20 Mind-Blowing Things You Didn’t Know About Pokémon
11. Pikachu Was Never Meant To Be The Series Mascot
Pikachu is the mascot of the series, the most famous of them all, and he is usually the first one that springs to mind whenever Pokémon is mentioned. But Nintendo didn't intend for that to be the case. They were ready to have a completely different creature as the official mascot - Clefairy.
At the last minute, the decision was reversed and Pikachu was installed as the mascot instead. This was mostly influenced by the fans, as they were more familiar with the electric mouse and the animé was very popular at the time (and still is).
But then again, Clefairy was going to be Ash's starter instead - if that had happened, perhaps Pokémon wouldn't be as culturally significant as it is. Maybe it was for the the best though, since Clefairy are notoriously shy.