Could it be? Could it finally be? Yes, it could.
Public interest in Pokemon is fading.
Since April 16 we've had six straight weeks of decline in user queries for Pokemon cards, Pokemon yellow, Pokemon pictures, and nearly all other Pokemon-related terms. We've been watching to see if the dip was only temporary, but if anything the decline looks to be picking up speed: some Pokemon-related queries are down 50% or more. It looks like a widespread loss of interest in the "pocket monsters" that have been such a pop culture craze.
Pokemon has been #1 for 24 straight weeks, withstanding charges from such worthy challengers as Valentine's Day and Jennifer Lopez's Grammy dress. Since September of 1999 Pokemon has been #1 for 36 of 43 weeks. Only Hurricane Floyd (one week), Halloween (two weeks) and Christmas (four weeks) have also occupied the top spot.
The peak for Pokemon queries seemed to come about the week of March 12. For nearly all Pokemon-related terms we saw a steady rise up to that point, then a rough plateau of 5-6 weeks, and then the drop we're seeing now. Did kids lose interest over spring break? Or did the warm weather turn their minds to other things?
Hardest hit have been the individual Pokemon characters like Pikachu, Mew, and Charmander. Bulbasaur and Squirtle queries have dropped a whopping 80% since April. (It's hard to say these names with a straight face.)
Still, the old champ isn't dead yet. Queries for the general terms Pokemon and Pokemon.com have stayed fairly strong, which is why Pokemon is still in the #1 spot.
At times this year Pokemon has had more than twice as many searches as Britney Spears or any other term on the list, so the topic has a long way to fall to reach #2. But if this trend continues -- and it certainly looks like it will -- we think we'll be seeing a brand new #1 term sooner rather than later. And won't that be a relief?
