Way back in 1998, the first Pokemon games hit store shelves in the United States. The game introduced players to the original 150 creatures and gave them the task to catch them all as they battled gym leaders throughout the world. As it turned out, however, there was a 151st Pokemon to obtain in the game.
In the games, Mew is a Pokemon that is very difficult to get ahold of legitimately. Mew can be used in Pokemon Sword and Shield, though it's only through a means designed for the Pokemon: Let's Go games. Lapras was also somewhat difficult to find in the original games and can only be obtained when an NPC gifts the player one for helping fight off Team Rocket. Thanks to their adorable design and rarity, however, both Mew and Lapras quickly became fan-favorite Pokemon.
In the past, fans have created art tributes to both Mew and Lapras. One fan, for example, made an impressive paper figure of both Mew and Mewtwo. Lapras has likewise seen its fair share of fan art with one creating a low poly statue out of the Pokemon. In a recent post, Reddit user Piinl shared a piece of their art to the Pokemon page depicting a parent Lapras, its child, and a curious Mew with the latter meeting the baby in a cave.
The artwork almost looks like a screenshot out of a game or one of the animated movies. Like its Pokemon: The First Movie counterpart, this version of Mew appears curious and playful with the baby Lapras responding with joy. Mother Lapras appears to look on approvingly as light shines down from an opening in the cave. The picture met with overwhelming approval in the comment section.
According to longtime Pokemon developer Shigeki Morimoto, Mew was added to Pokemon at the last second. As a result, the character lacked the same amount of narrative depth that other Pokemon enjoyed. The creature's full backstory would eventually be fleshed out in the 1998 film, Pokemon: The First Movie, where the character was depicted as the strongest and rarest of all Pokemon. Likewise, Lapras were also rare in the original games, with the species nearly hunted to extinction. As of Pokemon Sun and Moon, Lapras is no longer an endangered animal in the franchise.
Since the original Pokemon Red and Blue, Lapras can be captured, gifted, or bought in every major installment in the franchise. Mew is also obtainable in many Pokemon games, but the methods of getting the legendary creature are a bit odd. In Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Mew can only be obtained if the player has a certain set of saved data from the Pokemon: Let's Go games. However, as long as Game Freak and Nintendo continue to produce Pokemon games, fan art that depicts both Mew and Lapras will likely continue to be produced for many years to come.