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Mew is one of the many fictional species in the Pokémon franchise. It is a small, pink, Psychic-type Mythical Pokémon, which are incredibly rare and powerful Pokémon typically available only via special events. It was added to Pokémon Red and Blue by Game Freak programmer Shigeki Morimoto at the tail end of the games' development. Though it was not planned to be obtainable, after it was discovered through data mining, its presence in the games was surrounded by many rumors and myths. For years, Mew could not be obtained legitimately in the games except through some specific Pokémon distribution events, though it could be obtained through a variety of glitches.

Mew's first film appearance was in Pokémon: The First Movie as one of the main characters alongside Mewtwo. In the movie, a team of scientists used a fossilized Mew eyelash to create Mewtwo, a genetically enhanced Mew clone. Mew later appeared in Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew as a main character alongside Lucario. Due to the mystery surrounding its obtainability in the original games, Mew has been considered highly iconic and a large part of what made the Pokémon franchise so successful, as the hype around obtaining it greatly increased sales for the games.