EP088

← EP087 : The Crystal Onix

Original series

EP089 : Shell Shock! →

In The Pink

EP088   ピンクのポケモンじま The Island of Pink Pokémon

First broadcast Japan March 18, 1999 United States February 12, 2000

English themes Opening Pokémon World Ending

Japanese themes Opening ライバル！ Ending タイプ・ワイルド

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 武上純希 Junki Takegami Storyboard 横田和 Kazu Yokota Assistant director 大町繁 Shigeru Ōmachi Animation director たけだゆうさく Yūsaku Takeda Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

In The Pink (Japanese: ピンクのポケモンじま The Island of Pink Pokémon) is the 88th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on March 18, 1999, and in the United States on February 12, 2000.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Blurb

Ash and friends are caught in a whirlpool and swept to an unexplored island where all the Pokémon are pink. It's Pinkan Island, a Pokémon refuge where the Pokémon's diet of Pinkan Berries causes their unique coloration. But the Pokémon aren't all as sweet as they look. Our heroes cross paths with an enraged Nidoking, and end up cornered under a cliff. Nidoking blasts its Hyper Beam at our heroes. Togepi waves its arms, and the attack misses our heroes as if skipping off a shield. Coincidence? Or is Togepi finally learning some attacks? Officer Jenny drives up in her Jeep and lassoes Nidoking to the ground, stopping its attack without hurting it. Our heroes leave Pinkan Island, having promised to keep the island a secret so that poachers won't come and ruin its unique beauty.

Plot

As Ash and his friends travel on Lapras to the next island, Tracey discusses how unusual it is that Togepi doesn't seem to know any attacks. Misty agrees, telling Tracey she's tried to teach Togepi Headbutt but got nowhere. Ash laughs at this, but before an argument can breakout Lapras is caught in a whirlpool sending the gang flying to a nearby island. After they regain consciousness, Tracey identifies the island as Pinkan Island based on the whirlpools and sheer cliffs. They climb the cliffs and see a pink Rhyhorn. Tracey decides to observe and sketch it, and Ash, in order to prove to Misty that he knows what he is doing, races up to the Rhyhorn, who promptly knocks him away. The group is then pursued by the Rhyhorn and cornered by some steep cliffs. However, Togepi uses Metronome and Teleports them away. The Rhyhorn goes over the cliff, landing in a tree, and the group wonders how they escaped. Officer Jenny arrives and rescues the Rhyhorn with her jeep and a set of ropes. Afterwards, the group notices Pikachu's tail and cheeks have turned pink. Much to Ash's relief, Jenny explains that the Pinkan Berries turn any Pokémon that eats them a lot, permanently pink.

Arriving on the island, Team Rocket notices the Rhyhorn. They soon spot Jigglypuff and think it is special as well until they realize all Jigglypuff are pink. Before Jigglypuff can sing, they run off into the forest, planning to catch all of the pink Pokémon and open up their own theme park. They use their Pokémon, and Lickitung chases two pink Nidoran into a cave, only to encounter a Nidoking that chases Team Rocket away.

Meanwhile, at her office, Jenny informs the group that Pinkan Island is a reserve and that she won't press charges. The trio contacts Professor Oak, who knew about the island and its pinkness, and he tells them about the research. Just then, an alarm sounds and the group offers to help Jenny with whatever the situation is. They find Team Rocket being chased by Nidoking, and as the trio performs their motto, Ash has Pikachu use Thunder Shock on Nidoking. It throws Team Rocket's Pokémon at their Trainers and they blast off. Nidoking then chases the trio and Jenny; both Psyduck and Marill attempt to battle him, but ultimately run off scared.

Pikachu tries to shock him, but Jenny informs Ash that Nidoking is on a rampage and cannot be stopped. Nidoking uses Hyper Beam, but Togepi uses Metronome again and creates a Barrier. Jenny tells the trio to get out and run. She engages Nidoking and lassos him, and Nidoking drops to the ground dizzy. Jenny drops the group off beyond the whirlpools and Misty contemplates Togepi's actions. Ash and Tracey laugh at her suggestion of Togepi attacking. Ash then notices Tracey's sketch of Officer Jenny and snickers, though Tracey explains that he cannot just watch Pokémon. Misty attempts to get Togepi wave its arms to attack, but is unsuccessful.

Major events

• Tracey's Marill is revealed to know Water Gun*.

For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

• Ash
• Misty
• Tracey
• Jessie
• James
• Professor Oak
• Officer Jenny

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Kabuto (US and international), Pink Rhyhorn (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Togepi (Misty's)
• Muk (Ash's; at Oak's Laboratory)
• Lapras (Ash's)
• Psyduck (Misty's)
• Marill (Tracey's)
• Arbok (Jessie's)
• Lickitung (Jessie's)
• Weezing (James's)
• Victreebel (James's)
• Jigglypuff (anime)
• Caterpie (pink)
• Weedle (pink; multiple)
• Pidgey (pink; multiple)
• Nidoran♀ (pink)
• Nidoran♂ (pink)
• Nidoking (pink; multiple)
• Vileplume (pink; multiple)
• Paras (pink)
• Venonat (pink; multiple)
• Diglett (pink)
• Mankey (pink; multiple)
• Primeape (pink; multiple)
• Bellsprout (pink; multiple)
• Exeggutor (pink; multiple)
• Rhyhorn (pink)
• Rhydon (pink; multiple)
• Pidgeotto (pink; fantasy)
• Rattata (pink; fantasy)
• Oddish (pink; multiple; fantasy)
• Venonat (pink; fantasy)
• Poliwhirl (pink; fantasy)
• Bellsprout (pink; fantasy)
• Geodude (pink; fantasy)
• Scyther (pink; fantasy)
• Electabuzz (pink; fantasy)
• Rattata (pink; Professor Oak's explanation)
• Dodrio (pink; Professor Oak's explanation)

Trivia

• Professor Oak's Pokémon Lecture:
  • Pokémon senryū summary: Eevee, has three evolutions; now which shall I choose?
• This episode's English dub title is a reference to the phrase "in the pink", meaning "in perfect health".
• The Gengar and Tauros costumes that Team Rocket is wearing made another appearance in Manectric Charge.
• It is speculated that this island is where the pink Butterfree from Bye Bye Butterfree is from, but this has not been officially confirmed.
• Jigglypuff does not sing in this episode.
• When Team Rocket is imagining opening up a theme park with pink Pokémon, their disguises are the same as the ones from Pokémon Fashion Flash.
• This is the second episode Togepi uses Metronome, and the first time Misty suspects that it knows this move.
• This is also the second episode in a row in which an unusual Pokémon sends Team Rocket blasting off by hitting them with its tail.
• This episode was partially adapted into the book Secret of the Pink Pokémon.

Errors

• When Ash is climbing the cliff after he and his friends first reach Pinkan Island, Pikachu is on his shoulder. When Ash and Misty are shown from the back, Pikachu is missing.
• Ash's Pokédex identifies Rhyhorn as the "Spiked Pokémon" instead of the "Spikes Pokémon".
• When observing the pink Rhyhorn, Tracey mentions that it is 8 meters long. This is impossible, since the Rhyhorn would be just over 24 feet in length, and it is clearly nowhere near this size. Rhyhorn's size according to the Pokédex is only 1 meter.
• When Jigglypuff jumps onto Team Rocket's submarine, it is seen standing on the red part of its head, but in the next the part turns yellow.
• In a couple of scenes, Lickitung's eyebrows are colored yellow instead of pink.
• James says, "That shock was Nidoking's wake-up call!" However, the previous scene doesn't show Nidoking getting shocked.
• Officer Jenny claims that Thunderbolt will not work because the Nidoking is on a rampage. This is incorrect as Nidoking is part Ground-type and Electric moves would not work regardless.
• When Officer Jenny engages Nidoking, the "z's" on Ash's cheeks are missing.
• In the English dub:
  • In the scene where the group is being chased by the pink Nidoking, Misty tries calling out for her Starmie before Psyduck comes out, despite it having been left at the Cerulean Gym more than twenty episodes before.
  • James refers to the plural of Jigglypuff as "Jigglypuffs".

• 

  Lickitung's miscolored eyebrows

• 

  Ash's missing cheek marks

Dub edits

• Pikachu's Jukebox: My Best Friends

In other languages

Language		Title
Arabic		جزيرة البوكيمونات الوردية
Mandarin Chinese		粉紅神奇寶貝之島
Czech		Všechno je růžové
Danish		Den lyserøde ø
Dutch		De Roze Pokémon
European French		La vie en rose
German		Pinkan Island
Hebrew		בורוד Be'varod
Hindi		पिंक आइलेंड Pink Island *
Hungarian		Álom rózsaszín kivitelben
Italian		L'isola dei Pokémon rosa
Norwegian		Den rosa øya
Polish		Na różowo
Portuguese	Brazil	Tudo Rosa
	Portugal	Na Ilha Rosa
Romanian		În Roz
Russian		Розовый мир
Spanish	Latin America	¡Pokémon en rosa!
	Spain	De color rosa
Swedish		Rosa Ön

← EP087 : The Crystal Onix

Original series

EP089 : Shell Shock! →

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.