In the two decades since Pokémon first swept
the globe, the cute critter combat sim has
taken over nearly every form of media and
entertainment.
"You've been selected to receive this sneak
peak about a phenomenon called Pokemon!"
The video games have spanned multiple generations
of systems, feature films have made millions,
the anime and manga have told compelling stories,
and the trading card game is still going strong.
"And meet new friends as you begin your journey
to become a Pokemon master trainer!"
Better call Team Rocket, because we're blasting
off into some lesser-known facts about this
beloved franchise that even the most dedicated
Pocket Monster trivia aficionado might've
missed.
Gotta catch 'em all
Like many creative types, reclusive Pokémon
creator Satoshi Tajiri drew upon his childhood
passions - namely, bug collecting and video
games - to create the Pokémon franchise.
Kotaku writes that Tajiri grew up collecting
insects in the area around his home in Machida,
Japan, earning the nickname "Mr. Bug" from
classmates.
As the Japanese arcade scene grew in the '70s
and '80s, Tajiri's obsession expanded to include
video games too - and he eventually purchased
a Famicom so he could take it apart and learn
how it worked.
In 1990, Tajiri saw two people playing Game
Boys connected by a link cable, and both of
his childhood passions came together in a
"eureka" moment.
He envisioned a game that could allow people
to collect their own virtual insects and pit
them against one another.
Six years later, the first Pokémon games
were released, and the franchise began to
take the world by storm.
"More than a game [...] or a top-rated TV
show, Pokémon is an undeniable obsession
with children across the country."
Pika-who?
You know him.
You love him.
Pokémon wouldn't be the same without him.
C'mon - you know who we're talking about.
"PI-KA-CHU!
PI-KA-CHU!"
Even Pikachu's biggest fans might not know
that he wasn't the original mascot chosen
to represent the Pokémon series.
That title belongs to Clefairy.
In his book Pikachu's Global Adventure: The
Rise and Fall of Pokémon, author Joseph Tobin
writes that a vulgar, talking Clefairy was
Ash's first Pokémon in the original manga
adaptation of Pokémon.
Unfortunately, its crude sense of humor did
not fly with the family-friendly dynamic Nintendo
wanted from the Pokémon series.
In the original plans for the first episode
of the anime, Ash was even going to get a
Clefairy, but the character was changed to
Pikachu instead.
There were a few other reasons for the change
from Clefairy to Pikachu.
For one, Pikachu's more traditional design
made it seem more like a pet a child might
have than the strange design of Clefairy.
Pikachu's bright yellow color also made it
stand out more, as only Winnie the Pooh had
a similar color scheme targeting the same
demographic.
Unexpected origins
Polygon suggests that Pikachu may actually
overtake Mickey Mouse as the most recognizable
icon in the world.
Two mice battling it out for cultural dominance,
and...
…what?
We're being told that Pikachu's design...
wasn't inspired by a mouse?
Yeah, sorry to shatter your childhoods, but
Pikachu is actually based on a squirrel.
Atsuko Nishida, who designed the character,
spoke with Japanese publication Yomiuri about
her inspiration.
As translated by Twinfinite, she said:
"At that time, I was really into squirrels,
so I wanted the character to have puffy cheeks.
Squirrel tails are cute, so I wanted it to
have a tail.
However, I wanted the character to have a
lightning element, so I made it shaped like
lightning."
After Nishida submitted the design and it
was named Pikachu, Pokémon creator Satoshi
Tajiri made a few final modifications, transforming
it into the more recognizable electric rodent
we know and love today.
Pocket Monster mayhem
Pokémon wasn't always destined to be a universal
hit.
In fact, an early episode of the Pokémon
anime nearly rang the death knell for the
franchise about a year after it got started.
The episode in question, "Electric Soldier
Porygon," utilized a blue and red strobe effect
to represent an explosive attack courtesy
of Pikachu.
Suddenly, 685 children across Japan were hospitalized
after passing out, vomiting, suffering nausea,
and - in some cases - experiencing seizures
and temporary blindness.
You heard that right: Your favorite childhood
TV show sent hundreds of children to the hospital
and knocked itself off the air for over four
months.
The episode has never aired again, even in
edited form, and Porygon has never appeared
as a main character on the anime since the
incident.
Saving face
Like any globally recognized franchise, Pokémon
is no stranger to controversy.
In addition to that nasty "seizure" situation,
several of the characters in the show and
the games have been called out for their offensive
designs.
Jynx is probably the most well-known example:
the creature's original design bore a strong
resemblance to the "black minstrel" stereotype
of yesteryear what with its pure black face,
large eyes, and exaggerated lips.
Luckily, Nintendo took criticism to heart
and changed Jynx's appearance to move away
from its "blackface" look.
"There's more!"
In a stranger - and less scandalous - controversy,
one Uri Geller, a self-proclaimed psychic
who gained fame for supposedly being able
to bend spoons with his mind, tried to sue
Nintendo over the Pokémon Kadabra.
He claimed they stole his image for the psychic-type
Pokémon.
As such, Kadabra has not appeared on any Pokémon
cards since.
Life imitates art
It goes without saying that Pokémon has had
widespread influence on the real world.
Pikachu even served as Japan's mascot during
the 2014 World Cup.
But that's not all: The little electric-type
has had a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving
Day parade since 2001.
Now if that's not evidence of a cultural phenomenon,
we don't know what is!
Perhaps Pokémon's most bizarre influence
is on the small island nation of Niue.
AWOL writes that, in 2001, the Pacific island
country actually released legal currency featuring
Pokémon characters: five different $1 coins
featuring Pikachu, Squirtle, Meowth, Bulbasaur,
and Charmander.
In some cases, the coins have become the target
of collectors, fetching prices many times
greater than their actual legal value.
GO-ing forward
Pokémon GO, the first foray for the series
into the app store market, is still a massive
phenomenon.
It has over 100 million downloads from the
Google Play store alone, and has brought in
hundreds of millions of dollars.
It is no real surprise that Nintendo has taken
notice of Pokémon GO's success and wants
to expand further into the mobile app market.
Den of Geek reports that Nintendo's new president,
Shuntaro Furukawa, thinks the company's main
expansion focus should be into the smartphone
market, saying,
"The idea that something will emerge that
transforms into something big, in the same
manner as game consoles, is the defining motive
of the Nintendo business."
This doesn't mean Nintendo is shifting their
focus away from home consoles, but do keep
an eye out for more of a reach into the mobile
market.
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