Pokemon #44: Gloom
There are nearly five hundred "Pokemon"
monsters running around these days, but none
have ever come close to dethroning "Gloom" - part
of the original 151 - as my favorite pocket monster
and one of my favorite monsters period.


The perfect blend of cute and creepy, this
drooling, poisonous, horrible-smelling weed is
actually based on the bud of the Rafflesia or
"Corpse Flower", and can evolve into one of two
other Rafflesia-sprouting monsters; neither of
which I find quite as interesting.


This is because Gloom reminds me very much of
the monsters I used to draw around kindergarten
age, when I went through an entire phase of
drawing only spongy, puffy fungus creatures.
What's more, I actually used the word "gloom" in
the names of several such monsters, along with
dreary, dismal, dank, foul and other names
befitting of spongy, puffy fungus creatures. Gloom
brought these memories flooding back the moment
I laid eyes on him, and I only wish I had some more
examples to scan - I could have sworn I drew at
least one monster almost identical to Gloom.