15 Minutes of Fame

The popular artist Andy Warhol (with some help from Nat Finklestein) coined the expression and concept of "15 minutes of fame" by which everyone can become famous - even for a few moments - free of social order. I would think the same also goes for the 800+ species of Pokémon, where any Pokémon may be able to obtain the same glory. The only thing is that this glory may be obtained in different ways, considering the breadth of Pokémon. This becomes something that is worthy of some consideration.

By way of VGC and its annually changing format, it seems many Pokémon can obtain their "minutes of fame" this way. A recently demonstrated example is the rise of Incineroar after its hidden ability was made available. Other Pokémon have similarly gained (lasting) fame, like Landorus, though as per the concept, it may also be temporary, while some have never gained fame at all through this area. Granted, some Pokémon just never do well here, and that's understandable given their particularities; even I would not realistically use those Pokémon. This is still an area of distinct fame for some Pokémon.

Even if they don't achieve fame in the main series or VGC gameplay, at least they may achieve fame in other games. Lugia recently had a phenomenal run as a raid boss in Go, which in a way was assisted by its possible existence as a Shiny form; it's no surprise, then, that its surprise rapid reappearance recently - probably by mistake - was something to wonder about. Meanwhile in Shuffle, Pokémon in Special Stages seem to have their own fame element, though these are quickly lost as they are (re)gained. These are clearly different forms of fame, but still fame nonetheless, and their "minutes".

Outside of the games, Pokémon just have their own different claims to fame. Pikachu perhaps exemplifies this the most as the de facto series mascot and by belonging to different Trainers, as does Wobbuffet and Meowth in the anime by their association with Team Rocket. Some people may even become affectionately attached to certain Pokémon and choose to display it. For them, these are their "minutes", whether specific to certain people or widespread to many people.

Since Pokémon is so big, different species don't have to be famous everywhere, and they may just be able to find their "15 minutes of fame" in different places. Sure, there's a certain order in how certain Pokémon things go, but beyond that order, there is a sense that fame awaits regardless. Andy Warhol was perhaps right about this, even if Pokémon is beyond his time; to that end, I and other Pokémon fans might have to see (and keep seeing) which species will get their own "15 minutes" next.

One year ago: Adventuresome Pikachu