The followers of the Pokémon TikTok briefly saw a surprising video, as an expletive-filled TikTok was uploaded and swiftly taken down. The Pokémon video games are careful when it comes to allowing rude words in their games, with text filters preventing obscene language from being used as nicknames for Pokémon, lest your opponent sees it during an online match.
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It seems that the Pokémon TikTok account isn’t quite as careful at keeping rude words away from kids’ ears as the video games. According to Nintendo Life, a video featuring a person in a Pikachu mascot costume dancing around a person in a Lucario costume was uploaded to the Pokémon TikTok channel. The visual content on its own is wholesome enough, but the audio is filled with swear words. The TikTok has since been taken down, but a Not Safe For Work re-upload can be seen on the Josh Withey Twitter page.
It’s amusing to see a video with so much swearing slip through the cracks, especially as The Pokémon Company is so strict regarding censorship within the franchise. Pokémon Go once censored Ho-Oh’s name for being offensive, but the social media channels aren’t quite as well-guarded. This unflattering rendition of “If You’re Happy and You Know It (Clap Your Hands)” is just the latest example of something The Pokémon Company would prefer the internet never got its hand on.
The Pokémon franchise has had funny moments like this in the past, such as when Pokémon Masters Ex trended on Twitter as one word and created a rude name, but it’s unclear if this obscene TikTok was the result of an accident, or whether it was deliberate sabotage by an unruly employee. Either way, it’s going to be hard to look at a Pikachu mascot costume without thinking of obscene nursery rhymes.
Published: Jan 13, 2023 02:25 pm