Bulbasaur

Name	Bulbasaur
Caption	National Pokédex Bulbasaur (#001) - Ivysaur
Series	Pokémon series
Firstgame	Pokémon Red and Blue
Artist	Ken Sugimori
Voiceactor	Tara Jayne (1st season-8th season, movies and video games), Michelle Knotz (9th season-11th season)
Japanactor	Megumi Hayashibara (Ash Ketchum's), Miyako Itō (May's)

Bulbasaur, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Designed by Ken Sugimori, their name is a combination of the words "bulb" and "dinosaur", and is both the singular and plural name of the species. First appearing in Pokémon Red and Blue, they later appeared in subsequent sequels, spin-off games, related merchandise, and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.

Conception and creation

The design and art direction for Bulbasaur was provided by Ken Sugimori, a friend of the creator of the Pokémon games, Satoshi Tajiri. The species first appeared as one of three starter Pokémon the player could choose from at the beginning of the initial Game Boy games, Pokémon Red and Blue, released in Japan in 1996. Its Japanese name, Fushigidane, is a combination of the Japanese words for and . In translating the game for English speaking audiences, Nintendo gave the Pokémon "cleverly descriptive names" related to their appearance or features as a means to make the characters more relatable to American children; thus Bulbasaur, relating to both its dinosaur appearance and the large garlic-shaped bulb on its back.

Characteristics

In the Pokémon franchise, Bulbasaur are small, squat, vaguely reptilian Pokémon that move on all four legs, and have light blue-green bodies with darker blue-green spots. As a Bulbasaur undergoes evolution into Ivysaur and then later into Venusaur, the bulb on its back blossoms into a large flower. The seed on a Bulbasaur's back is planted at birth, and then sprouts and grows larger as the Bulbasaur grows. The bulb absorbs sunlight which makes it grow. For this reason, Bulbasaur enjoy soaking up the sun's rays, and can survive for days without eating because the bulb stores energy. In the Pokémon anime, the character Ash Ketchum has a Bulbasaur who is portrayed as being brave but also stubborn. The distinctive differences of Bulbasaur from other Pokémon such as Diglett are well understood by children and so motivate their play and trading of the creature.

Appearances

Bulbasaur made its video game debut on February 27, 1996, in the Japanese-language games Pocket Monsters Red and Green. Along with Charmander and Squirtle, Bulbasaur is a starter Pokémon the player can choose from at the beginning of the games. Bulbasaur and the other starters from Red and Blue are replaced by Pikachu in Pokémon Yellow, the only starter available in it. Instead, they are obtained throughout the game from several trainers. In Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl, Bulbasaur appears as one of the obtainable trophies.

Scenes from the Pokémon anime have depicted both the characters Ash and May training a Bulbasaur at different times, with Ash's Bulbasaur garnering more prominence within the storylines. In the original Japanese version the two Bulbasaur are each played by separate seiyū, Ash's Bulbasaur by Megumi Hayashibara and May's by Miyako Itō. In the English dub, they are both voiced by Tara Jayne until Michelle Knotz took over the job for the 9th season.

Bulbasaur is also featured in different Pokémon manga series, including , and , which loosely parallel the storyline of the anime; and Pokémon Adventures, which is based on the plot of the Pokémon Red and Blue games.

Bulbasaur is the main character of two Pokémon children's books, Pokémon Tales Volume 3: Bulbasaur’s Trouble and Bulbasaur’s Bad Day, published in 1999 and 2000 respectively by Sagebrush.

Promotion and merchandising

Bulbasaur has been featured in varying pieces of merchandise, including toys and plush dolls. Bulbasaur has been depicted in action figures sold by Hasbro in the United States, while Tomy in Japan sold extensive merchandise of the character, including vinyl dolls, wind-up model kits, and terry cloth bean bags. It has also been used in promotional merchandising at fast-food chains such as McDonald's and Burger King. Bulbasaur has also been included in various versions of the Pokémon painting on ANA Boeing 767s. The island nation of Niue issued a commemorative coin with a legal tender value of one crown which has a Bulbasaur on the reverse side.

Reception and legacy

CNN reporter Dennis Michael described Bulbasaur as one of the "lead critters" of the games and "perhaps the Carmen Miranda of Pokémon figures." Bulbasaur was selected as one of the top ten Pokémon by fans who voted at Pokemon.com. In an IGN biography page, Bulbasaur is described as "the odd man out" in the Pokémon Red and Blue game, saying "it was the one that wasn’t red or blue. Instead, it’s perhaps the best-known grass-type Pokémon, even though it’s a little bit more animal than vegetable." It continues that "Bulbasaurs are very popular starter monsters for young Pokémon trainers", and details the meaning of its Japanese name Fushigidane.

IGN editor "Pokémon of the Day Chick" stated that while Charizard "slightly surpassed" Venusaur in popularity, she called Bulbasaur a "VERY popular choice as far as the starting Pokémon of Red and Blue go". She also praised the anime incarnation, citing its attitude. GamesRadar editor Brett Elston described Bulbasaur as being popular for more than just being the first Pokémon numerically, citing its moveset and evolutions.

According to a panel of 5 - 8 year olds assembled by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in 1999, Bulbasaur was one of the children's three favorite Pokémon. One boy in a study by Dafna Lemish and Linda Renee-Bloch identified with Bulbasaur's attributes of being "strong and also cute". Lemish and Renee-Bloch feel that the importance of cuteness is an example of the "appropriation of Japanese values" in an Israeli context, and note that boys' desire for strength has been correlated with "a desire for social interaction".

Footnotes

References

; DVDs

; Publications

; Manga volumes

External links

Official Pokémon website

Bulbasaur on Bulbapedia

Category:Fictional reptiles Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1996 Category:Fictional dinosaurs Category:Plant characters Category:Poison type Pokémon Category:Pokémon species