The Truck Myth: 5 Shocking Facts About 'Mew Under The Truck' And Its Modern Pokémon Legacy
Every Pokémon fan from the 90s remembers the whispers: a secret, final Pokémon—Mew, the 151st Mythical Pokémon—was supposedly hidden under an unassuming truck near the S.S. Anne in Vermillion City. This rumor, born in the earliest days of *Pokémon Red and Blue*, became one of the most enduring and captivating urban legends in video game history, inspiring countless hours of fruitless searching by a generation of dedicated players. As of , the legend continues to resonate, not just as a nostalgic memory, but as a deliberate Easter Egg woven into the fabric of modern *Pokémon* remakes and fan culture.
The story of the truck is a fascinating case study in early internet culture and playground whispers, demonstrating how a single, out-of-place game asset—a simple truck sprite—could spawn a global phenomenon. While the original games offered no legitimate way to move the truck, the myth's power lies in the hope it offered: that a major secret was waiting just out of reach, accessible only to the most dedicated trainers who mastered the Hidden Machines (HMs) like Surf and Strength.
The Legend of the S.S. Anne Truck: A Gen 1 Mystery
The "Mew under the truck" myth centers on a specific, non-interactive object found in the original *Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow* games. After the player defeats the rival and receives the HM Surf from the captain of the S.S. Anne, the ship departs, never to return. However, if a player manages to prevent the ship from leaving—often by using a glitch or trading a Pokémon with Surf before the ship leaves—they can access the small dock area where the ship was parked. There, sitting on a small patch of land, is a large, grey truck.
- The Unmovable Object: The truck is strategically placed on a small strip of land accessible only by using Surf, an HM that players typically only acquire after the S.S. Anne has departed. This inaccessibility fueled the mystery.
- The Rumor's Core: The legend stated that if a player used the HM Strength—another move typically used to push boulders—on the truck, it would move, revealing Mew hidden underneath.
- Why Mew? Mew was the ultimate secret Pokémon, number 151, and was originally only obtainable through official Nintendo events. Its scarcity made any rumor about an in-game method highly believable and desirable.
- The Japanese Version Myth: A common variation of the rumor suggested that the Mew-under-the-truck trick worked only in the Japanese version of the game, and was removed from the international releases to force players to attend events.
The truck’s presence was simply a piece of set dressing, an object to make the harbor feel more realistic. However, its unusual placement and the game's general atmosphere of hidden secrets—especially with the existence of the real Mew—transformed it into a legendary secret.
The Truth Under the Truck: Why No Mew Appeared
Despite the millions of attempts and the widespread popularity of the myth, the simple truth is that there was no Mew under the truck in the official *Pokémon Red, Blue, or Yellow* games. The truck was merely an environmental sprite, and no code existed to make it movable or to spawn the Mythical Pokémon.
The real irony is that while the truck myth was false, there *was* a legitimate, in-game method to catch Mew without attending a Nintendo event: the infamous "Mew Glitch."
The Actual In-Game Secret: The Trainer-Fly Glitch
The "Mew Glitch," also known as the "Trainer-Fly Glitch," is the true in-game secret that allowed players to catch Mew, and it is a marvel of programming exploitation.
- The Setup: The player must avoid battling a specific trainer on Route 8 (the one with the Slowpoke) and a specific trainer on Route 24 (the one with the Abra).
- The Execution: The player triggers the battle with the first trainer while simultaneously flying away using the HM Fly or teleporting using the move Teleport. This action corrupts the memory of the game's save file, specifically the area that determines which Pokémon will appear in the next wild encounter.
- The Encounter: By battling the second trainer (the one with the Abra, which uses Teleport to end the battle), the game's code is manipulated. When the player returns to the area where the first trainer was, a wild Pokémon appears. The species of this Pokémon is determined by the Special stat of the last Pokémon the player battled.
- Catching Mew: Since Mew's index number in the game's code is 21, battling a Pokémon with a Special stat of 21 (like a Level 17 Slowpoke) and then following the steps causes a wild Mew to appear.
This glitch, which was entirely unintended by Game Freak, is a complex exploit of the game's memory management, and it stands in stark contrast to the simple, intuitive, but ultimately false rumor of the truck. This glitch is still functional in the 3DS Virtual Console versions of the games.
How The 'Mew Truck' Lives On In Modern Pokémon Games
The enduring popularity of the "Mew under the truck" myth has not been lost on The Pokémon Company. Rather than simply ignoring the legend, developers have actively embraced it, turning the truck into a recurring Easter Egg that nods to the franchise's deep history and community lore. This is where the story of the truck gets its most recent and fresh updates.
1. The FireRed and LeafGreen Acknowledgment
In the 2004 Game Boy Advance remakes, *Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen*, the truck is still present, and it is still impossible to move. However, players who manage to reach the area (by trading over a Pokémon that knows Surf before the S.S. Anne leaves) can find a hidden item near the truck—a Lavaridge Cookie. This small nod is an acknowledgment from Game Freak that they know players are still looking in that spot, rewarding them with a minor collectible instead of the grand prize.
2. The *Pokémon Let's Go* Easter Egg
The most recent official reference comes from the 2018 Nintendo Switch games, *Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!* and *Let's Go, Eevee!* These games, which are remakes of the original Gen 1 titles, also feature the truck in its iconic spot near the Vermillion City harbor.
While the truck remains unmovable, the fact that the developers deliberately included the truck model in a modern, high-definition game solidifies its status as a permanent piece of *Pokémon* lore. It serves as a tribute to the early days of the franchise and the power of its community's imagination.
3. Fan Games Finally Make the Myth True
In a final, satisfying twist, many fan-made *Pokémon* games and ROM hacks have taken it upon themselves to fulfill the original promise of the urban legend. In various unofficial titles, creators have programmed the game so that using Strength on the truck *does* finally reveal Mew, allowing players to live out the decades-old dream.
The "Mew under the truck" is no longer just a rumor; it is a cultural touchstone that defines the early experience of the *Pokémon* Generation 1 era. It represents a time before instant internet de-bunking, where the possibility of a secret, a true reward for exploration, was just as exciting as the game itself. The legend of the unmovable truck continues to be a powerful symbol of gaming folklore, ensuring the mysterious vehicle remains one of the most famous pieces of scenery in video game history.
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