Wikipedia:Pokémon test

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The Pokémon test is a device sometimes used at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion in defense of a keep vote. In particular, it asserts that the subject of that article is "more notable than the average Pokémon". In that, it is frequently used in error, given the amount of publicity and renown the "average Pokémon" has gotten worldwide, as part of a multinational billion-dollar enterpise.

Each of the 493 Pokémon has its own page, all of which are bigger than a stub. While it would be expected that Pikachu would have its own page, some might be surprised to find out that Bellsprout has its own page, as well. Some people perceive Pokémon as something "for little kids" and argue that if that gets an article, so should their favorite hobby/band/made-up word/whatever.

This defense is often challenged because it implies a defeatist attitude toward maintaining standards for encyclopedic content (See Wikipedia:Notability). There is also a positive view of the Pokémon argument, which holds that the articles on truly trivial Pokémon turned out to be reasonable articles that fulfill all of Wikipedia's official content policies, and therefore so might the subject being challenged on AfD.

Contents

[edit] Outline of typical use

  • Keep. Clearly, [the article in question] is more notable than Nidorino [or any other random Pokémon], so if Nidorino gets its own page, why the heck can't [the article in question]?

[edit] Examples of the Pokémon test in action

[edit] History

It is believed to stem from the attempt to curtail the number of individual Pokemon articles by listing them for deletion citing WP:FICT. However, although consensus formed in the Wikipedia:Poképrosal agreed that WP:FICT did actually apply to Pokemon stubs, the formation of the Wikipedia:Pokémon Collaborative Project and the pledge that all stubs were to be expanded saw the issue die down somewhat.

[edit] Karen (Pokémon) Importance Test

A related test involves citing the specific Pokémon character Karen, for the following reasons:

  1. She seems to be to be among the least significant of all the Pokémon characters with their own articles.
  2. Her article has survived at least one AFD (which was speedily closed because the article was already slated to be merged).
  3. When the test was devised, the article looked like this.

[edit] Criticism of the Pokémon test

There are three main criticisms of the Pokémon test that often arise in response to its use. The first and most common is that the inclusion of so many Pokémon articles is a mistake, and two wrongs don't make a right (see Wikipedia:Inclusion is not an indicator of notability). The second is that notability of Pokémon characters may not be equivalent to the notability of other subjects; the argument implies that a parallel bar should be set for every type of article. The third is that an argument that X is at least as notable as a random Pokémon is still a subjective argument on the notability of X.

[edit] See also

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