FREE ESSAY ON POKEMON AND BEYOND

POKEMON AND BEYOND

Pokemon and Beyond
Imagine for a moment a little boy lifting his sleepy little head off his Pokemon
pillowcase, climbing reluctantly out from underneath his warm Pokemon blanket, exchanging
from his Pokemon pajamas into his favorite Pokemon T-shirt, drinking his morning juice
from his beloved Pokemon cup. All the while, he is making his way into the family den to
watch his favorite cartoon, Pokemon. A typical day begins like this for children in
households all over the country. 
Evidence of the Pokemon phenomenon is everywhere: on television, in movie theaters, at
fast-food restaurants and in products of every conceivable type. There are Pokemon
videos, toys, books, software, videogames, trading cards, school supplies, clothing and
toiletries. The Pokemon brand is a five billion dollar industry worldwide. The prosperity
of Pokemon has attracted negative attention from parents, educators and childhood
experts. Labeling a product either good or bad on the basis of profit is wrong. The worth
of a toy should be determined by the educational value for a child rather than monetary
profits. The only downside to Pokemon's success is it's success. The Pokemon rage has
spread like wildfire through schools and communities by word of mouth - the old fashioned
way. Although scarce, advertisements for Pokemon appeal to the need for affiliation, the
need to achieve and the need to dominate. The whole Pokemon fantasy is cognitively
engaging for the targeted audience of children from six to fourteen years old. Parents
should be quick to see the positive benefits of Pokemon for their children by looking
beyond the promotional craze. 
While Pokemon mania is seizing the attention of kids across the nation, kid's culture has
been doing this for a long time. There have always been kiddy crazes. For example, in the
50's the hit television show Davy Crockett set off a coonskin cap craze. During the 60's,
children everywhere watched Howdy Doody religiously while sending off for prizes and
joining his club. In the 70's kids were crazy for Puff n Stuff fully equipped with the
latest metal lunchbox illustrating their passion. Little blue elves called the Smurfs
dominated the 80's. While in the 90's, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Mighty
Morphin Power Rangers lit up the media and cash registers. Today's children are no
different than of days gone by. Tim Burke, a cultural history professor and author of
Growing Up with Cartoon Culture, says, "Pokemon is a cultural phenomenon not just a toy
fad. It's an amazing piece of alchemy, the way one tie-in has seamlessly led to
another...Pokemon has set a new standard" (Maurstad.) Parents should recognize that
Pokemon is a fundamental part of childhood just as their favorite cartoon character was
an important part of theirs.
For the Pokemon illiterate parent, understanding the origin of Pokemon can be as
confusing as answering the proverbial question-which came first the chicken or the egg?
Despite the publicity generated by the trading cards, the heart of Pokemon is a game
cartridge for the Nintendo Game Boy. Pokemon began in Japan in 1996 and the game has
swept across the United States at an accelerated speed. The game takes place in an
imaginary land inhabited by 150 creatures called Pokemon, which translates to pocket
monsters. The object of the game is for the player, called a trainer, to catch as many of
the creatures as he or she can, hence the slogan "Gotta Catch 'Em All." Once caught, the
creatures catch other Pokemon and the trainer receives badges in hopes of becoming a
Pokemon master. Interestingly, Pokemon do not die in battles. They simple fall asleep or
faint at which time they are taken to the Pokemon Center where they can be restored.
Parents should recognize that Pokemon is a game of strategy not blood and guts. 
Unfortunately, parents across the country become overly concerned when they hear the term
pocket monsters. Ebeneezer Smith, a pastor from the Landover Baptist Church in Iowa,
claims, "Pokemon toys and games are only sugar coated instruments of the occult and evil"
(Landover.) To drive home his point, the pastor burned Pokemon trading cards and videos
with a blowtorch while the congregation chanted, "burn it, chop it and kill them all."
Granted monsters make for disquieting playmates, monsters have a way with children. Take
for example, Pikachu, who is the cutest mouse since Mickey and the merchandising champ of
all the Pokemon monsters, is stealing the hearts of children all over the world. My
eight-year-old daughter cried during a part of the Pokemon movie in which Pikachu was
hurt. Such a display of empathy from a child should be heartwarming to any parent.
However, Sesame Street, whose main characters are monsters such as the cookie monster,
Oscar the grouch, Telly and Elmo, does not receive negative attention from the media and
is considered wholesome and educational television for children. Parents should look away
from the negative publicity to see the true educational value of Pokemon.
In Sports Illustrated for Kids, an advertisement for Pokemon trading cards appeals to a
child's need for affiliation, achievement and dominance. The ad asks the child to think
of the best field trip imagineable and tells them that the Pokemon Trading Card League is
one hundred times better. On this field trip, the child can learn to be a Master Trainer,
earn official trainer badges and special game cards and make new friends (Sports
Illustrated.) Pokemon combines game playing with collecting. Parents can relate through
their days of collecting and acquiring baseball cards or dolls. Yet the best analogy is
marbles, kids collect the marbles to play the game only to acquire more marbles from
their opponents. Pokemon is cognitively appealing to children because this is where they
are at developmentally. Children like the ordering, computing and categorizing which is
involved in mastering the art of Pokemon. Pokemon is a uniquely positive game. Stephanie
Pratola, a child psychologist, explains, "You have to look at in the context of our
culture. We are all obsessed with acquiring things and we can't expect our children to
rise above our culture" (Hooked.)
Contrary to popular belief, Pokemon has positive lessons to be learned. First, the game
is a social time for children to engage in friendly play. Second, the game fosters
cooperation. It takes the help of one's playmates to capture and train all one hundred
and fifty plus Pokemon. Third, the game helps the player develop skills in strategy,
thinking and memorization. The game also encourages a child to develop reading skills so
he can achieve mastery. Fourth, the game promotes negotiation and organization skills
that may be useful in life. Pokemon helps develop skills in the life of a young person
that will provide a foundation for success. Parents should be quick to see that Pokemon
encourages traditional values such as empathy, cooperation, obedience and humility.
Becoming a real Pokemon trainer takes compassion, responsibility and teamwork. Parents
should be proud to have such positive qualities blossoming within their children. In
fact, Dr. Joyce Brothers praises the phenomenon's value by reflecting that the whole
point of the game is to save somebody, train them, feel responsibility and compassion
(People Weekly.)
In conclusion, many companies are getting rich as a result of the Pokemon mania.
Nintendo, which created the game that started the craze; Hasbro, which locked in on the
toy licenses; Wizards of the Coast, which invented the card game and Warner Brothers,
which bought the rights to the cartoon have generated profits into the millions seemingly
at the expense of our children. But parents should not throw the baby out with the bath
water. Parents must be quick to see the positive social and educational benefits Pokemon
provides to their children. In the meantime, parents can remind themselves that every
craze runs its course. Where another generation of kids had Howdy Doody or Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles, this one has Pokemon. Let the kids enjoy it while it lasts.
Works Cited
Concerned Women for America. "Hooked on Pokemon: Is Pokemania Harmless 
Entertainment or an Addiction?" 1999 http://www.cwfa.org/library/family/1999-12-
21_ent-pokemon.shtml. (I couldn't get the address to indent, I tried and gave up.)
Landover Baptist Church. "Pokemon? Poke Yourself, Satan!" 1999. 14 June 99 
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/news1099/pokemon.html
Maurstad, Tom. "Today's Pokemon Craze Goes Where No Smurf Has Ventured Before." 
Tribune News 9 Nov 99: K33723.
"Pokemon, Sorry Mom and Dad, it's Strictly a Kid Thing; You Wouldn't Understand." 
People Weekly. 31 December 99: 52.
Pokemon Trading Card League. Advertisement. Sports Illustrated for Kids. June 2000: 1