Gotta catch 'em all!

:For other uses, see Gotta catch 'em all! (disambiguation).
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"Gotta catch 'em all!" was the English slogan of the Pokémon franchise, including the English language Pokémon video games. The Japanese equivalent is "Get Pokémon!" (Japanese: ポケモンゲットだぜー！ Pokémon <sc>get</sc> da ze~!, also spelt ポケモンＧＥＴだぜー！)
==History==
The slogan "Gotta catch 'em all!" was created by Norman J. Grossfeld, the president of 4Kids Productions (a former subsidiary of 4Kids Entertainment) from 1994 to 2009. He introduced the slogan, along with three or four alternatives, during a pitch meeting with representatives from Nintendo, Hasbro, and 4Kids Entertainment (then known as Leisure Concepts, Inc.). According to Grossfeld, during the meeting, one lawyer from either Nintendo or Hasbro rejected the slogan due to concerns over it being too declarative, but they were overruled as the other participants in the meeting liked "Gotta catch 'em all!" the best. The participants had also considered the slogan "Catch 'em if you can", one of Grossfeld's alternative suggestions. Grossfeld even had a song written that incorporated the "Catch 'em if you can" slogan that ultimately went unused.Sands, Tara, & Yurko, Steve. "Nor-man's Land with Norman Grossfeld." 4Kids Flashback, Spreaker, 13 Dec 2023. https://www.4kidsflashback.com/episodes/4kids-normans-land, 6:02–7:57.
==In the core series games==
The first pair of Pokémon games released in North America, , were labeled with the catchphrase below the Pokémon logo. Their sequels, , and later, , had the catchphrase in the same position. was the only exception, instead advertising that it was the "Special Edition" of the game below the logo.
The slogan was taken out of the box art for , although pre-release versions of the box art indicate that the slogan was initially intended to be kept, but was dropped sometime between January 2003 and March 2003. The slogan has not reappeared in any Pokémon game box art since, but has appeared in promotional materials such as the trailers for Pokémon Diamond and Pearl 2007 commercial and .
==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon Trading Card Game===
In , Hood in the Lightning Club references this slogan by saying: "Got all the Legendary Pokémon cards? Yeah! Gotta catch 'em all!(TM)" Additionally, one of the decks found in the Auto Deck Machine is named . Both instances were added in the English localization; they are not seen in the Japanese original text.
===Pokémon Play It! series===
In the "What's a Pokémon?" lesson from both Pokémon Play It! and Pokémon Play It! Version 2, says this about the : "There are of Pokémon. Catch 'em all!".
===PokéROM===
The slogan of PokéROM is "Gotta learn 'em all!".
===Pokémon Project Studio===
The slogan of Pokémon Project Studio Red and Blue is "Gotta make 'em all!".
==In animation==
The most noticeable reference to the catchphrase in was introduced in the first episode by the main protagonist, Ash Ketchum himself, promising that he would catch all of the Pokémon in the , before setting off on his journey. The motto also seems to be a pun for Pokémon photographers, as Robert's grandfather "caught them all" and "catches" Pokémon.
The reference was used as the title of the penultimate episode of , Gotta Catch Ya Later!. In this episode, both and return to Kanto, leaving Ash to head to the Hoenn region alone.
The slogan was referenced in the English-language version of Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys; says the phrase when collecting food from a haywire robotic vending machine during a power outage (with "them all", in this instance, being hot dogs).
The line was later said by in The Lotad Lowdown.
The "Gotta catch 'em all!" phrase appears in the opening animation for Pokémon Chronicles and is also seen in the Who's That Pokémon? segment in . However, in certain international versions, the line is replaced with respective Pokémon the Series: XY localized logos.
==In music==
This phrase is featured in the original opening theme, as well as in the chorus of the Pokérap. It is also found in the theme for The Johto Journeys, the third season of . The lyrics include, in reference to the , that "you still gotta catch 'em all!". A new, remixed version of the original theme was used as the opening for the first season of Pokémon the Series: XY.
The Pokérap GS uses the catchphrase quite prominently.
There's a Pokémon soundtrack by HAL Laboratory named Pokémon Gotta Catch the Sound!, which includes the Pokémon Snap music theme Gotta Snap Em’ All.
The line is referenced in the song Can't Stop (Catchin' 'Em All) several times.
==In the manga==
In the VIZ Media edition of Pokémon Adventures volume 14, Professor Oak makes a reference to the slogan, saying that "truly catches them all".
==In merchandise==
The slogan for the 1999 Burger King promotional Pokémon toys was "Gotta catch 'em here!", a reference to the franchise's slogan.
==Retirement and return==
The slogan was temporarily retired from the Pokémon games around 2003, with the release of . Instead of the now-familiar phrase appearing below the Pokémon logo, the game's version name appeared there. This held true for the remaining games of Generation III, and would later prove to be the standard for subsequent generations with the release of the Generation IV games, . However, the slogan is still used in certain promotional materials for those games.
The retirement was possibly due to the large amount of Pokémon now required to capture to complete the National Pokédex, 386 at the time the slogan was retired. It may as well have been due to the incompatibility between the Generation II and Generation III games, as all of the Pokémon known as of the third generation were not available between Ruby and Sapphire, unlike what had been the case with Red and Blue and Gold and Silver.
The slogan may also have been taken out of use since it was a target of critics of the game and franchise (with some saying the phrase was an equivalent to, "Gotta buy 'em all").
An English-language Diamond and Pearl commercial was released that features the phrase in the United States. It is also used as the slogan for the in . This did not, however, mean that the slogan made a permanent return, rather it was just a reference to the then defunct slogan.
On the official website, the slogan is referenced in the "Pokémon" section of the site. A link to the new Pokémon is labeled with the phrase "See 'Em All."
On September 14, 2013, the phrase was once again used in a trailer that was accidentally leaked on the Pokémon YouTube channel and advertised a new website called "www.gottacatchemall.com" - a website offering people in the United States a chance to win related prizes in the sweepstakes from September 16 until October 12, 2013. The site required the first name of the user, their respective e-mail address, a username and the code "XY1012" to open. The site scattered various codes around various sites on the internet as "Easter eggs" to unlock s on the website, and thus, a "Pokémon, a digital gift, and a chance to win". The site now has a new logo for the phrase "Gotta catch 'em all!". The new logo is now used for all videos on The Pokémon Company International's YouTube channel, along with a Pikachu saying "Pika!". The logo was also used in the Who's That Pokémon? animation segment in .
The slogan is alluded to in a promotional video uploaded on January 12, 2023, celebrating the Pokémon franchise having 1008 Pokémon in the National Pokédex. The video ends with the phrase, "Did you catch 'em all?""One Thousand Pokémon! 🥳" The Official Pokémon YouTube channel. YouTube.
The promotional blurb for the expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game contains the phrase "Gotta Catch ’Em All!"
==In other languages==
==References==
Category:Pokémon meta
es:Gotta catch 'em all!
it:Acchiappali tutti!
ja:Gotta catch 'em all!
zh:收服到寶可夢了