Mark’s Musings – Wednesday, July 20
Mark Fortune
Pikachu of course. The Pokémon GO phenomenon is sweeping the area, the nation and many countries around the world. This column will quickly prove that I have no clue as to what I am writing about. Wait, did I just say “clue”? Perhaps a better choice of words would have been “clueless”.
The purpose of the game – I think – is to get people outdoors and moving. Great idea. Just keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the steering wheel as you search. You know – remember driving lessons – hands at 10 and two kimosabe. There is actually dispute on even that – many suggest nine and three. Airbags are the reason behind this change.
I have always been somewhat partial to Mewtwo – the 150th Pokémon according to that expert of experts, Wikipedia. At this point – although that seems to be somewhat controversial – there are 729 revealed Pokémon in the franchise. However, there are other Pokémon that are “unknown” according to Wikipedia. I am not sure what that really means. I need a Pokémon expert to provide me with some feedback.
Okay, let’s get back to the matter at hand. Pikachu (who evolved from Pichu) is probably the best known of all Pokémon but there are some other creatures that are well recognized by youth and of course, parents of youth that suffered through (I mean watched with unbridled enthusiasm). One of those adorable creatures is the very first Pokémon – Bulbasaur. I think this particular creature was at the corner of Fourth and Main. (I really don’t know but it makes me sound like I know what I’m talking about).
Pokémon is of course, a Nintendo creation.
There are some really quite interesting names as one browses the list – here are just a few for our readers. These names are in the first 50 – Charmander, Charmeleon, Squirtle, Raichu – who evolved from Pikachu – Jigglypuff–who evolved from Igglybuff and Wigglytuff who evolved from Jigglypuff.
Pokémon characters can evolve or hatch from an egg. Of course, you knew that, right?
Meowth is another popular creation and was hatched from an egg. However, Persian evolved from Meowth. And in case you are wondering due to the names – they are cats. Sort of.
Your best source of information about Pokémon is the official website at www.pokemon.com. There you can research until the cows come home – for milking or feeding or both I suppose. The site offers more detailed information about the “type” of Pokémon and their ability.
For example, Pikachu is one foot, four inches tall and blasts things with electricity which causes paralysis. That’s a nice feature for a mouse to have. Yes, Pikachu is a mouse. The ground is Pikachu’s weakness. Again, all of this is from the official website.
Jigglypuff is one foot, eight inches tall and is in the balloon category. I really don’t even know about that. The ability is cute charm. Weaknesses are steel and – like most of us – poison.
You may be wondering by now – What? With the world just about gone plumb crazy I decided to write on a lighter topic this week. And I actually learned things about Pokémon I didn’t know.
Category: Mark's Musings, Opinion
