POKÉMON Day on Feb 27 was extra special this year as the beloved multimedia franchise celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Led by earnest trainer Ash Ketchum and his loyal partner Pikachu, the Japanese creation has grown into a vast universe of anime, films, video games and merchandise.
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The franchise began as a role-playing video game series created by Satoshi Tajiri for Nintendo’s Game Boy console.
The first titles,
Pocket Monsters Red and
Pocket Monsters Green, were released in Japan on February 27, 1996, followed by
Pocket Monsters Blue in October that year.
Inspired by his childhood hobby of collecting insects in suburban Tokyo, Tajiri designed the games to recreate the joy of exploration, urging players to complete the Pokédex under the slogan “Gotta Catch ’em All!”.
The success of the games led to the launch of the Pokémon Trading Card Game and the
Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga later in 1996.
The first episode of the
Pokémon anime aired in Japan in April 1997, followed by the release of
Pokémon: The First Movie in 1998.
The franchise expanded rapidly overseas in 1998 with releases in Hong Kong and North America, where the film topped the US box office in November 1999.
Although its popularity eased in the 2000s, a loyal global fan base remained, with early trading cards later becoming prized collectables.
The launch of
Pokémon Go in 2016 sparked a revival, drawing crowds into public spaces worldwide to catch virtual creatures through augmented reality.
In 2019, Ryan Reynolds voiced Pikachu in
Detective Pikachu, the franchise’s first live-action adaptation.
According to Pokémon’s official website, the 30th-anniversary celebrations include exclusive merchandise, themed trading card collections and special
Pokémon Go features, alongside a “What’s Your Favourite?” video featuring celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Trevor Noah and Jisoo.
