One of the most controversial parts of the Pokémon fandom is the split in interest for baby pokémon. These titled baby pokémon are pre-evolutions of currently existing creatures and the concept was originally introduced in the second generation of games that took place in the Johto region.
They're meant to be a cute and cuddly version of pokémon that add more depth to the world and provide evolutionary stages for those who don't have any. Let's look at 10 baby pokémon that need to exist whether for lore or plush merchandising reasons.
10 Tauros
Cattle are often solely seen as labor animals and bulls are used for entertainment, but rarely do people discuss how cute baby calves are. Since cows are pretty smart creatures, their children often behave a lot as kittens or puppies would.
They're full of energy and just want to have fun. Since Tauros is a normal-type pokémon with no evolution forwards or backward, he rarely makes the cut of any trainer's team of six. Give it a pre-evolution calf that can win the hearts of every trainer imaginable.
9 Skarmory
When Skarmory was first introduced, players assumed that it was simply a steel-type version of Spearow and Fearow from the Kanto region. Players then learned that it was a single pokémon and wasn't a traditional line of birds that usually make up the earlier part of a new region's pokédex.
This fan-made concept takes the angular and sharp steel wings of Skarmory and turns them into smaller design accents for the baby version. Fans often complain that there are too many bird-type pokémon, but who's going to complain at a baby version of Skarmory?
8 Zangoose
Zangoose has always looked less like a pokémon and more like the mascot in a commercial for a product in the mid-90s. Though it has a mostly white design, the bright red lightning bolt down its chest gives the pokémon a distinct look.
With pokémon based on mammals, it always seems to make sense that they have a kitten or puppy-like form that turns into a more intimidating or mature version. Zangoose could use that and it could bring more attention to Ekans, Arbok, and Seviper's worst enemy.
7 Smeargle
People love art, and people love dogs. When the Pokémon Company created Smeargle, some of them must have assumed that it could be the next beloved creature. It's a combination of two things people become attached to, but sadly Smeargle was quickly forgotten about and never thought of again.
Having a creature based on dogs gives it an immediate green light when brainstorming baby versions of it as you can start at the base of a puppy which is never a bad place to start.
6 Pinsir
Pinsir might have the award for the coolest pokémon that no one ever uses. Its design is very basic and boring in many ways and outside of completing the pokédex, you'll rarely ever see this guy in a battle. Often it's better to be known and despised than to simply be forgotten about or overlooked.
A big complaint leveraged at baby pokémon is that they're created just to sell more merchandise. With a baby Pinsir, the company can break the mold and create a hideous baby bug that turns into whatever you'd label Pinsir as.
5 Seviper
Now, the first thought of anyone reading this entry will likely revolve around the point that creating another evolution for Seviper would make it an even more obvious clone of Ekans and Arbok from the Kanto region. Though there's a case to be made for this argument, that doesn't mean making a baby version of Seviper would make it any less interesting.
Since Ekans and Arbok already exist many people forget Seviper exists, but that wouldn't happen if he was connected to the cutest snake pokémon in existence.
4 Mawile
Mawile is what you get when you combine the pokémon Hariyama with a venus fly trap. The base version of Mawile looks like a cute creature that can lure in unsuspecting prey, but its Mega Evolution form is arguably the most terrifying pokémon in existence.
A baby version of Mawile can tame down the creature behind its head and emphasized the yellow-bodied pokémon that makes up the majority of the design. It can also sport a bowl-like haircut that makes it even cuter.
3 Aerodactyl
Dinosaurs are outright cool to many people, and the fossil pokémon from the Kanto region was the talk of the town in the late '90s. Kids on the playground would talk for hours about the theories surrounding them and whether or not they'd ever get additional evolutions. Aerodactyl was one of the more ferocious-looking ones as it resembled a dragon and had giant powerful wings.
By making a baby version of it you could land on a design that's similar to the adorable child pterodactyl from The Land Before Time films.
2 Tentacool
Sea creatures have a hard time being thought of as cute in the real world, but in the land of Pokémon, it's a lot easier to do. Tentacool and Tentacruel both have very cool designs that are meant to signify them as more dangerous than they are for protection sake.
A baby version that's primarily the bulbous head with small little tentacles could play on everyone's love of the sea creatures from Finding Nemo. There's a cute little pink octopus that's friends with Nemo, which means there's hope for a baby Tentacool working.
1 Lapras
Lapras is one of the more beloved pokémon from the Kanto region and it's a shame it hasn't received any other form whether that be post or pre-evolution. It already reads as a very old and mature creature, so making a baby version of it would make the most sense.
Since its largest design inspiration is that of the Loch Ness monster, the baby form should take on roughly the same shape. A baby version of Lapras would not only be a hit with fans, but it would also likely become a top-selling plushie in no time flat.