The Japanese brand has become one of
the most recognisable in the world, with its colourful creatures appearing in
video games and on shop shelves across the globe. But perhaps most synonymous
with the Pokémon phenomenon is its trading card game, which has been played,
bought and sold between collectors for the last three decades. Wednesday marks
the release of Pokémon's 30th anniversary range - a day one collector described
as the brand's biggest day "in the last decade, if not more". Pokémon's
popularity has exploded over the years, with some cards originally worth just a
few pounds now selling for eye-watering amounts. Hall said a box that may have
been worth £200 in the late 1990s would now sell for about £35,000. Pokémon,
originally called Pocket Monsters, began as a game released for the Nintendo
Gameboy in Japan in 1996. Millions of copies were sold worldwide and the name
was eventually shortened to Pokémon. Following the success of the first games,
a company called Media Factory released the Pokémon Trading Card Game in
October that year. Like the game, the cards exploded in popularity. Since then,
more than 85 billion cards have been produced, a world championship tournament
established, and an ultra-rare card sold for $16.5m (£12m).
BBQ - What makes something collectable? How can a brand use this?
