2220: Imagine Going Back in Time

Imagine Going Back in Time

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Title text: I wonder what the trendy adults in 2019 who are too cool for Pokemon will be into. Probably Digimon!

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Explanation

Cueball is checking his Pokémon Go app to check on the status of a Pokémon he had previously left in a gym (to defend it against the other two teams in the game). In the gym he sees that another player named "Reelect Trump 2020" has left a frog Pokémon, which is now standing next to his. Cueball, evidently not a fan of President Trump or his supporters, finds it distasteful to be indirectly associated with someone whose political views he finds unpleasant. Alternatively, it may simply be that Cueball doesn't want politics injected into a game that he plays for fun.

When he remarks on this to Megan, she observes how strange that remark would sound if he said it to his younger self from 20 years ago. Normally when people say, "imagine going back in time", they are merely constructing a hypothetical scenario to illustrate how rapidly society has changed over the years. Megan is likely pointing out that the idea of Donald Trump becoming the President of the United States (let alone coming up for re-election) would have seemed very farfetch'd just 20 years ago. However, it turns out that Cueball somehow actually does have the time-travel technology required to pull this off, and so he takes Megan's suggestion literally and goes back in time 20 years to do exactly what she suggested: he repeats the statement to his younger self to see what his reaction will be.

Unfortunately, past Cueball (in the year 1999) chooses to focus on a completely different aspect of the statement: the fact that Pokémon - a game that past Cueball sees as a children's game - will still somehow be popular in 20 years, and that his adult self is still playing it. These observations make Cueball feel uncomfortable, as they highlight the fact that he is spending time on pursuits that his younger self sees as frivolous or childish. He gets defensive and starts to argue with his younger self.

When his younger self begins to call it a sobering and cautionary tale, it may dawn upon present Cueball that he may just have changed how his former self will behave. (Could he, in the new iteration, never even begin playing Pokémon Go, and thus present Cueball may disappear and a different version of himself will exist 20 years later? Or could he have seeded encouragement for himself being more readily connected to all things Pokémon in the intervening years, putting himself further ahead of the resurgence in its popularity?) Or else future-Cueball is just frustrated at how past-Cueball is failing to notice his intended revelation — and in turn is failing to appreciate past-Cueball's own naive but still insightful interpretation.

Pokémon is a media franchise that debuted in 1996 in Japan as both a video game and a trading card game. It was originally designed for and marketed to younger children (the tie-in cartoon series constantly emphasizes its main characters are ten years old), with a design, aesthetic and gameplay that were optimized for a younger audience. Since then, and up to 2019, there have been a total of eight generations of video games on consoles. As the franchise continued to thrive and evolve, it's gone through multiple generations, including Pokémon Go, an augmented reality game for smartphones. These latest versions, in particular, have become popular with (and marketed to) adults, some of whom grew up playing the earlier generations.

In 1999 in North America, only the first generation of Pokémon video games had been released, consisting of Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Red and the anime-based spin-off Pokémon Yellow for the Nintendo Game Boy/Game Boy Color. The second generation of Pokémon video games would not even be announced in Japan until November 1999, and advertising for the North American release would begin in December of 1999. A person living in 1999, who has only seen the first generation, with no official confirmation that a second generation was even being considered, and unable to predict the nostalgia market that would appear later, would quite plausibly wonder about its popularity 20 years later.

Donald Trump was the president of the United States at the time of publishing, elected in 2016. Even during his campaign, the idea of his election was considered absurd in many circles, as he had never held any kind of public office, and had no background that would lend itself to expertise in government or public policy. Prior to his election, he was primarily known as a New York real estate mogul and host of the 2003 reality television show The Apprentice. While he'd been teasing the idea of a presidential run since the 1980s, and indeed was seeking the Reform Party candidacy in 1999 (at the advice of then-Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura, another actor-turned-politician), most people did not take the idea seriously, and the concept of him actually being President of the United States would have been hugely unexpected to most Americans in an earlier era. 1999 Cueball might regard the name "Reelect Trump 2020" as an ironic joke, like a campaign button for Vermin Supreme or the Sweet Meteor Of Death.

Randall released a comic about Pokémon Go less than a week after its release back in July 2016: 1705: Pokémon Go. But Pokémon in general has been a recurring theme in xkcd long before Pokémon Go was released.

Pepe the Frog is an internet meme that has become associated with Donald Trump after his use of it during his presidential campaign. The use of a frog Pokémon, therefore, is a callback to this internet phenomenon.

The Pokémon left in the gym is most likely Politoed, the only official frog Pokémon released in the game at the time of publication. It comes from the tadpole series with Poliwag that evolves into Poliwhirl which by using a King's Rock can be evolved to Politoed (instead of to Poliwrath). There are other frog-like Pokémon in the game which are scheduled to be added to Pokémon Go, but where people who dislike Trump might have chosen Toxicroak, it seems an unlikely choice by a fan that hopes Trump is reelected!

This comic's joke is similar to one used in the 1985 science-fiction film Back to the Future, in which Doc Brown (of 1955) is shocked to learn that Ronald Reagan would be the President of the United States in thirty years' time, when in 1955 Reagan was a TV actor.

Digimon, as mentioned in the title text, is another media franchise which is similar to Pokémon in some ways, though it is sometimes perceived as more "cool" and "adult" oriented. Its popularity in North America rose around 1999 with the airing of its anime series, but never became as popular as Pokémon.

This was the first of two time travel comics in less than a week, as the one two comics after this one, 2222: Terminator: Dark Fate, also had future Cueballs travel back to visit their past self.

Transcript

[Cueball talks to Megan while looking at his smart phone.]

Cueball: Ugh. A player named "Reelect Trump 2020" put a frog Pokemon in the gym next to mine.

[Megan puts her hand to her face. Cueball is holding a device in his hand with an antenna. He uses the other hand to move a stick on the device.]

Megan: Imagine going back in time and saying that to yourself 20 years ago.

Cueball: Oh, I have a time machine! I'll try that.

[A sound effect between panels, likely the sound of Cueball's time machine.]

Bzzzzt

[Two Cueballs standing, facing each other. The one on the right is holding the handheld device, and is thus Cueball from 2019. He is apparently repeating his statement to the other Cueball from 1999, with only the last 3 words shown. He gestures towards the left Cueball. Above the left Cueball there is a frame with a caption:]

1999

Cueball from 2019: ...next to mine.

[Cueball from 1999 is shown, with Cueball from 2019 speaking off panel.]

Cueball from 1999: I see.

Cueball from 1999: Pokemon is still popular in 2019?

Cueball from 2019: Yeah.

[Cueball from 2019 is holding a finger up in front of Cueball from 1999.]

Cueball from 1999: And it's cool for people your age to play it?

Cueball from 2019: OK, I did not come here to be mocked.

Cueball from 1999: This is a sobering cautionary tale.

Cueball from 2019: Listen, self...

Trivia

• The idea of people extending their childhood hobbies into adulthood was explored in a more positive light in 219: Blanket Fort and 150: Grownups. The blurred line between childhood and adulthood is a recurring theme on xkcd.

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Discussion

I wonder if Randall had a particular "frog pokemon" in mind? Croagunk, Toxicroak, Froakie, Frogadier, Greninja...? 172.69.44.150 19:58, 25 October 2019 (UTC)

Hint: First, Pokemon Go didn't finished deploying generation 5 pokemons yet. Second, Trump is totally toxic. -- Hkmaly (talk) 23:17, 25 October 2019 (UTC)

The Poliwhirl family dates from Generation 1 and is the "original" frog pokémon. --162.158.122.36 23:59, 25 October 2019 (UTC)

Yes so fur sure the frog Pokémon Politoed from gen 2, since the Poliwag is tadpoles. I agree that Toxicroach or Croagunk would fit better with Trump in Randall's view, but it is a reelect Trump fan, so he would most likely use a green frog that is not "ugly". Have added this to the description with link to page with picture. --Kynde (talk) 22:08, 26 October 2019 (UTC)

Agree that Politoed is the most likely, but contrary to what the page says currently, croagunk and toxicroak have been in the game for a few months now. (I just had a bunch of croagunk in my area and evolved a toxicroak, which is why I had them in mind when I made my previous comment.)172.69.44.150 20:13, 28 October 2019 (UTC)

"... and I suppose Marla Maples is the first lady!" 172.68.38.88 20:04, 25 October 2019 (UTC)

I know that Randall, and by extension Cueball, are not enthusiastic about the idea of dealing with a player who goes by "Reelect Trump 2020", but what does it mean that there is a frog Pokemon in the gym alongside? In other words, is Cueball's annoyance just that there is a Trump-promoting player in the game or is there more to it than that? --172.69.90.46 20:16, 25 October 2019 (UTC)

I see that at least you made the connection to the original "Back to the Future" when Marty meets Doc in 1955 and tells him that Ronald Reagan is President. RAGBRAIvet (talk) 06:04, 28 October 2019 (UTC)

Definitely the Trump-promoting, as Toxicroak wouldn't be that hard pokemon to remove, with max CP 2488. Wait, "next to mine"? Ok, so he plays same team as Cueball and Cueball CANT remove it due to that. -- Hkmaly (talk) 23:17, 25 October 2019 (UTC)

And it is not a toxic pokémon when it is a fan of Trump that put it in! See above. --Kynde (talk) 22:08, 26 October 2019 (UTC)

The frog Pokemon is likely a reference to Pepe the Frog, which is a meme popular with Trump supporters--172.68.90.112 20:52, 25 October 2019 (UTC)

Trump was quite sufficiently (in)famous by 1999. Remember that he divorced his most famous wife, Ivana, in 1991. His various business and romantic failures ventures were regular tabloid fodder throughout the 90s. If you think a 1999 person would have never heard of Trump, you're obviously too young to be using the internet younger than I am. I think the main joke in this comic is that Cueball goes back expecting his younger self to go, "wait, re-elect WHO??", but his younger self doesn't even bat an eyelash at that part. 173.245.52.175 21:03, 25 October 2019 (UTC)

Famous, yes. Expected to became president, no. And young Cueball might be too young to care about tabloids and celebrities. -- Hkmaly (talk) 23:17, 25 October 2019 (UTC)

Nobody - not even Randall - is suggesting ANYBODY didn't know who Trump was in 1999. He's been quite famous for decades. The surprise here is that he's president, not who he is. NiceGuy1 (talk) 03:29, 26 October 2019 (UTC)

He was famous enough to be a recognizable cameo in Home Alone 2 with no explanation (and Home Alone 2 was basically the holiday movie at the time, since no one liked Home Alone 3), but that fame was nothing compared to how famous he'd become later--162.158.122.36 15:07, 27 October 2019 (UTC)

There is a Home Alone 3? oO Elektrizikekswerk (talk) 14:05, 28 October 2019 (UTC)

Has no one considered that we have been "dumbed down" to the point that so-called adults playing Pokemon and so-called adults voting for Trump are inextricably linked and are symptoms of the same malaise - a general inability to think for ourselves and a deep susceptibility to marketing, advertising and following the herd108.162.241.148 03:05, 26 October 2019 (UTC)

Yes, but nobody important. 172.69.34.98 03:11, 26 October 2019 (UTC)

Adults playing Pokemon just means they’re happy doing what makes them happy, why should someone be ashamed of it? 162.158.166.141 10:35, 26 October 2019 (UTC)

Yes, I play Pokémon Go, I'm in my forties, and most of the other players I play with are adults although here it has had a revive with the kids in school again. I get a lot of fresh air and more exercise than I got before starting to play 2,5 year ago. And with Randall's obsession with Pokémon and his knowledge about the games mechanics he most likely plays it himself. There are millions of adults playing every day as it is one of the most downloaded apps in app store. --Kynde (talk) 22:08, 26 October 2019 (UTC)

If *children* are mocking you for being childish, you *should* probably sit down and think about it for a moment. The thought seems to have struck Randall, too. --162.158.90.66 21:58, 28 October 2019 (UTC)

Just as I remember reading in a 1969 textbook that Ronald Regan was going to someday be elected President if (then current) political trends that became the “southern strategy” weren’t addressed, I also remember reading at least one op-Ed piece in the late 1990’s that if the political parties didn’t clean house and get rid of undue influence from big donors that someday Donald Trump would become President. There were people worried about Trump in 1999.162.158.62.129 04:13, 26 October 2019 (UTC)

I can't help but wonder if the wording of the title text is meant to invoke another shocking reveal when considering what "trendy adults" really are into these days.--Henke37 (talk) 15:30, 26 October 2019 (UTC)

What's with the width of this comic? It's too wide, and it breaks out of the standard xkcd.com layout a little bit. --NeatNit (talk) 16:31, 27 October 2019 (UTC)

I noticed this, too. Has this happened before? -- Dtgriscom (talk) 14:47, 28 October 2019 (UTC)

20 years ago, I was a whiny little shit and would have probably ranted that I'm to cool for Pokemon, instead of just admitting that it looks interesting and would have wanted a gameboy to play it myself. 172.69.55.22 10:10, 28 October 2019 (UTC)

I am not sure which I find more disturbing. Randall's apparent unthinking Trump Derangement Syndrome (I would have imagined him too intelligent to fall for mere politics) or the fact that Explain XKCD seems to have been invaded by Goldman Sachs advertising. If you are going to use an ad rotator, could you at least set it to display DIFFERENT adverts on the same page? I don't need to see the same advert 3 times. Seebert (talk) 12:55, 28 October 2019 (UTC)

In all fairness, I must point out that it is Cueball giving an kneejerk anti-Trump reaction in this comic, not Randall himself. While Randall does often project his own views through the characters of his comic, we cannot say for certain that that is the case here. In the past he has often created characters with incorrect or strawman positions in order to make a point or to satirize them. Hawthorn (talk) 13:46, 28 October 2019 (UTC)

Hmm, It seems to me that today's Cueball's (TP) dismay with the past's Cueball's (PC) reaction isn't about Trump, it's about calling him old and questioning his continued Pokemon-ing. This seems more in line with my impression of his priorities in life. With the two of them together, they could easily lose track of the 2nd half of the original odd statement and go off on the "what are you saying about me?" tangent - which makes the "I didn't come here to be mocked!" make a little more narrative sense. PC doesn't show any interesting in the Trump aspect, merely the idea of TP's still playing and being 20 years older, seems to be worth his consideration. I don't see it as changing the future sort of thing, don't you have to kill your grandfather or something to do that? Afbach (talk)

I had the feeling that old Cueball dies/disappears, because young one decides not to do childish things at age 40, altering the future. 172.68.226.16 10:19, 30 October 2019 (UTC)

Do you all think we should add the Multiple Cueballs tag to this comic? Because...um...yeah. --Account (talk) 19:35, 11 November 2019 (UTC)

i used to think that pokemon was a rip-off of digimon, and it went back in time 10 years to use the idea before digimon. this is wrong^{[citation needed]} Squishmallow fan (talk) 02:22, 10 February 2024 (UTC)
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