In today’s blog, let’s explore 10 facts about Pokémon Gen 1 – Pokémon Red, Green, Blue and Yellow.
The Humble Beginnings of Pokémon
It’s sometimes hard to believe that such a legendary Nintendo series started with just 151 Pokémon in the humble beginnings of Kanto. This Game Boy Pokémon game went on to become one of the most iconic franchises in our childhood! Pokémon fans now have an ever-increasing amount of lore, merchandise, games, movies and shows.
10 Facts About Pokémon Gen 1
I always get excited to know more about the generation I grew up with. Knowing what the creators went through to bring us something that would transform our lives forever! Read on for 10 facts about Pokémon Gen 1!
1. The first sighting of Pokémon was prior to the game series
You’d think that the first sighting of Pokémon in the US would be the first gen of Pokémon games or even the Pokémon anime. The first Pokémon appearance in the US was actually through digital stickers in the Game Boy Camera software!
Source: Did You Know Gaming
2. Pokémon trainers can fish in gyms
This is an odd one in our list of Pokémon Gen 1 facts! If you remember the statues in the Pokémon gym in the original games, they could be used as fishing spots. You could find Magikarp with an Old Rod or even find Goldeen and Poliwag in the water areas of the Cerulean City Gym!
Source: Amino Apps
3. Rhydon was the first Pokémon designed
You might’ve thought Pikachu was the first Pokémon, being the series mascot, but it was actually the massive rock Rhino itself! Here are some early sketches that show off this magnificent specimen.
Source: Screenrant
Talking of firsts…
4. Ash had originally Clefairy as a Pokémon companion
This next one in our list of Pokémon Gen 1 facts changed the series forever. Pikachu wasn’t even first choice for Ash’s companion! Originally, Clefairy was the chosen Pokémon to accompany Ash until they realised Pikachu’s appeal from the anime and eventually chose the electric mouse.
Source: Screenrant
5. Mew was a last-minute addition
Mew is a fascinating Pokémon for many reasons; one of which being its mysterious addition to Gen 1! Because of the minimal space on the cartridge (that had to bear the weight of every Pokémon, front and back sprite, and cry), developers removed the debug features after the game’s completion (where it would normally be untouched).
With just 300 bytes of space left available, Shigeki Morimoto snuck Mew onboard the cartridge, as evidenced by the Missingno. glitch. We weren’t meant to have Mew but I’m glad we did!
Source: Gamespot
Talking of space limitations…
6. Why is there only one save file in Pokémon?
One of the more intriguing facts in our list of Pokémon Gen 1 facts. The reason why we didn’t have multiple save files in Pokémon was because of… nicknames. I kid you not!
Source: Dr Lava
Being able to name your beloved Bulbasaur or Pidgey came at a cost – additional save files. You could argue if it was a good one or not. Either way, this most likely led to more copies being bought!
7. The starters were designed in reverse
Despite Bulbasaur being the first Pokémon in the Pokedex, it was actually the last of its evolution line to be designed – Venusaur being the first!
The three Pokémon starters were designed by Atsuko Nishida, by looking at Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise and working backwards!
Source: Dr Lava
8. Water wasn’t the most common type in Pokémon Gen 1
Despite its huge popularity, Gen 1 was the only gen where water type Pokémon were not the most common type! Surprisingly enough, Poison took this title (33 water types as opposed to 36 poison types).
Source: Bulbapedia
This would become an outlier in subsequent generations.
9. The Pokémon move “Splash” was a mistranslation
Ever wondered why Magikarp had a move called “Splash” despite him flopping out of water? Splash was apparently a mistranslation for the word “Hop”. It explains why Pokémon like Hoppip were seen sporting the move later down the line!
Source: Splash
10. A Pokémon Battle with… Prof. Oak?
I really wish they went ahead with this choice. Apparently, there is evidence that a battle with Professor Oak was intended to be a final battle after becoming the Pokémon League champion. The code is actually still hidden in the game itself!
Source: The Gamer
Pokémon Generation 1 was a little broken and messy. But it is a testament to how much love and experimentation was put into the games and evolving (pardon the pun) into the flourishing series we see today!
Unique Pokemon Gear
Looking for unique Pokemon shirts? Check out the Wild Monsters collection – tees and prints inspired by the series and voted by the community!
