Pokemon

These unique monsters have become pop-culture icons, much to the delight of Nintendo. The name Pokemon means “pocket monsters”. These cute monsters have invaded not just the video games but they have been merchandised into toys, manga, trading cards and anime.

The most popular Pokemon is Pikachu, number 25 in the pokedex. The popularity of these pocket monsters prompted Nintendo to form The Pokemon Company, a subsidiary company which handles everything from advertising, publishing, licensing matters, to running the strategically located.

Pokemon Centers, the official Pokemon stores. In the US, Pokemon USA is the official distributor of the popular anime series.

So famous were the pocket monsters that Japan's All Nippon Airways spent at least a million dollars decorating three Boeing 747s with Pokemon monsters, and replacing their towels and beverage holders with items with Pikachu's face on them.