Pokémon Pikachu facts for kids
 |
|
| Also known as | Pocket Pikachu (ポケットピカチュウ) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
| Type | Digital pet, exercise toy |
| Release date |
|
| Introductory price | |
| Power | CR2032 battery |
| Display | LCD |
| Connectivity | Infrared port (Pokémon Pikachu 2 GS, Pocket Pikachu Color) |
| Dimensions |
|
| Weight | 40 grams |
| Related articles | Pokéwalker |
The Pokémon Pikachu is a cool little electronic toy, also known as Pocket Pikachu in Japan. It's like a digital pet (think Tamagotchi) but with everyone's favorite electric Pokémon, Pikachu! This special toy was released in Japan on March 27, 1998, and later in North America on November 2, 1998. It was designed to be an exercise toy and was even called the most popular exercise toy of its time by Guinness World Records!
Contents
Playing with Your Virtual Pikachu
The Pokémon Pikachu toy lets you take care of a virtual Pikachu. Unlike some other digital pets, you don't need to feed or clean up after Pikachu. Instead, this toy encourages you to be active!
How to Earn Watts
The first version of the Pokémon Pikachu looked like a yellow Game Boy. It had a black and white screen that showed Pikachu moving around. You could strap the Pokémon Pikachu unit to your belt. It then worked like a pedometer, counting your steps. For every twenty steps you took, you earned one "watt." Watts are like a special currency in the game. You use these watts to buy presents for your Pikachu!
Pikachu's Mood and Activities
As you spend more time with your virtual Pikachu and earn watts, new activities become available. Your Pikachu will react to how much attention you give it. If you don't play with it enough, Pikachu might get angry. If you neglect it for too long, it might even stop recognizing you!
Pokémon Pikachu 2 GS: New Features
A second version, called Pokémon Pikachu 2 GS, was also released. This one came in clear or silver cases and had a color screen, showing even more animations of Pikachu. This newer version had a special infrared port. This port allowed it to connect with the Game Boy Color games, specifically Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal.
You could use the "Mystery Gift" option in these Game Boy games to trade your watts for items. There was a limit to how often you could use Mystery Gift with your Game Boy game. However, the Pokémon Pikachu itself only had a limit based on how many watts you had. You could also send watts to other Pokémon Pikachu 2 units!
Other Cool Pedometer Toys
The Pokémon Pikachu wasn't the only pedometer toy made by Nintendo. Other popular characters also got their own versions!
Pocket Sakura
The Sakura Taisen series, which is a media franchise from Sega and Red Entertainment, also had a virtual pet pedometer. It was called Pocket Sakura (ポケットサクラ). This toy looked very similar to the Pokémon Pikachu 2. It was released along with the Sakura Taisen GB game. Even though Sega was a rival to Nintendo at the time, the publishing for these toys was handled by Media Factory.
Pocket Hello Kitty
Sanrio, the company famous for Hello Kitty, also worked with Nintendo. They released the Pocket Hello Kitty. This toy had a design similar to the first Pokémon Pikachu. It was pink and featured games based on Hello Kitty and her friends.
Pokéwalker: A Similar Device
A device that works a lot like the Pokémon Pikachu is the Pokéwalker. This toy came packed with the Nintendo DS games Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. The Pokéwalker connects directly to these game cards using infrared technology.
With the Pokéwalker, you can transfer one Pokémon from your HeartGold or SoulSilver game onto the device. Then, as you walk, you can find new Pokémon and discover items by spending watts, just like in the Pokémon Pikachu!
See also
In Spanish: Pokémon Pikachu para niños
