Summary
The firstPokemongames to be released in the West werePokemon Red and Bluein 1997. These games were a smash hit and quickly gathered a large and passionate fanbase. People wanted to know more about the franchise, but there was little else the series could provide until the sequels were released.
Because the internet wasn’t as prevalent at the time, most people heard about the games through word of mouth on the school playground. As such, not all the information fans learned about the games was true. It seems that almost everyone heard the samerumors about Gen 1; some were quite funny, while others had an element of truth to them.
Updated July 17, 2025, by Blaise Santi:The Pokemon series has come a long way since the release of Pokemon Red and Blue back in 1996. Today, the franchise is nearing its 30-year anniversary, which means that many fans will soon be feeling quite nostalgic about the series' early days, a time before the internet allowed for immediate access to all manner of information. Back then, playground rumors and online hoaxes were rampant, and this resulted in many walking away with misinformed knowledge of the original Pokemon generation. With so many rumors having existed, this article has been updated to feature even more. These additional rumors for the Gen 1 era weren’t just widely believed at the time, but some are still even up for debate depending on who fans ask.
10The Curse Of Missingno
An Infamous Glitch That Brought Disaster
Even casualPokemonfans know about Missingno, the glitch Pokemon that can be encountered inPokemon Red & Blueunder certain conditions. The encounter certainly seemed legit, which prompted a statement from Game Freak to assert thatthe Pokemon is simply a programming quirkand may have adverse effects on a player’s game.
However, one of the consequences widely reported about Missingno was that it was able to delete save files, which isn’t true. What Missingnocando, however, is create more graphical glitches, duplicate certain items, and corrupt the Hall of Fame data in a player’s save.
9Dragonite’s Evolution
A Prank That Was Taken Too Seriously
ThisPokemon Red & Bluerumor can be attributed to an April Fool’s issue ofExpert Gamermagazine, which alleged that Dragonite could evolve into theMariocharacter Yoshi. Fans likely wouldn’t have believed this prank if there wasn’t a photo in the magazine showcasing how said evolution could be achieved, which fooled a lot of young gamers at the time.
According to the hoax, two players, each withPokemon RedandPokemon Blue, would have to complete both versions and collect all 150 Pokemon. Then, one player would trade the other a Dratini. That player would then evolve the Pokemon into a Dragonite and trade it back. Then, the Dragonite could be evolved with a Fire Stone in Mewtwo’s cave, which would allow players to get Yoshi.
8Lavender Town’s Song
A Chilling Creepypasta Legend
Lavender Town is already a creepy location in the Kanto region, mostly thanks to its eerie theme music. This music actually resulted in an urban legend that many believed, where it was alleged that the music drove hundreds of Japanese children to suicide in the ’90s. The story grew in popularity as a creepypasta that was believed by many on the Internet.
While the music didn’t actually have any horrifying effects on children who played the Gen 1 games, it was changed in later games to be happier and less eerie. The Pokemon Tower was also replaced in future generations with the Kanto Radio Tower, but even without the creepypasta lore, Lavender Town is still creepy just forimplying that Pokemon can die.
7Orange Islands
This Location Was An Anime Exclusive
The Orange Islands were a location thatAsh, Misty, and new companion Traceyjourney to in thePokemonanime. Its origin came from the anime needing a filler arc while Game Freak developed the next generation of games, introducing alternate Pokemon designs well beforePokemon Sun & Moonwould incorporate regional forms.
However, some fans were led to believe that the Orange Islands were actually present in the original games. The rumor was that, if the in-game clock was maxed out, players could ride the S.S. Anne to the Orange Islands and explore a whole new region. Other rumors indicated that the Orange Islands could be accessed by beating the Pokemon League 100 times.
6PokeGods
Evolutions Don’t Stop At Stage Three
While many Gen 1 rumors didn’t pan out to be true, this one eventually inspired the franchise’s future. PokeGods were rumored to be invincible versions of existing Pokemon. Slowking, Marill, and Togepi were all assumed to be these PokeGods, though they ended up just being early Gen 2 designs that were leaked.
As for the evolutions of existing ‘mons, many fully-evolved Gen 1 Pokemon had fake PokeGod designs, including the starter trio, Raichu, and Gengar. Some fans believed there was a secret item called the Mist Stone that could evolve any Pokemon. While it didn’t turn out to be true, Mega Evolution explored the idea of final-stage Pokemon growing stronger.
5Mewthree
Everyone Was Obsessed With Mewtwo’s Supposed Evolution
One of the most notable PokeGods was Mewthree, an upgraded version of Mewtwo. In fairness, there was a lot of mystery surrounding Mew and Mewtwo when the firstPokemongames were released.Mewtwo was a strange legendary, and only one of them could be found after completing the game.
Some of the prevailing theories on how to get Mewthree involve beating the Elite Four a certain number of times or leveling up the legendary Pokemon to level 100. Of course, there was never another version of Mewtwo, but new rumors did return in the lead-up toPokemon X and Ywhen Mega Mewtwo X & Y were first teased.
4Tricks To Catch Pokemon
Fans Would Try Anything To Get All 151
The catch mechanics in the firstPokemongame were fairly straightforward, and this method is still used in the series today.To catch a wild Pokemon, the player first has to lower its health bar and then throw a Pokeball. However, the different catch rates of various Pokemon made some players think there was a secret way to prevent them from escaping.
As a result, a rumor spread. It suggested that holding down the B button on the Game Boy after throwing a Pokeball would increase the odds of catching a Pokemon. Though this would have been an interesting feature, this particular method did not actually work.
3Evolving Raichu
Pikachu Was Rumored To Be A Three-Stage Line
ThePokemondevelopers only have themselves to blame for the rumor aboutan evolved form of Raichumaking the rounds. For starters, there is a scientist on Cinnabar Island in the original games who wants to trade his Electrode for a Raichu, but when players talk to him after the trade, he will happily exclaim that his Raichu has just evolved.
ThePokemondevelopers eventually released a series of beta designs for the original games, one of which was a Pokemon that looked like it could be Raichu’s evolution. This beta Pokemon has been dubbed Gorochu and has appeared in some fan art and games. Raichu never ended up with an evo, but Alolan Raichu offers a new take on its design.
2Battling Professor Oak
Professor Oak Was Rumored To Be The Champion Of Kanto
Professor Oak is one of the first people the player encounters in thePokemonfranchise. As a famous professor who knows everything about Pokemon, many players expected him to be a pretty good trainer, too. This began the various rumors that the professor was going to be the final battle in the game and thathe was a very powerful champion.
Although this is untrue, there is a specific glitch in the games that allows players to battle Oak by using some careful steps involving teleporting with an Abra and breaking through the game’s barriers. His team consists of an Exeggutor, Gyarados, Tauros, Arcanine, and the fully evolved form of whichever starter was not picked by the player or the rival.
1Mew Under The Truck
No One Knew How To Get Mew
There were plenty of rumors surrounding Mew at the time of Generation 1’s release. The fact that one of the developers had slipped a secret Pokemon in the games was widespread knowledge, but no one knewhow to get this strange Mew. However, one of the most popular theories involved the Pokemon hiding under a truck.
To the side of the SS Anne, there is a small section of land with only a truck on it. Most players noticed this random truck but could not work out what it was for. The rumor stated that players would need to surf over to the island and use Strength on the truck to reveal Mew underneath. This wasn’t true, but it didn’t stop hundreds of fans from trying it.
