Friday, October 01, 1999
Schools crack down on Pokemon trading
BY SAUNDRA AMRHEIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Pokemon's 150 whimsical characters appeal to boys and girls alike.
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They trade like shares on the stock market, with rules equally obscure.
But unlike the big time, these youthful traders sometimes fight to undo a swap of a Mankey for a Sandshrew after the deal's done.
The traders are elementary schoolchildren. And their precious commodity is the newest childhood obsession, Pokemon (pronounced po-kee-mon) cards.
The collectible cards, based on the Japanese “pocket monsters” video game, have become so popular they are sparking arguments among students who tote them to school in album binders.
Recess brings out Pokemon cards at Merwin Elementary in Clermont County.
(Glenn Hartong photo)
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In response, principals of elementary schools nationally and locally are increasingly banning the cards. In some schools, younger children were manipulated into bad trades by older kids, school officials say, and some students were skipping lunch to get a piece of the action.
“They came in ready to trade Pokemon from the first day of school,” said Joe Nagle, principal at Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Fairfield. “But it probably increased with the installation of the picnic area on the grounds. They had a marketplace.”
Mr. Nagle last week banned Pokemon from the school, which enrolls 461 students in grades 1 through 8. The decision came after some problems arose among students in grades 3-5.
“For the most part, it was OK, but there were enough incidents with people changing their minds after the trade,” he said. “They would lose a valuable Pokemon and say they really didn't mean it.”
It's easy to see why.
During recess this week at Merwin
Elementary School in Clermont County's Pierce Township, fourth-graders shuffled cards among themselves faster than a dealer at a blackjack table. They stood bent over four desks, feverishly comparing a fistful of cards.
“I'll trade you a Farfetch'd for a Squirtle,” 9-year-old Zac Buchanan offered classmate David Berndt.
“Anyone have a Machop?” called out 9-year-old Kayla Closson.
“I do, I do, I do,” the cluster yelled in unison.
As recess wound to a close, David and his friends took a minute to explain the Pokemon phenom to a bunch of head-scratching grown-ups.
“You try to trade for better cards,” David said.
Unlike some trading cards, Pokemon's 150 whimsical characters appeal to boys and girls alike. And the game's special language (cards feature “evolution stage,” “attack damage” and “Pokemon power”) bewilders adults but fascinates kids.
The object of the game is to knock out your opponent's Pokemon. Players try to either damage their opponent's Pokemon or make it fall asleep, confused, paralyzed or poisoned.
Cards have differnt “hit points,” or life span. Cards also have damage points, what the card can inflict on another character during a game of Pokemon. That's why Charizard — with an HP of 120 and damage points at 100 — is the most prized card going.
A starter pack of 60 cards sells for about $10 at stores, but some individual cards are rare and can sell for $50 or more in specialty shops or online auctions.
Merwin fourth-grade teacher Kelly Hickey says she encourages the game during recess because of the math and vocabulary involved.
“If we could make them learn like this — they memorize all the names and facts — we'd be in business,” she said.
Merwin Principal Pat Crahan said he doesn't plan to ban the game at recess.
Officials at Robert E. Lucas Intermediate School in Sharonville didn't let it get that far. The first day of classes, they announced Pokemon was not welcome in the building.
“We already knew they were very popular coming in and that they may cause a problem,” Assistant Principal Jeff Brandt said. '
So far, fewer than than 50 cards have been confiscated from about 10 Pokemon fans who disobeyed the order.
Teachers at Wilson Elementary School in Anderson Township noticed something else in the cafeteria.
“They only have a certain amount of time to eat and they would spend so much time with Pokemon, they weren't eating,” Principal Frank Forsthoefel said. He banned the cards from the school last week.
Pokemon won't lose the attention of American children anytime soon. November will see the release of Pokemon: The First Movie. And Hasbro Inc. last month agreed to acquire Wizards of the Coast Inc., which makes Pokemon cards under license.
Still, parent Angela Brown thinks it's a fad. Though the Silverton mom doesn't allow her 8-year-old son, Mark, to take his collection to school or karate practice for fear of trading, she hopes the game stays around.
Like many parents, she praises the ability of the cards and cartoon to help with chores.
“It's amazing the impact it's had on him,” she said. “The cartoon used to come on at 6:30 in the morning. All I had to do was turn on the TV. He saw the Pokemon and boom, he's up. Now they've moved it to 7, so I have to come up with something else.”
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