Favorite Fictional Character --- Pikachu

The day before Thanksgiving is never one of my favorite days.  It's a busy day at work, then I have to run to the grocery store and grab the things I didn't remember to get earlier.  It's a crazy, frantic, draining day that I never look forward to.  Of course it's followed by Thanksgiving, which is just as busy and crazy, but for whatever reason, it doesn't seem to get on my nerves at all.  So right now, well tonight actually, I will be doing some basic prep work, but mostly, I will be trying to relax.  I will chill out with a book, ignore everyone who tries to talk to me, and set my alarm clock so I can get up early enough to start cooking and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It's tradition in my house, and one that seems to tone down all the craziness of the day.

Despite having a son, who never seemed to get into Pokemon all that much, I know very little about Pikachu, the species.  I don't know there habitat choices, their mating habits, or how to tell the difference between a male and a female.  I'm sure I can read all about it on Wikipedia, but to be honest, I really don't care.  So this post is about a particular Pikachu, well the Pikachu from the animated series.  It's not even a show I really ever watched that much, but when I did, it was Pikachu I fell in love with.  When I did catch the show, he was the only reason I didn't turn the station.

When the young Pokemon trainer, Ash Ketchum, begins his journey of animal enslavement, he is given a young Pikachu as his first charge.   Which by the way, I think it was pretty lazy of Ash to not give Pikachu a different name, but that's neither here nor there.  At first our young hero, and I'm talking about Pikachu here, refuses to do what Ash tells him to do.  Oftentimes, Pikachu, who is an electrical Pokemon, would shock Ash instead of listening to him.  He rebelled if put in his Poke Ball, and good for him on that one.  Pikachu begins to warm up to Ash when he realizes Ash isn't all that bad, and actually has the best intentions.  When Ash saves his life, Pikachu and Ash's bond starts to deepen, and it's not long before they are the best of friends.  But true to form, Pikachu still hates to be inside that stupid Poke Ball.

Now I know I'm not the only one who finds Pikachu adorable.  At the height of his popularity, Pikachu appeared to have taken over the world.  He was named Second Best Person of the Year by Time magazine.  He was the 15th greatest cartoon character of all time, as named by TV Guide, and he was everywhere.  Stuffed animals, sheet sets, toothbrushes, towels, cutlery.... you name it, he's on it.  He is the Japanese version of Mickey Mouse, and I never want him to go away.  When he says "Pika, pika", my heart melts, my knees get weak, and my breathe catches just a bit.  He is cuteness personified, and I hope he stays that way.