I found this homemade Pokémon card on our street this weekend, near the Kennedy School. This may be one of my favorite finds yet. It’s not uncommon to see discarded homework along our street, but I don’t pick it up unless it looks like it might be a juicy note passed in class or something.
Ezra gave me the fierce idea to make a knitting-related card of my own, so here it is. I’m not sure what sort of class Katu-Pitu’s supposed to be — I was too lazy to look them up last night, so I improvised one. Maybe it’s “Roving.”
Somehow I’ve never managed to lay my peepers on an actual Pokémon card before, so this is probably all kinds of inauthentic. I also can’t seem to find out whether Snorachu is an actual Pokémon character or one made up by the artist.
Ezra says:
March 15th, 2006 at 2:16 pm ESTVisit Ezra
God, I so want Snorachu to be made up by the artist.
It reminds me of the aporcyphal members of the Hall of Justice I used to make up and draw when I was a kid. I feel bad for them in retrospect, because they never had many adventures before I got bored with them and started inventing new ones. I wish I could remember some examples. I think there was “Light Man” whose biolumenescense was so intense that evildoers would be temporarily blinded and stagger helplessly into jail.
But my real creative efforts were devoted to my own alter egos. Duckman was the most frequent. There was also the visitor from another planet, Ez from Pez.
Ezra says:
March 15th, 2006 at 2:17 pm ESTVisit Ezra
Oh, but what I really came here to say was that Katu-Pitu is totally awesome!
Editrix says:
March 15th, 2006 at 3:17 pm ESTVisit Editrix
Thanks! I realized after the fact that your original suggestion didn’t have a hyphen. Hope you’re not fuming.
Your superheroes are great! If you’ve never heard it before, I highly recommend this weekend’s rebroadcast of the “Superpowers” episode of “This American Life” (3:00 p.m. on WBUR), which includes an interview with Chris Ware on his own childhood invented superhero (complete with costume), a great discussion of flight versus invisibility and what a preference for one over the other says about you, and an interview about some of the poorest concepts for supreheroes evah with the guy who manages Gone & Forgotten.
Ezra says:
March 15th, 2006 at 4:29 pm ESTVisit Ezra
I’m not fuming over Katu-Pitu. In fact, he’s yesterday’s news. Today, I’m on to CableMon.
I have heard that TAL, and it is fantastic.
Paula says:
March 16th, 2006 at 1:25 pm ESTVisit Paula
I like Katu-Pitu. He’s fierce, in a yarny sort of way.
Editrix says:
March 16th, 2006 at 1:42 pm ESTVisit Editrix
Kind of like Tyra Banks!
LLA says:
March 16th, 2006 at 8:55 pm ESTVisit LLA
OK - kill me for knowing this but….
“Snorachu” is an existing madeup Pokemon - I know that makes little sense. He’s a cross between two existing characters: Snorlax and Picachu. There’s this little Pokemon subculture out there, that creates new Pokemon by combining existing ones. Snorachu is an existing cross (although I think that the creator of your found card probably did create this one on his own - they’re two of the more popular characters with the little guys)
Did I already say “kill me for knowing this”????
What can I say - I hang with far too many 7 year olds….
Editrix says:
March 16th, 2006 at 10:53 pm ESTVisit Editrix
LLA, that’s what I call important domain knowledge! I get such a kick out of the idea of kids drawing their own Poké mashups, it’s not even funny.
LLA says:
March 17th, 2006 at 6:07 pm ESTVisit LLA
“Important Domain Knowledge” - I *love* the sound of that.
It sounds ever so much better than my term for it:
“All that bizarro trivial crap that takes up space in my brain - Space which would serve me much better if it were used for remembering where I put my carkeys/backpack/sunglasses/ad infinitum…..”