What Is A Pokémon?

Pokémon are fictional creatures of all shapes and sizes who live throughout the world. The word Pokémon is short for “pocket monster“. 

Pokémon were brought into popularity by the Nintendo Game Boy game back in 1998, they have been a viral phenomenon through both video games and a television show.  Since then there have been additional video games, a popular trading card game, a gaming network, and a full product line of everything from apparel to accessories!
 
There are many different types of Pokémon and it may be easiest to think of them as different species and breeds of plants and animals. The general goal of the game is collect as many different types as you can, hence the tagline: Gotta catch them all!
 
There are 18 types of Pokémon in the Pokémon universe. These range from common things like “Water,” “Bug,” and “Lightning,” to more obscure stuff like “Dark” and “Fairy”. Each type has a type that it is particularly strong against and a type that it is very vulnerable to. For example, Grass is very vulnerable to Fire (makes sense, right?) However, Grass is also very resistant to Water. Water, on the other hand, is very effective against Fire. (Fire is vulnerable to water). 
 
Pokémon are raised and directed by their owners (called “trainers”) to perform various tasks. Through actions their trainers participate in, the Pokémon can grow in “experience” and “evolve” into stronger Pokémon. More than 700 Pokémon creatures inhabit the Pokémon universe. Some of those 700 are stronger and more sought after than others.
 
While Pokémon anime has a diverse appeal, the original story was always been aimed at the pre-teen. The Pokémon games are crafted in such a way that they have a very diverse appeal and are often played by older kids and young adults that grew up with the franchise.  Pokémon caters to a diverse crowd, being both child-friendly and also having some subtle humor that teens and adults will enjoy.
 
Pokémon get collected by trainers into Pokéballs, one of the many exciting items you will find within a Pokémon game.
 
Then the most non-hip adult can usually recognize Pikachu, the most well-known Pokémon!  Pikachu is one of the most well-known Pokémon primarily because a Pikachu plays a key role in the Pokémon anime series. Pikachu often serves as the Pokémon franchise mascot.
 
Pikachu’s design was conceived by Atsuko Nishida and finalized by Ken Sugimori.  It is listed as a “Mouse Pokémon”, but visually appears similar to a hamster or pika.  Pikachu “evolves” from Pichu (“Tiny Mouse”) which is very mouse-like Pokémon with large ears and a little rounded body.
 
Have you collected more than one Pokémon? Rather than saying “Pokémon’s” we still say “Pokémon”.  Pokémon rarely speak and it is unusual to hear one say anything other than its name.
 
According to the lore, the Pokémon world is this world. A Pokémon could be anywhere, even right on your desk. You may not be able to see them very easily with your own eyes, however, which is where the newly launched Pokémon Go game comes in!