Pokémon 25th Anniversary facts for kids
Official logo in the shape of Pikachu's head with "25" represented as its red cheeks; this logo is derived from the franchise's 20th anniversary logo.
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| Date | January 1 – December 31, 2021 |
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| Type | Anniversary event |
| Organized by | Pokémon, Nintendo |
The Pokémon 25th anniversary, also called Pokémon25, was a big celebration in 2021. It marked 25 years since the Pokémon world began! The very first games, Pocket Monsters Red and Green, came out in Japan for the Game Boy on February 27, 1996.
This anniversary celebrated all parts of the Pokémon world. This included the video games, the anime shows, the manga comics, toys, clothing, music, and special events. During the anniversary year, new games were announced. These included Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, which are remakes of older games. Also, Pokémon Legends: Arceus was announced, which is a brand-new adventure.
Contents
The Start of Pokémon
The Pokémon story began with the games Pocket Monsters Red and Green. These games were made by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. They first came out in Japan on February 27, 1996. Later, they were released in other countries as Pokémon Red and Blue.
The Pokémon world is divided into different "generations." Each new generation brings new Pokémon creatures and a new region to explore. The first generation started with those original games in 1996. As of 2021, there are eight main video game generations.
Pokémon's Huge Success
Pokémon has grown to be the biggest media franchise ever! It has earned over $90 billion in total. The video game series is the second-best-selling video game franchise. Only Nintendo's own Mario games have sold more copies. Over 368 million Pokémon games have been sold. Plus, there have been over one billion mobile game downloads.
The Pokémon franchise also includes a very popular anime series. This show is the most successful video game adaptation. It has over 20 seasons and 1,000 episodes shown in 169 countries! Beyond games and TV, Pokémon also has:
- The world's best-selling toy brand.
- The top-selling trading card game, with over 30.4 billion cards sold.
- An anime film series.
- A live-action movie.
- Books.
- Manga comics.
- Music.
- Lots of merchandise.
- Even a theme park!
Anniversary Events
The first official hint about the anniversary was on November 26, 2020. This happened at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Pokémon Company showed the anniversary logo. It was in front of a giant Pikachu balloon. Pikachu has been a regular at this parade since 2001.
After this, news came out about a special collaboration. Pokémon worked with the Japanese Space Exploration Agency, JAXA. They celebrated the new year by showing Pokémon in augmented reality aboard the International Space Station.
Key Dates and Announcements
Here are some of the exciting things that happened during the anniversary year:
- January 13: News broke that American singer Katy Perry was working with Pokémon. She was part of a new music program for the anniversary.
- January 14: The Pokémon Company announced that New Pokémon Snap would be released worldwide on April 30, 2021.
- February 9: McDonald's released special Pokémon Trading Cards. These cards were included in McDonald's Happy Meals for a short time.
- February 15: Pokémon teamed up with Levi Strauss & Co.. They launched a '90s-inspired clothing collection called Levi's x Pokémon.
- February 19: The official Pokémon Day website for Japan started. It showed live results of a fan vote on Twitter for favorite Pokémon. This vote ran until February 22. The website also had Pokémon trivia and info on each generation. This day also started an 8-day countdown to Pokémon Day on social media. Each day represented one of the eight generations of starter Pokémon.
- February 25: A special Pikachu was given out to players of Pokémon Sword and Shield. This Pikachu knew the move Sing, which it normally cannot learn. This tied into the anniversary's music theme.
- February 27 (Japan & Korea) / February 26 (international): A special Pokémon Presents online show took place. It shared new information about New Pokémon Snap. It also announced Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
- February 27: The Pokémon 25th Virtual Concert was held. American rapper Post Malone performed as part of the P25 Music Program.
See also
In Spanish: 25.º aniversario de Pokémon para niños
