Who created the Pokémon franchise from an original idea inspired by collecting insects?

Satoshi Tajiri created Pokémon from an idea inspired by his childhood interest in collecting insects.

Tajiri grew up in Machida, Japan, where he explored fields and ponds and collected small creatures. As urban development reduced those natural spaces, he imagined a video game that could let children discover and collect creatures digitally.

He pitched the concept to Nintendo during the early 1990s. The project eventually became Pocket Monsters, developed by Tajiri’s company, Game Freak, with artwork by Ken Sugimori and support from Nintendo. The first games were released in Japan in 1996.

Shigeru Miyamoto was an important Nintendo mentor and suggested using separate game versions to encourage trading, but he was not Pokémon’s creator. Ken Sugimori shaped the visual identity, while Junichi Masuda contributed major musical and development work.