List of references to Pokémon in popular culture

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References to Pokémon in popular culture are instances where television shows, music and video clips, or other non-Pokémon medium explicitly mention Pokémon (or to a specific Pokémon). These are distinct from parodies (which deliberately resemble or mock Pokémon, while not actually using any of the names or actual monsters associated with the franchise). Similarities and resemblances between character designs, especially for background characters, are not considered references.

Non-fiction shows mentioning the existence of Pokémon (such as listing them in a list of most popular toys, or discussing their popularity at a certain point in time, or having an interviewed person mention Pokémon), or news show discussing Pokémon-related news, are not considered reference in popular culture. Likewise, game shows questions about Pokémon are not considered references.

Simply using a Pokémon catchphrase, or having a Pokémon character briefly appear without explicitly mentioning it is considered a background reference, and listed separately.

References in television, radio and movie

Series/Movie	Episode	Details	Image
30 Rock	Stride of Pride	Pokémon is a recurring theme in this episode with one of Jack's girlfriends. When referring to Jack's polygamy, she said that it was like Pokémon the way Jack had "gotta catch 'em all". Jack pluralizes Pokémon as "Pokémons" only to have her correct him. Jack brings up Pokémon numerous times throughout the episode in reference to his girlfriend, including referring to a text message he got as being "Pokémon'd". At the end of the episode, Liz writes a letter on her laptop, and also refers to "Pokémons" and her life as "little creatures running around".
Adventure Time	Joshua and Margaret Investigations	In one scene in the episode, Margaret is shown entering a weapons room. Among the weapons on the right wall is a small Poké Ball.
Ai Mai Mi: Surgical Friends	You're No Friend of Mine!	During the next episode preview, Torijiro talks about how the author in her high school days was ambushed by kids throwing leaves and Poké Balls at her, yelling "Don't let her get away!" and "Weaken and catch her!"	—
American Dad!	Buck, Wild	In the first act, Steve is upset about being seated at the kids' table, pointing out that the kids are playing with Pokémon cards and they are not very good. He yells at one of the kids for "wasting his Charizard".	—
The Autocrats	Hirviövoimala	When Paavo Lipponen is about to throw Erkki Tuomioja out of the window, Sauli Niinistö calms him down, reminding them that they both belong to the same party. To this, Erkki remarks that Paavo's party card has been "glued full of Pokémon stickers".	—
	Itse valtiaat – Kuningasmusikaali	During this special musical episode, Mauri Pekkarinen sings a song called Politiikan Pokémon. In one of the chorus verses, Mauri describes himself as "the Pikachu of Jyväskylä". This song, along with the other songs from this special, were later collected and published on a music CD titled 200 apinaa – Paavo kuninkaaksi.	—
Animation Domination High-Def	Scientifically Accurate: Pokémon	Pokémon is spoofed in this series of ADHD shorts. References to kids being thrown into the wilderness alone, as well as some of the kinds of Pokémon such as "a pile of gears" (presumably a Klink) and "a [EXPLETIVE] ice cream cone" (presumably Vanillite).	—
	Pikachu Gets Pokémon Rabies	A short features Ash and Misty walking when he runs into a man and his dog. Thinking it's a Pokémon, Ash orders Pikachu to attack the dog, who in turn bites Pikachu. Oak tells Ash that Pikachu has "PokéRabies" (a possible take on Pokérus) and tells Ash he must put down Pikachu. Ash ties Pikachu to a tree and shoots him with a gun, citing that the first shot "wasn't very effective" and continues to fire at Pikachu until he dies. Ash sees Pikachu's spirit dragged to hell, to which Oak replies, "All Pokémon go to hell!" The short ends with Ash encountering another Pikachu.	—
Are We There Yet?	The Bad Dream Episode	After Nick says "You can't make a sequel for everything", Kevin says "They should've told that to the Pokémon people thirteen movies ago!" and then names all Pokémon movies up to M13, including Mewtwo Returns.
Barakamon	Guys from Tokyo	Naru hands Kousuke a Poké Ball-like capsule containing shieldbugs. Kousuke, who hates insects, immediately screams and yells "Argh! Monster ball!" and throws the capsule just like Poké Balls are thrown.
The Big Bang Theory	The Cooper/Kripke Inversion	Even after being taken off his joint checking account with his wife until he learned the value of money, Howard Wolowitz still spent his lunch's allowance on Pokémon cards.	—
	The Perspiration Implementation	When Sheldon asks a woman out at a bar, he says "I choose you," which he claims Ash did to Pikachu. He specifically mentions that he is referencing Pokémon.	—
Black Books	He's Leaving Home	When Fran tells Bernard that he knows nothing about the modern culture, she lists a few examples of things he doesn't know, one of which is Pokémon. Bernard quickly interrupts her by saying that it's pronounced "Pac-Man".	—
Bob's Burgers	Mom, Lies, and Videotapes	Gene mentions Pokémon as an inspiration for his imaginary school play.	—
Chronicles of the Going Home Club	Ultimate Decision / A Magnificent Training Camp / Starry Sky Imagination / Mankind's Greatest Invention is Air Conditioning ...and the dead freedom that results	There are two references in this episode. First, before the opening, Sakura's suggesting ideas for things to do in a training camp, and she says "We could also carefully breed the best IVs, then train our EVs and form dueling parties." Later, the girls are talking about ultimate decisions when deciding between two things. During this, Sakura at one point says "Should your starter be a fire type or a water type?" while the screen shows images of a generic lizard and turtle. Botan then chimes in, saying "Yeah, no one goes for grass."	—
Community	Digital Estate Planning	Hilda's long list of conversation topics includes "old man Trainer", "fly on a bird", "cinnamon island", and "seal along the shore", a reference to the Old man glitch. Also when Gilbert is escaping from Cornelius he changes into MissingNo. for a split-second.
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.	Absolutely the Worst! Nendou's Father	Near the end of the episode, in order to stop Nendou's deceased father's spirit from following him, Kusuo Saiki detaches his soul from his body. He then proceeds to talk to the audience, saying "Now, boys and girls watching at home. Here's a question for you. I went from being a psychic to a ghost. Do you know what happens when a ghost-type fights a ghost-type in that world-famous video game? The answer is..." He then stops and performs an uppercut on Nendou's father, sending him into the sky, and then finishes his sentence by saying "...it's super effective!"	—
Doctor Who	The Return of Doctor Mysterio	The Doctor and Nardole arrive at the Tokyo branch of Harmony Shoals. Nardole comments that it is empty The Doctor replies "Yes, I created a distraction. I flooded downstairs with Pokémon".	—
Drunk History	Boston	After the retelling of the 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art theft, a man says he knows how they must feel because he had $100 worth of Pokémon cards stolen as a kid including holographic Charizard (Base Set 4), Blastoise (Base Set 2), and Professor Oak (Base Set 88).	—
Dustin in Fowl Play	N/A	When Dustin the Turkey was wondering what new job he should get, Socky asks "are we going to become Pokémon Trainers?"	—
Emmerdale	N/A	Sandy Thomas plays an orange DSi, a sound effect from a Pokémon Ranger game is heard and he cries out in annoyance "Every time I get to the big boss Raikou on level 3, I need Gabby, only a child can work this wretched thing", much to his son Ashley's annoyance.	—
ER	And in the End...	A patient says "I am the chosen one, come to be known as Lugia."	—
Erkan & Stefan gegen die Mächte der Finsternis	N/A	When Erkan and Stefan meet Kartan they question him being Kartan while Stefan says that "The graphics are pretty cheesy on him. I'd say Pokémon is better then he is."	—
Family Guy	Three Directors	At the end of the second story, Stewie says that Peter died chasing a Pokémon on the street, referencing reports of deaths of players playing Pokémon GO.
Fillmore!	Test of the Tested	A cheerleading coach says that her team, while in a human pyramid, is "as strong as a Geodude using its Harden attack".	—
The Flash	Honey, I Shrunk Team Flash	When Cisco is thinking of random numbers for Cecile to guess, he then thinks "Bulbasaur". Cecile questions what a Bulbasaur is and Cisco said he wouldn't be thinking about Pokémon at a time like this. When Cecile then asks why Cisco is still thinking about Bulbasaur, Cisco says that he's the cutest one of all.	—
George Lopez	George Drives The Batmobile	After Benny passes out George tells Angie that in the eight hours it would take for her to wake they could take her to Mexico, put her in a Pikachu costume with a note saying beat me I have candy. Shortly after George says Pikachu a couple times while swinging his arms as if he was hitting a piñata with a bat.	—
Ghost Stories (dub)	Akane-san of the Broadcasting Room!! Voice of the Dead	The Pokémon anime is referenced when Leo states that the broadcast begins right after Pokémon.	—
Good Vibes	The Grass is Always Greener	When Mondo sees Woody's room for the first time, he comments on all the awards for competitions he has. Woody admits that many of them were purchased on eBay by his parents. Mondo then asks how much they spent on the "lame Pokémon tournament participant ribbon", a gold ribbon with a Pikachu on it, to which Woody claims that he won on his own.
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san	Like a Close Encounter of the Third Kind and Great Conspiracy X	Nyaruko summons her pets Shanta and Nephren-Car from a Poké Ball-esque object, during which she says 「君に決めた！」 Kimi ni kimeta! ("I choose you!")[1][2]
Heroes	One of Us, One of Them and Dual	Hiro Nakamura was called Pikachu once in each of those two episodes.	—
Himouto! Umaru-chan	N/A	During the opening of the series, a few video games are referenced, including what appears to be a cross between Pokémon and EarthBound. In it, Umaru appears on the stairs of a bedroom akin to the bedrooms of the protagonists of the franchise, walks to a table that has her signature hoodie and three Poké Balls, and interacts with the hoodie, causing a menu with a somewhat similar appearance to EarthBound's menu to appear. She then puts the hoodie on and goes to lay down on her bed, before flailing around.
	Umaru and Her Rival	After being told not to play with a cat souvenir, Umaru plays with it the next day alongside her hamster toys, calling it "Pocket Hamsters GK". She makes them battle, and during the battle, she starts by shouting "A wild Hamsaburou has appeared!" She then proceeds to summon the cat souvenir, shouting "Metal Nyankos! I choose you!" She makes the cat bob its head, saying that it makes Hamsaburou's defense fall while a health bar on the side of the screen drops by about half. She then reaches for a capsule to use to catch Hamsaburou, but trips and knocks the cat off the table, breaking it. Later, while trying to rebuild it, she remakes the head from scratch, but can't remember its face, and gives it a face similar to that of Pikachu's, with a voice shouting "Pukka!" Lastly, in between scenes, the room from the opening's reference appears, with a logo underneath it very similar to Pokémon's Japanese logo. Taihei walks up to a sleeping Umaru and tells her in a dialogue box "Umaru, starting today, you're a trainer!", to which she responds "Ugh, just five more minutes."
Hollyoaks	Episode 4505	As Jude Cunningham leaves Nightingale's, Tony Hutchinson asks where she's going and Jude responds "To catch Pokémon", referring to Pokémon Go.	—
House M.D	Perils of Paranoia	While having a discussion with his diagnostic team, House says, "Which is why Arceus created a universe with three states of matter and 300 solid or liquid poisons that could cause his symptoms", upon which Taub asks, "Arceus?" House then suggests he look it up.	—
Highschool DxD	I Get a Familiar!	The familiar master, Zatouji (parody of Satoshi) is a parody of Ash Ketchum. He uses the phrase "Gotta catch 'em all" many times.	—
Law & Order: SVU	Uncivilized	A victim was last seen on his way to a store to buy Pokémon cards.	—
	Home Invasions	The father of the victim's boyfriend stated that his son still has his Pokémon cards.	—
Lucky Star	Base of the Sun	Kagami asks Konata if she has any talents besides making faces. Konata replies by stating that she can name every Pok***n.	—
	Pandora's Box	Konata states that Kinkaku-ji is gold, but Ginkaku-ji isn't silver, referencing both the Bell and Brass Towers, and Pokémon Gold and Silver. She also wonders if they're like Po*émon, and "if they have a Sapphire and Ruby or something".	—
MAD	Multiple Episodes	Several MAD sketch have included references to Pokémon. These include notably "Grey's In Anime" where a character wearing a Ash like that use a Pikachu-like character as a defribilator as well as a sketch in the episode Cliffordfield / Big Time Rushmore which features a skit about rejected Pokémon and Pokémon Park (a Pokémon-based spoof of Jurassic Park). Other sketches have included "Big League Pika-Chew" (in which Pikachu-based gum appears). "Pokémon of Interest" (a crossover with Person of Interest, "Pokémonsters, Inc" (a crossover with Monsters, Inc.. Other sketches have used Pokémon to spoof other modern culture trend: "PokéHarmony" spoofing the dating website eHarmony, "The less you know", spoofing The more you know with alleged Pokémon facts, and "Psyduck" spoofing Psych using the titular Pokémon.
MADtv	Season 5, Episode 16	In the "Reality Check" sketch, Belma Button mentions that she took her kids to Pokémon: The First Movie, chastising the Japanese for sending it to America. Tovah says, "Who drew it? Stevie Wonder?" and Belma says it sounds like the name of a homosexual Jamaican adult film.	—
Modern Family	Playdates	Monte, Lily's classmate, said his hobby is collecting Pokémon.	—
My Babysitter's a Vampire	Friday Night Frights	When the ghost of Coach ED (Clé Bennett) haunts Ethan Morgan (Matthew Knight), threatening him that he'd ruin his life if he didn't win a trophy for their school, the young boy gets into a wrestling match with Kurt the Hurt (William Greenblatt). When it becomes clear that he cannot win, Ethan exclaims that he has "never won a fight" to which his friend Benny Weir (Atticus Mitchell) replies, "False; remember that time in grade 2 when I took your Pokémon lunchbox?"	—
My Family	Pain in the Class	After finding out that his mother Susan Harper (Zoë Wanamaker) has invited the parents of his school bully round to solve his bullying problem, Michael (Gabriel Thomson) says 'goodbye' to some of his possessions, including his Pokémon cards, commenting that he only had 212 left to collect*.
My Hero	Christmas	When Ultronian superhero Thermoman, aka. George Sunday (Ardal O'Hanlon) is visiting his cousin Arnie (Lou Hirsch) in Las Vegas to ask him about the human holiday of Christmas, he says that he doesn't understand Christmas as although it is the season of goodwill, he says he was in Manchester the previous day to stop a pitched battle. Arnie asks if it was between rival gangs, but George says it was "three mums wanting the last Pokémon".	—
The Norm Show	Artie Comes to Town	The first scene is a parody of Pokémon, as a boy named Tommy thought he was Ash. The skit featured actors dressed as Squirtle, Pikachu, Butterfree, Charmander, and Meowth. It features a Pokémon battle between Norm and Tommy.		—
Paper Towns	N/A	In the scene where Quentin, Ben, and Radar are scared while in an abandoned gas station looking for clues to where Margo can be, they wonder what they should do to calm themselves down. Quentin suggest that they sing a song — the first one that comes into their head. Ben then starts to sing the Pokémon Theme; Radar and Quentin join him as they together conquer their fear.	—
Ranma 1/2	And the Challenger is... A Girl?!	The dub inserts multiple references to Pokémon airing on television. It should be noted that these are dub only, as the original Japanese episode was written and aired several years before Pokémon Red and Green were even released.	—
Robot Chicken	Multiple Episodes	Several skits in Robot Chicken have parodied Pokémon. Notable skits include "Poké Ball High Life" showing Ash's Pikachu's party life in a Pokéball, "The Greatest Pokémon Generation" showing former Pokémon fans in their old age and "Timely Michael Vick Joke" in which Ash and Pikachu must battle Michael Vick and his Rottweiler, or"Bloopers", in which an outtake from the Pokémon anime is shown. Other sketches appears in the episodes The Hobbit: There and Bennigan's where Ash plays tennis with Pikachu's Pokéball to punish his Pokémon, Freshly Baked: The Robot Chicken Santa Claus Pot cookie Freakout Special: Special Edition where elves sing about making Pokémon toys for Christmas, Strummy Sad Sad where the daycare man is shown teaching Ash and friends how Pokémon eggs are made, and 3 2 1 2 333, 222, 3...66? which features Ash and Pikachu battling Henry Kissinger and another sketch featuring Ash-Greninja.	,
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch	Love Means Having to Say You're Sorry	Clarence drops the Pokémon cards he was holding while running away from Harvey, prompting Harvey to shout out "Wait, Clarence! You dropped your Pokémon cards."
Saturday Night Live	Jennifer Aniston / Sting	In the "Pokémon Parents" skit, a boy trades his holographic Charizard for weaker cards like Metapod and Diglett. Mewtwo and the first movie are also mentioned.
	John McCain / The White Stripes	In a "Hardball" sketch, Harry Belafonte makes many references to the unfair treatment of blacks. One of his references is "Pokémon is a slave trade, Pikachu is the slave master!"	—
	Robert De Niro / Diddy-Dirty Money	In "The Abacus Conundrum" skit, one of the fake books listed is called "The Pokémon Directive", and has a Pikachu on the cover.
See Spot Run	N/A	James tells Gordon Smith that he had a nightmare of a Charizard trying to burn him, in resemblance to Ash's Charizard. James also tells him what a Pokémon is, as some people may not understand.	—
Servant × Service	Don't Panic, Make a Scene, or Throw Away Your Job	Hasebe joins a discussion on anime with his coworkers accompanied by a montage of games he has played, including "Pokimon", a distorted Pikachu and Bulbasaur, and a Poké Ball sound effect.
Sex and the City	Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl...	While looking at pictures at Charlotte's gallery, Samantha says, "You know, women dressing like men is very popular right now", to which Carrie replies, "And here I thought it was Pokémon".	—
The Simpsons	Multiple episodes	Pokémon appears in several episode of the show, most notably in Postcards from the Wedge where Bart is shown watching the Pokémon anime on TV, and wondering how it has managed to stayed so fresh, and in the short Pokémon Now? released on YouTube, which parodies Pokémon GO. Other brief mentions occurs in Children of a Lesser Clod (where it's named as a child's favorite game), Chief of Hearts where a game called "Battle Ball" is said to "makes Digimon look like Pokémon", and in Let's Go Fly a Coot where Milhouse wants his cheese cut in Pokémon shapes.
Strip Mall	Unknown	In several episodes, an adult movie parody called Pokememon is used as an on-going plot device. The lead actress of the film is seen dressed similar to Misty's original design, and her role's name is Fisty, a further play on the character.
Teekyu	Evolution with Senpai	Marimo exclaims "Let's go catch them all!" while she, Kanae, and Nasuno hold tennis balls like Poké Balls and wear hats similar to Ash's. Yuri exasperatedly responds "Is this Poké**n?!"	—
The Apprentice: You're Fired!	Series 12: 8. London Landmarks	As host, Rhod Gilbert, signed off the lead into the next episode, which would have the candidates creating a virtual reality game, and asked ""Who will be Pokémons and who will be Pokémoffs?"	—
Transformers Animated (Japanese dub)	Garbage In, Garbage Out	The episode's Japanese broadcast eyecatch is an homage to Who's That Pokémon?, with Wreck-Gar being the silhouetted character.[3]
Ultraman Tiga (English dub)	Attack of the Crow-Men	As the Crow-Men threaten to shrink and distribute the GUTS gang, they say that they'll be bigger than Pokémon.	—

References in non-Pokémon video games

Game	Details	Image
Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator	In the fifth game (which takes place in Japan), turning on the television in the player's hotel room shows a program with flashing colours and a Pikachu-like character. Looking at the screen causes the game to remark "Don't stare at it too long, or you're likely to have a seizure!", a likely reference to Electric Soldier Porygon.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth	There are a few items in the game which were inspired by Pokémon. One is called "Missingno.", which will randomize all items picked up at the start of every floor. The Afterbirth DLC released a new item called a "Friendly Ball", which will be thrown when used, capture an enemy which will then fight other enemies when sent out. Afterbirth+ introduced a new item called Poke Go, which looks like a cellphone and resembles Pokémon Go, where enemies will randomly join you upon entering a room. It also introduced a challenge called Pokey Mans, which is an obvious play-on of Pokémon, and uses the Friendly Ball, except it releases a random enemy each time it's thrown.
Chee-Chai Alien	When starting the game for the first time, a character called "Saraba" introduces himself to the player and mentions Pokémon (Japanese ポ…　…ポケモン　ちゃうよ) in the middle of explaining the in-game universe.
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth	In Chapter 4, a researcher named Akemi Suedou asks the protagonists to investigate an "Eater," a digital creature that consumes data. Arata Sanada asks Suedou if he has any "secret weapons" at his disposal such as a "camera watch that can detect hidden objects" or a "ball that captured creatures can be stuffed into." Suedou states that Arata's examples are "oddly specific."
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind	This RPG has several Pokémon references, which include Marowak's Spine in Illunibi or the body of Peke Utchoo (whose name is parody of Pikachu). In Arkngthand, there is a Weepingbell Hall while in the Urshilaku Burial Caverns, there is a section known as Kakuna Burial.[4]
HarmoKnight	Five bonus levels feature music from Pokémon games: Champion Battle from Generation I, Trainer Battle from V, and the Gym, Route 26, and Bicycle themes from II. Pokémon-shaped balloons and natural structures also appear.
Hatoful Boyfriend	The protagonist's first conversation with Okosan features the phrase "Okosan used Wing Attack! It's super effective!"
Henry Stickmin: Stealing the Diamond	When night guards block Henry's path to the Tunisian Diamond in the Epic Ending, a Poké Ball is one of the options he can choose.
Hidden Folks	On the camping level, one of the things to find is "Pika" a reference to Pikachu.
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1	In Lowee, a nation that represents the Wii and Nintendo, the group has an exchange with guards that references Pokémon in various ways: Lowee Guard: Go! Dragon, I choose you! Compa: Go! Nep-Nep, I choose you! Neptune: Pika! IF: Oh! All right then! Go! Lady Vert, I choose you! Lowee Guard: Through rigorous training, people and monsters can become stronger! I've lived 'n trained with my fighting monster! And that will never change!	—
Little Inferno	The description text for the Giant Spider item is written in the style of Pokémon battle messages: "A Giant Spider appears! You attempt to flee! Giant Spider attacks for massive damage!!"
Minecraft	As an easter egg, if the splashes.txt file is deleted but not the META-INF folder from the game's files, the only splash text to be shown is "missingno".
Not a Hero	After the player completes a level, there is a random sequence of dialogue triggered. One of BunnyLord's lines in one of the dialogue sequences remarks how "this one time, when I lived in Justin's Vagabond Supplies Store, I damaged a Mudkipp."
Poker Night at the Inventory	Strong Bad asks Max if he's a Pokémon.	—
Pony Island	If the player goes right when they see Louey for the first time, there are a bunch of references to Pokémon Red and Blue Versions, including the Missingno. glitch. There is an achievement called Glitch City associated with the area.
Rune Factory 4	Clorica says, "Fishing can be quite dangerous. Sometimes it's less tenta-'cool' and more tenta-'cruel.'" Additionally, Dolce quotes "I choose you," tries to command a Thunderbolt attack, and references type effectiveness.
The Simpsons: Tapped Out	In the quest "I am the Lizard Queen! Pt. 4" introduced in Level 60, Cletus asks for three giant stuffed "Pikachus" when he thinks he won the ring toss three times.
	After completing the quest "Homer the Heretic Pt. 5" in the Homer the Heretic update, God says "Nah, I just needed a new game -- I got sick of Pokémon Go".
Skullgirls	Several Pokémon quotes are used in the game. If the player wins a match without taking damage, the announcer says "It's super effective!". When facing Filia, Peacock says "Wild schoolgirl appears!" She may also say "I choose you!" when using her j.HK. The character of Molly also has a story mode portrait that references Wobbuffet, and Double has an alternate costume based on Ditto (both are able to transform into opponents and use their moves).	—
Splatoon	In commemoration of Pokémon's 20th Anniversary, a Splatfest was held on February 20, 2016 at 6:00 AM UTC, pitting players who prefer Pokémon Red against players who prefer Pokémon Blue*/Pokémon Green*. When the results of the Splatfest were tallied by game region, Red lost to Blue and Green in all three regions. In the American version of the announcement, Callie and Marie discuss Vulpix being exclusive to Blue, and reference Team Rocket's original motto.
StreetPass Mii Plaza	One of the puzzles distributed through SpotPass was for Pokémon X and Y and depicts Xerneas and Yveltal.
Super Mario Maker	A set of Mystery Mushroom Costumes themed after the playable Pokémon in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U can be unlocked by scanning their respective amiibo. The player also has a random chance of unlocking one after completing a 100 Mario Challenge. Unlike most amiibo costumes, however, the Pokémon costumes do not feature custom sounds or music.
	In commemoration of Pokémon's 20th Anniversary, an Event Course entitled I Choose You! was uploaded on February 11, 2016. When the player completes this course, they will unlock a Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle costume. Completing the course three times will unlock all three. Unlike the Super Smash Bros. Pokémon costumes, these costumes have a full set of custom sound effects and music taken from Red and Green.
Super Scribblenauts	In one level, a witch sends out monsters in a Pokémon Battle format.

References in tabletop games

Game	Details	Image
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game	A Spell card released on January 15, 2015, titled "A Wild Monster Appears!" allows the player to freely Special Summon a monster if no monsters are on their side and the opponent is controlling at least one monster.

References in books, comics, and manga

• In the Love Hina manga, Keitaro Urashima can be seen with a Pikachu photo sticker while he checks his photo album of himself.
• Mangaka Ume Aoki frequently represents herself in her works as "Ume-sensei", a crude chibi representation of herself dressed as a Metapod. Ume-sensei most notably appears in Aoki's famed manga Hidamari Sketch.
• The Simpsons comics make several references:
  • There is a story called An Anime Among Us!, in which Bart has a dream containing numerous references to Japanese traditional and popular culture, including anime such as Sailor Moon and Pokémon. The most prominent references to Pokémon are Bart dressed like Ash Ketchum, a "Pocket Goblins" (Pockegob) Trainer, and Santa's Little Helper becoming a reference to Pikachu (Santa-choo). Bart fights against a trio from "Team Sprocket", with Jessica Lovejoy appearing as Jessie, Nelson Muntz as James, and Martin Prince in a Meowth costume (Cat Scratch-eth). This story is available in Bart Simpson Comics issue #12 as well as the collection book Big Bratty Book of Bart Simpson.
  • In the story Mr. Sparkle: Destroy All Manga!, many references to various manga and anime are made, including Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and Pokémon. A series called "Porkymen" features many Pokémon-like creatures, including "Pikkanoze", a creature which shares striking resemblance with Pikachu. Creatures similar to Venusaur, Onix, Blastoise, Geodude and Gengar are also shown. When Porkymen are chasing Mr. Sparkle, Pikkanoze says, "Catch Mr. Sparkle, my Porkymen comrades! Catch him all!!!" When Mr. Sparkle encases Porkymen in soap bubbles, Pikkanoze says that it's "somewhat familiar". This story is available in Simpsons Comics issue #45 as well as the collection book Simpsons Comics Unchained.
  • In the story All's Veldt That Ends Veldt!, Maggie watches the aforementioned "Porkeymen", which is shown to use a Pokémon-like slogan "Gotta pitch 'em all!". When Maggie watches the show, Pikkanose's eyes release rapidly flashing light, causing Maggie to become hypnotized. This is a reference to the infamous "seizure episode". This story is available in Bart Simpson Comics issue #7 as well as the collection book Big Bad Book of Bart Simpson.
  • In the story Day of the Nerd, Comic Book Guy dresses up like an anime character, using contact lenses to make his eyes seem like anime eyes, black laser lights to give himself speed lines whenever he moves quickly, and a yellow cat he calls "Comicachu", a reference to Pikachu. This story is available in Simpsons Comics issue #73 as well as the collection book Simpsons Comics Beach Blanket Bongo.
• In the tenth book in the Jigsaw Jones Mysteries series, The Case of the Ghostwriter, Stringbean hires Jigsaw to take the case by offering him bubblegum, a Darth Maul pencil eraser, a rubber band ball, $0.36, and a Diglett card. Jigsaw calls Diglett too common, so Stringbean instead offers a First Edition Gloom card, which he accepts.
• Page 88 of the novella Coraline shows an illustration of a Pikachu head among several other toys.
• In the novel Mad Dogs, Pokemon (sic) was mentioned as one of the fads that had passed around CHERUB campus.
• In Volume 5, Chapter 1 of of the Sword Art Online light novel series, when discussing possible ways for someone to shoot a bullet in virtual reality and kill someone else in real life, Kirito mentions an instance in which animation effects in an episode of a certain anime caused children across Japan to become sick. This reference was not retained in Episode 1 of the anime adaptation's second season, which directly adapts the chapter.
• In the book Babymouse: Cupcake Tycoon, Pikachu is one of the many "people" seen watching an interview. It is later assumed that the same Pikachu was one of the two thousand "people" to buy Babymouse's cupcakes, as referenced by the narrator asking Babymouse how she was going to get her cupcakes to Japan.
• In the webcomic Homestuck, Tavros Nitram is shown playing a Pokémon-like game called "Fiduspawn".
• A FoxTrot comic strip from April 3, 2011 has Jason and Peter playing catch. After he tossed, Jason shouted "I choose you, Gigalith!" He later mentioned he had played a lot of Pokémon recently as Peter questions why the ball was shaking. This strip was released weeks after the release of Pokémon Black and White.
• In chapter 6 of the Touhou Project manga series Wild and Horned Hermit, main characters Reimu and Marisa are poisoned by an electric creature while trying to tame it. After the situation is explained to their friend Sanae, she wonders if the poison was caused by an eel or a catfish, or an "electric rat," and is shown thinking of Pikachu. Upon later discovering the poisoning was caused by a Raijū, she thinks of Pikachu again, but with its face crossed out.
• In Rick Riordan's book The Mark of Athena, war-crazed Coach Hedge is sailing a ship while singing the Pokémon Theme, replacing the Gotta catch 'em all! catchphrase with "Gotta Kill 'Em All".
  • In another Rick Riordan book, The Throne of Fire, the protagonist Carter wakes up in an hotel room wearing Pokémon pajamas featuring Pikachu.
• A Mother Goose and Grimm comic strip from May 31, 2014 featured a pair of Pikachu. It portrayed how the species got its name in a satirical manner.
• In the volume #1 of Silk while the titular heroine is fighting Dragonclaw, she asks if that is a Pokémon name, and if they are "still a thing." She also owns a Staryu plush doll.
• In a Zits comic from May 22, 2015, Jeremy asks his mother if she has seen his Pokémon cards and freaks out when she said she threw them out years ago. He tells her in the last panel that he and Pierce planned to ignite them.
• In an episode of Hatsumei Boy Kanipan, some children bully a young boy in front of a pink machine. Three of the children (including the young boy) resemble Ash, Misty, and Brock.
• In the final issue of Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, Annie May Parker proclaims she is not "some collectible" like a Pokémon.
• Around Halloween 2016, The Family Circus has two of the kids in Pokémon costumes.
• On the cover of the fourth issue of Archie Comics third Sabrina the Teenage Witch comic book series, Sabrina and her friend Chloe are playing a card game when bully Slugloar walks by saying "Those trading cards are so lame! There's no such thing as Pocket Monsters!" Sabrina magically makes a large monster appear from his back pocket in response.
• In issue 92 of Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series, during a battle between Sonic and Monkey Khan, the latter exclaims "I have had enough of you!" to which the former responds with "Well, I've had enough "Pokémon" but you don't see me complainin'!"
• In "What She Does Next Will Astound You", the the third novel based on the BBC sci-fi drama Class, one of the dares on the website truthordare.com is to "play Pokémon GO underwater".

Other references

Real world

• Zbtb7, a gene discovered by a geneticist from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City, was originally named "Pokemon", stands for "POK erythroid myeloid ontogenic factor".
• In 2008, Japanese researchers discovered a new protein which helps carry electrical impulses from the eyes to the brain and named it Pikachurin. According to the researchers, the decision was based on both Pokémon and protein possessing "lightning-fast moves and shocking electric effects".
• In July 2011, Stentorceps weedlei, a species of wasps, received scientific classification, with the name being in reference to the Pokémon Weedle. Both Weedle and Stentorceps weedlei exhibit the distinctive feature of having a spine in the middle of the organism's head.^[5]
• During a Republican debate for the 2012 United States presidential election, candidate Herman Cain quotes a "poet" saying "Life can be a challenge, life can seem impossible, but it's never easy when there's so much on the line". These are actually the beginning lines of The Power of One, the theme song for the movie of the same name. During his withdrawal speech, he reused the line but with proper attribution.
• The Prosecutor General of Crimea Natalia Poklonskaya became the focus of international media attention due to her appearance after a video of her at a press conference on her appointment of Prosecutor General of Crimea on 11 March 2014 was uploaded to YouTube. Upon learning of her popularity, she was unhappy with the media attention being focused on her looks rather than her career, stating "I am a lawyer, not a Pokémon or something."^[6]
• In April 2014, the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Program and CNN's Change the List project held a poll to name a pangolin rescued from traffickers as part of a campaign to raise awareness for the endangered mammal. Of the top five choices from CNN comments, the name "Sandshrew" won the official Facebook poll. Sandshrew the pangolin now lives in a Vietnamese national park.
• In October 2014, the extinct pterosaur Pterodactylus scolopaciceps was renamed Aerodactylus scolopaciceps due to a newly-discovered taxonomic separation. It is named after Aerodactyl, a Pokémon based on various pterosaur species, because it "seemed a pertinent name for a genus which has been synonymous with Pterodatylus for so long due to a combination of features".^[7]
• In May 2016, Charizard became the inspiration for the naming of Chilicola charizard, a species of stem-nesting bees.^[8]
• To promote their 2016 King of Trios tournament, professional wrestling company CHIKARA used several allusions to Pokémon, including using the "Who's That Pokémon?" feature to reveal competitors, a parody of the Pokémon Theme, and even Director of Fun Mike Quackenbush dressing as Ash Ketchum.^[9]
• During a July 2016 campaign event for the 2016 United States presidential election, candidate Hillary Clinton said "I don't know who created Pokémon GO, but I'm trying to figure out how we get them to have Pokémon GO to the polls." At the time, the mobile game Pokémon GO was at the height of its popularity.^[10]
• On August 9, 2016 Cookie Monster posted a video on his facebook of his own version of Pokémon GO called "Cookiemon GO," after catching a tea biscuit he realizes the cookies are only virtual, and eats his phone.^[11]
• In January 2017, a species of dicynodonts, which are organisms that are known as the precursors to early mammals named Bulbasaurus phylloxyron was discovered. Bulbasaurus phylloxyron exhibits the feature of a bulbous-shaped nose thus its name.^[12][13]

Music

• A song from Bow Wow's album Wanted, "B.O.W.", has the lyrics "Get up out the stores like Pokémon did".
• A song from Lil' Kim's album The Naked Truth (Lil' Kim album), "Get Yours", makes a reference to the common mispronunciation of "Pokéman".^[14]
• Parts of the insert song in part three of the popular flash cartoon series Charlie the Unicorn bear resemblance to the original Pokérap.
• A song from The Lonely Island album Turtleneck & Chain, "Japan", mentions dumping Pokémon in the river.
• Scottish band Alestorm released a T-Shirt with a Snorlax-like monster on it. The band's name is printed in the same style as the Pokémon logo, and the text under it reads "Gotta drink 'em all".
• The Azealia Banks song "Bitch Is Ill" makes a lewd comparison involving the electricity of a Pikachu.^[15]
• The song "Mama Bird" by Flynt Flossy (Turquoise Jeep) makes reference to Pokemon, saying "Like Ash, baby, yo I gotta catch 'em all".^[16]
• The song "Rip Your Heart Out" from Hopsin's album Knock Madness features the lyrics "Motherfucker I got balls like I'm Ash Ketchum".
• South African Rap group "Die Antwoord" made several references to Pikachu:
  • In their music video to "Baby's on fire", Yolandi Visser is wearing Pikachu-styled plush slippers
  • In the video "Umshini Wam" and some promotional photos, Ninja is wearing a Pikachu-hoodie.^[17]
  • Their song "Banana Brain" features the line "You're so cute, like Pikachu"
• The Nintendocore-band "Oak's parcel" is named after Professor Oak and has several Pokémon-themed songs.
• The music group Starbomb features many songs that parody other video game franchises, but two in particular parody Pokémon. The first song, I Choose You to Die, tells the story of Ash Ketchum being sent to jail for beating up his Pokémon out of pleasure after defeating the Elite Four, before being shot in the groin by Pikachu after Pikachu posted Ash's bail; the followup song, The NEW Pokérap!!, features Brock describing to Ash all the new Pokémon that were discovered during his time in the hospital after the events of the first song.
• In the music video for Море пенится More penitsya by the Russian group Потап и его команда Potap i yego komanda a person can be seen wearing a Pokémon shirt with Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander.^[18]
• A song from South Korean band BTS's album Dark & Wild, "What Am I To You?", has the lyrics "I'm yo Pocket Monster".
• A song from Japanese musician Kenichi Maeyamada, リア充ってこんなもんだっけ？feat.ディスクン星人 Is this what it's supposed to be like to have a girlfriend?, mentions the wish of catching a girlfriend in the same manner Ash celebrates catching a new Pokémon, as well as the slogan of the franchise in Japanese, saying "念願の彼女ゲットだぜ!! Nengan no kanojo getto da ze!", as the character singing the line has Ash's face, holding a sphere with a female face inside, much like a Poké Ball.^[19]

Websites

• The coloring game on children's author Dav Pilkey's website was once called "Pilkeymon's Paintbox"^[20] and featured a Pikachu-like boy as its menu icon.^[21] After the site's 2013 redesign, the game was renamed "Pilkey Painter" and the menu icons were removed.
• Homestar Runner has made a number of references to the series, usually playing on Pikachu's similar appearance to the character of The Cheat.^[22] In particular, Pikachu appears on screen during "The Cheat Theme Song", when the lyrics are "Who's the man that looks like The Cheat?"
• On the virtual pet site Neopets, a Pikachu can be seen on the Gallery of Evil page.^[23]
• During the Hetalia: Axis Powers 2011 Christmas event, Ladonia was passing the time playing Pokémon on his Game Boy and stated his favorite Pokémon was Stunfisk in his rushed introduction to Denmark.^[24]
• On The Annoying Orange, in "Marshmallow's Christmas Sock (12 Days Of Christmas)", 3 Pokémon were one of Marshmallow's gifts.^[25]
• One of the screensavers included in XScreenSaver is called "JigglyPuff" (sic).^[26]
• Cyanide and Happiness has referenced Pokémon in a few comics.
  • One comic made a joke about Ash catching all the STDs.
  • A second comic had two people playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with one declaring "Bulbasaur beats everything".
  • A third comic had Ash releasing a dead Pikachu from a Poké Ball because he forgot to make air holes.
  • A fourth comic had two people saying they were a fan of Pokémon and The Legend of Zelda.
  • A fifth comic has Ash try to catch a dog before the dog takes the Poké Ball and catches Ash instead.
• In the third installment of SamBakZa's There She Is!! series, the character Doki chases and tries various methods of capturing a fleeing Nabi. When all of her attempts fail, she uses a Poké Ball, throwing it at Nabi's head and knocking him down.
• The virtual pet site Subeta contains several references to Pokémon, including an item which heavily resembles a Poké Ball called Spherical Self-Contained Capture and Storage Unit^[27] and two items that parody Pokémon Red and Blue.^[28][29]
• Death Battle has three battles featuring Pokémon:
  • The first was Ash's Pikachu vs. Blanka. Blanka was declared the winner due to his self-taught survival skills, electric resistance, and his greater strength and size compared to Pikachu giving him an edge over Pikachu's Electric typing and reliance on a Trainer.^[30]
  • The second was a three-way free-for-all between a wild Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise. Blastoise was found to win 48% of over 7,000 simulated Pokémon battles between the three Pokémon using game mechanics and was thus declared the winner of the battle.^[31]
  • The third was a battle between Red and Charizard against Tai and Agumon of Digimon fame; the battle ended in Tai's favor, due to the superior bond between Tai and Agumon as opposed to Red and Charizard.^[32]
  • Additionally, in the Vegeta vs. Shadow the Hedgehog battle, when Shadow sends Vegeta to the Moon, a recolored Ducklett wearing a space helmet can be seen.
• Beginning on February 18, 2015 the official Robot Chicken Twitter account was "taken over" by Meowth of Team Rocket and renamed MEOWTHbot Chicken.^[33].
  • It was later changed to Robot Charmander before being renamed yet again to Robot Pikachiken. The Twitter account has since reverted back to normal.
• Kongregate.com, a gaming website, releases a "Kongpanion" every week. One of them is a fire-breathing chair called "Chairizard", which is likely a reference to Charizard.
• Epic Rap Battles of History featured a battle between Ash Ketchum and Charles Darwin.
• In Upgrade Complete 2, once the character Avatar is fully upgraded, the male avatar is an anthro Poliwhirl and the female avatar is an anthro Pikachu.

See also

• List of references to popular culture in Pokémon

External links

• Pokémon at Wikisimpsons

References

This article is a part of Project Fandom, a Bulbapedia Project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every aspect of the Pokémon Fandom.