I’m sure you’ve heard of Pokemon, but did you know that a new release of the video game called Pokemon Black and White is out? There are new Pokemon Black and White plush toys to go along with it, as well as new Pokemon Black and White promo cards and Pokemon Black and White game cards. There are also new Pokemon Black and White Zukan figures by Tomy. My son can’t stop checking out all the new goods at his favorite Pokemon web site.
As far as individual Pokemon go, there is the phenomena of kids or gamers becoming attached to a certain Pokemon. In fact, a teenager of 17 might become so enamored of a certain character that he may even buy the Pokemon plushie (stuffed toy). Which is quite out of character for a 17 year old. And everyone who knows anything about Pokemon knows that Pikachu is of course the adored unofficial but obvious mascot to Pokemon in the same way that Mickey Mouse is to Disney.
But usually kids have a hard time telling you their favorite Pokemon character when asked. It makes sense though when you break it down. For one thing, no matter how cute, comely, or handsome the Pokemon may be, they are after all monsters. Even ‘cuddly’ Pikachu has an absolutely terrifying electric punch. Every Pokemon character is dangerous. Mickey Mouse can’t hurt you but any of the over 400 Pokemon can- lethally! So there is a dark element to the Pokemon that I think kids remain in awe and are a little frightened of when it comes to the Pokemon.
It’s a fascinating thing to be a trainer of monsters. In Ultraman, monsters represent absolute evil. There is no taming them- the only solution is to destroy them utterly. Ultraman is a savior, not a tamer. Monsters only represent chaos and destruction. The monsters in Pokemon represent something different altogether. Pokemon are animal-like creatures that in general present us with a temperate, cute, and even affectionate nature. Watch out when they release their powers though, for they become formidable. Pokemon are more like a Stegosaurus than a Godzilla: basically they are non-aggressive but are quite capable of defending themselves when necessary. Stand back when they do.
Finally the tremendous combination of species with different capabilities makes it hard to have an absolute favorite. There are no ‘all mighty’ Pokemon. Some are stronger than others of course, but different Pokemon can be very useful in surprisingly different situations. So one type of Pokemon could be a favorite in a given scenario, and another in a different one. I think that rather than developing favorites (like a favorite ship in a space game), the drive is to know and handle as many Pokemon as one can. With enough skill, one can then become a Pokemon master.
Dinah Jackson loves writing about Pokemon. For the newest Pokemon Black and White information on the web, check out the new Pokemon free online magazine called Pokezine. There are hundreds of magazine articles on all different Pokemon subjects for free. Get all the latest news, plus tons of information about upcoming great items like Pokemon Foongus plushie, Minccino, Suicune, Entei, Serperior, Oshawott, Snivy, Tepig and many more. Check it out. Its 100% free. Pokemon Action Figures