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Monster Kids: How Pokémon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All
The definitive, behind-the-scenes look at why Pokémon's evolution from a single Japanese video game to global powerhouse captured the world's attention, and how the "gotta catch 'em all" mentality of its fanbase shaped pop culture—and continues to do so today.
More than just a simple journey through the history of Pokémon, Daniel Dockery offers an in-depth look at the franchise’s many branches of impact and influence. With dozens of firsthand interviews, Monster Kids covers its beginnings as a Japanese video game created to recapture one man's love of bug-collecting as a child before diving into the decisions and conditions that would ultimately lead to that game's global domination. With its continued growth as television shows, spin-off video games, blockbuster movies, trading cards, and toys, Pokémon is a unique and special brand that manages to continue to capture the attention and adoration of its eager fanbase 25 years after its initial release.
Whether it was new animated shows like Digimon, Cardcaptors, and Yu-Gi-Oh!; the rise of monster-catching video games and trading card games; and more, Pikachu, the king of pop culture in the '90s, opened the doors in America to those hoping to capture some of Pokémon's dedicated fans. In Monster Kids, Dockery combines the personal stories of the people who helped bring Pokémon to the global stage with affection and humor, making this book the ultimate look at the rise of the franchise in Japan and then North America, but also the generation of kids whose passion for "catching them all" created a unique cultural phenomenon that continues to make a profound impact today.
More than just a simple journey through the history of Pokémon, Daniel Dockery offers an in-depth look at the franchise’s many branches of impact and influence. With dozens of firsthand interviews, Monster Kids covers its beginnings as a Japanese video game created to recapture one man's love of bug-collecting as a child before diving into the decisions and conditions that would ultimately lead to that game's global domination. With its continued growth as television shows, spin-off video games, blockbuster movies, trading cards, and toys, Pokémon is a unique and special brand that manages to continue to capture the attention and adoration of its eager fanbase 25 years after its initial release.
Whether it was new animated shows like Digimon, Cardcaptors, and Yu-Gi-Oh!; the rise of monster-catching video games and trading card games; and more, Pikachu, the king of pop culture in the '90s, opened the doors in America to those hoping to capture some of Pokémon's dedicated fans. In Monster Kids, Dockery combines the personal stories of the people who helped bring Pokémon to the global stage with affection and humor, making this book the ultimate look at the rise of the franchise in Japan and then North America, but also the generation of kids whose passion for "catching them all" created a unique cultural phenomenon that continues to make a profound impact today.
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First published October 4, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
September 8, 2023
It is humbling for your sense of individuality to realize that every aspect of a cultural phenomenon that was marketed towards you, hit you the exact way it hit everyone else. Each event mentioned in this book, I had the exact reaction described. I got the exact games at the exact times and saw the exact films on the same days and moved to Digimon briefly and had the same opinions that is described here and then fell off it for the same reasons, and I abandoned Pokemon for Yugioh at the same and for the same reasons. I am, I am sad to tell you all, a basic bitch.
Anyway this book was really interesting. I had never really learned much about the origin of Pokemon and various other Japanese anime/manga sensations around this time and how they all interacted with each other and were largely responsible for ushering in a very different era of gaming.
Also pokemon Crystal is the best
Anyway this book was really interesting. I had never really learned much about the origin of Pokemon and various other Japanese anime/manga sensations around this time and how they all interacted with each other and were largely responsible for ushering in a very different era of gaming.
Also pokemon Crystal is the best
October 22, 2022
So fun and nostalgic, I loved reading through this. Only downside was the writing itself tended to jump around timeline-wise and franchise-wise, so it got a little confusing at times.
October 19, 2022
A funny and thoughtful look back at a pivotal era in pop culture. I was a huge Pokemon fan as a kid, and I walked away from this having learned a lot about how my childhood was made, as well as all the games and shows that I knew existed but never quite captured my attention in the same way.
September 25, 2023
i'm not immune to pop culture OR marketing, lol, and this made me super nostalgic for WB Kids and not being allowed to take out my pokemon cards at school except during recess. i did really enjoy this (and i can't BELIEVE pokemon 4ever got negative reviews. do none of you have taste. did none of you cry!!!!!). anyway. i enjoyed this a lot, i wish it went maybe a little more in depth about animanga/jrpgs and culture in the us, but overall this was very good.
October 12, 2022
I was thrilled to learn that my friend Daniel Dockery was writing a book about Pokémon, Digimon, and the other ‘monster collecting’ series of the late 90s and early 2000s. People like me who grew up with these series will surely enjoy the same swell that I did of childhood nostalgia and the edifying satisfaction that you get from both remembering things long-forgotten and learning new insights into a beloved series. If you’re like my parents and have had to put up with someone else not shutting up about these things for years that turn into decades, you’ll likely get a kick out of reading just how crazy Pokemania was at its height. Daniel interviewed a lot of major figures not just in the video games and anime but in the networks and franchises as well, and he brings a deep, lifelong love of these series that is unapologetic in nature and encyclopediac in depth. He was the exact right person to write this book and I'm so glad I got to read it. I loved this book! You should absolutely check it out.
June 9, 2023
I enjoyed this, but I really wanted to like it even more than I did. First off, the narrator (who actually voiced Ash on TV) is unfortunately terrible. For the first part of the audiobook I was convinced they just had Siri or Alexa read this - super robot sounding. Looking past that, the book is very focused on telling a detailed history of Pokemon/digimon/yugioh etc, starting with pokemon history and then spending a ton of time focused on 1998-2003. Several times actually i thought the book had moved later to something else, when suddenly the year was mentioned again and it was 2002, again.
My biggest problem was that I was hoping for more of an examination of how pokemon affected people and culture more broadly. There’s a lot of focus on how pokemon affected saturday morning TV (which, as someone who watched saturday morning TV religiously -recording 4 hrs on VHS weekly - I enjoyed) and some further discussion of the influence on anime and adult swim. It just felt like a missed opportunity to examine or follow some people, weave a more personal story in there. Perhaps I had higher hopes than are realistic for the impact of Pokemon, but with the author’s intro and the tagline it was built up to be more than it was.
Anyway I still recommend if you were remotely a fan of any of these things in the late 90’s early 2000’s.
My biggest problem was that I was hoping for more of an examination of how pokemon affected people and culture more broadly. There’s a lot of focus on how pokemon affected saturday morning TV (which, as someone who watched saturday morning TV religiously -recording 4 hrs on VHS weekly - I enjoyed) and some further discussion of the influence on anime and adult swim. It just felt like a missed opportunity to examine or follow some people, weave a more personal story in there. Perhaps I had higher hopes than are realistic for the impact of Pokemon, but with the author’s intro and the tagline it was built up to be more than it was.
Anyway I still recommend if you were remotely a fan of any of these things in the late 90’s early 2000’s.
December 1, 2025
In this book, Dockery covers the history of Pokemon and its North American (particularly US) marketing and popularity. Connected to that marketing aspect, Dockery also covers franchises such as Digimon, Monster Rancher, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Cardcaptors (not Cardcaptor Sakura).
I got this for the in-depth focus on Pokemon, which wasn't a franchise I was ever much interested in when I was younger, although I've come to appreciate the videogames as an adult. I hadn't expected this book to spend so much time on Digimon (in the "Pokemon vs. Digimon?" debate, Younger Me was very firmly in the Digimon camp, probably because I was at the older end of the age range these franchises targeted). Dockery hit me right in the nostalgia.
While I could see how Yu-Gi-Oh! was part of this overall conversation, I admit that I was initially annoyed at the inclusion of Cardcaptors. I vaguely remember watching that, and I think I enjoyed it, although I could be mixing my feelings up with my later exposure to Cardcaptor Sakura. I was molified when Dockery emphasized that Cardcaptor Sakura did not, in fact, have much in common with monster collecting franchises such as Digimon and Pokemon. The issue was that North American advertising and television executives thought that it did, and saw that connection as a way to snag young audiences (and, hopefully, their parents' dollars). From that perspective, the mess that was Cardcaptors suddenly makes more sense.
This was a fascinating and enjoyable read. I only wish Dockery had included a bibliography. In his acknowledgments, he mentions many of the sites he used as resources and thanks Daryl Harding, Crunchyroll Japanese correspondent, for his translation work, but if you want to know the source of a specific interview quote in the book you're going to have to hunt for it yourself.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
I got this for the in-depth focus on Pokemon, which wasn't a franchise I was ever much interested in when I was younger, although I've come to appreciate the videogames as an adult. I hadn't expected this book to spend so much time on Digimon (in the "Pokemon vs. Digimon?" debate, Younger Me was very firmly in the Digimon camp, probably because I was at the older end of the age range these franchises targeted). Dockery hit me right in the nostalgia.
While I could see how Yu-Gi-Oh! was part of this overall conversation, I admit that I was initially annoyed at the inclusion of Cardcaptors. I vaguely remember watching that, and I think I enjoyed it, although I could be mixing my feelings up with my later exposure to Cardcaptor Sakura. I was molified when Dockery emphasized that Cardcaptor Sakura did not, in fact, have much in common with monster collecting franchises such as Digimon and Pokemon. The issue was that North American advertising and television executives thought that it did, and saw that connection as a way to snag young audiences (and, hopefully, their parents' dollars). From that perspective, the mess that was Cardcaptors suddenly makes more sense.
This was a fascinating and enjoyable read. I only wish Dockery had included a bibliography. In his acknowledgments, he mentions many of the sites he used as resources and thanks Daryl Harding, Crunchyroll Japanese correspondent, for his translation work, but if you want to know the source of a specific interview quote in the book you're going to have to hunt for it yourself.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
May 8, 2023
This was fun!
Being old as the street, as we say in Sweden, I was around when Pokémon first made its debut here. I played the video game and did my best to understand the English dialogue. (Video games don't get translated into Swedish, so Swedish kids usually can't understand much of the dialogue and text in the games they play.)
I watched the Japanese anime, or rather, the American edited version of the Japanese anime, or rather, the Swedish dub of the American edited version of the Japanese anime. (And wondered why vaguely Japanese character speaking Swedish used American dollars.)
I collected the trading cards, and decades later I still buy a booster pack every once in a while.
So naturally, I was very interested in this book.
To be clear: This is, to a large degree, not only a book about the games themselves. Or the anime, or the It's about the world's reaction to them, too. The details of the anime's plot get about the same amount of attention as the details of the American networks' marketing of it.
The book as a whole is very US-centric, and I consider that a plus, because it's immensely interesting to me to learn about how a Japanese phenomenon like Pokémon was marketed in such a different culture. And not just Pokémon. There's plenty of information about other popular franchises too, like Digimon, Monster Rancher and Cardcaptor Sakura. That last one is an interesting case, because apparently, it was retitled Cardcaptors and edited to be more of a boys' series. Considering that it's one of the girliest series I've ever seen (which I mean as a good thing!) it's hard to believe, but hey. Marketers gonna market.
Digimon in particular gets lots of attention. As another reviewer pointed out, this is at least partially a book about Digimon, not just Pokémon. I liked that, since I was a Digimon fan, too, as a kid. Though I gotta admit that I stopped watching after the end of the first season with the original DigiDestined.
Now, to be honest, I found the parts about marketing of TV shows to be a bit detail-heavy at times. Yes, it's good for a book to give more than a cursory view of something, but there was paragraph after paragraph about how one network bought another network and changed the name of some channel, and how one show was (or was never) broadcast at the same time as another show... And yeah, I get thatit might be huge business-wise if, say, 4Kids buys Fox Kids, but for me, a regular reader, it's just not that big. I dunno, I get that it's good to have a history of how TV channels handled anime, but that kind of thing can't help but feel a bit dry.
All in all, though, this is a good read. It's full of interesting little tidbits, like how they were going to name a Pokémon after Jet Li but decided not to due to fears of a lawsuit, hence the name "Hitmontop". It's absolutely recommended for anyone interested in the history of Pokémon.
See, all the magazine articles I've read about Pokémon have been written to describe the Japanese view of things. They've been about how the games were originally created. This book, though, is from the same perspective I had as a young Swedish kid: The perspective of a gaijin who regards Pokémon as something exciting from another country. Something that's imported and localized. I like that, and I like this book.
Being old as the street, as we say in Sweden, I was around when Pokémon first made its debut here. I played the video game and did my best to understand the English dialogue. (Video games don't get translated into Swedish, so Swedish kids usually can't understand much of the dialogue and text in the games they play.)
I watched the Japanese anime, or rather, the American edited version of the Japanese anime, or rather, the Swedish dub of the American edited version of the Japanese anime. (And wondered why vaguely Japanese character speaking Swedish used American dollars.)
I collected the trading cards, and decades later I still buy a booster pack every once in a while.
So naturally, I was very interested in this book.
To be clear: This is, to a large degree, not only a book about the games themselves. Or the anime, or the It's about the world's reaction to them, too. The details of the anime's plot get about the same amount of attention as the details of the American networks' marketing of it.
The book as a whole is very US-centric, and I consider that a plus, because it's immensely interesting to me to learn about how a Japanese phenomenon like Pokémon was marketed in such a different culture. And not just Pokémon. There's plenty of information about other popular franchises too, like Digimon, Monster Rancher and Cardcaptor Sakura. That last one is an interesting case, because apparently, it was retitled Cardcaptors and edited to be more of a boys' series. Considering that it's one of the girliest series I've ever seen (which I mean as a good thing!) it's hard to believe, but hey. Marketers gonna market.
Digimon in particular gets lots of attention. As another reviewer pointed out, this is at least partially a book about Digimon, not just Pokémon. I liked that, since I was a Digimon fan, too, as a kid. Though I gotta admit that I stopped watching after the end of the first season with the original DigiDestined.
Now, to be honest, I found the parts about marketing of TV shows to be a bit detail-heavy at times. Yes, it's good for a book to give more than a cursory view of something, but there was paragraph after paragraph about how one network bought another network and changed the name of some channel, and how one show was (or was never) broadcast at the same time as another show... And yeah, I get thatit might be huge business-wise if, say, 4Kids buys Fox Kids, but for me, a regular reader, it's just not that big. I dunno, I get that it's good to have a history of how TV channels handled anime, but that kind of thing can't help but feel a bit dry.
All in all, though, this is a good read. It's full of interesting little tidbits, like how they were going to name a Pokémon after Jet Li but decided not to due to fears of a lawsuit, hence the name "Hitmontop". It's absolutely recommended for anyone interested in the history of Pokémon.
See, all the magazine articles I've read about Pokémon have been written to describe the Japanese view of things. They've been about how the games were originally created. This book, though, is from the same perspective I had as a young Swedish kid: The perspective of a gaijin who regards Pokémon as something exciting from another country. Something that's imported and localized. I like that, and I like this book.
December 24, 2022
If you were at all a fan of Pokémon, Digimon, Tamagotchis, or any collectible card game or hit item of the 90’s you will most likely enjoy this book. Reading the book was kinda like being back on the playground or at a friend’s house trading Pokémon cards at the height of the first two sets. But that’s not all the book is also filled with interviews and quotes from people who were on the ground at the time, voice actors, merchandisers, translation folks, and the game or anime creators themselves.
A fun time capsule of the time/trip back in time. I very much enjoyed my stay in 1999.
A fun time capsule of the time/trip back in time. I very much enjoyed my stay in 1999.
March 15, 2023
(3.5/5) You can tell this a labor of love from Dan. And even as a veteran PokeFan, I did learn some new interesting things.
However, I feel that the placement and arrangement of the paragraphs sometimes did not flow well, and certain topics that I hoped would really be analyzed in detail, were often a brief mention before moving on.
Also the subtitle is "How Pokemon taught....."
But it sure be more like
"How Pokemon AND Digimon taught...."
Because boy, it seems like 40% of this book seems to be Digimon related. I am not complaining about the inclusion, I love Digimon, but I feel there could have been more coverage of the controversies of Pokemon (the 2k satanic panic.) Over the competition.
However, I feel that the placement and arrangement of the paragraphs sometimes did not flow well, and certain topics that I hoped would really be analyzed in detail, were often a brief mention before moving on.
Also the subtitle is "How Pokemon taught....."
But it sure be more like
"How Pokemon AND Digimon taught...."
Because boy, it seems like 40% of this book seems to be Digimon related. I am not complaining about the inclusion, I love Digimon, but I feel there could have been more coverage of the controversies of Pokemon (the 2k satanic panic.) Over the competition.
February 5, 2024
Great and in depth review of Pokémon’s history, it shines when it focuses on Pokemon but it feels like that’s not enough of the book’s content.
January 5, 2025
Audiobook! Was a good dog walking listen.
January 28, 2023
[Audiobook] Bought it as professional research literature but ended up loving it. A beautiful walk down memory lane full of nostalgia about the monster games that made many millennials’ childhoods great. If you were a Pokemon fan as a kid, give it a listen, very fun.
November 4, 2025
I want nothing more than to be 8 years old playing Pokémon Sapphire for the first time
July 28, 2022
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Monster Kids by Daniel Dockery is an absolutely amazing documentary-like guide to Pokemon, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and the rest of the monster TV shows that we loved as a kid! As a former kid from the 90's and 00's, I really loved this nostalgic throwback to those days. It was so interesting to see the Pokemon phenomenon from a retroactive perspective. So many things that I thought were "childhood memories" were actually part of a larger perspective that I had never thought about before.
Overall, Monster Kids is the perfect nostalgic book for the former Pokemon fan or current Pokemon fan in your life. And they'll especially like it if they were a Digimon fan! One highlight of this book is how comprehensive it is. It must have required a lot of research, which is clear from the amount of information contained in this book. There were so many facts that I had not known before. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that the illustrations were a bit lacking. But I completely understand that licensing real artwork from Japan would probably cost too much. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of monster animes, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in October!
Monster Kids by Daniel Dockery is an absolutely amazing documentary-like guide to Pokemon, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and the rest of the monster TV shows that we loved as a kid! As a former kid from the 90's and 00's, I really loved this nostalgic throwback to those days. It was so interesting to see the Pokemon phenomenon from a retroactive perspective. So many things that I thought were "childhood memories" were actually part of a larger perspective that I had never thought about before.
Overall, Monster Kids is the perfect nostalgic book for the former Pokemon fan or current Pokemon fan in your life. And they'll especially like it if they were a Digimon fan! One highlight of this book is how comprehensive it is. It must have required a lot of research, which is clear from the amount of information contained in this book. There were so many facts that I had not known before. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that the illustrations were a bit lacking. But I completely understand that licensing real artwork from Japan would probably cost too much. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of monster animes, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in October!
August 3, 2024
Fun & detailed production, business, and cultural history of the first 10 years of Pokemon. Like other readers I found the examination of the "copy-cat" series more extensive than expected, but not disappointing. Only complaint is the writer seems to be one of those weird kids who thought Digimon was better. My actual only criticism is compared to other pop culture history books I think it might be hard to understand if you have absolutely zero experience as a consumer of the franchise.
A lot of fun that the audio book reader is Veronica Taylor, the original Ash voice actor.
A lot of fun that the audio book reader is Veronica Taylor, the original Ash voice actor.
May 17, 2022
Fascinating even for non-Pokemon fans! A must-read for the pop culture obsessed.
April 3, 2023
You may ask yourself, "why does Daniel Dockery spend so much time in this book talking about Digimon and other monster catching titles when Pokémon is the most important by far?" Good question; if Monster Kids was graded solely by whether it successfully tells the complete story of Pokémon's rise, it would be a failure. Dockery's focus on the franchise's rise in the United States (and in fact, covering it as a "franchise" per se) inherently limits the story being told. Where Monster Kids succeeds is in how it depicts the process by which Japanese culture, like anime and video games, was accepted in the United States. Pikachu evolves from a toy sold by befuddled marketing executives, to a Thanksgiving float, to a character that multiple generations now profess genuine fondness for. Would Attack on Titan have blown up abroad without that small electric mouse leading the way? We can't say for sure, but I doubt it.
Dockery has been covering pop culture in the trenches for many years, and so he is well equipped to tell this story. You can imagine a few of the chapters in this book as fully fledged online essays: "The True Story of the Pokémon Musical, Pokémon Live!" "The Digimon Movie Used 'All Star' Before Shrek!" Personally speaking, I appreciated that Dockery took the time here to highlight folks like Takeshi Shudo, the writer who provided much of the early Pokémon anime with its personality. I also found myself unexpectedly won over by 4Kids in this telling: at a time when nobody in the United States believed Pokémon could succeed there, it was 4Kids president Norman Grossfield who made a grand stake on his company's future to license the television series.
That said, I have three major caveats.
1. While Dockery does a thorough job covering the marketing of Pokémon in the United States (and Japan, to some extent) I missed coverage of the series elsewhere in the world. I understand that this was likely due to language barriers, but I would have loved at least a chapter on how Pokémon was received in places like Germany, Mexico or Taiwan.
2. Dockery presents this story as a straightforward story of business success, which is acceptable. But I would love to see another take on this material dig into, for instance, the practices that led to 4Kids's collapse, Game Freak's rapid-fire production of Pokémon titles (leading to the messy launch of Scarlet and Violet) or the behind-the-scenes production of the recent anime. To do justice to a story like Pokémon's success, it's important to remain skeptical of folks in power, especially when they continue to sell their narrative in real time.
3. I wasn't a fan of the little creature illustrations in the book, although it's tough to compare to Pokémon's excellent designs.
Overall, Monster Kids is a worthwhile read for folks who want to learn more about how Pokémon and its fellow travelers changed the taste of multiple generations of kids in the United States. Check it out if you're a fan of Digimon, too: the chapters dealing with that series are some of my favorites in the book. Considering the size of the modern anime industry (as well as its current dysfunction) I hope to see more books of this type in the future to give context to our present moment. Also check out Matt Alt's Pure Invention and (for an academic take) Jonathan Clements's Anime: A History.
Dockery has been covering pop culture in the trenches for many years, and so he is well equipped to tell this story. You can imagine a few of the chapters in this book as fully fledged online essays: "The True Story of the Pokémon Musical, Pokémon Live!" "The Digimon Movie Used 'All Star' Before Shrek!" Personally speaking, I appreciated that Dockery took the time here to highlight folks like Takeshi Shudo, the writer who provided much of the early Pokémon anime with its personality. I also found myself unexpectedly won over by 4Kids in this telling: at a time when nobody in the United States believed Pokémon could succeed there, it was 4Kids president Norman Grossfield who made a grand stake on his company's future to license the television series.
That said, I have three major caveats.
1. While Dockery does a thorough job covering the marketing of Pokémon in the United States (and Japan, to some extent) I missed coverage of the series elsewhere in the world. I understand that this was likely due to language barriers, but I would have loved at least a chapter on how Pokémon was received in places like Germany, Mexico or Taiwan.
2. Dockery presents this story as a straightforward story of business success, which is acceptable. But I would love to see another take on this material dig into, for instance, the practices that led to 4Kids's collapse, Game Freak's rapid-fire production of Pokémon titles (leading to the messy launch of Scarlet and Violet) or the behind-the-scenes production of the recent anime. To do justice to a story like Pokémon's success, it's important to remain skeptical of folks in power, especially when they continue to sell their narrative in real time.
3. I wasn't a fan of the little creature illustrations in the book, although it's tough to compare to Pokémon's excellent designs.
Overall, Monster Kids is a worthwhile read for folks who want to learn more about how Pokémon and its fellow travelers changed the taste of multiple generations of kids in the United States. Check it out if you're a fan of Digimon, too: the chapters dealing with that series are some of my favorites in the book. Considering the size of the modern anime industry (as well as its current dysfunction) I hope to see more books of this type in the future to give context to our present moment. Also check out Matt Alt's Pure Invention and (for an academic take) Jonathan Clements's Anime: A History.
September 17, 2022
Following the Ekans-like path of Pokémon's success feels nearly impossible. The franchise continues to grow year after year, breaking records and exploring new frontiers as it goes along. Dozens of games and a staggering amount of anime. 931 Pokémon species. Over 440 million games sold worldwide! How did it get this big? What lessons can be learned by examining this meteoric rise?
Author Daniel Dockery’s debut book is here to answer these questions. Monster Kids: How Pokémon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All (expected to release in October from Running Press) is a deep dive into the how/why of Pocket Monsters and the perfect storm that turned them into a juggernaut. Daniel writes with a clear and rich voice that shows his personal connection to Pokémon (and its contemporaries). His experience writing for websites like Crunchy Roll (where he is the senior writer), Polygon, and Vulture can be seen in the easy to parse book structure.
While a book on the history of Pokémon would be fine, Daniel explores the climate that cultivated the Japanese titles as well. Anime, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and even Fighting Foodons make an appearance. This book’s step-by-step approach feels special and incredibly vital in our modern day. Anime wasn’t always a global force and monster collecting wasn’t always something cool. There was a time before Pokémon Go and Pikachu in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
As I read, I found myself highlighting Daniel’s creative writing and fascinating bits of information. I adored Daniel’s measured approach to this history. As much as I love Pokémon trivia videos on Youtube, Monster Kids treats this history with the respect it deserves without the flippancy that sometimes occurs. Even if you’re a major Pokémon fan, there is a Magneton of information here. It’s clear that Dockery loves this era of pop culture. His book makes it clear that you should too.
If you grew up with trading cards on the playground and the PokeRap stuck in your head, Monster Kids is right up your alley. But even non-fans will find this book worth its weight in Pokémon Gold.
(An ebook copy of Monster Kids: How Pokémon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All was provided for an honest review by Running Press.)
Author Daniel Dockery’s debut book is here to answer these questions. Monster Kids: How Pokémon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All (expected to release in October from Running Press) is a deep dive into the how/why of Pocket Monsters and the perfect storm that turned them into a juggernaut. Daniel writes with a clear and rich voice that shows his personal connection to Pokémon (and its contemporaries). His experience writing for websites like Crunchy Roll (where he is the senior writer), Polygon, and Vulture can be seen in the easy to parse book structure.
While a book on the history of Pokémon would be fine, Daniel explores the climate that cultivated the Japanese titles as well. Anime, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and even Fighting Foodons make an appearance. This book’s step-by-step approach feels special and incredibly vital in our modern day. Anime wasn’t always a global force and monster collecting wasn’t always something cool. There was a time before Pokémon Go and Pikachu in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
As I read, I found myself highlighting Daniel’s creative writing and fascinating bits of information. I adored Daniel’s measured approach to this history. As much as I love Pokémon trivia videos on Youtube, Monster Kids treats this history with the respect it deserves without the flippancy that sometimes occurs. Even if you’re a major Pokémon fan, there is a Magneton of information here. It’s clear that Dockery loves this era of pop culture. His book makes it clear that you should too.
If you grew up with trading cards on the playground and the PokeRap stuck in your head, Monster Kids is right up your alley. But even non-fans will find this book worth its weight in Pokémon Gold.
(An ebook copy of Monster Kids: How Pokémon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All was provided for an honest review by Running Press.)
January 24, 2023
Daniel Dockery shows just how Pokemon became a global phenomenon through research, interviews, and critique of media. Using Digimon and other monster-esque media to elaborate his points on how Pokemon became popular--relying upon the mania of trading card games, word of mouth, and a fair amount of advertising and creative games--this book almost effortlessly shines light on what it was like to be a kid in the late 90s and early 2000s. While part of me does wish that there was more information on the decisions behind the gameplay (there was plenty of information regarding the cable link that allowed players to trade and battle, but not so much about the addition of hide-outs in the third generation), this still makes for a good explanatory read.
I wish Dockery had spent more time with his concept of how Pokemon affected Millennials; I felt like many of his topics were interesting but didn't quite meet the heart of what he was going for. The most impactful part of his book, for me, was discussing the ability to choose to play as a girl sprite, which was first introduced in Pokemon Crystal. This was a total gamechanger for me, and was my first real obvious way of recognizing how representation matters. While he pulled a quotation from someone who is now grown up, I wish he had pushed further still to show how important this was for young girls to see themselves as the main character of their game.
The most interesting concept of his book was how Pokemon "live" with us, from Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Go, and Pokemon Stadium. Pokemon are even present in commercials, seemingly interacting with the actors and actresses featured. I remember the Tamagotchi-esque pedometers that allowed you to carry a Pokemon with you maybe just 10 years ago--this concept has evolved right alongside how we view technology and create a world that is more demanding. I might be deviating too far from his concept, but I find that these would have been interesting questions to ask and try to answer.
Overall, this read like a list of fun facts, teeming with information about the transformation of Game Freak, updated handheld gaming technology, and time slots on cable. Still a fun read, great for any Pokemon fan.
I wish Dockery had spent more time with his concept of how Pokemon affected Millennials; I felt like many of his topics were interesting but didn't quite meet the heart of what he was going for. The most impactful part of his book, for me, was discussing the ability to choose to play as a girl sprite, which was first introduced in Pokemon Crystal. This was a total gamechanger for me, and was my first real obvious way of recognizing how representation matters. While he pulled a quotation from someone who is now grown up, I wish he had pushed further still to show how important this was for young girls to see themselves as the main character of their game.
The most interesting concept of his book was how Pokemon "live" with us, from Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Go, and Pokemon Stadium. Pokemon are even present in commercials, seemingly interacting with the actors and actresses featured. I remember the Tamagotchi-esque pedometers that allowed you to carry a Pokemon with you maybe just 10 years ago--this concept has evolved right alongside how we view technology and create a world that is more demanding. I might be deviating too far from his concept, but I find that these would have been interesting questions to ask and try to answer.
Overall, this read like a list of fun facts, teeming with information about the transformation of Game Freak, updated handheld gaming technology, and time slots on cable. Still a fun read, great for any Pokemon fan.
September 15, 2022
Generally, good informative book. I enjoyed all the tidbits of information about early years that, while I lived through it and was active in it, didn't realize at the time because I was too young to know. I learned a lot about how it ran, and I enjoyed that. It was also nostalgic to read about things like the burger king toys, going to see the first Pokemon movie in theatres, and and. The nostalgia was definitely there, and it was cool.
Generally, if you like Pokemon and history, I'd say pick it up, it's an entertaining enough read, however I have warnings.
First of all, the title is mildly misleading. It says on the cover about how Pokemon taught a generation to catch em all, which it does cover, but it really means monster kids in the broad sense. This book also tackles literally every other franchise out in the late 90s and early 2000s. There's a lot about digimon, Yugioh and more. Granted, I don't think this is bad, just not what I anticipated. On the contrary, I enjoyed reading about the battles between Digimon and Pokemon as, again, I was young and didn't realize that this was happening, I loved both.
It's also a little jumpy time line wise. Switching back and forth from before and after gold/silver released, for example, so you kind of have to focus or you may get a little lost, but it's not too bad. It is overall fairly dry though. Aside from the nostalgia aspect, I found some of it really hard to stay engaged in.
Generally, if you like Pokemon and history, I'd say pick it up, it's an entertaining enough read, however I have warnings.
First of all, the title is mildly misleading. It says on the cover about how Pokemon taught a generation to catch em all, which it does cover, but it really means monster kids in the broad sense. This book also tackles literally every other franchise out in the late 90s and early 2000s. There's a lot about digimon, Yugioh and more. Granted, I don't think this is bad, just not what I anticipated. On the contrary, I enjoyed reading about the battles between Digimon and Pokemon as, again, I was young and didn't realize that this was happening, I loved both.
It's also a little jumpy time line wise. Switching back and forth from before and after gold/silver released, for example, so you kind of have to focus or you may get a little lost, but it's not too bad. It is overall fairly dry though. Aside from the nostalgia aspect, I found some of it really hard to stay engaged in.
August 7, 2022
Miigweetch to NetGalley and Running Press for the DRC.
This book explores how Pokemon got its start, how it spread, started a trend, and became the world-wide cultural phenomena we know today. This book is squarely in my wheelhouse as I lived through all of this, and was interested to explore the topic further.
Monster Kids is interesting and full of facts, however, my biggest caveat is the mishelveing/mislabeling of this book as a graphic novel, which it is NOT. There are only a few illustrations sprinkled throughout the book and they do very little to flesh out or expand upon the text. Ergo, I would not recommend this to most middle or high school readers unless they have a deep fascination with the topic or are doing a related research project; it’s simply too text-heavy to be accessible to younger readers, which is a shame because I think a true graphic novel version of this book would be appealing to the same demographic.
The text is simple and uses easy to understand language. It reads like a blog or a casual conversation, however, I believe the tone is almost too casual. It’s evident that a lot of research went into writing this and the text is chock-full of information. There’s potential in this book. I would recommend it to older fans of Pokemon or other monster hunting games who want to deep-dive into the history of the trend.
This book explores how Pokemon got its start, how it spread, started a trend, and became the world-wide cultural phenomena we know today. This book is squarely in my wheelhouse as I lived through all of this, and was interested to explore the topic further.
Monster Kids is interesting and full of facts, however, my biggest caveat is the mishelveing/mislabeling of this book as a graphic novel, which it is NOT. There are only a few illustrations sprinkled throughout the book and they do very little to flesh out or expand upon the text. Ergo, I would not recommend this to most middle or high school readers unless they have a deep fascination with the topic or are doing a related research project; it’s simply too text-heavy to be accessible to younger readers, which is a shame because I think a true graphic novel version of this book would be appealing to the same demographic.
The text is simple and uses easy to understand language. It reads like a blog or a casual conversation, however, I believe the tone is almost too casual. It’s evident that a lot of research went into writing this and the text is chock-full of information. There’s potential in this book. I would recommend it to older fans of Pokemon or other monster hunting games who want to deep-dive into the history of the trend.
November 7, 2022
A must-read for any Pokéfan who grew up in the 1990s/early 2000s era of American pop culture. The research is meticulous, the history treated with care, and the timelines organized in an accessible way for historian and casual reader alike to enjoy. Dockery lowers the barrier of entry for all readers to understand the context and key players during Pokémon's turn-of-the-century reign (read: You don't need to have played every season of Monster Rancher to fully grasp its relationship to Pikachu).
While the timeline/events of how Pokémon reached the United States aren't particularly new ground--though Dockery's coverage does a good job curating the history and glossing the more intricate nuances--the real strength of the book comes from Dockery's grasp of Pokémon's conversation with other monster collecting IPs of the era. From Yu-Gi-Oh to Monster Rancher to Cardcaptor Sakura to Digimon, Dockery's ability to scry dozens of threads and weave them into a cohesive, macro narrative while cutting out the superfluous details is nothing short of masterful.
Overall, a delight to read for fans seeking context behind their late 90s nostalgia as well as deep-dive historians seeking a wider-lens entry point to Pokémon's evolution not only as Americana but as a riverstone directing other famous titles of the era. Highly recommend!
While the timeline/events of how Pokémon reached the United States aren't particularly new ground--though Dockery's coverage does a good job curating the history and glossing the more intricate nuances--the real strength of the book comes from Dockery's grasp of Pokémon's conversation with other monster collecting IPs of the era. From Yu-Gi-Oh to Monster Rancher to Cardcaptor Sakura to Digimon, Dockery's ability to scry dozens of threads and weave them into a cohesive, macro narrative while cutting out the superfluous details is nothing short of masterful.
Overall, a delight to read for fans seeking context behind their late 90s nostalgia as well as deep-dive historians seeking a wider-lens entry point to Pokémon's evolution not only as Americana but as a riverstone directing other famous titles of the era. Highly recommend!
November 7, 2022
This book does such a good job of articulating just how influential Pokemon and its contemporaries were to the changing landscape of kids' entertainment. Initially, I presumed the book would just be discussing Pokemon, so I was surprised by the detailed dives into Digimon and Yu-Gi-Oh among other properties. Yet their inclusion doesn't feel arbitrary but rather essential to painting a picture of how important these franchises were to their target demographics and to the discussion of both the fascination with monster catching franchises and the incursion of anime into western markets.
Being someone who is about the same age as Dockery, I found the text resonated quite well with my experience, though I wonder what the reaction would be of a teenager who discovered the franchise with Sun and Moon, for example, or someone whose passing familiarity with Pokemon doesn't extend beyond an awareness of Pikachu.
I can't speak for those experiences, but for someone who lived through these years and was a fan of all these franchises, this book was a treat!
Being someone who is about the same age as Dockery, I found the text resonated quite well with my experience, though I wonder what the reaction would be of a teenager who discovered the franchise with Sun and Moon, for example, or someone whose passing familiarity with Pokemon doesn't extend beyond an awareness of Pikachu.
I can't speak for those experiences, but for someone who lived through these years and was a fan of all these franchises, this book was a treat!
October 3, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and Running Press for this ARC.
As a Pokemon fan, I was interested in this book because it goes over the history of how Pokemon came to be and its long-reaching influence throughout the years.
Monster Kids proved to be a very interesting read that provided a lot of information about not only Pokemon, but various other franchises that influenced Pokemon and that Pokemon helped influence and provide a market for. This included Tamagotchi, Digimon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Monster Rancher.
There are also illustrations throughout the book that are fun to look at, though these are not illustrations of Pokemon or the other franchises mentioned. I assume this is to avoid copyright infringement so I can't blame them for that. Regardless, they are well-done and help break up the text throughout the book.
Overall, this is a good book for anyone interested in Pokemon and the long-standing influence it has had in the world over the years.
As a Pokemon fan, I was interested in this book because it goes over the history of how Pokemon came to be and its long-reaching influence throughout the years.
Monster Kids proved to be a very interesting read that provided a lot of information about not only Pokemon, but various other franchises that influenced Pokemon and that Pokemon helped influence and provide a market for. This included Tamagotchi, Digimon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Monster Rancher.
There are also illustrations throughout the book that are fun to look at, though these are not illustrations of Pokemon or the other franchises mentioned. I assume this is to avoid copyright infringement so I can't blame them for that. Regardless, they are well-done and help break up the text throughout the book.
Overall, this is a good book for anyone interested in Pokemon and the long-standing influence it has had in the world over the years.
October 29, 2022
As someone who grew up as a kid in elementary school when Pokemon first arrived in the US, this book surprised me by providing a well researched history of my favorite series from that time. As the author walked me through the release of Pokémon Blue/Red all the way through modern Switch games, I learned the origins of long forgotten, school yard mysteries like the Mew Truck and the rumored Pokémon Green version. I loved every second of reliving my childhood passion for Pokémon through the author’s anecdotes and interview excepts from the people who made the series. The book is told with wit and the passion of a true Pokémon fan.
I recommend this highly to anyone who grew up watching, collecting, or playing Pokémon! And even my parents’ generation who supported, or at least tolerated, their kids’ Pokémon hobbies will likely enjoy reliving the headlines and toy store trips from that period.
I recommend this highly to anyone who grew up watching, collecting, or playing Pokémon! And even my parents’ generation who supported, or at least tolerated, their kids’ Pokémon hobbies will likely enjoy reliving the headlines and toy store trips from that period.
March 21, 2023
Throughout their various iterations, Nintendo, Game Freak, and Pokémon Company have kept two things consistent: quality output, and utmost secrecy. Frustratingly for lifelong fans of Pokémon like myself, the latter has kept fun conspiracy theories like Mew under the truck alive but also meant that finding credible sources for documenting Pokémon's origins few and far between. Daniel clearly put in the work, assembling the only cohesive and compelling story behind the rise and peak of the franchise's popularity, and as a nice bonus you get to learn a bit about its competitors along that rise. It isn't just a pleasing nostalgia trip, but has quotes and insights you really can't find anywhere else. Anyone who loves or has loved any era or format of Pokémon will enjoy this, and even those who were only observers of the phenomenon—but value pop cultural history—will as well.
October 29, 2025
Really interesting and in depth coverage of 90s/2000s era gaming and pop culture, focusing on the rise of Pokémon and the franchise’s influence on culture from there (as a 90s kid myself who was more of a Digimon fan, I really appreciated the nuanced discussion of Digimon specifically and how it also was developed and changed over time). Learned quite a bit of new to me information and behind the scenes trivia.
This book reminds me of the first season of Netflix’s “The Toys That Made Us” docuseries- the first episode of that covers Star Wars and how it utterly changed the toy landscape and the rest of the episodes cover other toy brands and the impact of Star Wars is continually referenced because it profoundly affected other major toys. This book is like that but with Pokémon, featuring the franchise’s legacy in the realms of gaming, animation, toys, and pop culture.
This book reminds me of the first season of Netflix’s “The Toys That Made Us” docuseries- the first episode of that covers Star Wars and how it utterly changed the toy landscape and the rest of the episodes cover other toy brands and the impact of Star Wars is continually referenced because it profoundly affected other major toys. This book is like that but with Pokémon, featuring the franchise’s legacy in the realms of gaming, animation, toys, and pop culture.
October 20, 2022
For fans of Pokemon and similar things, this will be a delightful journey. The nostalgia will be a delight for those who grew up on the original Game Boy and Red/Blue/Yellow. I really enjoyed the research and thought that went into exploring why Pokemon became such a phenomenon. Despite its title, the book also explores similar franchises including Digimon and Yu-Gi-Oh in decent detail. I found those sections a bit less enjoyable and interesting, but the contrast provides some depth of understanding as to why Pokemon maintains its popularity 25+ years later. I would have also been interested in seeing greater detail devoted to more generations beyond 1 and 2. Overall, I found this quite engaging.
March 20, 2023
It can be said without hyperbole that Daniel Dockery is one of the funniest and most insightful pop culture writers working in the business today, and after years of following his writing for Cracked as well as his freelance work, I'm pleased beyond words to see that he's leveled up into the world of nonfiction writing. A fascinating thesis allows for a double-barrel exploration of both the very specific Pokemon phenomenon of the late 90s/early 00s as well as today's all-consumptive adult collector culture, and the parallels and potential connections between the two. Witty, intelligent, and always enjoyable, Dockery's work continues to impress and I can't wait to see him continue to succeed.
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