A post on the Pokemon subreddit is bringing back a bit of trivia that could shake some Pokemon fans' worlds. It has to do with the original catchphrase for Pokemon, stemming from the original Pokemon anime's theme song. Some fans may already be singing it in their head, just at the song's mention. It has to do with the "Gotta Catch 'Em All" slogan and theme, and the fact that a different theme was almost used instead.
The title of the post on Reddit reads "TIL Pokemon's original slogan was 'Catch 'em if you can!' Instead of the famous 'Gotta catch 'em all'," which says it all. That's not the full story, however, but it does capture the idea. Gotta Catch 'Em All was, at one point in time, not necessarily the slogan that The Pokemon Company was going to go with. It was just one of several that was being considered, with Catch 'Em If You Can being another.
This surprising revelation was originally made in 2017 when theme writer for the 4Kids version of the Pokemon anime John Siegler did an interview about his now-legendary song. Siegler explained that at one point the Catch 'Em If You Can slogan was one of the original contenders. It even went so far as being written into an early version of the theme song. Of course, Gotta Catch 'Em All ultimately won out in the end.
TIL Pokémon's original slogan was "Catch 'em if you can!" Instead of the famous "Gotta catch 'em all" from pokemon
So it's accurate to say that The Pokemon Company was originally moving forward with Catch 'Em If You Can. It wasn't just one of several possible slogans that almost became official. It was a slogan Nintendo was moving forward with, but then went into a different direction. There's even some promotional material featuring the Catch 'Em If You Can slogan from E3 1998. Who knows whether Pokemon would be the same today if that decision had gone in a different direction and Gotta Catch 'Em All hadn't been chosen.
There is something special about Catch 'Em If You Can, of course. It captures the idea that not every Pokemon can be caught, but encourages Pokemon trainers to do their best. Gotta Catch 'Em All, however, is a much stronger slogan in terms of selling products. It encourages buying merchandise, playing Pokemon games endlessly, and watching lots of cartoons. There's an addictive element to it, too. It fits what Pokemon is and has become like a glove.
Pokemon's slogan has become one of the most well-known and beloved phrases in video games. It's so strongly associated with Pokemon that it has even created controversies, because it's now impossible to truly catch all Pokemon in the franchise's most recent games. Regardless, fans are likely to try and catch them all for decades into the future.
Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are available now on Nintendo Switch.