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May 2002

Japan's Haunted History: "The flip side of Japan's belief in several hundred gods and at least two major religions is an equally rich and varied nether world. Spirits traipse the archipelago in forms ranging from deformed, tormented humans to quirky animal-like critters--one explanation, some say, for Japan's deep-seated love of animation, Pokemon and cutesy characters....

     "Tokyo has 100 designated haunted sites visited by summer bus tours, and ghost themes are almost as omnipresent on Japanese television as police dramas are in the United States.... Japanese spirits generally fall into two broad categories. Those in human form, known as yurei, tend to be angry, emotionally complex and closely aligned with humans. Another world of strange animal shapes or half-human forms is known as yokai. These little characters abide by no particular logic and tend to be associated with places rather than people....

     "Japanese culture places a premium on wa, or group harmony.... In the Japanese context, it's far less important what spurred the ghosts' anger or whether it was justified than the imputed lack of consensus behind it, say ghost and folklore experts. 'Japan's real religion is wa,' said Motohiko Izawa, managing director of the Mystery Writers Assn. of Japan. 'The ultimate aim is to keep the wa so that powerful, grudge-laden ghosts don't appear.'" Pokemon Comics

March 2002

Children 'identify Pokemon more easily than animals': "Pokemon 'creatures' are far more recognisable to the average eight-year-old than British animals and plants. A study found that children were better able to identify characters from the Japanese card trading game than their own native species. They were more likely to remember names like pikachu, metapod, muk and wigglytuff than mouse, otter, beetle and oak tree." The Power of Suggestion and How Pokemon Affects the Values of Children

June

Boy found hanged after teacher took Pokémon cards: "Jevan Richardson was a bright boy who loved to read Harry Potter books, the inquest was told. But he had become increasingly depressed after an argument over confiscated Pokémon cards in April last year. Jevan, a pupil at St Mary Magdalen RC Primary School in Brockley, southeast London, was discovered by his father suspended by a nylon stocking from a shower rail...." See Brainwashing in America and How Pokemon Affects the Minds and Values of Children

May

Palestinians ban 'Zionist' Pokemon: "Muslim activists handed out leaflets at schools in the West Bank, ordering pupils to stop playing with Pokemon game cards and banning the watching of the Pokemon television series. Pikachu and his pals, said one leaflet, looked 'suspiciously Jewish.'" An attempt to stir up anti-Semitism?

April 2000

Arabs See Jewish Conspiracy in Pokemon: "Eight-year-old Abdel Mohsen Medwahi lived for Pokemon. Pokemon trading cards. Pokemon comic books. Pokemon clothing. Pokemon toys. Everything and anything Pokemon."

Sweet-faced little Pokemon may have won the hearts of children, but the reality behind the pretty fantasies is both dark and depraved. The Wizards of the Coast -- makers of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic the Gathering as well as Pokemon cards and games -- exemplifies the visions and values that continue to inspire the popular pagan fantasy worlds that captivate children around the world. MORE was added

March 2000

Sweet-faced little Pokemon may have won the hearts of children, but the reality behind the pretty fantasies is both dark and depraved. The Wizards of the Coast -- makers of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic the Gathering as well as Pokemon cards and games -- exemplifies the visions and values that continue to inspire the popular pagan fantasy worlds that captivate children around the world. MORE added today.

Fatwa sends 'demonic' Pokemons into hiding

Pokemon is too Jewish, says top Saudi cleric

February 2000

Minister seeks Pokemon ban after girl's fall

Pokemon mania or cultural invasion! “When I gave the ‘pikachu’ toy to my son," says a Jordanian mother, "I didn’t realize the risk I was taking, today I can’t stop my children from buying anything that carries the Pokemon label, from confectionery to toys to clothes. To tell you the truth, I am fed up with these cartoons.”

November 2000

'Pokemon' Banned After Accidents

July 2000

An argument over Pokemon cards led to the murder of twelve-year-old Jerry Alley. According to the AP report Florida Boy's Killer Left Note (7-19) a "15-year-old boy, John Anthony Silva, has confessed to killing his playmate Jerry Lee Alley Jr...."

"Investigators who found the body of a missing 12-year-old in May say they also found instructions the killer wrote to himself, detailing what he needed to do....

"LIST TO PREPAIR JAREY,'' read the first line of the note, which contained several misspellings. Below, it said, ``STRIP TO UNDERWARE + RAP IN TOWER,'' "TIE HANDS,'' "GAG,'' and, finally, ``COVER EYES.''

Interesting link: Pokemon helps Christians keep the faith   This game may sound good, but it could also confuse the child and distort His understanding of God and His Word. To adapt Biblical characters to the new context and format of the game, the game-makers would have had to stretch character traits and over-simplify the issues they faced. Vital truths and lessons only understood in the whole Biblical context would be bent or lost in such a game. Children will tend to re-imagine God, His message and His people to fit the context of the game. These distorted images could color the way they later read the Bible. See The Prince of Egypt.

June 2000   Teacher steals Pokemon card set

April 2000   Pokemon Earns Papal Blessing

February 2000   Note from a visitor: "I think you should check this site out.... http://www.sightings.com/politics6/poke.htm

February 2000

In the global entertainment industry you find some interesting partnerships. Warner Brothers, which bought the right to produce the Harry Potter movie, has licensed the right to make Harry Potter trading cards and electronic toys to Hasbro, the new owner of Wizards of the Coast, publisher of the Pokemon, Star Wars (to be released next fall), D&D, and Magic: the Gathering role-playing games. (Wall Street Journal, 2-11). For more information about Wizards, click on http://www.wizards.com/news/pressrelease.asp?19991208a   (This link doesn't always work.) Next month, we hope to write an article on the global influence Wizards and the mighty Hasbro.

January 2000    Pokemon ball suffocates baby

Another warning: "Just wanted to alert you to speech patterns and video on pokemon... Go to... They have placed the pictures and audio on this website so you can hear and see for yourself." We decided to delete the site's URL because of the language used, but we will send it to any parent who requests it.

"Nevada Teens Charged in Sex Assault"   (The Associated Press NY-01-21-00)

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Two teen-agers used Pokemon trading cards to lure at least eight young boys to a mobile home for sex, police said Friday.

Garrett Kelly, 18, and a 16-year-old boy whose name was not released because of his age, were arrested last week on charges that included sexual assault.

Police said Kelly and the other teen offered boys who were living in a Las Vegas mobile home park Pokemon cards in exchange for sex. The victims range in age from 8 to 11. Police, who were tipped off by a parent, said the assaults had been going on for several months.

Mothers Busted in Bus Stop Pokemon Brawl

December 1999 Pokemon Crime Wave Hits Philadelphia

Pokemon craze has dark side
"While most kids simply trade and obsess over the cards, some cases of Pokemon fascination are leading to serious crimes."

November 1999 "Quebec Teen Stabbed at School over Pokemon Cards." (Expired, but might be found through an Internet search engine)

These three websites might be of interest. The first article is titled, "Japanese cartoon triggers seizures in hundreds of children." http://cnn.com/WORLD/9712/17/video.seizures.update/ http://www.wired.com/news/news/business/story/9231.html http://www.wizards.com/news/pressrelease.asp?19990913a

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