10 Things You Might Not Have Known About Pokémon

You've caught them all, but do you know it all?

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Charmander, Bulbasaur and Squirtle along with their respective Mega Evolutions from Pokémon X &Y.

As the world eagerly anticipates the release of Pokémon X&Y on October 12th, take a look back at some fun tidbits about Pokémon that you may not have known.

  1. Pokémon Red & Blue were the first Pokémon games released in the U.S.; in Japan, the first games were Pokémon Red & Green.
  2. In the Pokémon anime, the main character is named Satoshi after Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of Pokémon, while his rival is named Shigeru in tribute to Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and Satoshi’s mentor.
  3. Pokémon was originally supposed to be named “Capsule Monsters,” but Satoshi Tajiri had trouble trademarking it, leading to the series eventually being called Pokémon.
  4. Pikachu is a combination of pikapika, a Japanese onomatopoeia for sparkle, and chuchu, a squeaking sound.
  5. The Pokémon Koffing and Weezing were originally named “NY” and “LA” in homage to the pollution found in the two respective cities.
  6. Japanese researchers discovered a protein that helps carry electrical impulses from the eyes to the brain and named it Pikachurin after Pokémon’s iconic Pikachu.
  7. Rhydon was the first Pokémon ever created.
  8. Pokémon Gold & Silver, released in 1999 in Japan and 2000 in the U.S., were originally supposed to be the last Pokémon games. (Thankfully, they weren’t.)
  9. Satoshi Tajiri’s inspiration for Pokémon stems from his childhood passion for collecting bugs.
  10. Pokémon X & Y will be the first Pokémon games released simultaneously worldwide.