"Avoid eye contact if you come across one. It will try to put you to sleep by using its pendulum."
- Pokémon Yellow
In japanese and chinese mythology a weird chimera known as Baku exists. The beast has the body of a bear, the legs of a tiger, the tail of an ox, the eyes of a rhinoceros and, most notably, the head and the trunk of an elephant. Despite its odd appearence, the baku is both powerful and benevolent and uses its powers to eat the bad dreams of people, keeping away evil yokai from the area and granting good luck. The same can't be said, thought, for the Pokémon which is directly inspired by this peculiar creature, Hypno.
Evolution of the Psychic-type Drowzee, Hypno debuted in the First Generation of Pokémon games, being listed as number 97 out of the 151 original Pokémons in the Pokédex. Hypno, labelled as the "Sleeper" Pokémon, was introduced right from the beginning as a dangerous and mischievous creature, used to hypnotize people and Pokémon with his pendulum and to put them to sleep in order to eat their dreams. Closer resembling the folkloristic description of a boogeyman due to its nature, Hypno grew a cult following on the internet after many creepypastas were made emphasizing its capabilities and vicious nature.
"Come little children, come with me
Safe and happy you will be
Away from your homes, now let us run
With Hypno, you'll have so much fun
Oh, little children, please don't cry
Hypno wouldn't hurt a fly
Be free, be free be free to play
Come down in my cave with me to stay
Oh, little children, please don't squirm
Those ropes, I know, will hold you firm
Hypno tells you this is true
But sadly, Hypno lied to you
Oh, little children, you mustn't leave
Your families for you will grieve
Their minds will unravel at the seams
Allowing me to haunt their dreams
But surely, all of you must know
That it is time for you to go
Oh, little children, you weren't clever
Now you shall stay with me forever"
What you just read is a viral poem, "Hypno's Lullaby", spreaded all around the web after being reposted by the user Lilliana Vess on pokecommunity on August 10th, 2010, thought it is known to being around from even longer. The origin of the tale that's told in the poem is a Dex entry from Pokémon Fire Red that reads "It carries a pendulum-like device. There once was an incident in which it took away a child it hypnotized.". On July 9th, 2010, just a month before the viral post and when the text was already avaible online, an Urban Dictionary definition described Hypno as being a pedophile.
With over 3 milion views, the YouTuber TrainerDerek edited the original poem turning it in a creepy song sang over the Lavander Town theme, posting it online on November 19th, 2010: from that moment the myth of Hypno became more viral than ever.
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| Artwork by Raphael Horta (@dex_in_quarantine on Instagram) |
Going by elements given away by Game Freak itself in the official games, the web started to make up stories, fanfictions and creepypastas of various quality around the now headcanon status of Hypno. Three years later the viral video, a hack rom of Pokémon Fire Red was made adapating the creepypasta originated by the story of the poem in the form of a game. Ironically enough, in 2017, when Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were released, Game Freak again pointed out the mischevious behavior of Hypno in an even more direct manner.
"I stayed at school playling really late" a child's diary dated Februray 12 found in the school reads, "and then a Hypno appeared! The new kid went home with the Hypno. Apparently the Hypno came to pick her up?". In the next entry, set 9 days later, on February 21, is said "We were all playing together when Drifloon come this time to pick up the new girl! I wonder if she just caught Drifloon? What happened to Hypno trough?". Creepily enough, around the school, a Zorua, a Pokémon with the habit of transforming itself into a human child and to act as one, can be found, leading to the theory that the girl picked up by the Drifloon is actually Zorua in disguise, while the real girl is somewhere lost with her kidnapper, Hypno.
"The arcing movement and glitter of the pendulum in a Hypno's hand lull the foe into deep hypnosis. While searching for prey, it polishes the pendulum."
- Pokémon Emerald
While visually inspired mostly by a tapir and being based off the baku, its habit to look for "preys" and the white frill around its neck suggest it can be also based upon a vulture. Notably, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph by Kevin Carter, called "The vulture and the little girl" shows off a vulture observing a starving little girl (then found out to be a boy) waiting to eat her (him): a scene that, if you want to believe in the creepy story of Hypno, can fit really well with the Pokèmon.
Despite all the premises, Hypnos are not necessarily evil as it's said that they usually help doctor putting patients to sleep and, in the Alola region, althought implied to have happened and to be possible, Hypnos don't tend to attack humans, having Komalas as their primarly preys. Netherless, it's always better to stay away from a wild Hypno.
If you want to hypnotize your friends or just show off how creepily fashionable you are, an exclusive t-shirt with a creepy Hypno artwork by Raphael Horta (@dex_in_quarantine on Instagram) is now available in our merch shop! Don't let it run away!
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