Mon Men - A Pokemon Survey

Darling and Balloo are back to continue through Gen III (apologies but looks like the starters ep is lost to the aether). We're starting off with Mon Mom and then off to discuss Poochyena, Zigzagoon, and Wurmple lines today. Along the way we touch on Hugh Jackman's classic revelation that a Wolverine is a creature unto itself and not a wolf, and get into the distinctions in video games versus film on remakes, reboots, and remasters. It's another 

Michael and Balloo are back to discuss the final run of Gen II Pokemon. Mon Mom returns to stump Michael once more, and then it's off to a legendary gauntlet of the legendary "woof-os," japanese folklore, game history, and more followed by closing with the game cover legends- Lugia and Ho Oh, and finally the best Onion Knight this side of a Final Fantasy: Celebi.

Balloo & Darling are back, joined once more by Steph Metzger, bringing her PhD in Dairy Science to talk Miltank, Elekid, Magby, Smoochum, and Blissey. There's some breaking Mon News at the top of the show regarding Galarian Slowking, and Telekinetic Uri Gellar's long standing Kadabra feud, and then we're off with all the usual fun. Elekid might be a lil dummy, but he's our lil dummy with the cutest lil teefums, Blissey is a tank you make hard with friendship, Smoochum is wrong, and more! Welcome back to the madness!

We're back with our cohost from the "Lost Episode" Ramona Donahue to talk about Phanpy, Donphan, Porygon2, Stantler, Smeargle, Tyrogue and Hitmontop! With more Abba than usual, as well as a reading by Darling from The Great Gatsby, it's another fun run. For Michael Darling's American media found footage masterpiece, check here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh3EF4s2KCU&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1c4qvvu-Hpxzu4fA7FbB2JZ4GqDFYNjt721gzjK-PrrymbCHGu3bYoPwA

Balloo and Darling are back! After a technical issue with our originally planned episode, we're doing a special adventure with a drunk Darling and stoned Balloo recounting what they recall from what shall forever be known as the Mon Men Lost Episode. We're hazily recalling our conversations and still veering off on wild tangents about Delibird, Mantine, Houndour, Houndoom, Kingdra, and Skarmory. 

Darling and Balloo are back this time to talk pigs, lactation, and more with Dr. Stephanie Metzger. Along the way we reminisce on the brilliance of Andy Samberg's Pop Star film, Animorphs, discuss the insane biology of Pokemon magma slugs, Corsola's very bleak Alolan form, and much more. 

A delayed release on this episode, but still fresh as Darling and Balloo are joined by Kev Koeser once more to discuss Shuckle, Heracross, Scizor, Tediursa and Ursaring with all the usual fun of discussing classic animated films, Scorcese, and much more.

Seth Hansen returns to join Darling and Balloo discussing Dunsparce, Pineco, Gligar, Steelix, Snubbull, and more. Along the way Seth teaches the gang about Durian fruits, our favorite Batsuits, Nicole Kidman's legendary divorcee energy, and magpie dive bombers. From the show:The eyes don't work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGGTcYfrEZU&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3APKJqPu0Dkl46hbk92mhAxH6aiQ8GPdYx1LmKGo5nuLNQsi2K0QYWDC0

Darling and Balloo are back for another social distancing friendly episode of the show to discuss Murkrow, Wobuffet, Girafarig, Unown, and Slowking. There's discussion of Pokemon fashion choices, the most Lovecraftian Pokemon there may be, and how dastardly clever Crows and its kin are. From the show: The Eyes Don't Work on Magpies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGGTcYfrEZU&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3RkpvAv5sBB03wfDNNV479dJnAyIYxtrQm2MuS0Fdn57F0i9FVRmaAfsc Gustave the Crocodile: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_(crocodile) Gameboy Accessories of yore:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=0tgiBXwBBcw&feature=emb_title

Zach Wilson joins Balloo & Darling this week for the social distancing episode where we discuss Sunkern, Sunflora, Wooper, Quagsire, Espeon, and Umbreon. Along the way the gang discusses the Dinosaur movie boom of 1993-95 that began with Jurassic Park and ended with We're Back! A Dinosaur story, Balloo discusses the paradise he tried to design in Animal Crossing, the gang realizes that the movie Zootopia doesn't hold up well at all, and Balloo yet again envisions a Lovecraftian horror 'mon from today's bunch. From the show: Follow Zach on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatZachWilson Check out Zach's other podcast, Ships in the Night: https://twitter.com/ShippingPod ...and Marvel Movie News: https://twitter.com/MarvelNewsPTN   Meowth as a Sunflora: https://twitter.com/sora_02/status/1117121942031491072 Dino City: https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/DinoCity Wooper Meme for the times: https://me.me/i/ruinedchildhood-were-gonna-fucking-die-funny-ce-none-4721cf00cdc74d2ca19631af67356e2d Recommended Listening Cabin Pressure: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lmcxj/episodes/guide  

Michael Chau joins the 3 Guest Host appearance club this week to discuss Sudowoodo, Politoed, the Hoppip line and Aipom. Along the way the gang discusses the timeline of Uncut Gems' plot and whether that means Kevin Garnett was a ghost, an overlooked sneaky detail from Avengers Endgame and the Jeremy Renner "Renpire," some adorable stories of our podcast mascot Cordy, Balloo's upcoming trip to Japan and much, much more! UPDATE: This episode was recorded on March 9, 2020. Hard to believe, but obviously things have changed a lot since recording. Balloo did NOT end up making the trip to Japan discussed towards the end of the episode. As he stated, following the development of the COVID-19 situation in the news and subsequent developments, he opted to cancel the trip. Both of us here and Mon Men encourage folks to err on the side of caution and remain indoors as much as possible based on recommendations from regional governance, wash your hands, and stay safe. From the Show: Follow Chau on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Srirachachau Avatar's font SNL Sketch:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVhlJNJopOQ The lion of Gripsholm Castle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_of_Gripsholm_Castle Every black person on Friends: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUc0vbSlanM Every black person on Seinfeld: https://globalgrind.com/3920031/black-people-who-were-on-seinfeld-list-photos/  

Jeremy Wojchihosky stops by this week to discuss Natu, Mareep, Bellossom, and Marrill. From some in depth Poke-Talk about Eeveelutions we want to see, to new Pokemon types we're surprised don't exist yet, there's also the usual fun discussing the recent DC Birds of Prey film, our everlasting love for the best line reads in cinema history including Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight and Gotham City Cop #1 in the Dark Knight, it's Mon Men! From the show: Follow Jeremy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jwojchi Check out his sculpture work and other art: https://www.jwvisual.com/

Jupiter Baudot joins Darling and Balloo this week for a booty of Mon Mom game, then it's off to discussing Crobat, Chinchou, Pichu, Cleffa, Igglybuff, and Togepi. Along the way the group discusses yet another Pokemon clone, Monster Rancher, finally fully airs grievances with the state of the Star Wars franchise and its prequels, and more on underwater terrors and Balloo's hatred of all the baby Pokemon of this gen. From the show: Follow Jupiter on Twitter and Instagram: https://twitter.com/JupiterBaudot https://www.instagram.com/jupiterliketheplanet/

Beth Scorzato joins Balloo and Darling this week to talk about Sentret, Hoothoot, Ledyba, and Spinarak, and we have our first game of Mon Mom for season 2! After the game we're off to talk about shortcomings of Pokemon lore, Beth's extreme dislike of birds, Magic the Gathering, awkward high school years, and getting engaged at Epcot in Disney World. Follow Beth on Twitter for more anti-bird takes: https://twitter.com/beescores_ From the show: the terrifying raccoon invasion: https://twitter.com/somalijawn/status/1224871227921223680

We're back and ready to talk about the Gen II starter families, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile. Mandi Bossard joins Michael and Balloo to chat through Oscar season, Democratic primaries, Thomas Haden Church's cowboy stepdad energy (we stan) and the phallic framework in Pokemon designs. From the Show: Stop talking about Rick & Morty on Dates: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qvn8vv/dear-men-please-stop-mentioning-rick-and-morty-on-dates?fbclid=IwAR20-fN8HkZx7-eb6gT033ZiuIdv8hFdlKTQd5QlEoYfCV8ZGgB-BZJvRy8 The Al Pacino Dunkaccino rap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ3o4dgD6qY&t=20s Follow Mandi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MandiBossard Balloo's latest novel, The Spectacular Seraphim vs. The Fame Monster in paperback and on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0841H1TG9/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=yennaedo+balloo&qid=1580068985&sr=8-2

Balloo and Darling are back for a brief interlude episode as they revel in completing the first generation of Pokemon. A random draw of Pokemon cards provided by Darling offers us a look at some Mons to come, and some we've already covered, there's some discussion about the soon to release Pokemon Sword & Shield, and our preview feelings on the upcoming second generation of Pokemon. Special thanks to the listeners as we arrive at this first milestone, and as noted on the show: Please follow us on Twitter (@MonMenPod), Facebook, or get in touch by email if you have a question/riddle/quagmire you'd like us to discuss on the show, Balloo wants listener mail! We'll be back in two weeks with the Johto Starters!

Nathan York joins Balloo and Darling this week to wrap up the Gen I Pokedex discussing Dratini, Mewtwo and Mew. The first Gen set of Mon Mom is settled this episode after Darling's lead dwindled thanks to Balloo's shenanigans, and then the gang gets to discussing Dratini, Dragonair, Dragonite, Mewtwo and Mew. Along the way, we reminisce about the classic Gameboy Games, discuss the NBA and Mon Men's favorite aging NBA Center, Dwight Howard. With Gen I wrapped up, we'll be back in weeks with a retrospective and then get off to the races with Gen II! Friend of the pod, @ILikeMints on Snake evolution: https://twitter.com/ilikemints/status/1179174177640718346  

Comics writer and game designer John Perez joins the group this week to talk about a big sleepy Mon, Snorlax, as well as the Gen I legendary birds: Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres.   Along the way, the gang readdress the Mandela effect and this podcast as an ongoing diplomatic entreaty from one timeline to another, we discuss the blur effect and its impact on nostalgia for games and movies of our youth (like the original 151), the problems with the Terminator and Star Wars franchises, and give a primer on the value of unions and supporting companies that are pro-union for workers (and avoiding those that aren't). From the show: Follow John on Twitter and Instagram for updates on his upcoming graphic novel: https://twitter.com/social_fiends; https://www.instagram.com/social_fiends/ Balloo's Audiobook of Drawful the Awful is available on Audible and iTunes: https://www.audible.com/pd/Drawful-the-Awful-Audiobook/B07YLB68PL?asin=B07YLB68PL

Kev Koser is back this week to discuss Porygon, and the fossil Pokemon: Omanyte, Kabuto, and Aeodactyl.   With the fossil gang we talk about the legendary moment in gaming history: Twitch Plays Pokemon Nuzlocke challenge (Praise Helix), Balloo adds Mila Kunis and Oscar Isaacs to his list of celebrities who may have bones to pick with him, and we discuss what the nuance of making good episodic TV is by way of recommended viewing such as DC Universe's Doom Patrol and Amazon's Undone. From the Show: That's SIR-Duck With Stick to you: https://twitter.com/LevionB123/status/1174743073403867136 China's own Loch Ness Monster: https://news.avclub.com/china-now-has-its-very-own-loch-ness-monster-1838218509 California's Favorite Cryptid, Tahoe Tessie: http://www.weirdus.com/states/california/bizarre_beasts/tessie/

Christy Admiraal joins Balloo and Darling this week for the usual game of Mon Mom and to discuss Ditto, Eevee and the first gen Eeveelutions: Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon. Including a look back at a trope of 90s Action cinema, our wishlist for the recently announced Face Off remake, Depression Era candy, a moment of remembrance on an important day in US History (that time Ted Cruz liked a porn tweet), and the one Eeveelution we don't want to see. We're back! Follow Christy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdmiralChristy Tugboat Toby: https://news.clickhole.com/6-times-tobey-maguire-had-a-public-meltdown-because-nob-1825121319

It's bring your bro to pod day: Ricky Darling joins us this week to discuss Pinsir, Tauros, Magikarp, Gyarados, and Lapras. After the usual game of Mon Mom, we dig into the Pokemon with conversations about the origins of Nantucket Red shorts, Final Fantasy X's fatal flaw, NBA Candy men James Harden, Dwight Howard and Metta World Peace, and pay tribute to some of our favorite podcasts: Mike & Tom Eat Snacks, and the Bill Simmons Show. From the Show: Magikarp Meme read over the Allan Parsons Project: https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/3377815_700bwp.webp  Magikarp Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3x3-22Gi3g&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2j3ZzMqgqwnSeOUpsNW_iIFUPVCHGMT8yGYN7lGeedPTXiySk2n5MGsH8 Twitter User Elle Gato's Pokemon Zodiac: https://twitter.com/ellle_em/status/1140968411373211653

With apologies for the late episode, Balloo and Darling are back this week to discuss Mr. Mime, Scyther, Jynx, Electabuzz, and Magmar. We dive into the uncanny valley and creep factor of clowns, discuss praying mantises as invasive urban species, Matt Groening's Netflix show Lost- but also get into some earnest discussion on Jynx's controversial design, and topics of race and equality in America writ large. Black Lives Matter, and we mince no words in this regard on these topics in light of this week's news related to the murder of Eric Garner. There's fun and there's truth in this one galore. From the show: Patton Oswalt, the saddest clown: https://open.spotify.com/track/5EYGlAjkttWIm5jnE0U1Cd?si=rwht0G9MQQWWErv2q_a7cg John Mulaney on the New York Post: https://open.spotify.com/track/7f6QQQqSpzrSeCTt4zhvc1?si=6u-77MvFT66750i2kxW4og Plus, check out the past episodes referenced in the show!

Comedian and writer Dan Duddy joins the podcast this week to wrap up the podcast "Bois Trilogy" of episodes by discussing Kangaskhan, Horsea, Goldeen, and Staryu. After the usual game of Mon Mom, we discuss the zen of comedy, a Tales From the Crypt body horror story, The Matrix as an allegory for wokeness, the madness that is the trailer for the upcoming Cats adaptation, and stick around for Darling's impersonation of Balloo. Follow Dan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealDanDuddy The Tales From the Crypt Ventriloquist Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ3-sK404TY That NSFW Zachary Fox Tweet referenced in the show: https://twitter.com/zackfox/status/1148289901567176704 This American Life's story on French Comedian Gad Elmaleh: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/596/becoming-a-badger/act-one-3

Magician Rob Ramirez joins us this week to discuss Koffing, Rhyhorn, Chansey and Tangela. Along the way, Balloo starts yet another celebrity feud (this one with Michael's endorsement), the gang discusses the plight of NY Knicks fans, offers a decade late deep dive into Christopher Nolan's The Prestige with thoughts from a professional magician on the message of the film, and Darling finally descends to madness in terror at the wonders the mage before him is able to perform. From the show: Rob's Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobRamMagic Support GDQ and their awesome cause, check out our favorite speed runs and follow them on Twitter for future updates: https://twitter.com/GamesDoneQuick Jak & Daxter 100% - https://youtu.be/rgQmMR8lueA?t=194  Bloodborne, All Bosses - https://youtu.be/6a8bc-V6seo?t=1095  Resident Evil 2 Remake - https://youtu.be/K0CFIymKnZo?t=284  The Simpsons Harry Potter Scene = Weezing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8eKEld6ioQ  

Writer & Director, Gerry Maravilla joins the podcast this week to discuss Exeggcute, Cubone, Hitmonlee & Hitmonchan and Lickitung. After our regular game of Mon mom, get ready for egg puns galore, looks back at Young Adult classic series Goosebumps, Animorphs, where the X-Men film franchise went wrong and where James Marsden went right, plus a deep dive into classic kung fu & martial arts films with the gang and much, much more! From the Show: Follow Gerry on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gerrymaravilla Gerry's reaction to all Michael's puns: https://gph.is/1qP7A20 Gerry's short film, Cross: https://vimeo.com/237523308 Darling's Lickitung Reaction Image: https://images.app.goo.gl/u3rJ8kWfdoL9Agpd9 Preview of Gerry's Feature Horror film, The Halloween Club: https://optionalirony.com/2019/04/04/the-halloween-club-preview/ Balloo's Cubone Sad Boi Mix: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2FwDMUP5OsIScJjFpICGO0?si=01hW9eFdSyOXYjehkeefvA 

Gil Baron drops by the podcast to discuss Onix, Drowzee, Krabby, and Voltorb. The gang discusses Onix diarrhea, local erotic fan fiction comedy shows, Balloo's terrible approach to first dates, how Chris Hemsworth ruined the Ghostbusters reboot, and the gospel according to Gil: "If you’re a dummy with a good heart then yes, a lot of sins can be washed over.” Check out Packchella, the Pack Theater Comedy Music Festival (it's pay what you can!) June 28-30, Info & Tickets: https://www.packtheater.com/calendar/ Follow Gil on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GJBaron From the show: The *other* Ghostbusters intro theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ2QT4wWGrE Tapir terror: https://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2018/02/tapir-nose.jpg.990x0_q80_crop-smart.jpg Hypno's Michael Scott face: https://gph.is/1bQeSro  Fake Call App Download from Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.redteam.fakecall&hl=en_US

Comedian, writer, and actor Monika Smith joins us to talk about the Gen 1 ghost trio of Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar. Balloo regales the team this episode with folklore and legends from his homeland of Trinidad and along the way the group discuss the ghosts, our favorite Keanu Reeves stories, how important Harry and the Hendersons is in the pop culture landscape, Tinder bio red flags, the state of the NBA Finals, Canadian PSAs, and the high cost of women's undergarments. From the show: Follow Monika on Twitter - https://twitter.com/missmonikasmith?lang=en Anytime Monika reacts to Pokemon Lore: https://giphy.com/gifs/oskouioskoui-breakfast-at-tiffanys-gifscapade-d2Z32wTIuPl6iHuw Tarantino & Feet - https://www.theodysseyonline.com/tarantino-foot-fetish Pop Culture Touchstone, Harry & the Hendersons' final scene - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d8oqIXtjdo Alf swearing (NSFW) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4IsUqclKUE Gengar Tumblr Meme - https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d0/24/21/d02421fad99564ca64b9490e5bfe9843.jpg CBC PSA, Burnt Toast - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uUvWmXUodE The Institute for Gremlins 2 Studies - https://twitter.com/g2institute?lang=en

Alex Creswick comes by to throw the podcast into delightful disarray, but every Games of Thrones viewer knows Chaos isn't a pit, it's a ladder: we climb out of the muck (get it?) to 'discuss' the Seel, Grimer, and Shellder families- or attempt to amid numerous departures to discuss Armageddon, Ben Affleck, how the Dean from Community would own the Met Gala, Seal's greatest hits, and many more things that delight Balloo.  From the show: JLO Unphased by Katy Perry Changing into a Cheeseburger Costume: https://theblast.com/j-lo-katy-perry-cheeseburger-met-gala-video/ Ben Affleck Mocking Armageddon on the Commentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ahtp0sjA5U German Town Tries to Get Rid of Pest Catfish: https://nypost.com/2018/07/17/town-hires-angler-to-deal-with-monster-duck-eating-catfish/ Alex's Reaction to a joke Michael Makes about the trainer couple from Heart Gold/Soul Silver: https://gfycat.com/sadseriousegg-tina-fey Manatee Bonk Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmp9_bwNQPg

Kev Koeser and Michael Chau return to discuss Detective Pikachu in depth. After a Special Detective Pikachu Mon Mom game, the group speculates on the future of a Pokemon Cinematic Pantheon, and get on with sharing their takes on Detective Pikachu's accomplishments at cinematic world building, characters, action, and more. From Nic Cage's hopeful involvement in future Pokemon movie installments, to dream recasting, and finally an accolades round table (The PikAcademy Awards), the Mon Men are here with all that and more on the long awaited big screen, live action Pokemon movie. From the show: Nic Cage singing Purple Rain Karaoke: https://www.stereogum.com/2040968/nicolas-cage-sings-purple-rain-karaoke-watch/video/

Seth Hansen, cohost of the music podcast 40s and 40s, sits in today to discuss Magnemite, Duck with Stick, and Doduo. It's a long awaited face off between Balloo and the Duck with conversation ranging from House of Cards, to the Mandela effect and Sinbad's career, all the way to how the Death of Superman ruined comics. Today's Mon Mods may not be for the faint of heart, as Balloo and our guest combine minds to descend to the madness of conceiving what can only be described as an eldritch horror monster. Welcome back to Mon Men! From the show: The Action Climax from Short Circuit 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POxMp61Ksbk Paul Rudd's Mac and Me running bit on Conan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bNzAgJMYVE The ditched sprite for the evolution for Farfetch'd - https://tcrf.net/File:PokeGoldDemo-front_228.png The Collegehumor Sinbad Shazam April Fool's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD0rchvuoMU Seth Hansen's Band, Kid Carrion: https://open.spotify.com/artist/35vbotrWs7WYiFAXRQ9G4a?si=1S1OGPI4TNepkq10jrBuBw 

Abby Denton joins us this week to discuss Geodude, Ponyta, and Slowpoke. After facing off against a 6-0 undefeated Michael Darling in a game of Mon Mom, this week's trio discuss classic Bond films, the creepy use of CGI to keep actors alive forever, the unexpected movie trilogy that takes the crown for best of the century thus far, and (keeping up our tradition of referencing NBC classics) a lot of talk about Pokemon world Lil' Sebastian. From the show, Alfred Molina singing Fiddler on the Roof as Doc Ock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy_yQHN2K6g

Guest cohost Andrew Valdes jumps in the third chair this week to talk about the Machop, Bellsprout, and Tenatcool families. Veering from NBC Comedies to NBC Drama: we trade chops for slaps and talk about the cultural phenomenon that was NBC's The Slap, as well as Diedrich Bader, begging for sensei's forgiveness, Pokemon you can step on and those you'd need to wallop, as well as how capable each of today's mons are at subduing Darling (answer: super effective). Including some surprise Yoshi's Island derived parenting advice for our listeners, it's another episode of Mon Men! From the show: Uri Geller's Brexit Promise: https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-uri-geller/uri-geller-urges-mass-telepathy-against-brexit-idUSKCN1R50MF Machop's viral twin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkxvlq25Kqw Machop's real world inspiration, the Moschop:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moschops#/media/File:Moschops_capensis.jpg Machamp's Original Red/Green sprite: https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:Spr_1g_068.png

The Mon Men are back with special guest, Henry Meier to discuss Growlithe, Poliwag, and Abra. We have some Pokemon News at the top of the episode that breaks Balloo's heart (Danny DeVito was tested for the voice of Detective Pikachu), and then it's off to the races (literally) discussing the Growlithe family and their absurd speed and stamina in the dex, Poliwag and its extremely odd biology, and Abra's real world counterparts and legal troubles. From a review of Now You See Me 6 years late, to Balloo's heart breaking because the Batman is not the peoples' hero, and dubbing one of today's Mons the Ron Swanson of Pokemon, it's another episode of Mon Men!

Balloo and Darling are back again and welcome guest co-host Ethan Hallstrom to the third chair to discuss Meowth, Psyduck, and Mankey. It's an episode with all the usual fun of Mon Mom, Mon's World, and Mon Appetite, but with all the usual tangents of Joe Pesci's acting career, Must See TV NBC Thursdays, Middle School Reading, and Exorcising Demons by being hashtag woke. It's the Podcast about Pokemon that's Woke-mon, welcome back to Mon Men!

Balloo and Darling are joined this week by Michael Chau to discuss the Paras, Venonat, and Diglett families. Starting with another game of Mon Mom, it's off to the races with Balloo putting his foot in his mouth on the Paras line with comparisons to a certain A List movie star, speculations of illicit applications of yet another poison Pokemon, and a lot of inappropriate jokes about Diglett and Dugtrio physiology. Welcome back to Mon Men!   From the show:   The terrifying Thomas the Tank Engine meme that'll keep you awake: https://boingboing.net/2017/07/03/the-true-form-of-thomas-the-ta.html    The Dugtrio meme that'll ruin your faith in humanity: https://funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/206992/Dugtrio/  Outro music to restore it, Carly Rae Jepsen x Nine Inch Nails - Call me a Hole:  https://youtu.be/WC1ei5RlK7E

Balloo and Darling are here for a Pokemon Day special, breaking news reaction episode to the announcement and first trailer for Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield on the Nintendo Switch! We kick it off with a game of Mon Mom for the starters announced today: Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble. Darling and Balloo trade predictions and wishes based on the England inspired location, folklore, and history, and then close off with a starter announcement game of Mon Appetite. It's a special breaking news edition of Mon Men! From the show, the Cerne Abbas Giant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerne_Abbas_Giant

Balloo & Mr. Darling are back, this week they're joined by guest, Kevin Koeser to discuss the Vulpix, Jigglypuff, Zubat, and Oddish families. Starting with another game of Mon Mom, this week's conversations touches on an icon in the furry community, Marxist Mario, Japanese folklore, Nintendo kinks (wherein we confirm that we are the podcast that does not kink shame), and even trans rights events- and that's all before we even get to Mon Mods, Mon's World, or Mon Appetite. Welcome back to our biweekly podcast and this week's edition of Mon Men!   From the show: If you're curious about Bowsette, there's an honest to god wikipedia page devoted to her, and it's the safest link we can share about her - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowsette 

Balloo and Darling are back once more, this time with their first guest in the rotating third seat: Brett Fujioka. Discussions of the Nidoran families finally bring up the Pepsi to Pokemon's Coke: Digimon and the difference between world building and narrative building, and some hypothesizing about the way Pokemon would have gone if the original plan for Clefairy to be the face of the franchise had gone through. Mon Mods, Mon's World, and finally another Mon Appetit bring us home, it's Mon Men!   From the show: check out the animal inspiration for the Nidoran, the Hyrax - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyrax

Balloo and Darling return for a bonus episode tackling some of their favorite parental fan theories concerning Red and Ash's potential fathers, human-pokemon hybrids, and a pet theory on who the biggest ladies man in the Pokemon universe is. Short and sweet, we'll be back next week with a full episode.

Balloo and Darling are back, this week to take on the face of the franchise: Pikachu. This week, we Introduce a new recurring segment, Mon Mom with Balloo's own mother to start things off. Darling shares some news from the world of London fashion, and the pair discuss Pikachu's design, cultural impact,  and similarities to The Wire, as well as a little bit of New York history, and a sneaky twist on this week's Mon Apetite. It's another episode of Mon Men!

Balloo and Darling are back to discuss the rats (Ratata), birds (Spearow), and snakes (Ekans). From Balloo's disappointment with lazy, uninspired designs, to a Mon Mods discussion of a fan created expansion that adds a Nuclear type, and another Mon Appetite, this time shouting out a local LA favorite - It's Mon Men!

Balloo and Darling are back to discuss the Caterpie, Weedle, and Pidgey families. From discussions about avian coifs, to just how big the pokedex says these creepy crawlies are, and a special twist to this week's Mon Appetite, it's Mon Men!   From the show, link to wikipedia's entry for Argentavis Magnificens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentavis

In the first episode of Mon Men, Balloo and Michael discuss the Gen 1 starter families (Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander), from designs, to how they would be used in the real world (It's a Mon's World), and which we'd most like to eat (Mon Appetite!). Welcome to the first step in our audio journey through the Pokedex!