Moviewas released in Japan to ecstatic reception and
then in the United States in 1999. Game publisher
Wizards of the Coast also released the first edition of
the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Several collec-
tions of manga based on both the anime and the
trading card game were also released in the late
1990’s. In 1999, Pokémon sound tracks were re-
leased on compact disc. Several films and sound
tracks followed.
Controversy erupted over Pokémon and the pop-
ularity the game and series enjoyed. The “evolution”
that Pokémon experience in the game was said to
run counter to Judeo-Christian creationism; in addi-
tion, many believed that Pokémon contained occult
themes and promoted violence, especially toward
animals. The claim that Pokémon was anti-Christian
was refuted by the Vatican.
Several episodes of the television series were
banned in the United States for a variety of reasons;
one included the villain James of Team Rocket cross-
dressing in a woman’s bathing suit with inflatable
breasts, while another featured guns being pointed
at characters. More notable was a 1997 episode that
caused over six hundred Japanese children to expe-
rience seizures because of a scene’s strobe effects.
The episode was banned in the United States, as well
as in other countries around the world.
Impact The cult status of Pokémon has left a mark
on popular culture. Pikachu, the main Pokémon
from the original anime series, has become a widely
recognized figure, even featured as a balloon in the
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Pokémon is the
second most successful game franchise in history,
behind only Mario, another Nintendo property.
Further Reading
Allison, Anne.Millennial Monsters: Japanese Toys and
the Global Imagination. Berkeley: University of Cali-
fornia Press, 2006.
Kelts, Roland.Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture
Has Invaded the U.S. New York: Palgrave Mac-
Millan, 2006.
Emily Carroll Shearer
See also Children’s television; Television; Toys and
games; UPN television network; Video games.
Police brutality
Definition Excessive use of force accompanied by
bodily injury and/or deathHigh-profile cases in the 1990’s led to greater societal
awareness and media attention. Calls for greater account-
ability have led to restructuring and the creation of citizen
boards and watchdog groups.The 1990’s witnessed increased attention to the po-
tential problem of systemic police brutality. While
isolated instances of police brutality have occurred
throughout history, the number of cases, the severity
of beatings and/or shootings, and the increased me-
dia attention in the 1990’s brought the problem to
the forefront of societal awareness. This was helped
in part by new technologies that allowed citizens to
record incidents of violence that traditionally went
unreported.
The cause or scope of police brutality is not cer-
tain, but many commentators have speculated that a
number of factors converged in the 1990’s that
made the use of excessive force seem an almost natu-
ral outcome. First was the increased militarization of
police forces to combat more sophisticated weap-
onry and violent criminals. This militarization cre-
ated an “us against them” mentality that led to any-
one outside the force being viewed as a potential
enemy. Second was a movement to “get tough on
crime.” Along with policy changes such as manda-
tory sentencing, truth in sentencing, and three-
strikes laws, the push to get tough on crime ad-
vanced the notion of zero tolerance that gave tacit
authorization for police officers to do whatever is
necessary to get criminals off the streets. Third is the
fact that police officers enjoy a tremendous amount
of discretion, limited supervision, and fairly low visi-
bility. Finally, while not all officers engage in police
brutality, another important factor that allowed for
the spread of power abuse was the “Blue Wall of Si-
lence.” Working closely with one another in a high-
stress/high-risk profession creates something of a
closed society wherein individuals within are charged
with looking out for one another. Even those who do
not commit abuse are reluctant to turn in their
brethren—thus allowing the cases to go unreported
and allowing those with a tendency toward violence
to remain on the job. Between fellow officers look-
ing the other way and victims being afraid to come680 Police brutality The Nineties in America