About

Are You a Boy? Or Are You a Girl refers to a phrase used to make fun of the Pokemon Professors’ inability to tell the player’s gender in the games. Professor Oak is most often the one made fun of.

Origin

The first usage of the question was in Pokemon Crystal in 2001, in which Professor Elm asked the question. Professor Oak didn’t ask the question until the release of Pokemon Firered and Leafgreen in 2004.

Spread

While it likely was used before, the first known usage was on April 23rd, 2008 by the webcomic Super Effective (shown below, left).^[1] The next earliest usage was in 2009, in the webcomic Heart and Soul (shown below, right).^[2] Another early known usage of the phrase as a joke was on March 30th, 2010 on JoyReactor.^[3]

Various Examples

External References