Pokemon originally planned to have the pink, fairy-like creature Clefairy as its primary franchise mascot instead of the universally beloved electric rodent Pikachu.

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Pokemon originally planned to have the pink, fairy-like creature Clefairy as its primary franchise mascot instead of the universally beloved electric rodent Pikachu. The creators initially thought Clefairy was far more engaging, but the marketing team aggressively stepped in, arguing that a yellow mouse would be much easier for young children to recognize from a distance and would appeal to both boys and girls. That single, cold corporate calculation altered the course of pop culture forever. If they had stuck with their original plan, Ryan Reynolds would have voiced a chubby pink puffball instead of a fuzzy yellow detective, fundamentally changing the childhoods of millions of people who have blindly handed over their life savings to the Pokemon Company