The Answer to Pokemon’s Bulbasaur Hat Meme Revealed

A new viral meme is wondering the most important question of all: how does Bulbasaur wear hats?

Over the weekend, a Twitter post went viral when she asked whether the loyal stalwart Grass-type Pokemon Bulbasaur wears a stocking cap over its head or its bulb. The answer to that question led to a fierce debate over Pokemon anatomy, the likes of which we’ve rarely seen on the Internet:

To provide some context, most bulbs are “perennial” plants, which mean that they bloom year after year even when exposed to the cold weather. However, a lot of bulbs can survive in the ground because the soil insulates the plants and roots from the cold, which allows it to flower year after year.

Since a Bulbasaur’s bulb doesn’t benefit from the soil’s protection, it would make sense that it would either live in tropical environments or have some sort of way to protect its plant during cold weather. So, there’s a solid scientific argument for why a Bulbasaur would need to wear a stocking cap over its bulb instead of over its head.

While the Pokemon Twitter account claims that the Pokedex can’t answer this conundrum, we actually have a few official sources that help to provide an “official” answer. The first is an official Halloween image used by Pokemon Asia for some EZ-Cards sold in Singapore. As you can see below, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, and Eevee are all wearing special headgear – with Bulbasaur wearing its pumpkin hat on its head and not its bulb.

The second source is the Pokemon anime – which serves as probably the best look as to how a Pokemon would dress itself. Ash’s Bulbasaur has never worn any sort of hat, but Pokemon the Series: XY actually had a Bulbasaur who appeared in costume several times. Shauna, one of Serena’s recurring rivals, appeared in several Pokemon contests appearing alongside her Bulbasaur. Pokemon Contests usually involve costumes, and Bulbasaur (who later evolved into Ivysaur) appeared in two separate costumes. The first involved a flower arrangement around the bulb and special heart-shaped pasties on its head, while the second had a confectionery arrangement around Ivysaur’s flower and a bow between Ivysaur’s ears. You can check out the latter costume below:

As you can see, Bulbasaur/Ivysaur’s head is treated as its head, while the bulb/flower is treated as a separate point of emphasis in the costume.

Basically, it looks like Bulbasaur would wear a hat on its head for costume purposes or as an accessory. However, any tasteful Bulbasaur would also have its bulb decorated and, depending on the heartiness of its bulb, would also wear something to protect its bulb during cold weather.

What do you think the answer is? Let us know in the comment section or shoot me a tweet at @CHofferCBus!