Poke'mon and their Inspiration

Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of Pokemon, was an entomologist at heart. When Satoshi was young, he spent his time outside collecting, studying, and learning about insects. He enjoyed them so much that he wanted to share his joy with others. He created Pokemon as an inspired way to bring this joy he felt to millions of children. Pokemon is educational! Many Pokemon are inspired by real life insects and many of their "moves" are true behaviors of the insects they mimic. Join me as we look at these Pokemon families and learn about the insects they were inspired by!

Each class will start with a summary of the Pokemon we will be discussing. I will be pulling references from the show and the Pokedex entries for a variety of games. Then, I will introduce the real life insect that was inspired by this Pokemon. Students will be able to compare and contrast their appearance, life cycle, and behavior. You may learn something new about Pokemon. I guarantee learners will be excited about the real insects that inspired these incredible creatures. 

Class Topics

Day 1: Caterpie / Metapod / Butterfree

Day 2: Weedle / Kakuna / Beedrill

Day 3: Pinsir

Day 4: Wurmple Family

Day 5: Burmy Family

Day 6: Scyther

Day 7: Spinarak

Day 8: Combee & Vespiquen

Day 9: Heracross

Day 10: Kricketot & Kricketune

Day 11: Nincada Family

Day 12: Paras & Parasect

Day 13: Yanma & Yanmega

Day 14: Joltik & Ariados