List of background references to Pokémon
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This is a list of background references to Pokémon, instances where non-Pokémon media make a minor mention of the Pokémon franchise, merely use a Pokémon catchphrase, or have a Pokémon character or item briefly appear in the background or as a visual gag. The following list is sorted alphabetically by the name of the work making the reference.
Substantive references that play an important role or refer to specific details of the franchise can be found on the list of references to Pokémon in popular culture.
List of background references
Television
| Series | Episode | Reference | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | 
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| American Dad! | A Piñata Named Desire | While Steve was remembering about he and his friends used to have sleepovers when they were little, a pink and purple Pikachu is seen on the t-shirt worn by his friend Toshi. | 
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| Kloger | When Toshi fails to grab the bar above him during the Presidential Physical Fitness Test, the army man refers to him as "Pokémon". | — | |
| 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". | — |
| Ballmastrz: 9009 | To Catch A Princess" | In the video game Ace is playing, he throws a gold ball at the princesses which then captures them just like a Poké Ball catches Pokémon. | 
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| Beast Machines | Revelations, Part I: Discovery | Jetstorm says "Gotta catch 'em all!" | — |
| Ben 10: Omniverse | Rook Tales | Max Tennyson and Sheriff Wat-Senn are competitively fishing and catch two fish that look like Magikarp and Gyarados. | 
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| Bernard's Watch | N/A | Bernard's room is often shown to have first-generation Pokémon posters. | — |
| Big City Greens | various episodes | Two minor characters, a pair of crooks named Bash and Bella, are parodies of James and Jessie. | — |
| Cartoon Network promo for Ed, Edd n Eddy | CN City Promo: 28 Days Later | A copy of "The Times" magazine can be seen on the ground by Jimmy's feet. The cover star is a Pikachu in business attire. The visible text on the cover reads "PIKACHU/[...]ON OF THE YEAR", an apparent reference to the Person of the Year award in the real-life Time magazine. The promo is included on the Ed, Edd n Eddy DVD releases Complete 1st Season and The Complete Series. | — |
| Detective Conan | Unknown | Ash, Misty, and Brock make a cameo appearance as kids staying in a train station. However, the distinct facial features each possess, such as their hairstyles and Brock's eyes, were slightly altered and switched between them. | — |
| Chucky (TV series) | Death by Misadventure | When Chucky looks through Lexy Cross' phone, he mentions Lexy looks up Pokémon porn. | — |
| The Cleveland Show | Ain't Nothin' But Mutton Bustin' | While Cleveland and Rallo visit the County Fair, one of the stands has Gengar plushies. | 
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| Codename: Kids Next Door | Operation: A.R.C.H.I.V.E. | A character that can be seen in the audience is based on Ash in his original series clothes. | 
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| Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan | Take responsibility, would you? | Moriyama's son wears a Pikachu t-shirt. | — |
| 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. | — |
| Grojband | Super Zeroes | In this episode, the lead guitarist Corey tries to come up with a gimmick for their band, and is seen in a purple Pikachu costume. | 
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| Hayate the Combat Butler | Many episodes | 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 background music make a reference to Pokémon. | — |
| Heroes | One of Us, One of Them and Dual | Hiro Nakamura was called Pikachu once in each of those two episodes. | — |
| Hetalia: Axis Powers (dub) | Episode 18 | During a battle against the Axis Powers, America chooses China to fight and says, "China, I choose you!" After beating and capturing the Axis Powers, America then says, "Yeah, we caught them all!" | — |
| 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. | — |
| Interviews With Monster Girls | The Dullahan Surpasses Space-Time | When Machi, Hikari, and Yuki are group texting each other, Yuki's text profile image is three Piplup together. | — |
| Infinite Stratos 2 | Open Your Heart | Tatenashi grabs Houki's breasts while saying Houki-chan getto da ze! ("Houki, caught you!"), a reference to the Japanese slogan of the Pokémon franchise, Pokémon getto da ze!.[1] | — |
| Law & Order: SVU | Uncivilized | A victim was last seen on his way to a store to buy Pokémon cards. | — |
| Let's Go Quintuplets! | Make Up for Mother's Day | There is a scene in which Krystal runs past a shop which has a Pikachu-esque plush in the window. | 
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| Lost | Ji Yeon | In a flashback, Jin is looking for a stuffed panda in a toy store that has an extensive amount of Pokémon merchandise on the shelves in the background. | — |
| Lucky Star | The Famous Shooter | 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!", which is "Gotta catch 'em all!" in Japanese. | — |
| MAD | The Straight A-Team / Gaming's Next Top Princess | Misty is among the eliminated contestants in "Gaming's Next Top Princess", among the likes of Amy Rose, Felicia, Tifa Lockhart, Lara Croft, and Birdo. | 
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| Kung Fu Blander / Destroy, Bob the Builder, Destroy | The "Kung Fu Blander" skit has Po, the main character of the Kung Fu Panda movie series, fighting the main villain of the second Kung Fu Panda movie, Shen. When he learns that only a hero in "black and white" can defeat Shen and that it isn't him, he resorts to pulling several items and characters matching the description to use against Shen. One of the objects Po pulls out is Reshiram and Zekrom. | 
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| The Blunder Games / The Poop-seidon Adventure | The opening of the "Blunder Games" segment shows a Pikachu float in the style of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. | — | |
| Diary of a Wimpy Kid Icarus / The Adjustment Burro | The "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Icarus" skit was a crossover between the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and Kid Icarus. In the skit, Pikachu is shown to be part of the gang that harasses Pit, and Ms. Pac-Man uses a Squirtle to extinguish a fire in the science lab. | — | |
| The Dullverine / Under the Dumb | In the first sketch, a Japanese girl who tells Wolverine that they have to go to Japan to film The Wolverine is shown carrying a Pikachu umbrella. | 
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| Malcolm in the Middle | Company Picnic (Part 1) | Dewey is sitting at a picnic table with a boy and both Pokémon cards in their hand, and can be seen making a trade. There are also cards laid on the table. The boy then offers Dewey some candy, which he is not supposed to be eating due to hyperactivity. After eating it, Dewey freaks out and throws some of the cards in the air. | 
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| Bowling | A Charmander doll can be seen sitting on the bed in some episodes, along with a Squirtle doll. | 
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| Modern Family | Playdates | Monte, Lily's classmate, said his hobby is collecting Pokémon. | — |
| 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". | — |
| Nate Is Late | The Thunderbird | When posing as Matthew, Maxime Dermy wears a wig that resembles James's hairstyle. | 
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| Portlandia | Alexandra | In a sketch depicting a pair of Japanese toy specialists assisting a worker at the fictional Jewel Case Inc. in becoming more noticeable, a Victini figure, among many other toys, is placed on the worker's desk as a conversational piece. | 
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| Private Practice | Step One | An action figure of Reshiram, Zekrom and Pokemon cards are shown at the end of this episode where they belong to a child named Mason who watches Phineas and Ferb with his newly met father. | 
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| Robot Chicken | Things Look Bad for the Streepster | Although the sketch in question is mostly a spoof of The Hunger Games, Super Smash Bros. and Animal Crossing, a Charizard does pop out of a Poké Ball and burn Mario. | 
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| Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals | I'm Going to Teach Konohamaru Kempo | While Rock Lee is letting Neji use a transformation jutsu, Neji is seen wearing a Pikachu costume with a large set of two teeth. | 
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| 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." | 
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| Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei | Not Losing to Elbows, Not Losing to Knees | 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. | 
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| 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 Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya | Endless Eight (part two) | Two Pikachu masks, a purple Turtwig mask, a yellow Chimchar mask, and an orange Piplup mask can be seen on display. | 
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| The Simpsons | Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade | Pikachu can be seen in Bart's satellite TV-induced hallucination. | 
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| 'Tis the Fifteenth Season and Fraudcast News |
In the couch gag, Maggie is dressed up as a Pikachu. | 
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| Treehouse of Horror XXV | At the end of the episode, various alternate universe versions of the Simpson family appear. One of these alternate universe versions of the family is based on Japanese popular culture, including Maggie as Pikachu. | 
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| SpongeBob SquarePants | Sailor Mouth | Onix's name is written on the dumpster where SpongeBob learns a bad word. | 
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| Steven Universe | Steven the Sword Fighter | A figure in Steven's room looks like a Pikachu merged with a Moogle. | 
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| Keep Beach City Weird | One of Ronaldo's posters scattered throughout the lighthouse in the background shows the paranormal sighting of a "psychic duck", a reference to Psyduck. | 
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| Numerous | The character Nephrite, also known as Centipeedle, has a gem greatly resembling a Poké Ball. | — | |
| The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Odd Couples | In multiple episodes, a toy Poké Ball can be seen on a shelf in Zack and Cody's bedroom. | — |
| Teekyu | A Bug's Life with Senpai | A Parasect is shown. | — |
| Teen Titans Go! | Man Person | Cyborg and Robin high-five after catching all of Beast Boy's escaped body parts. The caption: "Caught 'em All" is shown in this scene, referencing the Pokémon logo and motto. | 
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| Gotta Collect 'Em All | In the episode Robin collects all of the titans, which have been turned into collectibles, even battling in a similar format. | — | |
| Toradora! | No Matter What | Minori Kushieda finds Ryūji Takasu thinking and says 「ため息ゲットだぜ！」 Tameiki getto da ze! ("I caught your sigh!"), a shout out to the Japanese slogan of the Pokémon franchise, 「ポケモンゲットだぜ！」Pokémon getto da ze!. She also referenced other popular franchises, such as Yu-Gi-Oh!. | — |
| 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. | — |
Film
| Movie | Reference | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Austin Powers in Goldmember | The movie 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. | 
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| Bad Santa | One child asks "Santa" for Pokémon. | — |
| Erkan & Stefan gegen die Mächte der Finsternis | 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." | — |
| Green Lantern | A cartridge of Pokémon Sapphire can be seen in Dr. Hector Hammond's apartment. | 
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| The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It | Pokémon bed sheets can be seen on multiple occasions. | — |
| Home Invasions | The father of the victim's boyfriend stated that his son still has his Pokémon cards. | — |
| Leo | The name given to Leo's turtle companion is "Squirtle". | — |
| Monsters University | One of the sororities in the film is called "Slugma Slugma Kappa." | — |
| Osmosis Jones | When Ozzy tries to stop Drix from leaving Frank's body, one of the germs carries a Pikachu. | 
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| The Pacifier | A Pikachu plush is seen in the Plummer residence. | 
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| Spy Kids | A face of Pikachu can be seen without a nose on Fegan Floop's finger. | 
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| The Switch | One of the channels Sebastian flips through randomly shows the cameo of Lucas in Giratina and the Sky Warrior. | 
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| Tween Academy: Class of 2012 | In Kara's room, a Pikachu hat can be seen on an Astro Boy statue. | — |
Non-Pokémon video games
| Game | Details | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Fastlane: Road to Revenge | The slug event’s item is shaped like a Poké Ball. | 
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| Final Fantasy XIV | The 2024 Moonfire Faire seasonal quest is titled "Fire Red, Beast Green", which is a reference to Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. | |
| Hearthstone | The flavor text of card "Troublemaker" is "Prepare for trouble!" "Make it double!"(Japanese translation use a Aggressors of Dark Kombat reference instead), which is a reference to Team Rocket motto in Kanto.
The flavor text of card "Shining Sentinel" is "OMG, I FINALLY GOT A SHINING SENTINEL AFTER 3 PHASES AND 8192 RESETS!!!!!" (Japanese:やった、ついに色違いセンチネルを手に入れたぞ、色違い遭遇3回と8192回のリセットの後で！！！), which is a reference to hardness of catching a shining Pokémon. The flavor text of card "Trusty Fishing Rod" is "That's weird… I can only catch magic carps with this old fishing rod." (Japanese:妙だな…このボロボロの釣り竿だと、なぜか王様みたいなコイしか釣れないぞ。), which is a reference to the fact that the only Pokémon that can be fished out by the Old Rod is Magikarp in Generation I. |
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| Resident Evil (2002 video game) | If the image file is looked at for the item "John's Letter," there is a small stamp with a person and a Pikachu costumed person beside them. | |
| Simon's Cat - Pop Time | There is an achievement that grants the player five coins for saving fifty critters called "Gotta save 'em all!", which is based on the franchise's original slogan, "Gotta catch 'em all!". | 
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| Stellaris | There is an achievement for having three specialized subject called "Gotta Subjugate Them All", which is based on the franchise's original slogan, "Gotta catch 'em all!". | |
| Transformice |
There is a defilante title achievement called "Catch Them All", which is based on the franchise's original slogan, "Gotta catch 'em all!". The shaman markings are based on Sentret and Furret. Ash's cap, Decidueye's hood, Umbreon hat, Slowking's shell, Selene's hat, May's bandana, Lillie's hat, Magikarp hat, Floria's hat, Dawn's beanie and Sawsbuck's spring antlers appear in the shop as head items. Selene's hair, May's hair, Lillie's hair, Dawn's hair, N's hair and Primarina's hair appear in the shop as hair styles. Selene's hibiscus, Primarina's tiara and Gracidea flower appear in the shop as ear items. Cubone's skull appears in the shop as an eye item. Dawn's scarf appears in the shop as a neck item. Drifloon appears in the shop as a tail item. Sylveon's eyes appear in the contact lenses section as four colors: pink, green, blue and yellow. Poké Ball appears in the shop as a hand item and ball skin. Eevee, Marill, Furret, Litten, Vaporeon, Mega Charizard X, Mega Audino, Dewott, Wooloo, Lycanroc, Sylveon, Shaymin, and Spring Sawsbuck appear in the shop as furs. |
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Non-Pokémon non-video games
| Game | Details | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Yu-Gi-Oh! card game | There is a card whose English name is "A Wild Monster Appears!" (cf. the wording of the random encounters in the English-language Pokémon games). | — |
In books, manga, and comics
- Golisopod is mentioned in Jason Starr's November 2018 book, Too Far.
- "My son's into Pokémon too," Rob Said. "Big Golisopod fan - huge."
- A few of Becky Albetalli's books mention Pokémon.
- Shelves of Pokémon, Power Rangers, and Barbie are featured in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, and the movie tie-in, Love, Simon.
- Kent talks with Dylan and Ben in What If It's Us, co-written with Adam Silvera.
Miscellaneous
- In the social messaging app Discord, a Pikachu appears in the "voice & video" settings for the user's camera.
See also
- List of references to popular culture in Pokémon
- List of references to Pokémon in popular culture
- List of Pokémon parodies
References
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This article is a part of Project Fandom, a Bulbapedia Project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every aspect of the Pokémon Fandom. |
