Here's sneak preview number 5, regarding a certain yellow "mouse."
Pikachu vs Clefairy
"Start by picking up the palm-sized Nintendo Game Boy, insert the proper cartridge and switch it on. Soon, a creature with a lightning-bolt tail bounces through an animated sequence and pops a cute grin. You have just met Pikachu, the most popular of the Pokémon, a creature--part cherub and part thunder god--that is the most celebrated cartoon icon since Hello Kitty." - "Beware of the Pokemania" by Howard Chua-Eoan and Tim Larimer, Time magazine (22nd November 1999)
And on the subject of the cuteness of Pokémon, lets take the opportunity to discuss an answer to this question. Of all of the 150 original species of Pokémon that existed then, how come the one that was chosen by the community to be the mascot of the entire franchise was...
Pikachu? Why Pikachu?
Here's my theory. Pikachu easily became the mascot of the franchise due to the great (and somewhat contradictory) combination of power and cuteness. Pikachu's bright yellow fur with patches of brown and red cheeks made the rabbit-sized rodent easy to recognize at a distance, like a New York taxi cab, and (been a primary colour) made him (Most pikachus we see in the media (especially Ash's) are male. Female pikachus have an indent in the tip of their tails that make it look like a heart-shape.) appealing to young children. The same logic can be applied to the other cute critter that the creators had also chosen as a mascot - Clefairy. The pink possible alien featured predominately in the earliest media, even been a lead character in the first ever Pokémon manga adaptation (the long-running Pokémon Pocket Monsters by Kosaku Anakubo). Been pink, Clefairy could have easily have gained a young female following just by her looks alone (Its hard to imagine a male Clefairy (admit it)). But Pikachu won out... how? If you put them side-by-side they look kind-of similar....
A Clefairy and a Pikachu together -
For a direct comparison purposes only.
(I didn't make this gif)
The only reason I could think of why Pikachu became the mascot of the franchise is down to power! While Clefairy (been a fairy-type) had menacing psychic powers, Pikachu had power that was more relatable in the real world - high-voltage electricity. Although psychic abilities are great and appeal to fantasy-junkies, nothing beats raw electricity when it comes to the macho-imagination of boys. To my understanding, girls would like Clefairy and Pikachu just by looks alone, but the psychic powers (and their modern transfixion of the colour pink) would skew their love to Clefairy's favour. However, boys (despite saying otherwise) will also find the two cute, but they would like Pikachu more because of his awesome power that can be easily translated into the real world. There is no need to imagine the damage Pikachu can cause, because it can be demonstrated in the real world. Something that was easily demonstrated to a child when his "idiot" friend gains a Darwin Award.
Electricity: Kites public information film (1989)
You don't see any PIFs about Scanners, further proving my point.
That was how Pikachu became the No 1 Pokémon among fans. He is a massive destructive force packaged in a small fur-ball of uber-cuteness any kid would want to hug....
The aftermath of an ill-prepared hug of a Pikachu
(here as a warning for anyone who thinks of doing so).
A cuteness that, according to Nick from At The Buzzer, could (in the unlikely event of Pokémon suddenly becoming real in our world) cause the end of humanity. Oh, the things people with idle time think about....
All that was needed was the vocal talent of Ikue Ōtani in the anime and the creation of a kawaii icon was complete. Believe it or not, Clefairy nearly became Satoshi's first Pokémon in the pilot episode of the anime. That's what happened to Red in the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga. But this was changed in the last minute when it came clear that more fans related to Pikachu than Clefairy.
Although, I feel that Meowth could have easily been a rival contender in that contest.
I mean, everyone likes cats, just look how many they are on the internet.
Meowth takes over Robot Chicken's Twitter account (February 2015)
And Meowth is not alone in this debate. Since Gen 1 a number of Pokémon have come into been that could challenge Pikachu's role as mascot for the franchise. In September 2015 Warrior13 on the gaming website supercheats.com compiled this top 10 of possible candidates.
But be warned, with fame comes ridicule, as we will revisit Robot Chicken later.
No comments:
Post a Comment