We've always had a 'possum Pokémon

[icycatelf]

Fox + various possums/opossums, inspired by a possum named after foxes?

 

[Setsuna]

While I think the inspiration from the east Asian depictions of foxes makes sense (it strongly reminds me of the Keaton from Zelda, which I've always assumed were inspired by Kitsune, and that's probably helped by them both being yellow) I feel like the "rare golden common brushtail" take is a stretch, and I really, really have to squint to see the connection to the American possum. I love possums and think they're funny but I can't really see the inspiration for a Gen I Pokemon design being this obscure when considering there were things like... Magnemite or Seel. I can kinda understand the connection between possums being tricksters and Abra being associated with deception and magic (I thought that might just be a misconception based on the english names, but that's true even in Japanese) but protection measures and problem solving don't seem the most accurate to me? I think it'd be more believable if they'd kept the rat-like tail in future generations instead of changing it, if Abra's mantle looked less like a t-shirt to me (though that one's just personal!), and especially if its evolutions continued that visual inspiration from a possum because it's way easier for me to connect something like Alakazam to a human-inspired design that kinda carries some of that Kitsune inspiration compared to any kind of association with a possum.

...I do want some Pokemon that's just blatantly a possum, though. Give it something like Substitute to let it play dead, I dunno.