Mew Under The Truck? Solving The Biggest 90s Playground Mystery And How To Actually Catch It

The Mew Under The Truck Myth defined the childhood of an entire generation. It created a shared experience of mystery, playground rumors, and trial-and-error that modern internet connectivity has made impossible to replicate. We all remember standing in the schoolyard, a chunky grey retro gameboy in hand, listening to that one kid who swore his cousin in Japan found a pink cat beneath a pixelated vehicle near the S.S. Anne.

At 2Bluebox, we believe that these rumors, whether true or false, are the heartbeat of retro gaming culture.

Pokémon Red title screen—where a million schoolyard myths were born.

These myths forced us to explore every corner of Kanto, talk to every NPC, and push the limits of what the hardware could handle. We treated our game console not just as a toy, but as a puzzle box waiting to be solved.

Today, we are going to settle the score once and for all. We will look at the history, the code, and the culture. We are providing a definitive solution to the Catch Mew Pokémon Red Blue Glitch, ensuring you finally fill that 151st slot in your Pokédex. Beyond the myths, we will also revisit the chaotic fun of MissingNo item duplication, a programming oversight that allowed us to clone Master Balls and Rare Candies with reckless abandon.

Whether you are a veteran trainer revisiting the Kanto region on a modern TV game console setup or a collector interested in pokemon red australia value, this guide is your ultimate companion.

1. What Is This Game And Why Did It Change The World? 🌏

Before we dive into the glitches, we have to respect the history. Pokémon Red and Blue (originally released in Japan in 1996 as Pocket Monsters Red and Green) are not just games; they are the magnum opus of Satoshi Tajiri and his team at Game Freak. They didn't just create a game; they revolutionized the entire concept of console portable gaming.

Red vs Blue—the two versions that turned trading, collecting, and link cables into a culture.

The Inspiration: Bug Catching and Connection 🐞

Satoshi Tajiri didn't just want to make an RPG; he wanted to recreate his childhood. Growing up in rural Japan, he spent his days collecting insects, trading them with friends, and cataloging his finds. As urbanization took over, the forests disappeared, and he wanted to give that experience back to the children of the digital age.

When he saw the Game Boy Link Cable, he envisioned insects crawling across the wire from one system to another. This was the spark. Unlike other game consoles of the time where you played in isolation, Pokémon was inherently social. The slogan "Gotta Catch 'Em All" wasn't just marketing; it was a mechanical necessity. You could not complete the Pokédex without a friend who had the other version.

The Global Phenomenon 📈

This simple mechanic created a social explosion. In Australia, the US, and Europe, the game dominated sales charts from the late 90s well into the early 2000s. It wasn't just software; it was a cultural currency. If you had a Charizard, you were cool. If you knew how to catch Mew, you were a god.

Today, this legacy lives on. Whether you play on original hardware or a modern retro game console, the magic remains the same.

2. The Legend of the S.S. Anne: Was Mew Ever Really Under the Truck? 🚚

If you played Pokémon in the late 90s, you knew about the truck. Before the internet was in every pocket, the schoolyard was our news feed. The rumor was simple yet intoxicating: "If you use Strength to push the mysterious truck near the S.S. Anne, you will find Mew."

The Anatomy of the Rumor 🕵️♂️

The logic was sound to our ten-year-old brains. To get to the truck, you had to perform a specific set of actions that felt like a secret quest.

• You had to avoid battling the gentleman on the S.S. Anne to keep the ship from departing.
• You needed to obtain the HM for Surf and the Soul Badge.
• You had to return to the Vermilion City harbor and surf to the right.

There it was. A lone pickup truck sitting on a pier.

The truck at Vermilion Port—iconic, real… but not the real way to catch Mew.

The Truth: A Real Asset, But An Empty One ❌

Here is the reality we have uncovered at 2Bluebox: The truck is real. It is a unique graphic asset (Tile ID: 0x5E) located in the Vermilion City harbor. It sits in an area that the average player can never return to once the S.S. Anne sets sail, which made it feel incredibly exclusive.

However, there is no Mew underneath it.

Why does it exist? The truck is likely an Easter Egg or a piece of random scenery left by a programmer. Perhaps it was meant to be a delivery truck for the cruise ship. Its existence in such a hard-to-reach place stimulated the imagination of millions of children, convincing us that Game Freak had hidden a secret there. It is a classic example of apophenia—finding patterns where none exist. But while the truck was a "scam" in terms of gameplay rewards, it was legendary in terms of community building.

3. How Do You Actually Perform the Catch Mew Pokémon Red Blue Glitch? 🧬

The irony of the truck myth is that you can catch Mew in the original cartridges, but it has nothing to do with the Vermilion City harbor. The method is known as the Trainer-Fly Glitch (or the Nugget Bridge Glitch).

We at 2Bluebox have verified this method on original hardware in November 2025. It is safe if you follow these instructions exactly. This works on the original carts, and even on a game stick running the ROM.

Video: How to catch Mew in Pokémon Red/Blue using the Trainer-Fly glitch. Source: MrRhexx.

Step-by-Step Guide to Catching Mew 📝

Prerequisites:

• You must NOT have battled the Gambler on Route 8 (The one facing North towards the Underground Path).
• You must NOT have battled the Youngster on Route 25 (The one with a Slowpoke, facing Up, often the 4th trainer on the left after Nugget Bridge).
• You need a Pokémon that knows Fly (HM02).
• You need a Pokémon that knows Teleport (usually an Abra).

The Execution:

1. The Setup (Route 8): Go to Route 8 and stand in front of the door to the Underground Path. Save your game here. This is crucial.
2. The Glitch Trigger: Walk down towards the Gambler. You must stand right in front of him, but out of his line of sight. The moment you take the step into his line of sight, immediately press Start.
   • What happens: If timed correctly, the Start Menu will pop up before the exclamation mark (!) appears above the Gambler’s head.
3. The Escape: Select Pokémon, choose your Abra (or flyer), and use Teleport (or Fly) to Cerulean City.
   • The Visual Cue: As you warp away, you will see the Gambler notice you (the ! appears), but the battle won't start because you have left the map. The game is now in a "limbo" state where it thinks a battle is occurring.
4. The Vector (Route 25): Walk to Route 24 (Nugget Bridge) and confront the Youngster mentioned in the prerequisites.
   • Important: You must defeat him. However, when the battle starts, stand at least one tile away so the trainer has to walk to you. This is a safety precaution to ensure the game creates a valid pathing memory.
5. The Return: After winning, do not fight anyone else. Fly directly to Lavender Town.
6. The Encounter: Walk west onto Route 8.
   • The Magic: As soon as you enter the route, the Start menu will pop up on its own without you touching anything. This is the game trying to resolve the suspended battle state from earlier.
7. The Capture: Press B to close the menu. A battle will immediately start.
   • Wild Mew appeared! It will be Level 7.

Why this works: The game stores the ID of the last Pokémon you fought in a specific memory address. The Youngster's Slowpoke has a Special stat that corresponds to Mew's hex decimal identifier (21). By interrupting the script with the Gambler, the game looks for the next battle data and accidentally pulls it from that Special stat.

4. MissingNo: What Is It And Why Can It Destroy Your Save? 👾

If Mew was the holy grail of collection, MissingNo was the forbidden fruit. Short for Missing Number, MissingNo is the most famous glitch in video game history.

It is not a Pokémon. It is the game's error handler—a way for the software to deal with "garbage data" when it is asked to load a Pokédex number that doesn't exist (specifically index number 000). This is a trick often explored by users of the R36S who want to experiment without risking a $100 cartridge.

The Technical Mechanism: The "Old Man" and the Cinnabar Coast 👴

This glitch relies on how the game manages limited memory (RAM) on the Game Boy.

1. The "Old Man" Buffer: When you speak to the Old Man in Viridian City and watch his catching tutorial, the game needs to change the player's name to "OLD MAN" for the duration of the battle.
2. The Swap: To do this, the game temporarily copies your player name (e.g., "ASH" or "RED") to a temporary memory buffer.
3. The Coincidence: This specific memory buffer is logically shared with the data that controls Wild Pokémon Encounters.
4. The Cinnabar Glitch: When you fly to Cinnabar Island and surf along the Eastern Coast, the game makes a mistake. The tiles are programmed as "water" (meaning wild encounters can happen), but the developers forgot to assign a list of Pokémon to this specific map grid.
5. The Result: Because no new list is assigned, the game reads the last data stored in that buffer... which is now your Player Name!
   • The game interprets the characters of your name as Pokémon Species IDs and Levels.
   • If your name contains specific characters, the game tries to load a Pokémon ID that doesn't exist. The result is MissingNo.

The Pros and Cons (Risk vs. Reward) ⚖️

This glitch is a double-edged sword.

MissingNo item duplication—the infamous glitch that can explode your inventory (use with care).

Our Advice: If you want to use the MissingNo item duplication glitch, do it for the items, but run away from the battle. Do not catch it unless you are prepared for a glitchy Hall of Fame.

5. Lavender Town Syndrome: Fact, Fiction, and Frequencies 👻

Moving away from code errors, we must address the atmosphere. Lavender Town Syndrome is a term coined to describe a series of creepypastas and urban legends surrounding the music of Lavender Town. The rumors claimed that the high-pitched frequencies in the original Japanese release (Green and Red) caused illness or distress in children.

The Audio Analysis 🎵

The theme of Lavender Town, composed by Junichi Masuda, is intentionally dissonant. It uses sharp chiptune frequencies to create a sense of unease.

• Binaural Beats: The channels in the original track play slightly different frequencies, creating a disorienting effect when wearing headphones.
• The Change: Nintendo did alter the high-pitched tones for the international release to be less harsh, mostly to prevent headaches, not because of supernatural occurrences.

Video: The Lavender Town mystery explained (fact vs fiction). Source: TetraBitGaming.

While the "syndrome" is a work of fiction, the emotional impact is real. The town represents a tonal shift in the game console game—confronting death (Pokémon Tower), the murder of Marowak, and the grieving of NPCs. It added a layer of maturity to the game that cemented it in our memories.

6. Pokémon Red Australia Value: Collecting in November 2025 💰

As we look at the market in late 2025, the demand for physical nostalgia is at an all-time high. If you are sitting on a copy of the game, you might be holding a small fortune.

Market Analysis (AUD)

We have tracked the sales data for pokemon red australia value across eBay, local conventions, and retro stores. This trend isn't just for Pokémon; we are seeing it across all retro gaming consoles and even classic arcade machines.

• Loose Cartridge (Good Condition): $85 - $120 AUD.
  • Note: The label must be intact. Faded labels drop the value significantly.
• Boxed with Manual (CIB): $450 - $700 AUD.
  • Note: Condition of the cardboard box is everything. Crushed corners reduce value.
• Graded (WATA/VGA 9.0+): $2,500+ AUD.

Game Boy Repair Australia 🛠️

A common issue with these cartridges in 2025 is the save battery. The CR2025 batteries inside the carts have a lifespan of about 15-20 years. Most originals have died by now.

• The Fix: You need a soldering iron and a "Gamebit" screwdriver to open the cartridge.
• Service Costs: Professional game boy repair australia services typically charge between $20 and $30 AUD for a battery swap if you are uncomfortable soldering it yourself. We highly recommend replacing this before starting a new adventure to ensure your Mew is saved permanently.

Video: 2Bluebox test—playing Pokémon on a modern TV with a retro game stick setup. Source: 2Bluebox.

If you don't want to deal with the hassle of repairs, modern solutions like the game stick pro or the best retro handheld (like the R36S) come with these games pre-loaded and save states that never die.

7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ❓

Q1: Can I trade the Mew I caught via the glitch to Pokémon Bank or Home?
Technically, the Virtual Console versions on 3DS had checks that prevented "glitched" Mews from transferring. However, if you perform specific arbitrary code execution to align the OT and ID number to official event Mews, it is possible. For the original Game Boy cartridges, you can only trade to Gen 2 (Gold/Silver).

Q2: Will catching MissingNo break my game cartridge permanently?
No. It physically cannot damage the hardware or the ROM chip. It corrupts the Save RAM. This typically results in messed up Hall of Fame data and sometimes graphical glitches in battle. In worst-case scenarios, you might have to restart your save file, but the cartridge itself is safe.

Q3: Is the truck present in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen?
Yes, as an easter egg. In the remakes, if you obtain a Lava Cookie (not available at that point normally) and interact with the truck, you can get a hidden item, but it is still not a Mew.

Q4: Why does the Cinnabar Island glitch happen?
It happens because the developers programmed the right-hand shore tiles as "water" (allowing encounters) but forgot to assign a specific encounter table to that map grid. Therefore, the RAM holds onto the last valid encounter table used, which happens to be the tutorial demonstration data if you visited the Old Man.

Q5: What is the best way to play these games in 2025?
While emulators, such as the popular R36S or a portable game stick, are convenient, playing on an original Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance SP with a backlit screen offers the most authentic experience.

Alternatively, if you want a premium modern experience with a retro game console with built-in games list, these devices often support save states and fast-forward features that make grinding much easier. Check out our gamestick pro review to see if it fits your playstyle. Or, if you prefer the arcade feel, a retro arcade game console might be what you need. For those curious about the library, check the R36S games list.

Finally, for the ultimate enthusiast, nothing beats the best retro game console setup that mimics the original hardware perfectly.

8. Conclusion 🏁

Revisiting the Mew Under The Truck Myth and the Catch Mew Pokémon Red Blue Glitch is not just about exploiting code; it is about celebrating the communal discovery that defined gaming in the 90s. We did not have wikis or YouTube guides. We had rumors, experimentation, and the thrill of the unknown.

The MissingNo item duplication glitch gave us a sense of rebellion, a way to break the rules in a structured world. Meanwhile, the eerie tunes of Lavender Town reminded us that this world had depth and darkness. As we move through 2025, keeping these cartridges alive through battery replacements and sharing knowledge is vital for preserving history.

At 2Bluebox, we encourage you to dig out that old Game Boy, solder in a new battery, and finally catch that Mew. You owe it to your ten-year-old self.

9. Further Reading & Resources 📚

To ensure the highest level of accuracy and trust (E-E-A-T), we have compiled the specific sources used to verify the glitch mechanics, historical data, and development stories mentioned in this article.

1. The Mechanics of the "Mew Glitch" (Trainer-Fly Glitch)

• Quote/Fact: "The glitch involves escaping a battle with a Trainer... The game then stores the ID of the last Pokémon fought... Using the Special stat of a specific trainer to generate Mew (ID 21)."
• Source: Bulbapedia - The Community-Driven Pokémon Encyclopedia.
• Article Title: "Mew glitch"
• Direct Link: https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Mew_glitch

2. MissingNo and The "Old Man" Data Buffer

• Quote/Fact: "This glitch is caused by the old man's demonstration... The player's name is temporarily stored in the wild Pokémon data buffer."
• Source: Glitch City Laboratories (The Oldest Pokémon Glitch Community).
• Article Title: "Old Man glitch" (Wiki Archive).
• Direct Link: https://glitchcity.wiki/wiki/Old_man_glitch

3. Detailed Breakdown of MissingNo's Effects on Save Data

• Quote/Fact: "MissingNo. (Japanese: けつばん Ketsuban) is a glitch Pokémon... Encountering it can increase the sixth item in the bag by 128."
• Source: Serebii.net - Joe Merrick (Webmaster).
• Article Title: "Pokémon Red/Blue - Glitches - MissingNo."
• Direct Link: https://www.serebii.net/glitches/missingno.shtml

4. Pokémon Red Market Value (PAL/Australia Region)

• Quote/Fact: "Historical sales data tracking for Pokémon Red (PAL Version) loose and complete in box."
• Source: PriceCharting - Video Game Price Guide.
• Article Title: "Pokemon Red PAL Gameboy"
• Direct Link: https://www.pricecharting.com/game/pal-gameboy/pokemon-red

5. The "Last Minute" Inclusion of Mew

• Quote/Fact: "We put Mew in at the very end. The cartridge was full and there was a tiny bit of space left... It was a prank that we put it in." — Shigeki Morimoto & Satoru Iwata.
• Source: Nintendo.com - "Iwata Asks" Interview Series.
• Article Title: "Iwata Asks - Pokémon HeartGold Version & SoulSilver Version: Just Making The Last Train."
• Direct Link: https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/pokemon/0/1/