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The slogan for Pokémon was "gotta catch 'em all". But I have never heard that
when I was watching Pokémon in the Japanese original with Chinese sub. The
Japanese phrase was something along the lines of "Pokémon, caught!"
(ポケモンゲットだぜー). Another phrase was also "my goal, Pokémon master!" (めざせポケモンマスター
).

Where did the English phrase come from?


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pokemon
Where did the phrase "Gotta catch 'em all" come from?


The phrase comes from the [English theme
song](http://www.metrolyrics.com/pokemon-theme-lyrics-pokemon.html) of the
animated series. The chorus is as follows:

[code]

    Pokemon, gotta catch 'em all
    Its you and me
    I know it's my destiny
    Pokemon, oh, you're my best friend
    In a world we must defend
    Pokemon, gotta catch 'em all
    A heart so true
    Our courage will pull us through
    
[/code]

You can listen to it on
[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuYeHPFR3f0).


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It comes from the folk song [Dance me a Jig](http://faujsa.fau.edu/music-
data/405018/405018.pdf), which is based upon events in 1863 in South Carolina
during the American Civil War.

> I didn't want no posses chasing after me,  
>  So I took all the livestock and set 'em free,  
>  Now master's so mad that he's liable to bust,  
>  'Cause he **gotta catch 'em all** while I'm kicking up dust.

See also the 1950 publication "[Sing
Out!".](https://www.google.com/#q=%22want+no+posses+chasing+after+me%22&tbm=bks)


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**Where does this phrase comes from?**

According to
[Bulbapedia](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Gotta_catch_%27em_all!),
this phrase is a rough translation from the Japanese games :

> The Japanese equivalent is **Get Pokémon!** (Japanese: **ポケモンゲットだぜー！**
> Pokémon get da ze~!, also spelt **ポケモンＧＥＴだぜー！** )

* * *

**When did the phrase _Gotta catch 'em all_ first appeared?**

While the previous answers are correct, it is important to notice that this
phrase first appeared on both anime and game.

You can see on the North America's and European's version of the Gameboy game
_Pokemon Red_ and _Pokemon Blue_ the same phrase :

[![Pokemon
Red](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sYpx5.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sYpx5.png)
[![Pokemon
Blue](https://i.stack.imgur.com/F7dBvm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/F7dBvm.jpg)

* * *

**But which one of the anime or the game came first?**

As @DavePhD mentionned in the comments, _Gotta catch 'em all_ is a registered
trademark. One of its first registration on June 23, 1998 mentions

> entertainment services, namely, arranging and conducting competitions in the
> field of playing video games; stage presentations; video game presentations
> relating to video games; production, presentation, distribution, and
> syndication of animation, motion picture films, and television programs; and
> production and presentation of video tapes

which includes both the anime and the game. So we can say that _Gotta catch
'em all_ appeared with the general airing of Pokemon in the United States.

Note that the first episode was broadcasted before the game was released in
the United States : the TV Show was aired on September 8, 1998 while the game
was first sold on September 28, 19981.

* * *

1 Wikipedia links : [the first
episode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon,_I_Choose_You!) and [the
games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Red_and_Blue)


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