Pokemon VS.Pocket monster
 

I have a question about the word "pocket monster".
I heard that Nintendo changed the original title "pocket monster" into "Pokemon" because "pocket monster" is a slang for penis.

Unless you work at Nintendo,you don't know the truth.
I want to know that "pocket monster" is really a slang for penis.If so,how frequently is it used?Do you have used it ?Do you have heard someone using the word when refer to penis?
I hope answers from English native speakers.
Thanks in advance.

I'm a native English speaker and I'm quite familiar with various slang terms but I can't say I've ever heard the term "Pocket Monster" in a sexual sense :O But I'm only 19 so maybe some of the older folks have heard of it. This is just from my experience.

Think I might start referring to it as "a pocket monster" haha I thought they called it pokemon to make it easier for japanese people to say but who knows

It is very common for katakana words in Japanese to be shortened this way.

For example, Personal Computer is パソコン (Pasocon)

Word Processor is ワープロ　(Waapuro)

Pocket Monster is broken down the same way in Pokemon.

ポケットモンスター is the official name for Pokemon, so the name was not "changed" but just put in an easier to say format, just like "Digimon" is short for Digital Monsters (デジタルモンスター).

@StonerPenguin
Thanks.Your answer is exactly what I wanted.According to the wiki article related to this matter,this slang is known mainly in the American South.Maybe where you live .The older folks are important for Nintendo.Imagine,their children or grandchildren say, " I want pocket monster for Christmas. " when the older folks think pocket monster means P.

@CoolNard
haha.That's the point.:)
"I love pocket monster.I want more and more" from girls surprise their parents and teachers.From boys...another surprise.

@BakaTensei
@MMM
Thanks for your reply.I'm Japanese and of course I know shortened form.

Sorry,I was not clear enough.In Japan ポケットモンスター has been the official name for Pokemon until now,though Nintendo uses ポケモン too.But　Nintendo has not used "Pocket monster" in the English-speaking countries.
Why?Some people put the reason to the fact that "pocket monster" is a slang for P.

related article.
毎日新聞問題の情報集積wiki - ポケモンの意味は勃起した男性器だった！！

As I said above,I don't think you guys know the truth.Here,I just want to know the major premises is correct or not ."Pocket monster" is a slang for penis?

The older folks are important for Nintendo.Imagine,their children or grandchildren say, " I want pocket monster for Christmas. " when the older folks think pocket monster. These all things are great t o know about it.

No, it's not slang for penis. I've certainly never heard anyone use it, including the older generation.

This is probably just a silly rumour.

They probably just used 'Pokemon' in English because it's more catchy, easy to remember and good for branding.

Thank you for your reply.As you say,Pocket monster is not that slang in England.
I believe you.
But,if you hear that they use the slang in the US south, can you say" absolutely lie!"?
No one knows all slang because English is spoken widely.So Nintendo might avoid the suspicious word.Monster itself is not a good word for children's toy too.

I hope more replies from all over the world.Please tell where you live and answer it.

Btw,do they know that POKEMON is a shortened form of pocket monster in the English-speaking countries ?
In japan,100% children and their parents know that.

But it has, and always has been called "Pokemon" in Japan, even before it jumped the borders.

Did you read my answer above? POKEMON is what it is called in Japan. It makes MORE sense for them to call it Pocket Monster OUTSIDE of Japan that it is to call it the nonsensical POKEMON. Yes, people know Pokemon is "pocket monster".

I live in the Pacific NW, and people use the term "pocket monster" to refer to Pokemon...nothing sexual.

And there are plenty of children's goods that use the word "monster".

Monster, Inc., Monster Trucks, even the Sesame Street muppets like Elmo are called "monsters".

i remember hearing this when i got older. also my big cousins were making fun of the slang when i was little too and i thought that when they said penis they ment pencil. *sigh* your so innocent when your little

I read and it is nothing new for me.Please check the title of games,anime,movies.NINTENDO USE "POCKET MONSTER" FROM FIRST IN JAPAN.
It doesn't mean they don't use POKEMON at all now.
FIRST

Can you read "モンスターをとりかえっこ"?
If today, they would use ポケモン.

LATEST


If you know the US ver. merchandise which is named pocket monster,please tell me.

thank you.You are the person I want.Where did you and big cousins live at that time?The American South？And when?

Tsurezure, you seem determined to prove yourself correct without considering the opinions of those that don't agree with you.


Here is a likely answer, according to the writers of "Pokemonstory"

略称及び漢字圏以外での呼称は「ポケモン (Pokémon) 」。モンスターボールに入るとポケットに入るから、ポ ケモンという愛称が付けられている

What are you talking about?
"As I said above,I don't think you guys know the truth.HereI just want to know the major premises is correct or not ."Pocket monster" is a slang for penis?"

"@StonerPenguin
Thanks.Your answer is exactly what I wanted."
StonePenguin had answered "I can't say I've ever heard the term "Pocket Monster" in a sexual sense "
He denied the existence of　the slang from his experience.

In this thread, I don't want OPINIONS and speculation about Nintendo naming plan.
I'm just asking"Pocket monster" is a slang for penis?"
StonerPenguin answered no in bible belt.Misamisa answered no in England.tohruchan7　answered his/her big cousin used.MMM answered no in the Pacific NW.
Thank you everyone.Your answers are exactly what I wanted.

Strictly speaking, this is a little off topic.
Ok,I tell you my opinion "I don't know and You don't know.Only Nintendo knows ,but they don't tell."

When Nintendo actually don't use because it is a slang,do you think the writers of "Pokemonstory" would say"略称及び漢字圏以外での呼称は「ポケモン (Pokémon) 」。モンスターボールに入るとポケットに入るから、ポ ケモンという愛称が付けられている。また、英語圏の一 部ではpocket　monster　はペニスを意味するスラングであ� �ため、pocket monsterという正式名称は英語圏では用いられていない。� �?

I do not think that the word is well known slang, and I have never heard it used to refer to a penis... HOWEVER, there is virtually no doubt whatsoever that someone (countless people with a schoolyard sense of humor, no doubt) would find it either hilarious or offensive because it COULD be interpreted that way. "Pocket" something or other is very common in slang for penis, as is "monster". I have heard "Monster in my pocket" used to carry that meaning. Putting the two together is about as close as you can get to slang without actually being slang.

But I highly doubt this had a huge bearing on why it was not called Pocket Monster outside Japan. It is a lot more likely that it was merely a marketing and localisation decision. While "Pocket Monster" sounds "cool" in Japanese, it sounds a bit stiff in English. Especially when there is no strong culture of shortening names as there is in Japanese.

Pocket Monster is the original official name in Japan. This was shortened by children as it gained popularity, just as countless other words are shortened. MMM gave some good examples.

Pokemon is now close to officially called Pokemon instead of Pocket Monster - the company producing it is no longer directly Nintendo, but a split off individual company called "Pokemon". The Pocket Monster name hangs around mostly as a token of the past. This is to do with familiarity, and has little or nothing to do with the name given outside Japan.

I'm not too old, but I remember when it came out in America. I had Nintendo Power back then and there was an article about how big it was in Japan. It talked about "Pocket Monster", which was known as "pokemon". My friend who lived down the street had some kind of promotinoal VHS tape from Nintendo before it came to America and was all excited about it. He called me over to check it out... I don't think I really remembered the article I had read before by then though. It talked about "Pokemon" and how it was going to be huge. I remember thinking that it wasn't going to be very big, but I'd get it so I could play it with my friend. (it's funny to think of how wrong I was!) I think that was the summer... I don't quite remember.

I remember going back to school and after a while EVERYBODY had the game. It was so huge it was crazy. I had it too, of course. We were all young, so of course we thought of THAT when we heard the game's title meant "poket monster" in Japanese. Only the dorky kids knew that much about it anyways, so everyone else would laugh when they heard people saying "poket monster" or pronouncing pokemon the Japanese way instead of (pokey-man).

So to answer your question, I don't recall ever hearing the phrase "pocket monster" before then though. I do recall thinking exactly what we're talking about when I first heard the phrase though.

umm i was like eight or ten. and it was in southern california and i think my cousins were like in high school at that time so they spoke a totally different language then what a ten year old would know

I thought it was because Nintendo thought the name would clash with Monster in My Pocket so they changed it to the Japanese abbreviation?

Japan has a long history of changing the names of things before they release them in the west, look at a list of Street Fighter characters for example.

They think that we won't think its cool if something has a Japanese name, yet in reality, we like things better in their origional form.