Here’s what you didn’t know about the Pokémon Universe
The world of Pokémon has charmed kids for decades all over the world. Are you a Pokémon fan too? If yes, then you are well-acquainted with these creatures of various shapes and sizes who live in the wilderness or alongside human beings. In the Pokémon world, these human partners are called ‘Trainers’. Today, the Pokémon family or the media franchise comprises video games, an animated series, movies, toys, books, and much more. Pokémon was the brainchild of The Pokémon Company’s Satoshi Tajiri, a Japanese video game designer. His childhood passion was catching insects and tadpoles outside his Tokyo home. The company was co-founded by three video gaming giants, Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. In the world of Pokémon, humans trainers play to catch, train, nurse or battle with Pokémons. Since the franchise is all about hunting for Pokémons, its slogan is fitting, “Gotta Catch ‘Em All.” At present, there are more than 1000 Pokémon species. Some of world’s most popular Pokémons are, Pikachu, Charmander, Mewtwo, Gastrodon, and Raichu among others. But did you know that the term ‘Pokémon’ is the short form for ‘Poketto Monsuta,’ which literally translates to ‘Pocket Monster’ in Japanese? While most of you are quite familiar with your favourite Pokémon, there are many interesting things that you do not know about this globally renowned media franchise.
The monsters have punny names
The makers of Pokémon did a fantastic job naming and creating many incredible creatures we adore today. Each monster name is a pun for its magical powers. For instance, the name ‘Mimikyu’ is derived from the terms "mimic" and "you." Mimikyu is thought to be so hideous that it disguises itself as Pikachu to win people's affection and that’s its superpower! Smart, isn't it? Also, take Koffing and Weezing for example. These two iconic Pokémon characters come with gorgeous top-down designs. They release noxious gases that are suffocating for the bystanders. The punchline is that Weezing's stronger gases cause wheezing in its enemies, and Koffing's gases make them cough. Very punny indeed! Wait there is more! Sudowoodo is another clever Pokémon monster. Sudowoodo means ‘pseudo wood’. Shaped like a tree, it awakens after receiving a water spray from another monster called Squirtbottle and exposes itself as the adorable tree mimicking monster. Amazing, isn’t?
Saudi Arabia banned Pokémon once
Saudi Arabia isn’t a country known for its fun policies. Apparently, Pokémon was promoting polytheism i.e., belief that multiple gods exist, and a few other things that the Saudi government wasn’t very happy about. So, it banned Pokémon series at one point. Now, as the country is becoming a bit open to different thoughts, you can still watch Pokémon in Saudi Arabia. However, it is available only in English.
Pokémon has sold 30 billion cards
Pokémon cards are incredibly popular with youngsters. In fact, since they were first released in 1998, they've sold 30 billion cards worldwide! The card game is similar to the video game, except kids can exchange the cards. Some of the rarer cards go for thousands of pounds, and tournaments are played all over the world.
Pokémon gave seizures to children once
The controversies surrounding the show Pokémon are as many as its popularity. Episode number 38, called Denn Senshi Porygon of the animated TV series of Pokémon is also known as the ‘seizure episode’. Telecast on 16th December 1997 in Japan, it was banned globally. 685 Japanese kids (375 girls and 310 boys) were admitted to the hospital with epileptic seizures. According to reports, up to 12,000 children experienced vertigo, impaired vision, and 685 had convulsions due to this episode. Later, researches identified that the quick transition in background colours (blue and red) that occurred in this episode is what triggered the seizures which are also known as ‘photo sensitivity-induced epilepsy’. Now, that is unfortunate for sure.