TITLE
Beware of the Pokemania
AUTHOR
Howard Chua-Eoan
Tim Larimer
PUBLICATION
Time
YEAR
1999
ARTICLE TYPE
Article
FROM THE ARTICLE
Monsters make for disquieting playmates. No matter how toylike and frivolous they may appear, monsters are unnatural and, in the end, deal in unresolved fear. But monsters also have a way with children. Consider the suspicious charms of the Pokemon creatures–Gengar, Cubone and Chansey, for example. The first is a ghostly purple ball with a devilishly cute smile, horns to match and a crocodile spine. The second is a sort of bear cub with a skull over its head–or is the whole thing its actual head? The third is a vaguely dinosauric pinkish cloud. Their equally bizarre compatriots range in height from a foot (that would be a Pidgey) to 28 ft. (that’s an Onix) and in weight from 2 lbs. (Diglett) to 1,914 lbs. (Snorlax). Their fighting skills are as feral as ramming (that’s Rhydon), as yucky as a tongue wrap (Lickitung–ugh!) or as childish as a tantrum (Primeape). There are more than 150 Pokemon species, and almost any child of 12 or younger, wired with a child’s propensity for order, can recite a substantial lineup, complete with arcane attributes and an individual monster’s ability to evolve into higher forms. Welcome to the new Mesozoic. The check-out line forms to the far right.
GAMES MENTIONED
Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Masakazu Kubo
Satoshi Tajiri
Gail Tilden
PRINT AVAILABILITY
November 22, 1999 (Volume 154, #21)