Pokemon
Pikachu (Pocket Pikachu in Japan) is a Pedometer - Virtual Pet.
It was made available to the American public in November of 1998,
selling for around $19 US. You can either wear Pokemon Pikachu
on your belt (it comes with a belt clip) or around your neck like a
pendant. The back of the packaging describes Pokemon Pikachu
as follows:
What is a Pokemon Pikachu? It's a virtual pet! It's a walking
companion! It's an alarm clock! It's a digital mini-game!
Take Pikachu with you everywhere! The more active you are while wearing
your Pokemon Pikachu, the more your friendship will grow. Pokemon
Pikachu counts your steps and lets you know how it's feeling about your
relationship. Give Pikachu a gift of Watts you earn and Pikachu will
reward you with a smile, a back flip or a dance of joy! Check in
throughout the day to catch Pikachu taking a shower, reading a book, playing
a game or taking a snooze. Ignore Pikachu for too long, and you'll
get ignored right back!
The
Pokemon Pikachu shown on the right is actual size. It fell
asleep while studying at a desk! I have seen my Pokemon Pikachu
do over 40 different things over the course of time, including playing
with a yo-yo, swimming, hand gliding, playing with a remote control car,
and building blocks! The more you exercise, the more things he will
start doing! And unlike other virtual pets, Pokemon Pikachu won't
"die" on you if you don't take care of it nor will it beep at you if it's
unhappy! Although there is a "mute" button, Pokemon Pikachu
rarely makes noise. It is really the perfect Virtual Companion!