Also, Magikarp being so weak is actually representative of an old legend that if a carp were to leap over a castle wall, it would become a dragon. Hence, Magikarp evolves into Gyarados. All this talk about Magikarp made me decide to make Magikarp the Pokemon of the Week.
Maybe you were talking about a carp leaping over a waterfall in order to become a dragon. I think that was the folklore where Magikarp => Gyarados was based upon.
On topic:
Pikachu and Meowth certainly retained their popularity, being the two mascots of the Pokemon Anime (Pikachu does it better since it has more exposure). Dragonite had not retained popularity. It has regained what was once lost (he was outmatched by garchomp and Salamence once)
Competitively, i think Gengar still retains the top one for me who regained popularity. Despite many changes in the metagame, with Snorlax and Zapdos being sent to the depths of UU, Gengar still managed to possess such threat, with its many immunities.
Also, with the new Wish mechanics, Vaporeon also holds another spot in the OU as a great support member, with access to Wish, Baton Pass, Substitute, Scald, and many more.
And finally, Starmie, along with Gengar, had been in the OU since they first came out, making the two the most veteran of all Pokemon in the OU. His access to BoltBeam plus Recover is a force to be reckoned with. Also, he is a good Rapid Spinner, blowing away all entry hazards set up by the opponent. And also a good revenge killer with Hydro Pump.
and welcome Nepse!