Despite serving more than 20 years, Pokémon is a franchise that never ceases to surprise us. And we don't talk about the new creatures of the eighth generation, but about the stories behind the design of the most classic Pokémon. Many young players now discover that Exeggutor is inspired by a mythological tree whose fruits had human faces. There are really disturbing stories in Pokémon, but others very curious as Meowth's origin or why he carries a coin in his forehead.
It is actually a Koban, an oval Japanese gold coin highly appreciated in foreign trade of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. There is even a Japanese proverb called neko ni koban that literally means «Give the cat a koban», equivalent to the expression "give daisies to pigs" as useless. Therefore, Meowth's design is inspired by this proverb, it also has a special attack called the proverb in the original language and Pay Day in Spanish, referring to the day the farmers paid their taxes with rice. The Koban had the value of 3 koku of rice, being a koku the amount of rice needed for one person in a year.
Meowth Origins:
According to Pokemon series creator Satoshi Tajiri, Meowth is based on a Japanese proverb about a cat who doesn't realize there's a coin on his head, and can't appreciate the value it holds. This proverb is akin to the English expression "pearls before swine." pic.twitter.com/BM09pkTph1
– Dr. Lava's Lost Pokemon (@DrLavaYT) December 26, 2019
Did you know this story? This just shows that Pokémon has a explanation for the design of many pocket monsters. In fact, recently Team Rocket used this Meowth coin to use its powerful new gadget to surprise all viewers.
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