It’s not a stretch to say that Pikachu is one of the most recognizable fictional characters of all time. The yellow mouse-like creature is easily the most famous of all the Pokemon and serves as a kind of mascot to the wide world of Pokemon. Despite that, there have been many who’ve wanted Pokemon to go a different direction and show a little love to some of their other fantastical creatures.

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If Nintendo ever decides it wants to prop up a new creature as the mascot for the franchise they won’t have to look all that hard. There are a wide variety of Pokemon that are practically chomping at the bit to become the new mascot. While Pikachu is beloved by many, there are also many who are vocal about wanting their favorite creatures to represent the franchise.

10 Buneary

Buneary in the desert

Since the Pokemon mascot is already a cute mouse-like creature, switching over to a small bunny wouldn’t be all that much of a change. Buneary is not only an incredibly cute Pokemon but also a fan favorite from the fourth generation.

It helps that Buneary was heavily featured in the Pokemon anime, which provided the adorable creature with even more fans outside of the games. It’s not exactly hard to merchandise such a cute Pokemon, and its already existing fanbase makes it a strong contender to lead the franchise.

9 Greninja

Greninja posing with one hand on the ground

While Greninja isn’t a cute Pokemon by any stretch, it is an incredibly cool one. The frog mixed with the qualities of a ninja is not only appealing to adult players of Pokemon but also the younger players as well. It certainly helps that Greninja has appeared so much outside of the core series as well.

Greninja has appeared in games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate where it sees plenty of use by top tier players, so its popularity across Nintendo titles would make it an easy choice if Pokemon was ever in need of a new, slightly more edgy, mascot character.

8 Clefairy

Three Clefairies looking adorable

It’s been said many times over the years that Clefairy was actually originally supposed to be the Pokemon mascot before Pikachu. It’s not hard to see why Clefairy was so heavily considered thanks to its similarly cute appearance.

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While it’s been said that Pikachu was originally decided as the mascot instead due to it being a bit more gender-neutral, the modern leaps society seems to have made in the past decades help to make the case for Clefairy finally getting its time in the spotlight.

7 Eevee

Eevee with Cutiefly.

Few Pokemon manage to rival the popularity of Pikachu the way that Eevee and its evolutions do. It’s almost unfair to compare the two considering fans of Eevee can carry on that love into one of its many unique evolutions if they prefer a specific typing.

Just how much attention Eevee seems to get in the mainstream can often make it seem like it’s only a matter of time before it becomes the new mascot. With celebrities getting Eevee tattoos, and Eevee even getting its own Pokemon title in the mainline games, there may be an Eevee uprising soon.

6 Snorlax/Munchlax

Pokemon Anime Snorlax eating berries

For as long as Snorlax has been in Pokemon, it’s had its own diehard fans. Things got even more hectic when they decided to give Snorlax a pre-evolution in the form of the adorable Munchlax. Either of these two or even both of them together could be a strong contender to be the new mascot.

The pair would be able to serve as a kind of connecting pair between those that grew up with the series and now have kids of their own. Seeing a little family of Snorlax could be the kind of thing that reminds people that Pokemon is for anyone of any age.

5 Lucario

Pokemon Journeys: Lucario Manipulating Aura

Another Pokemon that’s usually shouted out for being incredibly cool is Lucario. The Pokemon has been popular since its inception, something that is a bit rarer for Pokemon of the later generations. Despite coming in the fourth generation, Lucario has appeared plenty of times outside the main series.

Lucario has not only an entire Pokemon movie centered around it but also has a fantastic mega-evolution back in Pokemon X & Y, only expanding on the creature’s fanbase. It could even be argued that more could be done from a story standpoint with the fantastic fighting/steel-type.

4 Togepi

togepi dancing

Yet another adorable Pokemon that can rival the cuteness of Pikachu in many people’s eyes is the adorable little Togepi. While its popularity may have been strained due to its relatively bad stats across its appearances, the creature and its evolutions have since become quite powerful.

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If you grew up with the Pokemon anime, you will no doubt remember Misty’s iconic Togepi, which may give you some pause when viewing the creature as a franchise mascot. However, the adorable Pokemon has always had a dedicated fanbase and now that it’s part of the strong fairy-type it seems like the sky is the limit for Togepi.

3 Teddiursa

Teddiursa on a stage

Winnie The Pooh, amongst many other bear mascots, has shown that something as simple as a small bear can be incredibly popular. That fact makes Teddiursa a perfect candidate to be a Pokemon mascot. It starts out incredibly cute but becomes fearsome in a hurry.

While its normal-typing could hold it back, with all the unique changes made to Pokemon with each new generation, that may not be a problem sometime soon. There’s always time for a classic Pokemon to be given a new incredible form to launch it into stardom.

2 Elekid

Elekid in the pokemon anime

The electric-type Pokemon tend to not always be the cutest unless their designs are seemingly in reference to Pikachu, Elekid is one of the exceptions. While it evolves into some seriously wicked creatures, Elekid is a cute and reliable Pokemon.

Elekid would be a great choice for a new mascot if Pokemon decided that they preferred a more anthropomorphic creature. It may take away from the idea of fantastical creatures, but it could add to the concept of befriending all the creatures you meet on your long journey.

1 Mudkip

Pokemon mudkip in water

Who doesn’t love Mudkip? Even people who prefer other starters from the third generation have some level of admiration for Mudkip. The iconic starter rose to popularity for a variety of reasons and even had its own viral meme.

The adorable Pokemon is an easy candidate to be a mascot thanks to how cute it is, but also because it was heavily featured in the Pokemon anime at one point. Not to mention, Mudkip is one of the few Pokemon that you could legitimately solo a Pokemon game with.

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