What Is Pokemon?
Pokemon - (pronounced Poh-KAY-Mahn) - are known as Pocket Monsters in Japan, where it all began. Pokemon are as popular in Japan as Mickey Mouse is in the United States. (They can't be called Pocket Monsters in the U.S. due to another company owning that U.S. trademark).
Pokemon started off as a simple Nintendo Gameboy game. The primary goal in Pokémon is to find, capture and train various monsters, all in an effort to become the world's greatest Pokémon trainer. There are more than 250 Pokemon monsters to catch, and they keep adding more every year.
Japan was taken over these by these pocket monsters in 1996, and this phenomenon spread to the United States in late 1998. Pokémon jumped off the Game Boy game and onto toys, clothing, cartoons and even snack food. You can't go anywhere in Japan without running into Pokémon, and now Pokemon has the U.S. under its belt as well.
Pokémon appeals to many ages and types of fan, which is a big part of why it's so popular. Players enjoy the role-playing, collecting and trading aspects of the game, which make Pokémon so unique.
There is also an animated Pokémon series on TV. Fans of Japanese anime will especially love this series, which is a prime-time hit in Japan. The series is loosely based on the game's plot, following the exploits of a young Pokémon trainer and his tamed Pokémon, Pikachu. The show plays all over the U.S., and at one time took away the time morning slot in New York from the likes of ABC, CBS, and NBC. Check out that story!
The Pokemon Gameboy Game, and TV show has now been followed up by an addicting Trading Card Game. There is also an extremely popular Pokemon Comic book available.
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