If this letter isn't a fake, it's definite a time waster for letter writer, Dan, and us.

Real people with real issues are far more interesting.

Your daughter is bi and dates multiple people at once yet you can't handle that your son watches cartoon porn?

Some liberal.

I think the bigger problem is that pop culture trends fade over the years. Whither the conventions for Popple and Cuddle Puppy enthusiasts now?

Pokeman was a huge fad for his age group—he might actually find a partner interested in exploring whatever aspect of it that turns him on. God knows I've dated enough women that look like Ferris Bueller's girlfriend, Sloan, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on.

Not long ago I saw a kid the same age as this man's son on the bus that seemed to be on a date with his pokemon plushie. Pretty innocent, and good for him if he was completely aware that it is unusual to canoodle with a pokemon toy in a public space and chooses to live his life authentically, but hopefully the adults in his life have had the hard conversation with him about what affect that could have socially, just in a realistic people can be jerks kind of way. I feel like this dad could have that kind of conversation without any shaming involved.

Wait, this isn't a repeat? You got this question again from a different person?

Ah, no - I see the reprint tag at the bottom; did those used to be at the top, or am I imagining that?

Anyway, I believe the interest - I just read a missed connections post on my neighborhood Facebook page about "the cutie in the Squirtle costume" someone was too shy/socially anxious to hit on in the moment at a party.

I also believe the concern - people generally don't deal well with things that aren't normative in their experience (and the main difference between Liberals and Conservatives isn't their acceptance of the non-normative, it's the values and behaviors they consider normative), and parents (especially anxious parents) tend to worry about their children's well-beings, especially when it comes to sex and relationships.

The key advice is, as ever, "buy your son a fursuit of his favorite 'Mon." Also, don't worry, concerned parent from five years ago, there are lots of people who will be into your son BECAUSE he's sexually into Pokémon, as well as plenty who will be into him despite that. If he went to college, he probably had a club catering to his interest he could have/did join (anime-focused paraphilias, and Pokémon in particular, given its popularity, are EXTREMELY common as far as paraphilias go, enough that a massive industry producing illustrated/animated porn in the stylized Japanese aesthetic exists).

Fairly sure this is a repeat if not i'm having a big sense of deja vu from it (like we've heard similar stories).

Waste of time however maybe some parents find it helpful as long as he's not trying to shove his pecker into Pokeman's eyes or something ...

Sure there's some chick that might fall for him and she'll be willing to wear a pokeman outfit while goes after her backdoor.

Never know; might end up with one of your daughters boyfriend/girlfriends.

His biggest fear is that his son might not find a partner? The horror.

There are far, FAR worse anime for a kid to be sexually imprinted on than Pokemon; it’s very innocent as such things go. There is some really weird, sick shit out there, so, you know, maybe be glad he’s not into cartoon necrophilia or vore? Or just plain old-fashioned rape; the way most hentai and ecchi (the two main porn types of anime) treat women is, frankly, horrifying.

Your kid likes a show with virtually no sexism, where all of the violence is obviously fake (and doesn’t take place between romantic partners), and that teaches kids about justice, kindness, and teamwork. I think he’s probably going to be ok.

Calm down?

I really don't get the doom the expert is throwing on this kid.

Maybe he was curious, maybe he was bored. Maybe he likes fictional characters because they're more approachable than real people who can reject him.

And given the furries asking Dan to come to conventions even if he is into Pokémon there are people into that.

I think Mom needs to chill out and give her kid his privacy.

@5 I'm wondering if the kid you mentioned was disabled in some way. The plushie could be used a comfort toy, not a sexual companion.

Must echo @6 & @7 - getting up in years leaves a few holes in my memory, so sharing the deja vu they reference is concerning. Please return those "repeat" designations to the top.

@6 The links that something was a repost definitely used to be at the top. I went to look for that as well and was very confused when I did not see one so I was assuming it was just a similar letter until the end.

'Kinks' don;t just happen.
What media and other influences are consumed, dwelt upon, revisited and nurtured grow.
We are mired in a culture where children are awash in depravity from the earliest ages, and where 'woke' Leftist 'parents' are afraid (and unable, truth be told) to provide any useful guidance to developing minds. A sexual 'Lord of the Flies' of increasingly bizarre social dysfunction is the hallmark of the generations thus raised.

Children and adolescents should be given positive guidance and education on what are healthy and appropriate sexual and gender behaviors, and supported to make healthy choices.

@6, please review comment 13 and reaffirm that you really believe the main difference between liberals and conservatives is "the values and behaviors they consider normative."

The best study I've read suggests it's instead an overactive sense of disgust.

OMG, we’ve got a televangelist with us. Thank you @13 for your sermon. Now please move on to your other churches.
WTF Dan, why is this troll allowed to continue, again. We all know the dangers of dying twenty first century capitalism, this troll is a moralising fool.
Pokémon is back in fashion again, my eleven yr old step grandson is into it.

Pokémon schmokemon. If you wanna fixate, just imagine the untamed passion of a threesome with Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble! Talk about your dinosaur boner!

Strange how an old letter seems so much different than a new one, for some readers . In either case, it presents a situation, a question, and answers from Dan, followed by discussion here online.
If you remember the letter from five years ago, you can still take part in a new online discussion, or, as I am, a meta-discussion.

I can't walk past a Mutant Ninja Turtle without taking a 2nd look. Dad, see if you can find a pokemon themed inflatable sex toy, he may give you a homemade Father's Day card next year.

Since this letter was last posted both Pokémon S&M and Pokémon Ultra S&M have been released.

I don't deny the imprinting theory that is foregrounded by Dan's expert, but I also know from experience that people's sexual fantasies change. Of course, there are some people who have one thing that they go to constantly (as I wrote last week those people are the inspiration for large quantities of letters to Dan because their partner's are pissed that there is no deviation from the routine). But I think that most people will mix up their kinks. So, the Pokemon fantasy will be complemented with a host of other kinks as the kid ages. Or, since this is an older letter, the kink has already been complemented with something else. Then the dad just needs to hope the kink isn't worse: bestiality, fantasizing about being fucked by the president, or something like that.

"By age 17, his son's singular erotic profile is pretty much fixed, like it or not" Oh, please - the guy's sexual interests are never going to change or expand? Bullshit.

My own sexual pleasures today are totally different than they were when I was 17. There were sexual acts I didn't even know existed when I was 17 that later turned out to be extremely fun. And I haven't been turned on by teenage boys since I was a teenager myself - I would have been very surprised back then at the men I find attractive now.

If he gets off on Pokemon, fine. That's not saying he won't also get off on other pleasures, especially when he's old enough that lots of other adults with different interests are available for sex.

Since this is a repeat letter, I hope the original guy or someone else who was also interested in Pokemon when he was 17 speaks up and tells us how that unfolded.

I think I’ve still got Pokémon toys from
the first round. Being a toy keeper, I’ve kept all the quality toys my boys and daughter played with. Star Wars, ninja turtles, also back again, lots of few inch sized plastic male dolls with spikey hair. No GI Joes though, which can get you lots of money if they still in their boxes.
Many people are into toys, with or without sexual components. Maybe Pokémon gives this kid a sense of safety in a scary world and what is more comforting than sex. Easy combination to get to.

Anyone interested in this subject should read Krafft-Ebing’s “Psychopathia Sexualis” (probably available on the web, though Gutenberg only has a French version). Most of it’s bone dry, but some parts are fascinating or hilarious. I remember one case who could only get off with a woman who gimped in the right leg. Left leg wouldn’t do it.

Meh, he can't get a pokemon preggers, so it's not really a problem. Chill, let him find his own way in life, and don't worry too much about whether he finds a partner. Firstly, you know how your daughter likes men and women? Well, maybe your son likes pokemon and humans. Secondly, even if he doesn't pair up with someone, he can still have a happy life full of friends and family.

DOPE writes that his son dropped some hints about his sexual interests, which suggests he has some openness to revealing his aspect of his sexuality. DOPE can start a discussion with his son and see where that conversation heads. There is no reason DOPE cannot do what many parents do, which is talk to their kids about sex. Of course DOPE needs to have a sense about what he might want to hear and/or what he wants to convey. Perhaps DOPE’s daughter has discussed this with her brother, and might have some insight for DOPE.

I don't understand why it would be beneficial for a parent to talk to a child about a specific kink or a fetish. In my opinion, the best course is to have a generalized informative sex talk (about all the physical and emotional aspects of sexual health as well as about consent, toys, legal issues, and a generalized talk about kinks/fetishes, etc). Then let the son/daughter lead from there and ask questions if they want to.

I can see how if a person's sexuality or gender were causing them distress, it might do for the parent to say to them "I accept this about you" even if it's unprompted, but I don't see how that would apply to something like an attraction to a cartoon character. He is not going to bring Pokemon to family dinners, he is not going to knock Pokemon up, he is not going to marry Pokemon, he is not going to be raped by Pokemon, he is not going to get an STI from Pokemon- there is no reason the parents need to acknowledge his attraction to Pokemon whatsoever unless the kid himself brings it up. Being a supportive and responsible parent does not mean you need to acknowledge every aspect of your child's sexuality and sexual journey. Step back and leave the kid alone. He's old enough that he can do with this interest what he likes- there's no oppression here, no danger. It's none of the father's business. Sometimes I think some parents fall over themselves to show how supportive and open minded they are, like there's a plaque they get to hang on their wall for letting a Pokemon plush doll sit at the dinner table.

If you are worried that the kid will end up alone, then talk with him about how he feels about that. If he is lonely, work with him on developing social skills and friendships and hobbies. What he does with Pokemon and Pokemon porn in his private life is his business- if he chooses not to have a sexual relationship with other humans, that does not mean he'll be lonely forever. So what if he doesn't have children. But my guess is that this kid has already expanded his sexual interests to include other things, and my guess is also that this imprinting and rigid sexuality thing is presented in an overly simplistic way here.

More interestingly, I've been thinking about how many young people seem to really love cutesy cartoon/manga characters with big loving social groups. I think if we take a step back, it's a pretty depressing comment on current society- so many lonely people desperate for sweetness and a sense of belonging.

Yes EL, it is depressing. Kids on screens is the problem. My granddaughter, who will be ten this year and you can feel the rocket fuel in her, she comes to mine after school a couple of days a week, for an hour or so. She gets my phone because she’s not allowed screens during the week at home. She watches these screeching older boys playing some video game. I worry she’ll be attracted to screeching boys.

I wasn't trying to suggest tech is a problem but rather loneliness, not having a place to belong, a desire for sweetness/kindness, community, etc. I think some of this is behind the bronie, furry, cutesy manga, etc- and naturally it will include a sexual element. People see the world around them all hard and individualistic and cold, especially boys.

That must be so for a lot of people EL, for a lot of kids. For others, like my grand daughter, like the young adolescent males next door to me, like my twenty two yr old son, they have had community and families. Now she watches screechers or girls showing great bedroom makeovers.. spare me.. and the males are playing games.
Screen time has a lot to do with it for some kids. They are not playing, not reading books etc because the screen dominates.

Lava, too much screen time can cause all sorts of things. But this letter (and the furry one before it) is about people who have their sexualities/identities wrapped up in cutesy cartoon characters. THAT is what I'm talking about. The general effect of screen time on kids is an entirely other topic.

@30 I bet you have hobbies that are so very superior. Please feel free to share them and I’ll judge.

Pointing out the dumbing down of our youth@32. They are easier to control that way.
Guess you’re a gamer too. Hours and hours sitting shooting things.

Ms Lava makes me regret that, the one time I saw it, I didn't buy a magazine titled "Is Martha Stewart Living?"

I'm reminded of a regular in another venue who, besides being a passionate knitter, claimed to be in some way or other married to (I think) Louis XV. People more or less jut let the issue sit until she said something others didn't like about a trans issue.

@35 Commie~ Reading your posts (and Trump's tweets) is like watching a monkey play ping-pong... Every once in a blue moon he accidentally hits the ball, but most of the time he just shits all over the table and himself.