I think it's good we get a variety though. It'd be kind of boring if they were all pokemon references, especially since a majority of PC isn't really into pokemon as much as they used to be. To me, it fits the needs of all the most common interests here, or just things that everyone can understand.
I don't mind them so much. I like them because they are fun, even if I see one over a dozen times. It does get tiring to see the same ones over and over. I think it will take time to get used to it. That sounds strange coming from someone who despises changes. XD
As for disabling them for members, I do agree with Audy. You gotta remember that for most people, this is a new feature. Not everyone is going to like it, and Audy isn't going to be able please everybody. He's only doing what he thinks will make the forums more enjoyable for us. It would be rather tedious for him to disable it for others or to have a feature that allows disabling. I don't know why anyone would want that when it's something that you can easily ignore.
But that's just my opinion. :/