The Real Origin of Pokémon's Shocked Pikachu

The Shocked Pikachu meme, which depicts an off-model, astonished Pikachu from the Pokémon anime, has been around for years. How did it catch on?

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KnowYourMeme says the Shocked Pikachu meme started on Tumblr in September 2018. It moved from Facebook and Reddit to Twitter.

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Always has text, generally a poster's dialogue describing a climax. Event ends as planned, poster works. Off-model Pikachu shocks (not too much but clearly).

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Pikachu appears in Pokémon season 1 episode 10, "Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village." Bulbasaur for Ash this episode. At 3:45, the concert begins. Bulbasaur stopped Ash's insane Oddish fight with Misty.

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Butterfree relaxes after Bulbasaur kills Starmie. When Bulbasaur inhales sleep powder, Butterfree sleeps. Gang discusses Pikachu's bottom-right meme. Pikachu's blurry animation started the trend.

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The meme spread because Pikachu's "I shouldn't be surprised, but I am" attitude embodies a foreseeable yet disagreeable consequence. Given the episode's horrible setting, Bulbasaur reflecting sleep powder seemed unexpected.

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Memes fit Pikachu's small, low-resolution face. Brock may lose legs vectorization. Pikachu memes have lower ears and larger eyes. Pikachu's near-universal familiarity and meme's specificity spread it for four years.

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Knowing the Pokémon meme's origins and proper use is advantageous since the Shocked Pikachu meme is unlikely to disappear.

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