Pokemon Company picks a fight with White House after use of Pikachu in social media

The Pokemon Company International has criticized the White House after a social media post used imagery from the Pokemon franchise, including a small version of Pikachu.

According to the BBC, the image appeared in a meme posted online alongside the phrase “Make America Great Again.”

The meme appears to use artwork from the recently released game Pokopia and includes a small Pikachu graphic.

The Pokemon Company said it was not involved in creating the image and had not approved its use.

“We were not involved in its creation or distribution, and no permission was granted for the use of our intellectual property,” Pokemon spokeswoman Sravanthi Dev said.

“Our mission is to bring the world together, and that mission is not affiliated with any political viewpoint or agenda.”

The company has previously criticized the Trump administration for using Pokemon content in political messaging.

In September, it rebuked the administration for using its theme song and the slogan: “Gotta catch 'em all” in a video that showed arrests by US border patrol and immigration agents.

When asked about the latest criticism, the White House directed the BBC to a post on X by spokesman Kaelan Dorr, who questioned the company’s response.

“Hey Mr Pikachu, big fan. Question for you - why no response to articles like this?” Dorr wrote.

“Seems kinda like you ARE maybe affiliated with a political viewpoint, no?” he added .