Poko
- "Money" redirects here. For other uses, see coin.
The Poko is the currency used on Olimar's home planet, Hocotate. Pokos were officially introduced in Pikmin 2; the plot concerned them. Olimar and Louie are tasked with obtaining 
× 10,000 to repay Hocotate Freight's debt, that manages this by selling treasures found by the two explorers while on the planet of the Pikmin. In comparison, × 100 is more than a year's wage for a Hocotatian. Pokos are oval-shaped, thin, and made of some sort of golden colored material.
In Pikmin 3's Collect treasure! stages, a counter at the top of the screen shows an icon quite similar to that of a Poko.
Mentions of Pokos
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Hocotate money is mentioned at some points in the first two games. When the final ship part in Pikmin is recovered, the Secret Safe, Olimar states that it is as full as ever[1], meaning none of his Pokos were lost. Some pieces of mail in Pikmin 2 allude to Pokos too:
- Olimar's son mentions how his allowance has been cut, restored and later doubled.
- Olimar's wife mentions how she finds her husband's "secret cash stash".
- Olimar's wife notes how Olimar's bonuses arrive after repaying the debt, and later, his son mentions how he should give one of the checks to a spammer.
- One of the supposed spammers mentions saving "tons of Pokos" at a website.
- Olimar's daughter mentions how an orchestra play the family went to was supposedly expensive.
- Olimar's children point out how their mother's Poko craze changed their lifestyle to the worst.
- Olimar's wife explains how she "lost a small fortune buying lottery tickets".
Gallery
The texture for a Poko in Pikmin 2; it receives filters for its color during gameplay.
The Poko counter in Pikmin 2's Challenge Mode.
The Poko Counter in a Collect Treasure! stage.
The Poko Counter at the end of a Collect Treasure! stage.
Trivia
- Pokos bear a strong resemblance to the coins found in the Mario series of video games.
- The intrinsic value of Pokos fluctuates within Pikmin 2 and across games to Pikmin 3, rather like real fiat money; thus, there is no one conversion value to a real-life currency. It can be determined, however, that one Poko is worth much less than the 2004+ US dollar. For example, the worn gold and copper in the Lustrous Element (assuming it is a typical 1850s gold dollar, at about 1.7 grams or .05 troy ounces) would yield a value in 2004 of around $22.02; meanwhile the high demand for it on Hocotate makes it worth 1000 Pokos. By this "Lustrous Element standard", $2.02 is close to a year's salary for a Hocotate Freight worker.
See also
References
- ^ “At long last... I've found the final part...my Secret Safe! And it's as full as ever! How glad I am that I've persisted in my search without losing hope... Now I can leave this planet without any regrets. Maybe I'll even stop and pick up some souvenirs for my wife and kids back on Planet Hocotate! ---- At last I have found it-my most prized possession! I am so relieved... It's as heavy as ever!” – Captain Olimar in a monolog about the Secret Safe