Pokemon Spinoffs - The List Is Long

There are no real Pokemon of course, but there is everything from Pokemon mug cups to Pokemon Black and White plushies all for sale at reasonable prices and ready to give your Pokehungry tyke like mine. Some institutions have built spinoff empires based on characters that have become great legends of our time, though many of us have no idea what these characters stand for or actually do. I'm talking of Disney of course. We all 'know' Mickey Mouse, but how many of us have actually seen a Mickey Mouse animation 'short' (it's odd then that Bugs Bunny has been watched far more but has nowhere near the popularity)? How many have seen The Sorcerer's Apprentice? Maybe a few have, but not most. Then there is Minnie, two dogs (Pluto and Goofy- one speaks, the other does not), and the Donald Duck clan. I don't wish to talk much about Disney, but rather about Pokemon. But Disney is worth pointing out because like Pokemon both are extremely successful spinoff phenomena based upon very different models. Actually, as you well know, Disney began to diversify and become very active in producing new feature animations beginning the 90's. While the Disney features themselves were highly successful, the spinoffs continue to be decidedly dominated by the classic characters rather than by characters such as the Lion King. Pokemon spinoffs operate on the central Pokemon concept of evolution. For example, the most recent game release for Pokemon is Pokemon Black and White. And in Pokemon stores it is now Pokemon Black and White spinoffs- from the Pokemon stuffed toys to the Pokemon card game with the new Pokemon Black and White cards- that are red hot and flying off the shelves. Just try shopping at a Pokemon shop on a Sunday- you will learn the hard way! Pokemon spinoffs sell incredibly well. Another reason is that to young minds, Pokemon represents a whole world. When we buy a Mickey Mouse keychain, it is an icon that everyone knows. The fun of Pokemon is in owning characters that no one knows. What's more, its fun knowing their powers and limits and explaining them to friends and family. Fortunately or not, my son actually regularly quizzes me on Pokemon. Pokemon are diverse, which makes them potentially confusing. But they are also well grouped into easy to understand categories. It is good for children's minds to classify and group Pokemon and have knowledge on them. Pokemon, as a sales phenomenon, is completely different from Disney. To find the rarest Japanese Pokemon items, check out the store that has every kind of Pokemon plush that you can imagine. Also an incredible selection of Pokemon pokedolls, charms, straps, plush toys, promo cards, keychains, binders, deck boxes, sleeves, plush toys, and just about anything you can imagine. Delivered right to your front door from Japan.