>>58231359Late Gen V pretty much was that point.
Before then Eevee and it's evolutionary relatives had the odd appearance to show off it's evolutions or the new ones that fit like it's introductory episode in the anime, Gary getting one to eventually show off Umbreon, Red getting one in the Manga to coincide with the one Eevee you get in-game that could also show off it's evolutions by morphing between them but eventually settled on Espeon like his GSC iteration.
Up until Gen V Eevee was something you got once per-game (if even that as Hoenn gave it a miss) and the anime would have the occasional Eevee show up like May's one that eventually evolved into Glaceon but then Gen V had both BW2 having Eevee become a wild encounter for the first time as well as that one Eeveelution trainer in the anime who swept the league of shitters that just so happened to be the Gen right before we got Sylveon and from there Eevee practically became a mainstay in all media.
Serena gets one in XY, Lana gets one in SM, Koharu gets one in Journeys as well as Gladion having an Umbreon with it being his first Mon despite Type Null being his first in the games and him never having one on his team. Even Serena's manga equivalent Y has one.
Then you get Let's Go Eevee, G-Max Eevee, Eevee's exclusive Z-Move and Eevee being a Poke Ball Mon in Smash Bros. from 2014 onwards.
Gen V really was the impetus for the crazy amounts of Eevee shilling we've had.
