Blast from the Past - Pokemon devs reveal Pikachu's squirrel inspiration

How well do you know your Pokemon trivia? While may believe Pikachu to be close to a mouse in terms of visuals, according to an interview all the way back in 1996, Pikachu's design was inspired by a squirrel.

Game Freak Inc. illustrator Atsuko Nishida was told to design a “cute monster” that was an “electric type” which used electric attacks and had two stages of evolution. Nishida said she initially created a character that resembled a “vertically long daifuku rice confection with ears.” Her initial design was turned down, with the team saying it needed to be cuter. She went back to the drawing board and based her new design based on a squirrel, an animal she wanted as a pet at the time.

The rest, as they say, is history! Still wondering why so many people refer to Pikachu as a mouse? Turns out that comes from Game Freak President Satoshi Tajiri, who called it a mouse.