The probably only Pokémon that your parents can name is Pikachu. However, there was almost a decision to choose a completely different pocket monster as the mascot for the video games and the Anime.
Which Pokémon was supposed to become the mascot? If Pikachu had not become the face of Pokémon, it would have been the pink fairy Pokémon Clefairy. This is a pocket monster from the first generation that can evolve into Clefable with a Moon Stone.
The reason is that Red, the very first protagonist in the “Pokémon Pocket Monsters” manga, set off on his journey together with Pikachu and Clefairy. The two Pokémon are even cousins in the manga.
The creators wanted to work with Clefairy as the face of Pokémon, as the series would have become more “appealing” that way. But in the end, they swapped Clefairy for Pikachu after all.
Meowth is another Pokémon that many of you should know:
Pikachu only had Winnie the Pooh as competition
So why was Pikachu chosen after all? In an interview, Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of Pokémon, revealed that there was a concern that Clefairy would only attract girls as its target audience. Pikachu, on the other hand, was supposed to appeal to both boys and girls. However, it was not his own idea to choose Pikachu as the mascot.
In addition, Pikachu is yellow, which is one of the three primary colors (Red, Blue, Yellow). This made it easier for children to remember the pocket monster. The producers of the anime thought that the cuddly Pikachu would therefore be more familiar to the young viewers.
Furthermore, at the launch of the Pokémon anime, there were hardly any other mascots that were yellow. Only Winnie the Pooh from the Disney universe is yellow and could have been a competitor.
What would be different? Today, Pokémon is the largest anime franchise. It could have been with Clefairy in the mascot role that actually fewer fans would have been interested in the anime, and the universe would not have had the success it currently has.
Moreover, it is likely that other films and video games such as “Detective Clefairy” or “Pokémon: Pink Edition” would have been released.
In the manga, Clefairy could even talk. Generally, things were different in the manga than in the anime. There, Pokémon actually died, often in a brutal way: In the Pokémon manga, things are much harsher than in the anime you all know
