Monster Kids, Daniel Dockery
Monster Kids, Daniel Dockery
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Monster Kids
How Pokémon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All

Author: Daniel Dockery

Narrator: Veronica Taylor

Unabridged: 8 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/04/2022


Synopsis

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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Read By Kyle on September 08, 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......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on October 21, 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.......more

Goodreads review by Mark on October 18, 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.......more

Goodreads review by Kerry on 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......more

Goodreads review by Will on October 11, 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......more