November 22, 1999
Web posted at: 6:57 p.m. EST (2357 GMT)

(CNN) -- Heading into the holiday season, the Pokémon craze is still going strong. "Pokémon: The First Movie," in its second week at the box office, held firm in the face of new competition from James Bond and Ichabod Crane.

The children's animated adventure landed at No. 3 behind "The World Is Not Enough" and "Sleepy Hollow," taking in a respectable $13.3 million over the weekend for a total gross of $68.2 million.

The popularity of Pokémon is not limited to movies, of course. There are video games, a TV cartoon and the collector cards that all center around a universe of 151 characters with oddball names like Pikachu and Jigglypuff.

While some observers stand in awe of the $6 billion industry, some parents are concerned that Pokémon fever might be bad for their children.

In response, CNN.com held on online chat on the subject with Janet Chan, editor-in-chief of Parenting Magazine.

Chat moderator: Thank you for joining us today, Janet Chan, and welcome to chat.

Janet Chan: Thank you very much. I'm glad to be here.

Chat moderator: How different is the Pokémon craze, really, from any other toy craze -- didn't parents worry about the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, too? And didn't kids at one time drop all their allowance money on Beanie Babies paraphernalia? And yet both of those crazes have faded.

Chan: The main difference between the Pokémon craze, the fads that we remember as kids or just as a few years ago, like Pogs or magic cards, is that this fad is both a pop culture and merchandising phenomenon. There are Pokémon video games, trading cards, a cartoon series, toys, and even a new movie. All of those work together and feed off each other in a way that makes this fad more powerful.

These are the same as the previous ones but what makes this one all the bigger is the synergy between the merchandising efforts so there are more things at work to attract and impress kids and to be of concern to parents. But the Pokémon craze, while it may be intense now, may indeed just be a fad. Just like Beanie Babies, just like Magic Cards and just like the baseball cards that today's kids older sisters and brothers traded. It will be forgotten as kids move onto the next fad. Maybe not next month, but I'm sure next year.

Question from Jill: Janet, what in your mind are the main causes behind children's fascination with this character?

Chan: There are several attractions. While they're called Pocket Monsters, they are not scary. They are actually quite cute. With ones called Jigglypuff or Pikachu. That makes them very attractive to kids. Also, developmentally, kids 5-12, who are really the prime devotee's of Pokémon, are entering a phase where belonging to a peer group and having some friends and having some independence from family are very important.

Collecting and trading Pokémon trading cards and figuring out the different names and the different attributes of the individual creatures is right up their alley.

It can provide a sense of mastery and control and be a great equalizer. A little kid has something to talk about with another older kid. There's another attraction to Pokémon: The fact that parents don't understand it. That's very attractive to little kids. If you're into Pokémon you're into a kids club. What could be greater?

Question from DAG: I hate anything that appeals "to be like all." This Pokémon diminishes child's individuality...

Chan: Kids, like many adults, want to belong. They want to do things that their friends are doing. They're not very different from adults. The collecting and trading of Pokémon cards isn't really different from the interest in collecting and trading magic cards a few years ago or baseball cards years before that.

Question from mbro: What should parents do to keep the Hydra's head from growing back ... that is, finding a way to dissuade kids from going with the latest fad?

Chan: I'm not sure there's a reason to dissuade kids from being interested in the latest fad. Unless a child goes overboard. You really as a parent can be the best judge about whether you think your child is going overboard or obsessing.

If, for instance, she's spending to much time on video games or he's to concerned about trading cards to the exclusion of doing other activities that were once loved such as playing with friends ... riding a bike ... or even doing homework. In that case it's important for a parent to step in and set limits. What many parents don't realize, especially with kids with this age, is that kids are really looking at their parents as role models and it's important for a parent to make his or her values clearer.

Question from Jill: So, Janet, are you basically saying that Pokémon is harmless as long as it doesn't rule a kids life?

Chan: That's right. In fact, it can be developmentally good. But like everything, moderation is key. But keep in mind that kids are naturally a little bit obsessive. Kids go through phases where they may love dinosaurs, collect lots of rocks, only be interested in cars, only want to wear the color purple. Then they want to get out of the phase.

Chat moderator: What positive lessons are taught by Pokémon?

Chan: Well, socialization skills in trading and talking about and comparing Pokémon cards, kids learn a lot about making friends about being fair, about whether they can or they can't get whatever they want.

They provide kids with a very nice sense of mastery of understanding the rules and names and the different attributes of the different characters in the same way that their older brothers and sisters did with baseballs cards. Kids love to collect and categorize ... to make sense of things ... to create a sense of order. The mastery and the sense of control is very gratifying.

Chat moderator: Some schools have banned Pokémon from school grounds, so that they can keep kids focused on learning. Are you in favor of that, and if so, where in the home would you set up "Pokémon-free" areas?

Chan: I think it's a great idea for schools to do it. It cuts down on competition and on distractions. But at home, kids should be able to play. I certainly think that the dinner table could be a Pokémon-free area. But on the other hand it might be a good idea to let the kid show off and explain to you the Pokémon culture.

Question from OPIE: Janet, my only problem with the craze is the secondary market. It bothers me when my son gets a card and immediately says this card is worth so much money. What is the best way to discourage this?

Chan: I think kids have been saying that now for years, whether they were magic cards or baseball cards. And of course, just like those cards, the kids can't count on becoming millionaires from Pokémon. You're not going to be able to count on sending your kid to college from his Pokémon card collection. I think what parents need to discourage is the idea that their kids should do this for anything but just for fun. A sure money-making scheme would be to sell lemonade. The collecting should be its own reward, not the idea that you are amassing a fortune.

Question from cricket: Again, I say, what is the big problem with the Pokémon?

Chan: I don't think there is a big problem with Pokémon. I think there's a big problem with going overboard. Either becoming obsessed or a parent thinking that he or she needs to buy all the Pokémon paraphernalia simply because the child asks for it. There have been news reports of parents suing Nintendo on the grounds that it's gambling. And I know there was a recent report of a 9-year-old boy who stabbed another boy over Pokémon cards. Those are disturbing incidents, but they're very rare. Most kids are just having fun. It's more the adult's problem than the children's.

Question from lizardo: The big problem with Pokémon, is that it leads to harder stuff. The next thing, of course, is reruns of "Speed Racer."

Chan: As a mom who's a veteran of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers, not to mention Pogs and magic cards and baseball cards, I know that these things pass. Pokémon cards will amount to just another shoebox filled with things or stuffed three-ring binders.

Chat moderator: Do you let your own children play with Pokémon?

Chan: Yes, my 7-year-old girl loves it. I asked her why and she said that they're cute and they're fun. I think that sums it up. We went to the Pokémon movie on Sunday. She loved it. I slept through most of it. But I'm fully aware that I'm not the prime audience.

Question from Candyce: Is Pokémon as popular in Japan as it is here?

Chan: Yes. It started in Japan. It's very popular in Japan and the adapted version took off here.

Question from Wolfman: Janet, would that not be just an isolated incident that gets televised and blown out of whack because Pokémon is popular? Is it not like blaming the Goth culture for Columbine?

Chan: I think you've hit it right on the head. I think it's dangerous to blame a parent for everything a child does. Children are influenced by other kids and by the media just as adults are. We happen to be living in a materialistic age. It may be unrealistic to expect kids to behave so differently from their elders.

Question from Jill: After the movie, I think it was valuable that I knew the names of the characters and could talk about it with my son.

Chan: I'm impressed that evidently you stayed awake through the movie. I think it's fun to be able to discover a bond and it's helpful to understand the phenomenon and to be able to know the creatures and it's easy to do it without feeling that you have to memorize or collect all 151 Pokémon yourself.

Chat moderator: Any final thoughts?

Chan: Just that I think parents should keep the craze in perspective. All too quickly it will pass in the same way that our kids grow up all too quickly.

Chat moderator: Thank you for chatting with us today Janet Chan.