Pokemon is a popular video game, card game, and anime series. And Pokemons are the collectible creatures that inhabit all three. There are hundreds and hundreds of Pokemon creatures now, but at one time there were exactly… none.

So who created Pokemons and why would they never have existed without insects?

How Pokemon Started

Satoshi Tajiri is the Japanese video game designer who created Pokemon and came up with the idea for Pokemon creatures.

As a child, he enjoyed collecting insects, which was and is a popular hobby in Japan. But while others collected only casually, Satoshi loved the hobby and earned the nickname “Mr. Bug” among his friends. Satoshi enjoyed insects so much that he even dreamed of becoming an entomologist – a scientist that studies insects for a living.

But Satoshi ended up following another dream instead, designing computer games.

One day early in his career, while thinking about how handheld games are played, Satoshi came up with an idea inspired by his childhood love for collecting insects: A game of insect-like creatures that could be collected by players and do battle.

And so the game of Pokemon was born.

You Can Collect Insects, Too!

You don’t have to be a future game creator to enjoy collecting insects! It’s an easy hobby to begin, and one that people enjoy all over the world.

To start, you’ll want to decide if you want to collect insects as pets or collect them as specimens.

Collecting Awesome Insect Pets

If you decide to collect insects for living pets, it can be as easy as a trip to the backyard with a Tupperware container or jar.

Beetles are a good way to begin because they’re easy to find and easy to catch. Caterpillars make good pets, too. They’re plentiful and exciting to watch as they progress through life cycles and mature. And while you wouldn’t ever want to collect house cockroaches for pets, Madagascar hissing cockroaches are easy to take care of and fun to watch and hold. They also live much longer than other insects you may find, which may only live a few days or weeks.

Collecting Fascinating Insect Specimens

If you want to collect insects that can be kept and studied for many years, you’ll need insect specimens – insects that have been killed and preserved. You can humanely do this yourself, or you can purchase specimens that have been preserved for you.

Beside learning scientifically about insects in this way, you can also discover and own insects of great beauty, either by trading them with fellow collectors or buying them through insect specimen suppliers.

Ready to try insect collecting for a fun and fascinating hobby? Become a “Mr. Bug” yourself, and let the games begin!

Sources: To see how beautiful and cool insect specimens can be, visit The Bugmaniac based in France.

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