>>35281741Baby Pokemon were first created because Game Freak wanted to show people a tangible result of the breeding mechanic they introduced.
To encourage people to breed, they made several baby Pokemon that were locked behind the breeding mechanic. Otherwise fewer people would have used breeding. To incentivize people into breeding for these Pokemon other than for dex completion, and to boost their marketability, the babies were all made from very popular Pokemon such as Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Clefairy. Consequently, these baby Pokemon became extremely marketable, especially for younger children who love babies.
As a result of this success, Game Freak went out of their way to create more baby Pokemon, with Azurill and Wynaut (baby forms of Wobbuffet and Marill, two of the more popular Gen 2 Pokemon) being among the first Gen 3 Pokemon they ever made.
However, a problem presented itself. Marill, Wobbuffet, and other Pokemon were able to hatch out of eggs already. Therefore, Game Freak made the incense system as a way to avoid a complete retcon. (This made additional sense in Gen IV since Pokemon that hatched out of eggs in the Gen III games that later got baby forms, such as Chansey, could be transferred to Gen IV.)
Babies were created out of marketable Pokemon and increased their marketability as a result. Keep in mind that Pokemon just isn't the video game; it's a meta-franchise with TCG, plushies, action figures, and other merchandise. Why blame Game Freak for going with the baby trend? It's worked for other franchises such as The Muppets and The Looney Tunes.
Chimecho got a baby form because it showed up in the anime as the "second Wobbuffet." Wobbuffet got a baby in Gen III, so Chimecho should have gotten one in Gen IV. Also, bells are very popular in Japan, so it made sense for a bell Pokemon to be created. Hell, we got two bell Pokemon in Gen IV - Bronzong (based on dotaku) and Chingling (based on more conventional bells).
