List of references to Pokémon in popular culture: Difference between revisions

This article does not yet meet the quality standards of Bulbapedia. Please feel free to edit this article to make it conform to Bulbapedia norms and conventions.

This article is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it.

References to the Pokémon franchise are often made in other media. While Pikachu is a common target due to its prominence as the mascot of the franchise, other Pokémon, characters, and elements of the various Pokémon series are often lampooned.

References in TV and movies

• The South Park episode Chinpokomon parodies Pokémon and fad culture in general. The line of toys have additionally made cameos in many subsequent episodes. During the episode Kenny dies of an epileptic seizure as a reference to the banned episode EP038. The episode additionally heavily parodies the anime and video games to a lesser extent. Ash Ketchum and James are both parodied.

• Ling-Ling, one of the main characters of Drawn Together, is a direct parody of Pikachu. He mentions that one of his pastimes is giving children seizures.

• In Osmosis Jones, when Ozzy tries to stop Drix from leaving Frank's body, one of the germs carries a Pikachu, as a joke on allergies.

• In one episode of Arthur (TV Series) Arthur Loses his Marbles, Muffy has fifty four Dopémon cards in a pack, in resemblance to Pokémon cards, and with one card a take on a Pikachu called 'Stinkachu.'

• In the movie See Spot Run, 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 on what a Pokémon is, as a joke on some people not understanding.

• In an episode of Jackie Chan Adventures, a franchise called "Gnomekop" appears, which is, Pokémon plus the "G", spelled backwards. It also uses the slogan "Gotta collect 'em all", similar to Pokémon's Gotta catch 'em all!

• Robot Chicken has done two sketches spoofing Pokémon.

• Hayate the Combat Butler features references to numerous anime and manga series, including Pokémon. Pikachu has made background cameos, the pet tiger has referenced Pikachu when assuming himself to be the mascot character and in one episode the cast travel on a plane based on ANA Flights. In the sixth episode, a framed image of a blue Pikachu can be seen near the beginning of the episode. The image was based on one of Pikachu's anime art. In some episodes, various sound effects and BGM make a reference to Pokémon.

• The Simpsons have made numerous references to Pokémon.
  • Pikachu has been seen in the Simpsons episode Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade in Bart's satellite TV-induced hallucination.
  • The effects of Computer Soldier Porygon are also experienced by the family in the episode Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo after they watch the local program "Battling Seizure Robots".
  • In the couch gag of The Simpson episodes 'Tis the Fifteenth Season and Fraudcast News, Maggie was dressed up as a Pikachu.
  • In the recent episode Postcards from the Wedge, Bart watches the anime on TV, with Ash in his Diamond and Pearl attire and his Pikachu; and Bart questions how the series "has managed to stay fresh all these years" (a possible reference to how both the Pokémon anime and The Simpsons have been on the air for over a decade. He also mentioned Thomas the Tank Engine in the same episode, another show that stayed fresh over the decades). The episode also aired the same day as the release of HeartGold and SoulSilver in the United States.
  • In an episode called Pokey Mom, Pokémon was referenced in which the family is watching an episode of Kids Say the Darndest Things when the host, Bill Cosby, is interviewing a guest:

Cosby: What do you like to play?

Child: Pok-ee-mon!

Cosby: Pok-ee-mon?! With the Pok-ee and the mon and the thing where the guy comes out of the thing...

• Two episodes of Johnny Test featured Tinymon, with a Tinydex, Tiny cubes that capture creatures, a character named Blast Ketchup, and the slogan "Gotta snatch 'em all!".

• A episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy had a trading card game called "Hoke mon". When Grim made the cards real, the event caused destruction of the city.

• An episode of The Norm Show had a parody of Pokémon when a boy named Tommy thought he was Ash. The skit featured actors dressed as Squirtle, Pikachu, Butterfree, Charmander, and Meowth.

• In Dustin's fowl play, when Dustin is wondering what new job he should get, Socky asks are we going to become Pokémon trainers?

• Austin Powers in Goldmember features people in costumes of Charmander and Pikachu among those running from "not Godzilla" in the Tokyo scene. The deleted scenes also feature background appearances of Meowth and Celebi costumes, the Pikachu car and a Dragonite plushie.

• In episode 3 of the second season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, two Pikachu masks, a purple Turtwig mask, a yellow Chimchar mask, and an orange Piplup mask can be seen.

• Lucky Star makes several references to Pokémon. In one of the episodes the characters go to a festival, and Kagami has trouble catching fish, as they just swim away from her. When she finally catches one, she shouts "get da ze!", correctly translated to "Gotta catch 'em all!" In another episode, Konata states that she can name every Po**mon. In a third instance, 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 Poké***, "with sapphire and ruby and stuff".

• In one episode of the anime Detective Conan, Ash, Misty and Brock make a cameo appearance as kids who were staying in a certain train station. However, the distinct facial features each possess, such as Brock's eyes, their hairstyles, etc., were slightly altered and switched between the three kids.

• In the 2003 movie, Bad Santa, one child asks "santa" for Pokémon.

• In Codename: Kids Next Door a character in the background looks like Ash in the episode "Operation: A.R.C.H.I.V.E."

• In episode 4 of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, when Abiru says Nozomu would look good with a tail, he was pictured with various tails including those that resemble the tails of Pikachu and Glameow.

• In the Beast Machines episode Revelations I - Discovery, Jetstorm says, "Gotta catch 'em all!".

• In an episode of Brum (TV series) some Pokémon plushies can be seen at a stall in a fairground.

• In one episode of Fillmore!, a cheerleading coach instructs her team to build a human pyramid "as strong as a Geodude using its Harden attack".

• In the final episode of the hospital drama ER, a patient says, "I am the Chosen One, I am Lugia."

• In one episode of George Lopez, when George and Benny discuss ways to make money, the former suggests that the latter pretend to be a Pikachu in Mexico.

• In the 17th episode of the Ghost Stories dub, the anime is referenced several times.

References in non-Pokémon games

• In Yoshi's Story, the stages Stage 2-3 and Stage 2-4 are made out entirely out of newspaper clippings, the text: Pikachu, among others, is seen. So far, it has only been seen in one or two areas.

• In Mario Artist: Paint Studio, one of the official pictures shows somebody drawing a silhouette of Pikachu.

• In Animal Crossing, one of the random items a villager may ask players to collect is Pokémon Pikachu (but the model is actually Pokémon Pikachu Color)

• In Wario Land 3, one of the game's 100 treasures is a Pokémon Pikachu, however, the player cannot interact with it.

• In Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, there's a skill point titled "Gotta Catch Them All", a reference to the franchise's now defunct slogan.

• In the Zelda series, the Keaton Mask introduced in Ocarina of Time bears a strong resemblance to Pikachu. It is mentioned in the game that Keaton "has been really popular lately", the game was released in 1998 when the fad level of Pokémon was still sharply on the rise. The item returned in Majora's Mask where wearing it in certain areas would lead to Keaton himself appearing, though this version of the character was revealed to be a kitsune. The mask also has a background cameo in Wind Waker.

• In Super Mario Galaxy, there is a Poké Ball-shaped planet in the Buoy Base Galaxy. Inside it is a Power Star, which is needed to finish the level, possibly a reference to the Poké Ball's importance in the Pokémon games.

• In Harvest Moon 64, if the characters Karen and Kai were to marry and have a child, their child will be dressed in a Pikachu costume.

• The Simpsons Game features "Sparklemon" in its Japanese level. Homer and Lisa must travel to three temples where they fight the Sparklemon in turn-based battles before they can collect them in a "capturing ball". The first two Sparklemon are based on Pikachu and Squirtle.

Other references

• In the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade there are hot air balloons of Pikachu and a Poké Ball.

• Homestar Runner has made a number of references to the series, usually playing on Pikachu's similar appearance to the character of The Cheat. In particular, Pikachu appears on screen during "The Cheat Theme Song," when the lyrics are "who's the guy who looks like The Cheat?"

• Parts of the insert song in part 3 of the popular flash cartoon series Charlie the Unicorn bear resemblance to the original Pokérap.

• Pokémon the First Movie was reviewed in one of the episodes of the Nostalgia Critic, in which he described that the storyline to all Pokémon movies are stupid. He also said that no one would understand what a Pokémon is, due to the name, and due to lack of information at the beginning of the film. At the scene when Ash was brought back to life by tears of sadness, the Nostalgia Critic said that it makes Disney look like a war film. The Nostalgia Critic had a hard time finding the movie, because there are so many Pokémon movies to choose from, but when he did find the movie, he didn't like the title, as it sounded too coincidental. He said that it was like calling the first Lord of the Rings film, Lord of the Rings, Don't worry, were gonna have a s*** load of sequals!

External links

• Pokémon Sketch
• Charlie the Unicorn 3
• Nostalgia Critic Pokémon Review

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