Three Classic Pokemon That Did Their Own Thing

Back when I was a wee child playing/watching Pokemon I tended to gravitate toward the critters I found "cool". This means that I was all about Pokemon like Charizard, Gyarados, and Mewtwo. You know, the Kanto region's resident badasses. But, whilst rewatching some old episodes of Pokemon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, I began to acquire an appreciation for a different kind of creature. You see, while I still have a love for the cool kids, as an adult I've really begun to appreciate the weirdos of the Pokemon kingdom. I'm talking about the "one of these things is not like the other" types of Pokemon, the monsters that make you wonder what the good folks at Nintendo were smoking. In the tradition of my other "top three" lists on Zombie Baby Nursery I have decided to countdown my three favorite lovable Pokemon oddballs. What they lack in cuteness and coolness they make up for in sheer eccentricity. NOTE: I have only included Pokemon from the original 151, since that group is both the one I am most familiar with, as well as the one I have the most fondness for.

1. Lickitung. Okay, here we've got a short pink creature whose enormous tongue is twice the size of its body. With one lick it can "can paralyze foes and leave a tingling sensation". Absolutely terrifying. The fact that this creature ever got past the concept design sessions and into the TV show (and video games) is a bit of a shocker. A creature with a six foot tongue not only lends itself to some rather obvious sex jokes, it also looks pretty damn weird. That said, there's something kind of endearing about Lickitung. It's round body and stubby limbs make it rather cute. There's also something appealing about the soft, bubblegum pink color of Lickitung. It's disturbing and cute all in one Poke-package. Also, is it just me or does Lickitung bear a striking resemblance to Quina from Final Fantasy IX?

2. Jynx/Mr. Mime. The concept of Pokemon works because the creatures that you capture, raise, and force to fight are just that, creatures. Jynx and Mr. Mime are terrifying because they blur the line between human and Pokemon. They are definitely not people in the way that Ash, Misty, and Brock are (this is made clear by the fact that they can only say their names, in typical Pokemon fashion). And yet, they look human. So what's their deal? If only I knew.

3. Drowzee. Drowzee weirds me out partly for the same reasons that Jynx and Mr. Mime do: it just looks a little too humanoid for comfort. What's really freaky about Drowzee, though, is that while it is a bit like a human (in its body posture and its biped nature), it has distinctly animal qualities. Of course, one of its most animalistic characteristics is its small trunk. The weird mix of animal and human qualities make Drowzee a Pokemon that is too eccentric, and thus awesome, for words.