What is the Pokemon Franchise?
Background
Pokemon is owned by Nintendo, and was created by Satoshi Tajiri. Pokemon, or Pocket Monsters, are inspired by Tajiri's childhood hobby. He like collecting insects, so the idea of a "Pocket Monster" was born. Condensed, this became the name "Pokemon." After the franchise's start in 1996, its popularity exploded worldwide.
History
Pokemon has left a really large legacy- It's had video games, trading card games, and anime, not to mention spin-offs as well. Even PETA has made a terrible parody of the game advocating their cause (Which, of course, does not actually represent Pokemon at all). Pokemon has enjoyed over 14 seasons of anime, but most importantly, its video game series has flourished, lasting over 5 Pokemon generations and still going on. It has expanded from the origional 151 Pokemon to today's 649.
Importance Today
Well, Pokemon is everywhere, isn't it? There are full Wiki's about it, fansites (Like this one!), meme databases, products, and much more! Everywhere you go, you can probably find at least one Pokemon fan.
Want to learn more?
There are a few awesome sites to learn more about Pokemon, like...