygmies of the Pocket God universe have certainly made an impact. Games and comics are only the beginning. The Pygmies are taking over and there's nothing we can do about it. Let's just hope our new miniature overlords are a little more forgiving to us than we've been to them.