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Pokémon Underground Champions League

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P.U.C.L. Podcast
Pokémon Underground Champions League
"It's the one, the only, PUCL Podcast!"
PUCL.jpg
The Pokémon Underground Champions League's podcast art, featuring a close-up on the podcast's mascot, Suicune.
Language English
Status Podcast Active
Website Active
Run Podcast December 2007 - Present
Website 2009 - Present
Podcast debuted December 31, 2007
Last episode published {{{final}}}
Website opened April 2, 2009 (Current website as presumed by the host on Episode 90; the first website was a Webs.com site.)
Website closed {{{site_close}}}
Reason {{{reason}}}
Creator(s) Thaddeus Asel (a.k.a. "Thatch") and "Professor Sycamore"
Host(s) Jane Doe
Number of Episodes 99 (as of July 9, 2012)
Forum P.U.C.L. Forums
Mascot Suicune
Website PUCLPodcast.com
Feed P.U.C.L. Podcast RSS feed P.U.C.L. Podcast on Apple Podcasts P.U.C.L. Podcast on Google Podcasts P.U.C.L. Podcast on Spotify

The Pokémon Underground Champions League, also known as P.U.C.L. (pronounced PUCK-uhl), is a Pokémon-centric podcast and fan site hosted and run by Thaddeus "Tadj" Asel, better known as "Trainer Thatch". The podcast debuted on New Year's Eve 2007, barely beginning in the same year as another Pokémon podcast, WTPT - Pokémon Radio. The podcast is known for its wacky humor, and is the successor to a short-lived podcast that debuted in March of that same year called PokéChat.

Podcast

The Pokémon Underground Champions League podcast or P.U.C.L. Podcast is known for its bizarre and eccentric humor, which includes fake commercials and interviews, a prolonged announcer intro, various cracks made towards Pokémon, their listeners and community members (who they call "PUCLonians"), and the hosts themselves; and several other recurring gags.

It is also known for its many recurring co-hosts who joins host "Thatch" in many of his show's episodes, its longevity (more than four years as of their ninetieth episode on February 12, 2012), and its supposed rivalry with the late yet more popular WTPT. Also, it is one of the few Pokémon-centric podcasts that is explicit.

Despite its longevity, the podcast is considered subpar compared to other Pokémon podcasts by both Pokémon fans (outside of the show's dedicated listeners) and even host "Thatch" himself.[1]

History

Before P.U.C.L., Asel originally created a podcast called PokéChat that debuted in March 2007. The podcast ended after only a few episodes due to Asel's then-inexperience with podcasting and his dissatisfaction with the show's format.

Asel stated in an e-mail to a Bulbapedia user, "P.U.C.L. was never actually intended to be a podcast."[2] When Diamond and Pearl were released, he had several friends playing the games in his high school during fall of the same year. He and his friends decided to try set up various Pokémon tournaments together and, jokingly, wanted to make a club out of it. They spent a couple days trying to come up with an acronym that made a "word", coming up with "Pokémon Underground Champions" or "P.U.C." (pronounced "puck") and using it for a couple of weeks. They then added "League" to the end, making the acronym "P.U.C.L." Asel treats the name as nonsensical and hopes no one takes it as serious.[2]

He returned to podcasting after hearing WTPT and noticing that "there really were no other options for a good[,] regularly updating [P]okémon podcast." One day after he and a friend returned home from school, they came up the pseudonyms "Cool Trainer Thatch" and "Professor Sycamore" and recorded a podcast. They posted the first episode of the P.U.C.L. Podcast two weeks later, and "Thatch" has been doing new episodes of the podcast ever since.[2]

Supposed rivalry with WTPT - Pokémon Radio

P.U.C.L. and its listener base had scuffles with the more successful WTPT - Pokémon Radio that lasted until the latter podcast's end in 2010. The "rivalry" with the other podcast began when P.U.C.L. made fun of WTPT.[2][3] Eventually in the summer of 2008, Justin V. of The Pallet Tribune, then called The Pokémon Times, asked P.U.C.L. to stop ridiculing them. A flame war ignited between the two podcasts' listeners, with their bases mocking the other podcast in e-mails to their favorite podcast and writing negative podcast reviews about the other on iTunes. It reached its peak when the two Pokémon fan communities held the first of two separate tournaments to see which community was better at the Pokémon games, with WTPT's group winning both by a significant margin. After the tournaments, the two podcasts somewhat forgave each other and decided it would be best if they did not mention other Pokémon podcasts on their shows, and would later have a coexistence with each other.[2][3] (This "rule" was broken for the first time on episode 90 when an e-mail mentioning other Pokémon podcasts was read.)

Upon the announcement of WTPT's end, P.U.C.L.'s fans boasted on an unofficial Facebook fan page that they've won the "rivalry" by default, which was mocked by the host of another Pokémon-focused podcast on Twitter and the nineteenth episode of that podcast. (At that time the then-new podcast, which debuted during the same year that WTPT ended, had already surpassed P.U.C.L. in popularity within their first few months.) Asel has since shut down the fan page and started an official Facebook page for P.U.C.L.[2]

Segments and recurring themes

As aforementioned, the podcast has made up many segments, running gags and other recurring themes throughout its run. These include:

  • Intro - The introduction to the show is normally goes in the following order:
    • Teaser - The podcast begins with either a humorous phrase spoken by one of the hosts or a scene skit that the hosts set up as a joke. One of the podcast's most notable teases came on episode 89 when an exhausted Sarge came in and explained to listeners that the reason why they have not made a new episode since episode 88 was supposedly because he and Thatch went on a $5 vacation to Mexico, ending up in a town afflicted by poverty and the Mexican Drug War. They were taken prisoner by the drug cartel in the area and eventually escaped with crack and steroids in their bodies. They ran for several days to the US-Mexico border until the effects of the drugs wore out and were attacked by a polar bear. Sarge was saved by Border Patrol, but also says that Thatch was killed by several "polar bears". He then has a moment of silence before Thatch interrupts yelling that it was a lie and that he was just lazy. The teasers are a more recent addition to the show.
    • "Theme song" of the episode - A random song is played as the theme tune for the episode, with mostly various non-Pokémon-related rock and pop music played at the beginning. Pokémon-related songs have been played before, including official songs such as the original Pokémon Theme for the English dub and parodies of popular songs such as "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO; some in their entirety. Occasionally, the intro song would just be sung by the podcast's hosts.
    • Announcer - After the intro song of the episode is played, a campy announcer (usually Thatch using an echo effect) gives an introduction to the show in a humorously prolonged and ever-changing tone. The phrase as it currently is usually starts by saying a location in the Pokémon world where the podcast is supposedly being recorded, then goes to its slogan, "It's the one, the only, PUCL Podcast!"
  • News - After the introduction, P.U.C.L. starts with a typical Pokémon news segment, with the hosts recapping recent Pokémon-related events. Currently, this segment starts and ends with a low-quality playing of "The Mission", a piece originally composed by John Williams for NBC's news programs.
  • Main topic - The typical topic of the episode segment, which provides the titles for the podcast's episodes and is discussed by the hosts.
  • Interviews - Mock interviews have been a part of the P.U.C.L. Podcast since the second episode, when the Day-Care Man from Four Island was the first "interviewee" as the episode focused on breeding. These interviews happened early on in the podcast's run, but have been become less common later on, only being done on occasion when the hosts feel like it. The interviews tend to have over-exaggerated versions of various characters. "Interviewees" have included:
    • The aforementioned Day-Care Man from Four Island.
    • Koga - In the episode he was in (possibly the third episode), he claimed his Weezing could do a "mean ass roundhouse kick".
    • Kurt - In the ninth episode, which focused on Poké Balls.
    • Wally - In episode 63, which focused on rivals, Wally was portrayed as being much more ill and frail than he normally is in the games, to the point that he dies during his interview. The interview contained references to the 2008 computer-animated Pixar film, WALL-E.
  • Commercials - P.U.C.L. always has a commercial break filled with fake commercials during each episode, normally after the topic of the episode. The commercials start after one of the hosts says, "We will catch you on the flip-flop!" Some of the more notable "commercials" include:
    • Green Tauros - Named after the alternate coloration of Tauros, Green Tauros a parody of the popular energy drink Red Bull. Its slogan is "Green Tauros gives you hooves", a play on Red Bull's slogan, "Red Bull gives you wings."
    • Geodude Rag/Onix Scrubber/Roggenrola Roller - A generic salesman with a Brooklyn accent pushes different "cleaning" products which are hinted to be just various Rock-type Pokémon being used in a mildly abusive manner.
    • Archie - The head of Team Aqua ran for president against Maxie in 2008 and won by a vote from the show's fans. Archie's platform was that he was going to use the extra water to sell to "Planet X28" to pull the country out of the recession. It was followed by a series of presidential commercials where Archie's plans go south, and X28 becomes hostile.
  • "Poke" of the Episode - As with any other Pokémon podcast, P.U.C.L has a segment focusing on a Pokémon of the hosts' choosing. In this podcast, the hosts look at their chosen Pokémon's Bulbapedia article and often read off the "Trivia" section from there.
  • Mailbag - As typical of any Pokémon-centric podcast, e-mails and feedback are sent to P.U.C.L. and are read on the air as part of the "Mailbag" segment. Also like other Pokémon podcasts, P.U.C.L. asks a "Mailbag Question" that is answered in most e-mails for the next episode. Currently, the mailbag begins with a playing of "Mailtime" from the Nickelodeon children's show Blue's Clues before Thatch and his co-hosts read the e-mails. Starting with episode 97, after they've read all the e-mails for the episode, the hosts award an "Email Badge" to an e-mailer who they think wrote the best e-mail of the episode based on grammar and content. The badge is added to the user's P.U.C.L. profile, provided that they have a profile on the website. Some of the podcast's more memorable e-mails and e-mailers include:
    • "Team Shadow" - A e-mailer called "Blazeman" wrote in a e-mail to the podcast that he "formed" a team called "Team Shadow" and said, "We will attack you, then come out of the shadows and attack you." The redundancy of how Team Shadow attacks other teams was found to be hilarious to the hosts, who commented on how redundancy is evil, and "Team Shadow" was mentioned again in various episodes.
    • Pokeman - "Pokeman" was the first e-mailer to the P.U.C.L. Podcast. He was initially called by his real name because he originally did not use a pseudonym, causing him to tell Thatch in later e-mails to stop using his actual name. He is also remembered for his intelligent input to the podcast.
    • Green Tauros Guy - GTG was a frequent e-mailer to P.U.C.L. who gave detailed analysis of what happened in the podcast and gave his opinions on them. He eventually became a staff member of P.U.C.L and has been a co-host on the podcast.
    • Toast - Another e-mailer who became a staff member and co-host, he wrote an e-mail for the podcast's third anniversary special that roasted the entire P.U.C.L. staff at the time.
  • Outro/"Closing Time" - The podcast ends with Thatch giving a new "Mailbag Question" for the next episode and mentioning the e-mail address for listeners to send their feedback. After a bit of chatter, Thatch usually says, "Until next time on the PUCL Podcast, I'm Trainer Thatch," then after the co-host(s) mention their names, Thatch continues, "And here at [the PUCL Podcast or a location in the Pokémon world where the podcast has supposedly been recorded], it's closing time." Normally, during or after these final lines, the song "Closing Time" by alternative rock band Semisonic plays (with the first verse usually coming in right after Thatch says "it's closing time") until it fades out after the first chorus.

Episode list

100th Episode Celebration

For P.U.C.L's 100th Episode one of the hosts (Thatch) hosted a 12 hour long live-steam in which he cleaned his apartment and recorded the 100th episode live. *Note* P.U.C.L is the first Pokemon Podcast to reach 100 episodes. Members of the P.U.C.L community that watched the live-stream earned a special badge to show they were there, the badge is worth 100 on their forums.

Many members from the P.U.C.L community watched the live-stream in celebration of P.U.C.L's milestone, some of the members included: Mister_Thingy, Ed, Aero, Matthew_Cleary, Goggles, DrShamu, Redworthy and TheRandomListener.

Website

The website is also called the Pokémon Underground Champions League, but is actually located at and called on the podcast, PUCLPodcast.com. The site has been redesigned several times; the most recent site renovation, called P.U.C.L. 5.0, was completed on June 20, 2012.

Badges

"Badges" were introduced in P.U.C.L. 5.0 along with improved user profiles for users. Similar to video game achievements, they are awarded to users to do P.U.C.L.-related things, such as following the podcast and website on social networking sites, writing a P.U.C.L. Podcast review on iTunes, and winning P.U.C.L. League tournaments. Some badges require users to send an e-mail to P.U.C.L. stating that they've completed the task required to earn the particular badge. Badges also have points attached to them, similar to Xbox Live Gamerscores.

Chat

The website has a chat room that is powered by xat.com.

P.U.C.L. Block

The P.U.C.L. Block is a live video show hosted by Thatch and his co-hosts.

League

The P.U.C.L. League is the competitive battling portion of the Pokémon Underground Champions League.

Staff

Current staff members

Thatch
"Pokémon Trainer", host of the P.U.C.L. Podcast, and webmaster of PUCLPodcast.com. Described on the staff section of the site as the "PUCL President".
Sycamore
"Pokémon Professor" and "PUCL Vice President". First recurring co-host of the podcast.
Sarge
Recurring co-host.
The Apprentice ("App")
Site treasurer and recurring co-host.
Mister Thingy
Writer and "Topic Idealist".

Past staff members

All past staff mentioned here have been co-hosts on the podcast.

Infinity
Journalist, "Topic Idealist" and writer.
Speezi
Site sponsor and graphic designer.
Toast
Advisor to the P.U.C.L. Block and writer.
Ecko
Site developer.
Green Tauros Guy
P.U.C.L. Block specialist.
Aero
Writer.

Trivia

  • The P.U.C.L Podcast is the first Pokemon Podcast to reach 100 episodes

References

  1. ↑ "Thatch" [Thaddeus Asel]. "Happy Birthday P.U.C.L.!" December 31, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Thatch" [Thaddeus Asel]. Message to "BulbaPediaAid". March 5, 2012. E-mail.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Thatch" to "BulbaPediaAid": "We said a lot of stupid things we shouldn't have. [...] After [the tournaments] we kind of forgave each other and decided it [was] best not to mention other [P]okémon podcasts just as WTPT did."
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