10

The games that started it all have just turned 10 years old.. Pockét Monsters Green version and Pockét Monsters Red version were released in Japan 10 years ago today, starting the Pokémon craze we all know.


Pokémon was created in 1996 by Nintendo for their best selling portable video game system, “Game Boy”. Originally released in Japan, Pokemon are a class of unique little Pocket Monsters that battle each other when instructed to do so by their trainer. The original term for Pokeemon was “Pokétto Monstaa”, the coined Japanese term for Pocket Monster. Soon the Japanese shortened the name to “Pokémon”. A Japanese game designer named Satoshi Tajiri invented Pokemon based on childhood memories of collecting bugs in jars and wishing he could make them fight like the monsters in his favorite science fiction movies. The game was so intricate that it took Tajiri six years to develop the Pokémon game. Once released, the rest is history. The overwhelming popularity of the game prompted the creation of a Japanese Pokémon television series and a Japanese Pokémon Collectible Trading Card Game, both of which also became tremendous successes.

The Pokémon phenomenon began in the U.S. in 1998 with the release of the original Red and Blue Game Boy games, the debut of the animated Pokemon television series on Warner Brothers, and the release of the English version of the Pokémon Trading Cards. The Pokemon television series immediately catapulted Kids Warner Brothers to the top of the cable ratings for kids shows.

Starting on February 25, through July 22, 2006 the Pokémon Journey Across America tour, celebrating the property's tenth anniversary, will visit numerous cities across the United States. In addition to a Pokémon tournament, the events will include numerous on-site activities including live costume characters,, a Pokémon Trading Card Game play area, exclusive character downloads for Pokémon video games, and a 10th anniversary lounge to offer fans a look back at Pokémon through the years.

Happy Birthday Pokémon!!

Pokémon's success can be attributed to Pokémon’s incredible appeal to children from diverse cultures and across sex and age barriers. Although originally designed for adolescent boys, Pokémon’s popularity quickly spread to include girls, elementary age school children and even preschoolers. As summarized by Galil Tilden, Nintendo’s Vice President, “Pokméon is much more than a phenomenon – It’s now a children’s entertainment staple here in America and globally… From the video games, to the toys, to the TV series, Pokemon’s staying power is evident in its multifaceted appeal to its broad fan base."