You don’t need to have grown up in the 90’s to know that Pokémon is a pretty big deal. Just when you thought the console game, trading cards, comics, toys, and cartoon shows were not enough, we got Pokémon GO. Since the game was launched this month people of all ages have been vigorously playing the game. This cultural phenomenon where players walk and even drive all over their cities in the hopes of catching the creatures, has even gotten local police to warn citizens to play with caution and responsibility. People have been hit by oncoming traffic, walked into private property, and even wondered in the middle of a crime being committed, all because they are trying to catch a Pokémon character. One of the most beloved and favourite characters is Pikachu. A cute, yellow, creature that is synonymous with the Pokémon franchise.In the virtual world, Pikachu stands 1 foot 4 inches tall. It’s power involves electricity. It’s pointed ears and cheeks spark with electricity during battle.
Pikachu is also prominent in every facet of the Pokémon world.
In 1999, Time magazine called the adorable creature Pikachu, “the most beloved animated character since Hello Kitty.”
The creature is popular among boys and girls who wish to somehow capture it one day and take it home.
This sounds similar to the game Pokémon GO where players have to catch the virtual characters from real-life locations. The creatures in the game, however, are not real.
The point of the game is to catch the strongest and rarest creature. Originally there were 151 types of Pokémon. Today there are over 700 species. This electric animal looks exactly like Pikachu with the pointy ears and red, circle cheeks. Even the lightning style tail looks identical.
One of the zoologist, Micahel Mamalyha was disappointed that this Pikachu was not as cute as the one on the TV show. This specie did not release the strong electrical currents in real-life as the trading card suggests.
Montassar Hssine describes the capture difficult because the creature used its electric powers. “It was sending out jolts of electricity. You can not see the electricity, we know because there were a few of us that touched it and got shocked. It wasn’t a deadly shock, it was more of just a small jolt that made you pull your hand away from it,” says Hssine.
It may not be April to fool you, but it’s an adorable story to make you smile.
