The Pokémon Phenomenon: Two Millennials Revisit the Pokémon Craze

[00:00:00] It's time to take a trip back to the 90s when Pokéballs, Game Boys and trading cards took over the world.

[00:00:05] This week we're diving into the Pokémon phenomenon that changed pop culture forever.

[00:00:09] From the show and games to all the craziness of Pokémania.

[00:00:13] And we've got a special game lined up.

[00:00:15] Jackie's got a challenge inspired by the classic Who's That Pokémon segment.

[00:00:20] Let's see how much we remember from the time of Pokémon.

[00:00:37] Honestly, I think what we should have done, Jackie, was made a full episode or bonus episode about

[00:00:43] the Pokémon craze, what happened, and what the fuck this was.

[00:00:49] And that is exactly what we ended up doing. Welcome to the No More Late Fees podcast.

[00:00:55] You are now listening to some bonus clips that we pulled from our Pokémon episode,

[00:01:00] going over the Pokémon phenomenon and just our understanding of Pokémon in general,

[00:01:08] our obsession with Pokémon GO, and just all things Pokémon. So hope you enjoy, buckle up, have fun.

[00:01:16] Well, I don't know. I get... Okay, so you tell me if I'm right. I don't even know if you

[00:01:23] are on the Wavelength, but okay. So from my understanding, Pokémon was a Japanese show?

[00:01:34] I don't know if the... Did it stem from a manga or something?

[00:01:38] I don't know if it was a card game or a show first.

[00:01:42] Let's find out.

[00:01:44] But it is Japanese, so you got that correct.

[00:01:48] Right. So it's a Japanese game slash show.

[00:01:51] Yes. It also was turned into like a Nintendo game.

[00:01:56] Mm-hmm. There's also cards that you can play with.

[00:02:01] Not like playing cards, but like... Oh yes, you're trading cards.

[00:02:06] Yes.

[00:02:06] It centers around Ash Wednesday.

[00:02:10] Nope. Ash Ketchum.

[00:02:13] Okay. Ash Ketchum for Ketchum All. The whiniest, not great catcher there is.

[00:02:20] He was hangry.

[00:02:24] He's a trainer with his two besties that are also trainers.

[00:02:30] Misty and Brock. Yep.

[00:02:32] And they catch...

[00:02:34] He... One of... Okay. Oh, here's something else I know.

[00:02:38] When you're starting off, you can only catch three...

[00:02:42] You have three starter Pokemon that you could start with?

[00:02:45] Is that correct?

[00:02:46] This is where I'm a little fuzzy.

[00:02:50] I think there are supposed to only be three types to choose from.

[00:02:53] That's Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander.

[00:02:57] Okay.

[00:02:59] Okay.

[00:02:59] Okay.

[00:02:59] Somehow in the first episode, I don't remember how it happens.

[00:03:02] Essentially, I think Pikachu like imprints on Ash and Ash is like, get the fuck out.

[00:03:09] Like, I want Squirtle or something.

[00:03:22] Mm-hmm.

[00:03:24] Also, is Pikachu...

[00:03:28] Like, is there...

[00:03:29] There's other versions of Pikachu out there?

[00:03:31] Because it always just feels like Ash is the only one that has a Pikachu.

[00:03:35] Yes.

[00:03:35] There is...

[00:03:37] There is an episode where Pikachu gets sick or something.

[00:03:42] I don't know.

[00:03:42] Like, I cried because like Pikachu is not doing well.

[00:03:46] And all these other Pikachus from the Pikachu family come out and like surround him and they're singing a Pikachu song.

[00:03:53] And it is so devastating.

[00:03:57] Oh.

[00:03:58] Like, to watch all of these Pikachus trying to revive Ash's Pikachu.

[00:04:04] But yeah, like, Pikachu is the species.

[00:04:09] Gotcha.

[00:04:10] And are these species similar to like Avatar where they're a mixture of two animals?

[00:04:16] Or are some of these Pokemon just random ass things?

[00:04:22] Yes.

[00:04:23] So there are like...

[00:04:26] Yeah.

[00:04:26] Some are very much like...

[00:04:28] A Vulpix is just kind of like a dog with like extra tails.

[00:04:34] Squirtle is obviously a turtle that has water abilities.

[00:04:38] But then you get stuff like Bulbasaur, which looks like a frog with an onion on its back.

[00:04:45] Yeah.

[00:04:45] And the flower as it evolves.

[00:04:47] Yeah.

[00:04:48] And then you get some weird ass shit.

[00:04:51] Especially as the series goes on and they add more series.

[00:04:56] Mm-hmm.

[00:04:57] And like some of them are just weird.

[00:05:00] I can't even think of an example.

[00:05:04] I like that fox one that has the three tails.

[00:05:08] That's Vulpix.

[00:05:09] Yeah.

[00:05:09] That looks like a very bougie lady with a fur coat on.

[00:05:14] I like their style.

[00:05:16] So from Wikipedia, this is what it says.

[00:05:20] Pokemon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of video games, animated series, films, and a trading card game.

[00:05:27] And other media.

[00:05:31] The franchise takes place in a shared universe in which humans coexist with creatures known as Pokemon.

[00:05:37] A large variety of species endowed with special powers.

[00:05:41] The franchise's target audience is children ages 5 to 12.

[00:05:47] But it is known to attract people of all ages.

[00:05:50] It originated as a pair of role-playing games.

[00:05:55] So it did start as a game first.

[00:05:57] Developed by Game Freak from an original concept by its founder Satoshi Tajari.

[00:06:04] Sorry if I said that wrong.

[00:06:05] It was released on Game Boy in 1996.

[00:06:09] And the games became sleeper hits and were followed by the manga series, a trading card game, and then the anime series and films.

[00:06:18] From 98 to 2000, Pokemon was exported to the rest of the world, creating an unprecedented global phenomenon dubbed Pokemania.

[00:06:33] I also want to admit, because it's a safe place for all of my random thoughts, I was not in just one but many Pokemon Facebook groups in the height of Pokemon Go.

[00:06:52] Like, again, I missed the original boat of Pokemania.

[00:06:58] What is it called?

[00:07:00] Pokemania?

[00:07:01] Oh, Pokemania.

[00:07:03] I missed the first boat.

[00:07:04] But it got me that second time.

[00:07:06] And I was in these group chats looking for Pokemon, telling people where I spotted certain things like a fucking crazy person.

[00:07:15] I was in my car.

[00:07:18] It was a sense of community at that time.

[00:07:21] And you're watching and you're like, are they playing Pokemon?

[00:07:26] And then you see them do like the slide on and I'm like, they're playing Pokemon.

[00:07:31] I'm not such a weirdo.

[00:07:33] So I happened to be in a plaza one day.

[00:07:39] And I see this giant group of people huddling.

[00:07:43] And I know that the cupcake store, Caprimo, if you live in the Austin area, Caprimo is the superior cupcake.

[00:07:53] I knew that they were a gym.

[00:07:56] And I was like, are all of these people gathering because there's about to be like a special character battle?

[00:08:02] And sure as shit, I open up my Pokemon Go and it's a Mewtwo battle.

[00:08:09] And I stood there with the rest of them.

[00:08:12] And I was like, I guess we're all doing this.

[00:08:14] And there were like 29 of us in that battle.

[00:08:16] And we all took down the gym, caught our Mewtwos.

[00:08:20] And then everyone dispersed and got back in their cars and left.

[00:08:24] It was wonderful.

[00:08:26] I would drive and have that fucking app open in case I need to pull over and catch something.

[00:08:35] And I'm like, this is madness.

[00:08:38] And I knew it was bad when Serena was like, yeah, I'm not playing that anymore.

[00:08:44] We were like, I was still, you know what?

[00:08:47] Like her and I went hard for it.

[00:08:49] And then we stopped.

[00:08:51] And then when I came to visit you, I got back on the wagon again.

[00:08:56] And she was like, nah, sis, is this over?

[00:09:00] Finger on the pulse of what's cool.

[00:09:02] Yeah, she's like, no.

[00:09:04] It would take me at least an extra hour to drive home every day.

[00:09:09] Because I would purposely take the roads I knew had pokey stops.

[00:09:13] And a lot of like churches and stuff.

[00:09:15] So I would pull into the parking lot, take down the gym, spin, get my rewards,

[00:09:22] continue on to the next church.

[00:09:24] And it's Texas.

[00:09:25] We got a lot of churches.

[00:09:26] So I could hit like five or six gyms on the way home.

[00:09:31] It was what a time.

[00:09:34] And when it first started, they actually had a poke crawl downtown where all of the downtown

[00:09:42] bars had like drink shot specials that were all named after different Pokemon.

[00:09:47] And there was a contest for whoever caught the largest or like the highest like CP count

[00:09:54] Pokemon during that, like the hours of the poke crawl.

[00:09:58] I came in second.

[00:10:02] It was an Ekans.

[00:10:04] It was almost big enough.

[00:10:05] And I was really disappointed.

[00:10:08] Those creep me out because they're just like these eggs.

[00:10:12] No, the Ekans was the snake.

[00:10:14] Ekans is snake spelled backwards.

[00:10:16] They were also not super creative on naming some of those.

[00:10:19] What were the egg things then?

[00:10:21] I can't remember what like the base level is, but Executor is like what it evolves to.

[00:10:27] And it either looks like a really fat palm tree with a face or it looks like a giraffe

[00:10:36] had sex with a palm tree.

[00:10:38] Like it was an animal with a really long neck and the head had palm fronds on it.

[00:10:43] Yeah, it was, it was the summer of 2016 when it all started when Pokemon Go and augmented

[00:10:51] reality game came and hit the beaches in storms.

[00:10:55] I still love Pokemon Go and Laura, she's been a guest several times, but she and I still talk

[00:11:03] about how we need to just go out and do like Pokemon Go day and just drive around and hang

[00:11:10] out and catch.

[00:11:11] I was getting my steps in when I was playing that game and Pokemon as a whole is the world's

[00:11:18] highest grossing media franchise and one of the best selling video game franchises of all

[00:11:23] time.

[00:11:23] I mean, it's a pretty solid franchise like and the story, not the story of Pokemon the

[00:11:32] first movie because this movie, this story made very little sense.

[00:11:37] But the story on a whole, it's really wholesome and like just encouraging people to like work

[00:11:45] together and it has morals woven throughout it.

[00:11:49] And so it's just a really solid franchise.

[00:11:53] Well, did you know the original full name of the franchise was Pocket Monsters?

[00:11:59] I did.

[00:12:00] Or I, Pocketo Monsuta?

[00:12:05] That's why some people who are very religious don't let their children have access to Pokemon

[00:12:12] because it has monsters in it and it's demonic.

[00:12:16] Interesting.

[00:12:17] Yeah.

[00:12:18] Well, I learned a lot.

[00:12:20] I'm still very confused and we'll have questions, but this is a good start.

[00:12:24] Yeah.

[00:12:25] Question.

[00:12:26] Have you ever watched Detective Pikachu?

[00:12:31] No.

[00:12:32] The Ryan Reynolds movie?

[00:12:33] Yes.

[00:12:34] No.

[00:12:35] Highly, highly recommend it.

[00:12:37] I feel like it is so well done.

[00:12:40] It is such a precious story.

[00:12:43] It has Bill Nye in it.

[00:12:46] So.

[00:12:47] I may on a very bored day.

[00:12:51] I'm telling you, like it is quickly become, I mean, I do have history with Pokemon, but

[00:12:57] it has quickly become one of my like go-to movies.

[00:13:00] If I can't find anything to watch, I throw Detective Pikachu on.

[00:13:04] Well, I will, you know what?

[00:13:07] I might watch with one of my brothers.

[00:13:08] There's my brother Tariq and I have like, ironically, or we're watching the Sonic the

[00:13:16] Hedgehog movie because he was like, oh, it's so good.

[00:13:18] And I'll be like, oh, okay.

[00:13:20] That, I think I've told you this, that fucking movie had me dying.

[00:13:27] And then the second movie, like him and I, when we talk, that's what I'm like, when is

[00:13:33] the third movie coming out?

[00:13:34] And then the Knuckles TV show came out and I still didn't watch it.

[00:13:37] I was like, I'm waiting for you to come visit so we can watch it together.

[00:13:41] I feel like Detective Pikachu, I mean, it's not as slapsticky as Sonic is in some parts.

[00:13:47] But like, it very much has that feel of just like a really well done movie.

[00:13:55] Yeah.

[00:13:56] Well, all right.

[00:13:58] I will try it.

[00:14:00] But if it's not good, I'm calling you right as I'm watching you.

[00:14:03] That's fine.

[00:14:04] I know some of the things I suggest is just because like, I love it so much.

[00:14:09] I need you to love it.

[00:14:10] But this, it is, it is good.

[00:14:15] Let's hear a word from our pod pals.

[00:14:26] When's the last time you watched a Disney Channel original movie?

[00:14:29] I'm Gabby.

[00:14:30] And I'm Natalie.

[00:14:30] And this is Once Upon a Deacombe, the podcast where we rave and sometimes roast all of your

[00:14:35] favorite Disney Channel original movies.

[00:14:37] From the 90s to today, with classics like High School Musical and The Cheetah Girls.

[00:14:42] We'll dive into all of the iconic moments, cheesy one-liners, and of course, the questionable

[00:14:47] fashion choices from years gone by.

[00:14:50] And we don't hold back from the real discussions either.

[00:14:52] What did Smart House predict about AI?

[00:14:54] And what can Halloween Town teach us about being a female icon?

[00:14:58] If you're all about the nostalgia and ready for a rewatch, you'll love Once Upon a Deacombe.

[00:15:03] Now streaming on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

[00:15:06] New episodes every single Tuesday.

[00:15:13] That kind of launches us into a game I made up.

[00:15:18] Are you ready to play a game?

[00:15:25] So obviously, at the end of every episode, it was always like a shadow of a Pokemon.

[00:15:31] And it's like, who's that Pokemon?

[00:15:33] And then it's like, Raichu!

[00:15:36] So I was going to do just straight Pokemon and have you make up names for them if you didn't

[00:15:41] know the names.

[00:15:42] But I went a different direction.

[00:15:45] And these are just characters and items from the late 90s and early 2000s that you have to

[00:15:51] guess by the shadow.

[00:15:53] Okay.

[00:15:54] So I made it a little easier for you.

[00:15:58] We'll see.

[00:16:00] We'll see.

[00:16:01] Can you see my screen?

[00:16:03] I can.

[00:16:03] It says Pokemon, question mark.

[00:16:07] I put my keyboard away.

[00:16:09] I have to get it back up.

[00:16:10] Okay.

[00:16:11] Our first Pokemon.

[00:16:13] Who's that Pokemon?

[00:16:21] That is Steve Urkel.

[00:16:25] AKA Jaleel White.

[00:16:29] Next one.

[00:16:30] Who's that Pokemon?

[00:16:32] Come on.

[00:16:34] Oh, this is so hard.

[00:16:38] Okay.

[00:16:40] That looks like Stitch, but is it a zombie version?

[00:16:44] No, it's Stitch.

[00:16:46] His x-rays are scary.

[00:16:49] Next up.

[00:16:52] Well, it's a Tamagotchi.

[00:16:54] It is.

[00:16:55] You're doing so well.

[00:17:03] That's JC from NSYNC.

[00:17:06] I am very impressed that you got that from ahead.

[00:17:16] That's what is it?

[00:17:18] Mishu was his name from the dragon from Mulan.

[00:17:22] Yep.

[00:17:22] Mishu.

[00:17:23] There you go.

[00:17:27] Oh, that demon child.

[00:17:29] Furby.

[00:17:30] I never had a Furby.

[00:17:32] Those things look weird.

[00:17:33] I never had one either,

[00:17:34] but they,

[00:17:36] they haunt my nightmares.

[00:17:38] Yeah, they're real creepy.

[00:17:42] Oh,

[00:17:45] is that Harry Potter?

[00:17:48] It is Harry Potter.

[00:17:50] I thought it was James at first.

[00:17:52] James Potter.

[00:17:54] I had to try and get one with the side profile so you could see the glasses.

[00:17:59] Yeah.

[00:18:00] Because otherwise.

[00:18:02] That's Pikachu.

[00:18:04] That is Pikachu.

[00:18:07] The only God.

[00:18:09] Really, Jackie?

[00:18:10] He, he, he, he, he, he, he, he.

[00:18:13] Yeah.

[00:18:14] Pickups.

[00:18:15] I'll take no more late fees for 200, Alex.

[00:18:20] You did not phrase it in the form of a question.

[00:18:23] Oh.

[00:18:25] Sorry.

[00:18:27] And last one.

[00:18:30] Kenan and Kel.

[00:18:32] Nope.

[00:18:36] It's us.

[00:18:42] You did.

[00:18:43] I think you had a lot of fun making this game.

[00:18:46] You did excellent.

[00:18:47] I think I created a really well-rounded game.

[00:18:52] Yes.

[00:18:54] Although I feel like making names to Pokemon would probably be a very funny episode.

[00:19:02] I think maybe we need to record that at some point.

[00:19:09] Oh, man.

[00:19:10] Because I know Ken, Ken did not know the names of Pokemon either.

[00:19:15] And so like Bulbasaur is named Onionback.

[00:19:22] So Ken named all his Pokemon very literally.

[00:19:25] So we'll have to maybe for the next movie, because I know we have Pokemon 2000 to do.

[00:19:32] Wonderful.

[00:19:33] I'll challenge you to come up with names of Pokemon.

[00:19:35] All right.

[00:19:36] So if you have any feedback on today's episode, or you are a diehard Pokemon fan and we got

[00:19:44] a lot of shit wrong, no problems.

[00:19:47] No problemo.

[00:19:48] Hit us up at NoMoreLateFees on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and threads.

[00:19:54] And don't forget to join us next week as we ski the slopes without cold.

[00:20:00] And as always, be kind and rewind.

[00:20:04] Bye.