| The Fight for the Spotlight . . . Pikachu Did Not Steal the Nintendo Flagship Character Spotlight from Mario and Link. He simply Took a Seat Beside Them. The first time I read an article stating that Pikachu was taking over Mario and Link's place of Nintendo flagship, I fliped. Pikachu did not beat the other two out and steal the spotlight. It's not a war. Pikachu simply joined them as a recognizable Nintendo character. The main argument is "Pikachu and Pokemon has taken over as Nintendo flagship and Mario and Link aren't getting the attention they deserve anymore." This is comming from a Mario and a Link fan (me) . . . *ahem* . . . PIKACHU DID NOT STEAL THE SPOTLIGHT! Yes, Pokemon was and still is a hugely popular gaming series. Yes, you would have to come from Mars not to know Pikachu. Yes, Pikachu certainly is recognized alot. No, he didn't take over anything. Mario and Zelda games are hugely popular. It's not a conquest for the spotlight or anything of the type. Pikachu simply joined Mario and Link as recognized Nintendo symbols - he didn't steal the spotlight from them. So what if Pikachu has more merchandise than the other two? Pikachu is simply more . . . merchandisable. Would you honestly want Mario on your underwear? Would you drink out of a little plastic Link cup with a straw sticking out of the top of his head? No, it's just not their character. Pikachu's cute little innocent act allows him to become things like underwear and little plastic cups with straws sticking out of his head (I actually do own one . . .) more effectively. So Pikachu is underwear, cutlery, cd's, movies, tv shows, card games, bubble gum, cutlery, action figures, bedspreads, stuffed animals, clocks, Christmas ornaments, and little plastic cups with straws sticking out of his head? Can you see Link as a stuffed animal? Mario as a piece of bubble gum? I can't. And it's not as if they DON'T have merchandise at all. I've seen Mario action figures, clothing apparel, cereal, beanie babies and videos. I've seen Link as an action figure, pocket watch, t-shirt, and a lollipop . . . yes, a lollipop. Pikachu just has more because he's more compatable with strange stuff. Okay, so Pokemon has a tv show! Well, Super Mario Bros. was a tv show too! The Legend of Zelda was a tv show back in 1989 too! So, it's Pokemon's turn for a little while. Pokemon has lasted so long as a tv show because it never ends. Mario and Zelda blitzed in and out of Saturday morning simply because they revolve around a single quest, started and solved in one go. The Pokemon games are a bunch of little quests. Those big, single quests are meant for movies. So, Pokemon also has five movies. Mario was a movie. I wish Zelda could be a movie, but I'm not going to go there. Then people try to tell me that Pikachu doesn't even deserve to SHARE the spotlight because he wasn't directly created by Nintendo. That's true, he wasn't created by Nintendo entirely, but they bought him and brought him to life. So does that mean that three quarters of all the Disney movies ever created aren't Disney because they don't star Mickey? It's saying the same thing. Pikachu is just as much a part of Nintendo as Mario is. Period. Now, I must get one thing straight. I LOVE Mario and Zelda games. There's hardly a game I haven't played from either series, and you'll be hard pressed to come up with a question about either story line that I can't answer. I love the characters, of course. So don't get me wrong! Do you think Pokemon has honestly dominated Nintendo sales? Mario games are still enormous, and even critics stand up and cheer when Link returns with something new. In fact, Pokemon is being shunned - yes, shunned - when Pikachu strolls back into the picture. Any way around, it's not like the other characters are lacking attention or something. When "The Wind Waker" was released, I couldn't open a newspaper without seeing Link! So all in all, I've explained it to the logical and the creative people out there. Pikachu did not steal mascotship from Mario and Link, he just shares the spotlight. So the bottom line is . . . why can't we be friends? |
 |
 |
 |
| Is there really that much of a struggle of mascotdom between Link (left) and Mario (right) against Pikachu (centre, duh)? I don't think so. Back |
| MIDI music from vgmusic.com "Gary's Arrival (2)" Sequenced by Annonymous |