Is Pokemon officially cool again?

[ii kanji]

Pokemon has only been cool once in my life in the UK, but all of a sudden it seems to be a thing again. Everyone I know is playing Pokemon Go (except me), the amount of Pokemon gear I can buy at knock-off prices at Primark is ridiculous and a fancy dress party I went to made up of a group of status-conscious 20-somethings had more Ashes and Pikachus than the usual array of sexy cat/cops/pirates. Pokemon SM is even being advertised on buses!

(I don't know if the youth of today are into it though.)

Is it back on trend where you guys are, and if so with whom?

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Pokemon has only been cool once in my life in the UK, but all of a sudden it seems to be a thing again. Everyone I know is playing Pokemon Go (except me), the amount of Pokemon gear I can buy at knock-off prices at Primark is ridiculous and a fancy dress party I went to made up of a group of status-conscious 20-somethings had more Ashes and Pikachus than the usual array of sexy cat/cops/pirates. Pokemon SM is even being advertised on buses!

(I don't know if the youth of today are into it though.)

Is it back on trend where you guys are, and if so with whom?

Where I live (India), only the anime is somewhat popular and is treated as a cartoon. But, suddenly everyone's playing Pokemon go! And it turns out that most of them play Pokemon go (and some people even know of bulbapedia!).
It turns out that a student also plays the main series Pokemon games. He has a 3DS, and Pokemon XY and ORAS (I'm just too envious of him since I don't have a 3DS)

So, yes Pokemon is popular again here.

 

[Lyrebird]

Not really. Generation 1 is vogue but that's about it.

 

[Kisu]

I don't really think it's "cool" now,most people I talk to think it's a kids only thing.
I think for the 1st time people from all generations are playing all at the same time which is alot of people so it seems more mainstream.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[ii kanji]

(and some people even know of bulbapedia!).

Some person was actually impressed with me when I suggested trying Bulbapedia for some answer a couple of weeks ago

Not really. Generation 1 is vogue but that's about it.

If Gen 1 is "vogue" then what makes you say it isn't really?

 

[Lyrebird]

Some person was actually impressed with me when I suggested trying Bulbapedia for some answer a couple of weeks ago

If Gen 1 is "vogue" then what makes you say it isn't really?

Are you asking what makes it not? or how do I know if it is vogue? Cause really you should have used inverted commas rather than quotation marks otherwise it looks weird especially since you actually quoted me.

 

[ii kanji]

You said "not really" to either is Pokemon cool/back on trend where you are (whichever question you were answering).
But then said that Gen 1 is "vogue".
My question is: if Gen 1 is, in your experience, vogue, then why do you feel that Pokemon is not really cool/on trend?

 

[Lyrebird]

From my experience and I've a social person. Pokemon hasn't been cool for a while because it is not really a video game you can sit with your friends and play with a couple of beers or drinks. Also while it is in popular culture forever, it is just that Pokemon Go's hype has died and also not many people in society care about generations after Gen I. Everyone knows Ash, Pikachu, Charmander, Charizard, Mewtwo and Meowth but that's where it ends.

However this is all based on my experiences, my environment and my life socially. For other people it will be different without like a doubt

In saying that though a lot of people here have said if they feel shy or a little bit insecure about liking Pokemon because of getting laughed at or bullied. So that's something to think about.

 

[Hassel]

(I don't know if the youth of today are into it though.)

I see kids still playing Go even though it's winter, Pokémon Go fan fiction books(?!) and guides being sold in kids sections of bookstores, and just today I heard an ad for Pikachu bed sheets and towels in the grocery store. The latter hasn't happened here since 2003-ish! So I guess the younger ones like it enough too? It's no Pokemania-level but still a loooooot more than for the past decade. At least where I live.

 

[ChimeraNell]

Wait Pokemon stopped being cool? I mean the card game, video games and cartoons never stopped. Although the manga quality is really inconsistent.

 

[ocelotlrama jaguar]

Pokemon is one of the most popular Nintendo franchises that has sold millions of games next to the Mario series. I'm pretty sure it's been cool for a long time.

Pokemon may be getting more attention than usual this year due to its 20th anniversary and Pokemon Go being accessable to people without having to fork over 40 bucks for a copy of a core game. But yeah, this is not exactly a niche franchise. Many of the kids I've been looking after at my job have loved Pokemon since I first joined in 2013. It's one of those franchises you can love as a kid or an adult.

 

[SirOni]

Super cool dude!

 

[PinkIceFox]

Pokemon will never stop being cool to me.

My cousin's 13 year old son wants to play pokemon sun or moon now that he saw me play it so I'd say that has to mean something, too.

 

[Soki]

Though Pokémon GO is also a huge hit in my country, I don't really feel that the franchise itself has gotten more popular again because of it here. Pokémon GO is definitely acceptable to play as an adult, but I still don't really feel 'safe' to tell people I play the regular Pokémon games as an adult. Toy stores are giving it a lot more attention now though, so I hope it becomes a bit more mainstream again, but since GO is losing popularity, I don't think it really will sadly.

 

[Kisu]

Pokemon will never stop being cool to me. [emoji14]

My cousin's 13 year old son wants to play pokemon sun or moon now that he saw me play it so I'd say that has to mean something, too.

I agree that pokemon will always be cool to me,mix together gaming,anime,manga together in one package.

I can talk to people 10 years of age apart from me,both older and younger about it..

Plus people think I'm great with kids,even tho I just talk pokemon with em...

 

[Life]

It depends on where you live. For me it's not. GO was popular for two weeks or so but now if you play it it'd be considered weird that your interest didn't die yet. Nobody really talks about it though, but I'm at the age where if you like it no one really cares, they might find it cool or strange but they don't care. So no, it's been as cool since it's been since Pokemania died down.

 

[Drakon]

I wouldn't say it's the in vogue thing like it was back in the mid-to-late 1990s but I can safely say it's seen a bit of a resurgence.

Pokémon GO is probably the main reason for that, to be honest. After all, it's generation I and tapping into then nostalgia factor.

 

[Almonds]

It depends on where you live. For me it's not. GO was popular for two weeks or so but now if you play it it'd be considered weird that you're interest didn't die yet. Nobody really talks about it though, but I'm at the age where if you like it no one really cares, they might find it cool or strange but they don't care. So no, it's been as cool since it's been since Pokemania died down.

Pretty much this for me, too. Everything's been the same since the fad for Pokemon GO died down.

 

[Foxwarrior]

i think depends of what you mean with "cool". I think its too much waiting that casuals that play pokemon Go understand everything of every game in the same way that people like us, that post on bulbagarden and other forums.

As already said by other members, pokemon was always part of the popular culture, and i think pokemon go gave a boost to the games and the franchise in general. Yeah, pokemon is more popular nowadays than 5 years ago, but doesn't mean that every people on street knows the name of the 700+ pokemons and who is Hilbert, Alder and Elesa, for example.

 

[ii kanji]

i think depends of what you mean with "cool".

I guess what I was getting at is very nicely demonstrated from another angle in this thread.

I have been an (almost) incognito fan of the franchise for years and years, and I have found that since Go:
1. Pokemon is no longer a very niche hobby in the UK.
2. (Whilst a lot of people still turn their noses up...) Plenty of people are accepting or even interested in the fact that I like Pokemon.
3. Other people I have known for years who have never talked about Pokemon are coming out of hiding as long-time Pokemon fans.

It makes me feel like a valid member of society again!