Bulbapedia

Bulbapedia is a community-driven, English-language online encyclopedia about Pokémon that runs on the software. The idea for Bulbapedia was first conceived in late 2004 when proposed transforming Bulbagarden into a user-edited format. The project, set up by on December 21, 2004, and officially launched on February 14, 2005, was spearheaded by , with evkl serving as Bulbapedia's first . With support from the Bulbagarden community, Bulbapedia was developed as a comprehensive platform for documenting all aspects of the Pokémon franchise.
==History==
Bulbapedia's roots trace back to the early 2000s, when Chris Kaleiki, the original founder of BulbaGarden, experimented with creating a Pokémon wiki using Tikiwiki software in 2000. Though his work did not directly evolve into Bulbapedia, it laid the conceptual groundwork for the site's eventual realization. Kaleiki, known online as Bulbasaur and Anenga, moved on from the Pokémon fandom in late 2001, leaving Bulbagarden.
Starting with a small group of dedicated contributors, Bulbapedia reached 1,000 articles within three months of its launch. The wiki's rapid growth coincided with the release of in 2006, helping establish Bulbagarden's prominent position in the Pokémon fandom. By 2008, Bulbapedia had grown to become the largest English-language Pokémon wiki. It has also in academic circles, supporting research in linguistics, media studies, and game design. Its comprehensive documentation has made it a valuable resource for scholarly analysis of the Pokémon franchise.
The site's visual identity and technical infrastructure have evolved significantly since its launch. In 2009, Bulbapedia received its first major overhaul as part of 's Phase III, the Bulbawiki Improvement. The front page featured an "Ongoing work" section with specific tasks like categorizing pages, writing wanted articles, and a "Current events" area. In 2010, a "Junior Administrator" position was introduced, providing new staff members with opportunities to learn responsibilities before full integration into the team. A major redesign of the main page in November 2011 introduced its current distinctive "roundy" style, featuring a selected article of the month, improved navigation, and organized browsing categories with dedicated icons for different content areas, including Anime, Games, Manga, and TCG.
Bulbapedia has encountered recurring server issues over the years. These issues have been mitigated through server upgrades, as well as the , instituted in 2008 to encourage less editing of the userspace in order to reduce server stress and to encourage more mainspace contributions. The servers would also be locked during major news events or big game releases that would drive high traffic to the site. In recent years, this practice has been avoided without significant problems, and has been successful at allowing regular users to contribute and add new information without significant downtime.
===Gallery===
File:Bulbapedia 2005.png|Bulbapedia's Main Page in February 2005
File:Bulbapedia 2009.png|Bulbapedia's Main Page in October 2009
File:Main Page.png|Bulbapedia's Main Page in November 2011
File:Bulbapedia 2024.png|Bulbapedia's Main Page in December 2024
==Leadership==
The guides the site's progress, embodying Bulbagarden's core and representing the encyclopedia within the broader Pokémon community. There are also and other who oversee the day-to-day running of the site.
Bulbapedia's growth has been guided by several , each making unique contributions:
Leadership timeline	Leadership timeline	Leadership timeline
Tenure 	Editor-in-Chief 	Key contributions
2004–2006 	 	Laid the foundation for Bulbapedia's early development
2006–2008 	 	Established technical operations and maintained site stability; continued as server tech post-tenure
2008–2010 	 	Introduced distinctive rounded templates and improved visual identity
2010–2012 	 	Enhanced user experience and staff organization
2012–2014 	 	Promoted accuracy and collaborative editing processes
2014–2021 	 	Oversaw Bulbapedia and Archives, expanded coverage of new Pokémon media, improved
2021–2024 	 	Modernized editorial tools, overhauled policies, expanded coverage of new Pokémon media
2024–present 	 	Simplified staff structure, reworked editorial board into Leadership Board, launched new initiatives including
==Content==
Bulbapedia covers information across all aspects of the Pokémon franchise. Early on were set up, each focusing on different content areas, including the , , , and .
, recognized for their high quality and completeness, could originally be by the editing community. New nominations have not been considered since 2010, though other practices have been adopted to acknowledge quality work and contributions from the community, such as featuring content updates in the newsletter, including tasks completed on the .
To further enrich the encyclopedia and engage the community, Bulbapedia has hosted various initiatives to encourage user contributions, such as the in 2010, which invited editors to improve underdeveloped articles. Prizes, such as pre-orders for , were awarded for exceptional efforts. These events serve as opportunities to enhance the wiki while motivating contributors to participate more actively.
In 2011, another Christmas improvement drive, the , challenged editors to complete tasks in five categories: expanding, fixing, and creating articles, upgrading images, and writing featured content. Participants submitted entries in at least three categories, competing for Pokémon games or movies as prizes. By encouraging constructive contributions and offering rewards, the Festive Frontier aimed to improve wiki quality while fostering community spirit during the holiday season.
==Community and outreach==
The wiki has continued to evolve with time while keeping the community-driven model as its cornerstone. This includes moving from early communication platforms like AIM and Skype to Discord, enabling better coordination among contributors and streamlining content development. The staff recruitment process has also shifted from individual nominations to organized drives in conjunction with Bulbagarden's other projects. Bulbapedia also maintains an active social media presence, particularly on and , where it shares news updates, Pokémon trivia, and engages with the community. These platforms serve as additional channels for highlighting new content, celebrating community contributions, and sharing notable developments in the Pokémon franchise.
Since its inception, Bulbapedia has maintained connections with other Pokémon wikis through the Encyclopædiæ Pokémonis, featuring sister wikis in eight languages, including PokéWiki (German), Pokémon Central Wiki (Italian), and Poképédia (French). The site is also a founding member of the Nintendo Independent Wiki Alliance (NIWA), a network of fan-run wikis dedicated to various Nintendo franchises like Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid. Integration with other Bulbagarden services has been consistent throughout its history, with the Main Page featuring links to Bulbagarden forums, Bulbagarden Archives, Bulbanews, Oekaki, and IRC over time.
==Trivia==
*Bulbapedia was mentioned as the answer to a question in the December 7, 2023 episode of the British game show .X post by @Mason72x
== External links ==
*Bulbawiki Forum on Bulbagarden forums
*Bulbapedia's About page
*WikiIndex Entry
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== References ==
Category:Bulbagarden
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Category:Pokémon wikis
Category:Encyclopaediae Pokémonis
Category:NIWA
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